Heather Graham trained every day for weeks to play a deadly satanic cultist in ‘They Will Kill You’

Heather Graham has been in plenty of intense movies, but her newest one pushed her into a whole new zone. In a chat with PEOPLE, she opens up about doing more stunt work than ever before, stepping into the role of a cult member, and yes, dealing with a very memorable eyeball.

If you like horror that leans big, messy, and a little playful, this one sounds like it is aiming right at you.

A bloody hotel with a very specific inspiration

They Will Kill You drops its characters into a hotel that is basically its own nightmare machine. The story plays out across a nine-floor hotel that takes inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. That setting alone tells you the tone. It is not just spooky. It is intense, layered, and built for chaos.

Graham plays Sharon, a satanic cultist. She is joined by a stacked cast that includes Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, and Tom Felton. The film mixes action and horror and centers on Beetz’s character Asia Reaves, who is trying to survive one very bad night at Virgil, a cult-controlled hotel in New York City.

Fun fact: She earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Atlanta“, and she played Sophie Dumond in “Joker” 2019.

Heather Graham’s most stunt-heavy role yet

Even before the cameras rolled, Graham knew this job would be different. As she told PEOPLE, “I was a bit nervous” before filming They Will Kill You, which required more stunt work than any other movie in her catalog.” And she meant it. Graham explains that this was the “most amount of stunts” she has ever done.

Beetz had the biggest physical workload as the lead, but Graham still had to show up early and train hard. She describes what that ramp-up looked like in simple terms that will sound familiar to anyone who has ever had to prep for a demanding gig.

“I mean, obviously, Beetz has more, but I had to be there a few weeks early. I trained every day. It was hard, you know? It was hard.”

That kind of daily training changes how you feel in your body and in your head. Graham admits the nerves were real at the start. But what is cool is how quickly that fear turned into something closer to pride.

“I was nervous because this was the most amount of stunts I’ve ever done,” she says, “but I felt very excited at the end just to feel like, ‘I love doing stunts.’ It was kind of exciting. It’s a little bit scary because you’re just like, ‘Oh my god, I hope they don’t hit me, and I hope I don’t hit her,’ but it was really exciting.”

You can hear the shift in that quote. She starts with worry, then lands on the surprise joy of realizing she actually loves the work.

Fun fact: Patricia Arquette won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Olivia Evans in “Boyhood” 2014.

Tarantino and Raimi’s energy, plus practical effects

The movie is not shy about its influences. It takes cues from Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi, and director Kirill Sokolov even told PEOPLE that Raimi is his “North Star”.

That combo usually means sharp style, big swings, and violence that can be brutal but also weirdly fun. It also means the effects matter. They Will Kill You uses CGI and practical effects, and a lot of the practical chaos runs straight through Graham’s character.

The eyeball scene that is already becoming a thing

If you are squeamish, you might want to look away during at least one sequence. Graham mentions a scene involving an eyeball that is no longer where it belongs. It is the kind of gross detail horror fans love to talk about after the credits roll.

She laughs about what her character goes through, saying, “I mean, my character gets put through some real s—in this movie,” and then adds, “But it was really fun.” And it sounds like the eyeball moment is already taking on a life of its own.

Graham says, “I think the eyeball thing is turning into a really fun moment, and last night at the premiere at SXSW, they had a fake eyeball crawling around and we all took pictures and they gave out these eyeball key chains to everyone,” then continues, “So I’m glad I got to do action sequences and got to be part of so many crazy wild special effects things.”

That is how you know a movie understands its audience. It is leaning into the gross, leaning into the fun, and letting a practical gag become part of the identity.

Zazie Beetz’s marathon, and Tom Felton’s ukulele

While Graham had a ton to do, the heaviest lift belonged to Beetz. This is her first lead movie role, and it required serious stamina. Arquette puts it plainly when she talks about what Beetz was doing day after day. She told PEOPLE it was like “a constant marathon,” and praised Beetz’s “incredible amount of stamina, incredible amount of commitment.”

Even with that kind of drive, a long shoot can wear anyone down. Graham shares a small behind-the-scenes detail that feels very human. Felton apparently tried to lift the mood after tough days by bringing a ukulele to the set and singing to Beetz.

Graham says he would serenade her with “a song about joining a cult,” adding, “He was trying to entertain Zazie, who was really tired.” 

Then she describes the joke at the heart of it, “Obviously, she has so much action, but he was singing the song like, ‘The cult’s not that bad. Just join us.’ ” It is a funny image, but it also says a lot about the vibe on set. This sounds like a demanding production where the cast still found ways to keep things light.

Fun fact: Tom Felton is best known worldwide as Draco Malfoy from the “Harry Potter” films. That role is still his signature credit and is the one most audiences immediately recognize.

When and where you can see it

They Will Kill You also stars Myha’La and Paterson Joseph, and it is now playing in theaters after opening on March 27. If you are into horror with big action, practical gore, and a cast that seems fully committed, this one could make for a wild night at the movies.

TL;DR

• Heather Graham says “They Will Kill You” required the most stunts she has ever done, and she felt nervous at first.
• She trained every day for weeks before filming and says the experience was tough but exciting.
• The movie is an action horror story set in a cult-run, nine-floor New York City hotel inspired by Dante’s Inferno.
• The film takes cues from Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi, with director Kirill Sokolov calling Raimi his “North Star”.
• Graham’s character, Sharon, goes through intense practical effects, including a standout eyeball scene.
• At SXSW, the eyeball moment became a fun premiere bit with fake eyeballs and eyeball key chains.
• Patricia Arquette says Zazie Beetz’s lead role work was like “a constant marathon” and praises her stamina and commitment.
• Tom Felton reportedly kept things light on set by playing ukulele and singing, “The cult’s not that bad. Just join us.”
• “They Will Kill You” opened in theaters on March 27 and is now playing.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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