"I Just Want People To Be Horny": The Cast Of New Horror Movie Touch Me Explain Their Surprisingly Emotional Film About A Sexy Alien

This year’s Sundance Film Festival has delivered some of the event’s wildest movies yet, and Touch Me is certainly high on this year’s list. The movie hails from writer/director Addison Heimann, making his return after the similarly off-kilter horror-drama Hypochondriac, led by American Horror Story: 1984‘s Zach Villa, which also enjoyed a run through multiple major festivals, including Fantasia and SXSW. When it came to landing the idea for his next project, Heimann pulled from a very personal place to pen Touch Me‘s script, while also looking to the acclaimed Mexican horror movie The Untamed.

Touch Me centers on Joey, a woman who claims to have escaped a toxic relationship with an alien posing as a human years ago and having since relied on living with her codependent best friend, Craig. When the alien, Brian, resurfaces in her life and offers both her and Craig his heroin-like physical touch, they find themselves so blinded by their desires that they begin falling deeper into his darker plans. The Magicians alum Olivia Taylor Dudley leads the Touch Me cast alongside Orphan Black‘s Jordan Gavaris, Physical‘s Lou Taylor Pucci and Monsters‘ Marlene Forte.

In honor of the movie’s Sundance Film Festival premiere, ScreenRant sat down for a group interview with Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jordan Gavaris, Addison Heimann, Lou Taylor Pucci and Marlene Forte to discuss Touch Me. The writer/director reflected on the source of the movie’s concept, as well as the various genre influences he pulled from for the film. The cast, meanwhile, share what drew them to the wild project, as well as the intricacies of their characters and working with the practical effects of the movie.

Where The Concept For “The Horniest Movie” Of Sundance Came From

Heimann Had An Interesting Mix Of Sources

A woman looking scared at something in The Untamed

With the movie being a wild mix of sci-fi, horror and comedy, Heimann certainly didn’t look at just one place for the concept behind Touch Me. The writer/director first pulled from a very personal place of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder for the movie’s script and characters, while also watching an acclaimed Mexican horror movie and humorously expressing his desire to be part of its world:

Addison Heimann: Absolutely. So depression, don’t we love it? But basically, I was depressed, I suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and I watched this movie called The Untamed, which is a Mexican horror movie about an alien who was this God-like creature that f–ks people. It’s euphoric. And I was like, I want that. I want to go there. And I’ve been learning Japanese for five years, and I am really obsessed with pink films, exploitation films of the ’60s and ’70s from Japan. And so wanting to explore this idea of what would it be like if you could get your anxiety and depression zapped away from you under this wild, tentacle Sєx euphoria combined with that kind of whisper for Touch Me?

Touch Me’s Practical Effects Were “Slimy” & “Beautiful”

“The idea of those scenes are way more fun than actually shooting them.”

Olivia Taylor Dudley with a cross on her mouth in The Vatican Tapes

Heimann certainly leans into the absurd nature of his premise by having his alien, Pucci’s Brian, sleep with both Dudley’s Joey and Gavaris’ Craig, though goes a step further by having it be via tentacles. When it came to filming those scenes, the entire cast acknowledged that the filming of those scenes provided a “slimy” yet “beautiful” challenge for them, particularly for Gavaris, who was making his horror genre debut in the film, whereas Pucci had previous experience with 2013’s Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and Dudley on everything from Chillerama to Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls:

Jordan Gavaris: It was slimy.

Addison Heimann: Jordan’s so Canadian. He’s like, “I’m having a good time. I’m having a good time.”

Marlene Forte: The idea of those scenes are way more fun than actually shooting them.

Jordan Gavaris: Yeah. I’d never done a horror movie before. It was beautiful, but I was so not prepared for how wet and sticky you are. There was a day where I think I was just wet, sticky, and cold for 12 hours on a concrete floor, but it produces great work. You’re distracted, you’re out of yourself. There’s no room to —

Addison Heimann: Look at this wonderful Canadian sentiment he’s doing.

Olivia Taylor Dudley: You left your body at one time.

Jordan Gavaris: Some might call it toxic positivity.

Pucci On Playing “The Biggest Slut Possible” In Touch Me

Lou Taylor Pucci sitting on a bench in The Answer Man

Though the movie is certainly about the wild ride that comes from the Sєx-fueled premise, Touch Me also offers some meaningful explorations on the nature of codependency, self-reliance and healthy communication. When it comes to what the cast and Heimann hope audiences take away from the film, they all have a variety of thoughts, with Forte and Pucci having more fun ideas for viewers, while Heimann, Dudley and Gavaris also note the important themes behind it:

Marlene Forte: I want them to have fun watching this. I’ve said it before that if the audience has just half as much fun as we had making the film, I think we’ve succeeded.

Addison Heimann: I want people to have a good time, but my whole goal with film is to make queer movies in the genre space about mental illness. And regardless of the comedy, I want to make movies that make people feel less alone, and I hope that they feel less alone.

Jordan Gavaris: I think just from the perspective of the character I played, which is the lens by which I’m viewing the film too – that your trauma doesn’t always have to define you. Sometimes it actually becomes quite the Achilles heel. And as is true with Craig, that was sort of the reason why he couldn’t launch. He was stuck. So I think that’s something, and it’s sad in the end, because he does take responsibility, but I can’t say.

Lou Taylor Pucci: Oh, I just want people to be horny. I think I play the biggest slut possible and it’s so exciting. What he told me when I first met him was that this was based on a toxic relationship that he was stuck in based on an enslavement issue, like a feeling of being enslaved and some kind of thing that you couldn’t get out of, right?

Addison Heimann: Yeah.

Lou Taylor Pucci: That sounds really real. That’s what it’s been.

Olivia: Similar to Addison, what I got out of it is, I want people not to feel alone. The mental illness, the OCD and anxiety, that was what I connected to when I read the script. And I just hope that people read it and feel seen. I’m not alone. Everything’s okay. And I think that the genre is the best way to get that message across.

Rest Of Our Touch Me Interview

Heimann’s Influences For Touch Me:

A still from Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters

ScreenRant: So Addison, I’ll turn to you next because the visual palette of this film is absolutely gorgeous. I love the kaleidoscopic nature of it, I love how there’s the humorous bubbles that pop up with thoughts and everything. What was it like determining how you wanted this film to look? Not just from a colorful perspective, but also from a stylistic point?

Addison Heimann: I knew I wanted to do homage to Japanese cinema. So I just basically had a litany of films that I was pulling from. And so there’s a lot of sH๏τ-for-sH๏τ remakes depending on what movie you’re thinking of. House obviously is the biggest influence, as you can tell, but like you said with the thought bubbles — but there’s also basically everything that Quentin Tarantino homages in Kill Bill, like Lady Snowblood, Sєx and Fury, Female Prisoner, and the trick stuff from Ballad of Narayama and Jigoku and Kuidon — All these different, beautiful little Japanese cinematic pieces that I love. I pulled it up and put in the film. But the biggest influence is a movie called Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, which is a postulated film from the 80s.

And it’s about a very famous, maybe infamous, writer who was a gay fascist. And he basically wanted to return to the time when the emperor was like Jesus or God. And so he took over a military base, tried to proselytize his views. They all laughed at him. He committed Seppuku. But he was one of the most prolific, famous writers ever. So Paul Schrader made this movie, and it’s called Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, and it tells a story that I just told you now, but in between, there are these four short stories that take place entirely on theatrical-style sets. And so I knew when I was going to do all the alien world stuff — it’s why we change aspect ratios.

It’s like we’re doing our in-world reality stuff and then once we hit the kind of world in the alien space, we change aspect ratios. We’re on a stage. Everything is practical, everything is tangible, and everything is homage. It’s kind of kabuki-esque stylization of cinema from that era, and especially from Mishima. So we had our production designer create these steps. So when you’re there, it’s very practical.

On Speaking Japanese in The Film:

Jordan Gavaris smiling and sitting on a couch in The Lake

Jordan and Lou, I’d love to turn to you next. Did you find that you did a little bit of studying for Japanese or did you just sort of rely on the scripts for those dialogue stretches?

Jordan Gavaris: Absolutely not. I know zero Japanese.

Addison Heimann: You know what’s funny? I will say though, because both of them were like, “Can you record yourself doing the Japanese?” And I was like, “Sure.” And I originally was going to be like in the edit when we were doing subтιтles, it was going to start bad Japanese, and then we were going to translate. But Lou and Jordan did such a good job actually speaking Japanese that I was like, “Oh, I actually can’t do that.” It’s not a funny joke because they legitimately spoke Japanese.

Jordan Gavaris: I went through that art school kid phase where I was very obsessed with Japanese culture for about four years, and I did learn — I think I had it in my mind that I was going to become fluent one day, because I’d seen Kill Bill and I think I saw House, and I was also very interested in the artistic works of Japan. And I learned three things and then gave up because it’s an exceedingly difficult language to learn, but I remembered enough to say what you needed me to say, except when a tentacle was being shoved into my mouth.

On Joey’s Vulnerable Monologues & Craig’s Vulnerability About His Past:

Olivia Taylor Dudley as Alice in The Magicians Season 4 SYFY

So, Olivia, I’d love to turn to you next because, with Joey, there’s such a vulnerability to her that she obviously has a hard time breaking down those walls as the movie goes on. What was it like really allowing yourself to be vulnerable for a lot of those heavy monologue scenes that you have?

Olivia Taylor Dudley: I just think Addison is so incredible at writing dialogue and characters. When I read the script, I rarely read something that I relate to so much, and I really related to Joey on a lot of things. I heard her voice in my head [and it] was my own voice, and I don’t ever hear that. I always hear a character’s voice while I’m reading it, and I just have a lot in common with her. I also have OCD, and that was something that we connected on, and [Addison] just trusted me, and I felt like there was a lot of trust between Addison and all the actors, so there’s space for being vulnerable.

And it was such a wonderful set. It was just really cathartic, honestly. And those monologues were written so beautifully and we worked together on one of them. I had some thoughts about Joey saying some things in that and, I don’t know, I’m just really proud of it. The opening monologue was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

Addison Heimann: By the way, that was the first day, first take. She dry heaved afterward.

Olivia Taylor Dudley: Yeah. It was really, really f—-ng hard, but I’m so proud of it, and that was such a good way to get into Joey from the get-go and feel vulnerable in front of our crew because it was wildly vulnerable to do. I just think Joey is me on some level.

I’d like to turn to you next, Jordan, because Craig, as we learn in those crystal sessions, has a lot in his past. But there’s that sort of humorous deflection to him [and], as we go on, we start to see that wall break down. What is that like finding that right rhythm and that right balance to let that wall come down?

Jordan Gavaris: Honestly, it was really scary. As an actor, that’s a really scary thing because there’s so much humor in the script. Despite this genre in the movie being so kind of fantastic and surreal, all the characters are really quite three-dimensional and very real. And I didn’t want to dishonor what Craig went through. But you’re right in that Craig is a human being, is not someone who’s openly vulnerable, and he’s got severe failure-to-launch syndrome. He does not adult well. So treading that line was quite scary for me, and I really just relied on Addison to tell me if it was good, or [if] it was not good.

Because I was also last into the movie in the casting process. I only had about two weeks before the start of principal pH๏τography, so I didn’t have time to get in my head about a process or my approach. Addison basically said, “You’re playing my shadow avatar.” Craig is all the parts of the sort of dark side of me, and frankly, a lot of us. But I just had to intuit my way through it and rely on Addison to let me know if I was in the green or the red. And he was so confident and so certain that I never really had an opportunity to doubt myself, which thank God.

I just knew Addison was this exceptionally promising filmmaker. And I have said this before, and I thought to myself as I was reading literally the scene where I’m having alien tentacle Sєx: Addison Heimann is going to make extraordinary films and probably an extraordinary film one day, and this one could be the one. And if I don’t do this, I’m crazy. Despite the fact that it might involve me getting wrapped in tentacles and then later finding out that it was going to be Lou Taylor Pucci’s tentacles, who I had a crush on.

On Brian’s Look:

Lou Taylor Pucci's Tyler smiling in Physical-1

Lou, I’d like to turn to you next, because Brian is such a magnetic person, but at the same time, obviously, we sense there’s something darker lurking underneath. What is that like from the performance standpoint, knowing the ulterior motives of your character while still trying to present yourself as a loving person to Joey and Craig?

Lou Taylor Pucci: When I first read this thing, I had really long blonde hair and I kind of looked like Jesus, and I was like, this is not right. Whatever this is wrong. It’s too innocent. There needs to be something sinister and demonic about this guy. And then I literally said to Addison, “I’ll do it if you’ll let me dye my hair black.” And he goes, “Okay.”

Addison Heimann: Yeah. And at first I was like, “Really? Why?

Lou Taylor Pucci: I know. You were not into it.

Addison Heimann: I was not on board. And then he shows up on set the first day with his f—-ng black hair, and I was like, he was right. He was absolutely right.

Jordan Gavaris: Also, if I may, the nature of Brian’s narcissism precludes an awareness of his ulterior motive, that it’s like he doesn’t know he’s doing anything wrong. He just wants these things.

Addison Heimann: Yeah. Well, we had that conversation when he’s at a dinner scene when Joey was like, “What happened to your alien family?” Which is total horses–t. But Lou was like, “Well, what do I do here?” I’m like, “Well, it needs to be really sincere.”

Lou Taylor Pucci: Right. Daniel Day-Lewis style.

Addison Heimann: Yeah. Just full on, full on covert narcissism.

Lou Taylor Pucci: I think it affects things. Film is visual, and you need to figure out — I’m an outside-in-type person. I’ll start from the outside, look in the mirror, and figure out what I look like and then somehow become that person that I look like. That helps me a lot.

On Brian and Laura’s Dynamic:

Marlene Forte looking upset in The Rookie

Marlene, I’d like to turn to you next because there’s such a fascinating dynamic between Brian and Laura. I’d love to hear about working with Addison to discover the backstory of these two characters, and then also finding that agency within her as she’s, not his underling, per se…

Marlene Forte: Yeah. I’m like the worst Jocasta mama ever, right? Which you find out later. It’s very funny because we were like, “Well, where did Laura come from?” Brian got down here, found her on some highway, she escaped from a mental insтιтution and picked her up. The only real evil person here is Laura.

Lou Taylor Pucci: The only malicious person.

Jordan Gavaris: Also, the only person who gets what she wants in the whole movie.

Marlene Forte: I mean, I don’t end well, but I die with a bang.

Very true! So what was it like finding that specific rapport between the two of you then? Because that’s obviously a very specific give and take power play?

Marlene Forte: I’ve played moms my entire career, right? But Addison has written two moms for me, one in Hypochondriac and this one. It’s just like, you have to find the mama bear and look for a monster, right? So I’m very protective of him. I love — which we didn’t know, but I could feel it. Like he talked about him being Willy Wonka. He’s a child to Laura and Laura’s like his wagon. We can do a lot of great things if you just listen to me.

Lou Taylor Pucci: That’s right.

Marlene Forte: Yeah. And he doesn’t. And I am tired of all these toys he keeps bringing in. “Look what I got for you now.” I’m like, “It’s not for me.”

Dudley On Onyx Sequel & Future Projects:

Olivia Taylor Dudley in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

So Olivia, I did want to ask you really quickly because, I mentioned it at the top, Onyx the Fortuitous. I loved that movie so much. I actually just showed it to my girlfriend recently, and she also adored it. Last I spoke with you and Andrew, though, you had mentioned hopes for follow-ups. Have you two made any progress on potentially doing more?

Olivia Taylor Dudley: As far as a sequel for Onyx, we would love to. We have a script for it, but I don’t know if that’s in the cards. We’ll see if somebody wants to give us money for that. But we’re developing two other things right now that I don’t really want to talk about, but really fun projects that we will hopefully get to make this next year. But it is really cool to be back at Sundance with another horror comedy and to be invited into this world that is a dream come true as an actor and filmmaker. I love that I’ve been here with two movies that are so fun and unique and wild, and the people that love it are my kind of people, and I just feel really honored for that.