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ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen about the new exorcism horror movie The Ritual. Stevens, Greene, and Cowen discussed the spooky things they experienced on the set of the movie, working with Al Pacino, and more.
“The shocking true story of the most infamous exorcism in American history,” the official logline reads.
The Ritual will be released in United States theaters on June 6, 2025, from XYZ Films.
Brandon Schreur: Dan, I want to start with you, because I’m such a fan of your work in general, but I really like it when you show up in horror movies. I think I’ve shown The Guest to just about every single person that I know. And I loved Apostle so much, too. Now you’re doing an exorcism movie, which is a genre that’s been done a lot, but I think The Ritual really adds a lot and says something different throughout this. So, I’m curious, what about this script stood out to you the most and made you want to be involved with this project?
Dan Stevens: Yeah, it’s definitely different. The fact that it’s based on these real accounts that inspired movies like The Exorcist was very, very interesting. Obviously, having Al on board was a huge draw, and I was very, very excited to see what he would do with this material.
Definitely. The two of you are so good in this, too. You mentioned The Exorcist, and this question is for all three of you. Whenever there’s an exorcism movie that comes out, I feel like it’s inevitable that people will point to the production of that movie and how there were reports of spooky stuff that was going on the set. I don’t know how much of that really happened, but the director said he thought there was supernatural interference. So, I have to ask, did you guys notice anything weird or spooky going on when you were filming this movie?
Ashley Greene: You [Abigail Cowen] were weird and spooky.
Stevens: You [Cowen] were weird and spooky. Abby was the weird and spooky one.
Cowen: Oh, me! I was the one, I guess. I see.
Greene: We just talked earlier about how we both had an experience at the Sutton Hotel. It wasn’t on this set.
Cowen: But that wasn’t on this set.
Stevens: But, with The Exorcist, there were things that were happening behind the scenes and in people’s private lives and stuff.
Cowen: Did something weird happen?
Greene: Well, the Airbnbs were super creepy, right?
Cowen: Oh, you [Stevens] did! Wait, in your house.
Stevens: Yeah, I had a creepy old house in, like, ancient Mississippi. Also, just where we were filming, we were in the crypt of this old Catholic cathedral. Or not a cathedral. What was it called? I don’t know. A big old fancy church.
Greene: There were actually bodies down there.
Stevens: Yes, there were like old bones. It was pretty weird.
Cowen: Yeah, but you had it in your house, didn’t you? Or your Airbnb?
Stevens: The bones?
Cowen: [Laughs] He took the bones home!
Stevens: Just really immersed myself.
Abigail, I want to ask you about your performance in here, too, because I have to imagine that playing a possessed person is not that easy. Something I really liked about this movie is that, even after your character is possessed, there are still times we see the real Emma come through. I really liked that balance, I thought it was a cool way to approach this character. I’m curious what it’s like to actually get into character for a role like this. Is it at all isolating when you have to be the possessed person, and everyone else is reacting to you?
Cowen: You know. Isolating? Not necessarily because I think there was a lot of team effort, I think we were all in it together, and we all kind of knew our role in the film. But the preparation was a lot, for me. I definitely took weeks and weeks to learn all the languages and to really understand so that, when I was in it, I could kind of switch from kind of the possessed Emma to a bit of her vulnerable, real self. So I think it was more about the preparation beforehand, so that when I got to set, I could just kind of let go and trust what I knew, what I had studied, and hope for the best, I guess.
Interesting. I thought it turned out great. You scared me. Another question for all three of you because, Dan, you mentioned Al Pacino, and I wanted to ask what it was like working with him. He’s been around for ages and ages, but it’s not too often he does something super genre like this. And he brings such intensity, but other times such warmth. I’m curious what that vibe was like on set. When you’re filming the really intense moments and the camera stops, is he still really intense?
Stevens: No [laughs]. He was a sweetheart. But Father Theophilus was kind of a sweetheart, I think. He’s so, given what he has to do, I just find him such a sweet character, really. This man is full of regret, just shuffling about and doing his job. I thought he was very sweet. That was my experience, at least.
Cowen: Yeah, I agree. Like, the whole time. He was just really supportive and really encouraging. To me, specifically, too.
Stevens: Well, you were going through it. And he was very supportive. He wasn’t super intense.
Cowen: Amazing, yeah.
Ashley, you have some great line delivery in this movie, too, because you’re kind of the one who is reacting to the super scary stuff that’s going on all the time. And I think that’s such a vital part of this — when all the scary stuff is going down, you get to be the one who is like, ‘Oh shit, this is scary.’ I’m curious if that was a challenge for you, as an actor. Did you have to bring yourself somewhere mentally, at all, to really sell all the reactions to the scary stuff going on?
Greene: You do. I mean, some of it is physical and technical, but I think it is sometimes more exhausting than you would think to be in a heightened state the entire time. I wanted it to feel as real as possible. I think you see all of us go through the ringer, a little bit, as this story unfolds, and you see how, I think, selfless a lot of them have to be to continue doing this exorcism when it’s so heavily affecting them. I really wanted that to play in this character and for you to see the battle, the internal battle, that Rose goes through. Not just the scares and the jump scares, but, as a whole, what this does to a person.
Dan, I want to ask about the ending of this movie. The last shot, it lingers on your face — maybe he’s looking at something in the distance, maybe he’s reflecting on everything that’s been going on. I’m curious about your take on what you think is going on in your character’s mind right there at the end.
Stevens: Yeah, that’s a good question. I think, for me, that was the real horror of the story, for Father Steiger. Like, ‘Holy shit, what if this stuff is real?’ I think he goes from being a skeptic to really believing what has just happened. For me, in order for it to be a horror film, it’s not a celebration of, ‘Yay, we got the demons out!’ It’s like, ‘Oh my god, demons are real.’ That, to me, is the most horrifying aspect of the story.
Totally. That bounces to the next question I was going to ask you three, too. This is based on real events that actually happened. It’s supposed to be the well-documented exorcism case and everything. What does that look like from your perspective, as far as research goes? I know it was the 1920s, so nobody who is alive that was part of it, but did you have to do a lot of research to play these parts?
Greene: I did some research on the context of the film as a whole. My character isn’t documented in any way, so I kind of had to create that all on my own. But, to your point, it does kind of give a little gravity to the situation, knowing that this came from true events and a true story. I think that makes it that much scarier and that much more real for all of us. I did do some research, but I don’t think I had quite as much to draw from as some of the other characters.
Thanks to Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen for discussing The Ritual.
