How Theo James prepared for dual roles in 'The Monkey'
What's the story
The Monkey, a unique blend of comedy and horror, has recently been released in theaters.
The film is an adaptation of a Stephen King story and directed by Osgood Perkins who also directed the 2024 film Longlegs.
The plot revolves around twin brothers who discover their father's toy monkey in the attic, resulting in a series of bizarre and bloody deaths.
The movie is headlined by Theo James who plays the dual roles of Bill and Hal.
Preparation
James's preparation for the roles
James spoke to Screen Rant about his preparation for the dual roles.
He said, "Oz and I decided that we didn't want to rely on prosthetics or vocal or body or language tics."
"We wanted to make them as similar as they can be visually, but make them entirely distinct in terms of their personalities."
Differences
The difference between the two characters
Elaborating on the roles, he said, "Hal, on the one hand, is this kind of beleaguered every-man with a dry wit. And then you have Bill, who's a maniac."
Hal is "kind of hunched over. His body language is quite different. He stutters quite a lot," while Bill "is kind of sleazy."
"It was fun and a pleasure for an actor, because all actors want to see more of themselves. So if you can play yourself twice, then f*ck yeah."
Motivation
James's reaction to the script
In another interaction with The Hollywood Reporter, James explained his decision to say yes to the film.
"Oz is not only a funny, nice guy, and we have a connection in that way, but he's also a really interesting storyteller. So I got sent the script, and I loved it."
He described his decision to say yes as a "no-brainer" since he "loved" the director's previous work.