Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Borderline!

Samara Weaving is a star terrorized by Ray Nicholson’s stalker, Paul, in Borderline. The movie serves as a continuation of Weaving’s horror genre tenure, having become an international sensation after her leading role in Ready or Not and also garnering positive reception for her turns in the Babysitter movies and Azrael. Nicholson, meanwhile, has been steadily on the rise over the past few years, particularly with his breakout role as Paul in Smile 2, which he followed up with the Jack Quaid action-comedy Novocaine.

Borderline stars Weaving as Sofia Minor, an actor and pop star in the 1990s who finds herself the target of Paul Duerson, an obsessive fan who takes his affections too far when he escapes from a psychiatric insтιтution and, with the help of a friend and a nurse, takes Sofia hostage with the intent of marrying her. However, Paul’s well-laid plans find themselves stymied by Sofia’s bodyguard, Eric Dane’s Bell, and Jimmie Fails’ DeVante Rhodes, a basketball player with whom Sofia is in the early days of dating, leading to a violent and increasingly crazy night.

In honor of the movie’s release on home media and VOD platforms, ScreenRant interviewed Samara Weaving and Ray Nicholson to discuss Borderline. The duo reflected on the deeper thematic layers of their characters and how they went about unlocking said layers with writer/director Jimmy Warden, as well as the movie’s wild ending, and the joy of shooting it. Weaving also opened up about her excitement for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and her thoughts on a potential G.I. Joe return after playing Scarlett in Snake Eyes.

Borderline’s Wild Ending Is Just As Emotional As it Is Humorous

“That Thing In Your Obsession…Is The Thing That You Want To Destroy…”

After a tense back-and-forth fight at her house, Borderline‘s ending sees Sofia, Yasmeen Kelders’ Abby and Catherine Lough Haggquist’s Eleanor taken by Paul and his cohort J.H. to a nearby church in order to be wedded by Terence Kelly’s Lutzner, a priest that worked at the insтιтution Paul stayed at. However, not only do Paul’s delusions inadvertently lead to him mistaking DeVante for Sofia, but also stabbing him in the abdomen with a special dagger, despite his apparent love for Sofia.

As Nicholson recalled, part of how he got into the mind of Paul was pulling from his interaction with someone who, much like his character, “lost their girlfriend from a sudden brain aneurysm at a young age, and it really f—ed them up“, which he subsequently sought to “find what that meant for me“. The star went on to explain that, regarding how this impacted Paul’s decision to stab Sofia, “all of our relationships hold us up“, and when Paul lost his partner at Sofia’s concert, “that changes the dynamic of yourself“, and led to a place of “arrested development” for his character.

“I’m holding on to this one image, because I can’t go on from it,” Nicholson explained. “I’m holding onto this one thing, because if I don’t hold onto that specifically, I can’t handle the tragedy that happened. So, it’s like if I don’t have a crazy hold on the thing, it will destroy me, and I think that that’s what leads to the end of the movie, is reality caves in eventually.“

Describing it as “the last key to unlocking” Paul, Nicholson found that it made him “something grounded” and not just defined by “zany behavior“. This grounded mentality also played into the way he played Paul’s self-destructive decision to stab Sofia, as the character knew “I need to destroy the mechanism that’s making me survive“, comparing it to how one might feel if they only strive for success. “And then you’re like, ‘Wow, that felt surprisingly like nothing’,” Nicholson compared. “‘I thought that that was going to feel differently than it did. I thought that all of my sad feelings were going to go away. Oh, f–k. I’m still the person that I am, so I have to recalibrate.’ [Chuckles]“

Despite its darker elements, Borderline‘s ending still delivers plenty of humorous surprises, namely DeVante’s cautious playing-along of being mistaken for Sofia, donning the blue wedding dress and kissing Paul. Both Weaving and Nicholson found the mix of tones in the movie’s climax “super fun” to play with, with the former recalling the delight of having watched writer/director Jimmy Warden, her husband in real life, “think of the idea“, “sitting in the living room” and being on set to film it.

Just seeing Jimmie come out of the trailer wearing the blue dress, and standing in the church and just going, “I read this before. It was such a fun, cool moment.” And then, yeah, I’ll watch those two make out all day, why not? Get after it! [Chuckles]

Nicholson also explained his approach to the scene as being one of genuine nerves and excitement, treating it like a real wedding in which, “I’ve been thinking about this day” and “Oh, how does Jimmie look in the dress?“. He also felt like it “fed into the fantasy of that moment“, while also recalling how Fails “would just crack every time“, to which Weaving laughing shared was likely because her co-star “looked at him so intensely” as though “you were going to eat him“.

Nicholson went on to recall the “fantasy” mindset of Paul as he celebrates his marriage with the hallucinatory Sofia, in which “I twist Sam around” and that even though he wanted to “fully do that“, they “couldn’t get through it” because of Fails’ consistent laughing. He also called the scene “a blast to do” in how it showcased the trust and fun that he and the Nickel Boys star had while filming it.

However, even after successfully stopping Paul and killing J.H., Borderline‘s ending doesn’t quite stop there, as the beginning of the end credits roll with the camera situated in front of Nicholson’s character as he eagerly smiles while being driven away by the police, believing he’s on the way to his honeymoon with Sofia. Much like the end of Ti West’s Pearl, the scene plays out long enough in which it might have been uncomfortable for Nicholson to hold the extreme smile, though the star admits “I wasn’t feeling or thinking about anything at that point“, instead staying in the moment.

“It was just pouring out of me, and that was really just extremely cathartic,” Nicholson explained. “I had planned something in my head, and I thought it was going to go a certain way, and I know that this is going to sound hokey dokey, but literally, the sun hit me in my eye. It was the same thing as a memory coming up, it was like, ‘No, it’s not what you prepared, dude, it’s this.’ That was the reality caving in, and it’s one of those things that if I premeditated it, it doesn’t work.“

Sofia’s Resilience Comes From Her Celebrity Status

“There Was This Weird Faux Feminism Going On…”

Much like her work on The Valet and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, Weaving finds herself playing a star celebrity in Borderline, albeit one whose success looks to be weighing on her personal decisions and relationships. With Weaving having a front-row seat as her husband scripted the film, she shared that they “didn’t really pull from me” and her experience as a celebrity for the creation of Sofia, instead looking at “superstars in the ’90s” and the experiences they went through, particularly “how tough it was” for female superstars.

“We would watch Truth or Dare, Madonna’s documentary, which was amazing, and just how it was such a weird time,” Weaving explained. “There was this weird faux feminism going on, women were just put under scrutiny, and in order to really be successful and be taken seriously was really rough. So, I think there’s a level of real toughness that’s underneath everything she does, because I think she’s in a man’s world, essentially.“

Acknowledging that this toughness carries over into when she’s “thrown into a pit with an absolute lunatic“, Weaving found it “easier” for her to embrace Sofia being able to “f—-ng fight“, laughing as she denoted the parallel in which she “would have to fight in the industry, but also physically“, including the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly fight between her and Alba Baptista’s Penny. Praising the stunt crew on Borderline and her other films as “my heroes“, she described the fight scene as being “choreographed so well” and felt Warden had “such a cool vision” for how to shoot the scene.

Weaving went on to recall one part of the sequence she was a part of, in which “the incredible stunty” had to roll down a set of stairs after being thrown by Penny, calling it “really fun” as she had to quickly switch places after she hid. She also laughed as she admitted “I think I nearly waterboarded Alba by accident” during the part of the scene in which Sofia pours grill gasoline on Penny, confessing “I got a bit carried away“, but also praising Warden for finding a way to make the beat work within the tone of the film.

“That’s why Jimmy’s so great, he makes these really emotional scenes, but also really funny,” Weaving expressed. “They’re not just slapstick for the sake of being slapstick, they’re really telling a story, as well, which I just loved. And Alba was fantastic, there was some really cool stuff in there.“

Beyond the fight for survival, one of the other main elements of Sofia’s arc in Borderline is her relationship with DeVante, which begins as two seemingly misunderstood spirits finding a connection in one another, though is later revealed to be part of Sofia’s efforts to find a potential co-star for her new movie, having already spent time with and crossed the likes of Kevin Costner, Oliver Stone, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas off the list. However, in spite of this reveal, Weaving feels that Sofia had an “attraction” to him, particularly as she was surprised by him being “way more sensitive than she thought“.

I think she ᴀssumed that he’d be different than he is, and I love that no one even talks about it, but that he dresses up with her, and he was wearing a gorgeous skirt and a Sєxy trench coat, and they just go to a club. No one talks about that at all, it’s just part of it. And what’s genius about Jimmy is that he can put these quiet, and revealing, and sweet, and sensitive scenes amongst an absolutely insane story, and it actually works. It’s not like it takes away from it, it really adds to the texture of the movie. Yeah, I think they probably started dating after this trauma bonded.

Nicholson Had Fun Playing Paul As Both “A Delightful Guy” & “F—-d Up”

He & Weaving Also Had A Few Unique Tricks To Playing Their Dynamic

While certainly the antagonist of the film, Paul is something of a tragic figure, with his amiable personality often conflicting with his more violent tendencies stemming from his mental delusions, much like that of You‘s Joe Goldberg. As Nicholson explained, playing Paul proved a more interesting opportunity since they set it in the ’90s in lieu of the present day, given “there are a bunch of Pauls out there” and “they can just stalk on the toilet“.

The star went on to explain that when he and Warden first began discussing the role, they found themselves wondering “where can you really go” from the movie’s opening moment, in which Paul stabs Bell and leaves him for ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Ultimately, they decided to “take you on this ride” and find a way to balance depicting the character as “really a delightful guy“, while also having moments in which “he’s just really f—ed up“, and the audience might be able to feel sad for him.

“If you’re actually mentally ill, and there is a part of it of you’re putting other people in danger, that’s not okay,” Nicholson expressed. “But there is the other part of it that’s like, ‘How much is the guy in control?’ That’s what makes it kind of the interesting conversation watching the movie, in a funny way, that’s not taking itself too seriously, which I think is also important, is that it is this zany fun comedy. But the movie goes, because you’re like, ‘Do I want them to end up together? No, no, no, no. That’s ridiculous.’ [Laughs]“

In looking directly at how they found their on-screen dynamic, Weaving cites The King of Comedy as being a big influence on her approach, sharing her love for Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis’ dynamic given “Lewis wasn’t necessarily afraid” of the former’s aspiring stand-up comedian, but rather “annoyed that this was happening“. “I took a lot from that, like, ‘Ugh, this f—ng guy’,” Weaving explained. “It was kind of an annoyance, which I think lent [to the comedy]. Because I thought, like Ray was saying, ‘If I played Sophia too absolutely terrified, one, it doesn’t make it his comedic genius that he was doing funny anymore, and two, I think it took away from the empathy that the audience has for him’.“

Nicholson, on the other hand, recalls his heartwarming first meetings with Weaving and Warden, explaining how “sometimes, you meet people, and you speak the same language“, and felt there “was such an immediate trust and understanding” between the three of them. He also recalls this trust coming in handy during the first table read for the film, which he felt he “tanked” and was “in cold sweats” from his nerves, leaving in the middle of a place where he wasn’t needed, chuckling as he recalls feeling “I need to do jumping jacks and figure this out“.

After Weaving defended his feelings as “table reads are terrifying anyway“, Nicholson recalls also being comforted by Eric Dane afterwards, going to get lunch with his co-star, during which he confessed “I’m really nervous to work with you“, particularly as he was coming off of his work in Euphoria. However, Nicholson was surprised when Dane replied by telling him, “No, man, I’m nervious to work with you“, which helped the former recognize, “Oh, Sam has my back, Jimmy has my back, Eric has my back“.

Weaving Could Have “Kept Shooting” Ready Or Not 2 “For Ages”

She Also Promises The Horror-Comedy Sequel Is “Exactly What The Audience Will Want”

Looking beyond Borderline, Weaving also just recently wrapped production on Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which is set for an April 10, 2026 release date. When asked how the long-awaited horror-comedy sequel might feel different from that of its predecessor, the star expressed that it’s “exactly what the audience will want“, praising it for being “bigger” while still being “funny“, “scary” and “bada–“. She also expressed her delight at working with the new cast for the sequel, some of whom include Kathryn Newton and Elijah Wood, as being “so funny and good“.

I think it’ll tick all the boxes, and more. It was so much fun, I could have kept shooting that for ages. It was really good, and Kathryn, the whole cast, Elijah, everyone is just so funny and good. She’s the best.

Weaving Has No Idea What’s Going On With G.I. Joe

She’s Ready For A Solo Scarlett Movie

Another franchise that Weaving was a part of was that of G.I. Joe, starring as Scarlett in the 2021 prequel movie Snake Eyes, where she first met the тιтular character and invited him to join the elite special forces unit. While there were initially plans for a follow-up to the film, its box office failure led to said sequel plans being put on hold, with Paramount now focusing on the development of the G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover movie set up in Rise of the Beasts‘ ending.

When asked about her potential future in the franchise, Weaving laughed as she admitted “I doubt” there were any plans for her to return, while also acknowledging “I haven’t been listening to anything“, including the announcement of the crossover. Even still, the Snake Eyes star expressed being open to reprising her role as Scarlett in the future, detailing the fun of the character’s “red wig, wearing a cool suit” and “coming down off a H๏τ helicopter“. When presented with the idea of a solo Scarlett movie, Weaving was further open to it, asking “What are we doing” and chuckling as she said “I’m by my phone if anyone wants to call“.

Check out our previous pre-release Borderline interview with Samara Weaving, Jimmy Warden and Ray Nicholson!