Fans in Phuket however do not have to wait that long to see Freya on the screen with her brand-new horror film Baghead being released in cinemas this week. This week The Phuket News was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Freya and talk to her about her role in what is one of the most anticipated horror films of 2024.
“I think I was attracted to the fact that it is a Studio Canal film,” explains Freya when asked what was the driving factor behind her wanting to make Baghead.
“I had done something with them before and they were lovely. I knew that they were a great team to work with and that to be honest was the initial thing, and then when I read the script I thought there was something that could really be fleshed out with Iris’s character.”
The fact that the film gave her a chance to try out a new genre was also something that was not lost on her. “I saw this as a really good opportunity,” she smiles. “I find that I am still learning on every single project that I do and this was my first lead in a feature, so I saw this as a really good opportunity to learn.”
Of course, being the lead actress in a feature film comes with pretty big responsibility, but Freya says feeling that kind of pressure was not anything out of the ordinary.
“I think in everything that I do, I put that pressure on myself,” she says after thinking for a moment. “And I mean in everything that I do, because I love my job, so I don’t think that pressure is never not there. But I also had Ruby [Barker] and I had Jeremy [Irvine] beside me and it felt like we were doing it together, so it really did feel like a team thing.”
During the film Freya’s character of Iris goes on a real trip of self-discovery and that was something that she put a lot of research into. “I actually watched a lot of Youtube videos,” she explains after a pause. “I looked at videos by people that had been through the foster care system, and while that wasn’t the main centre of the film for my character it has been her life. So I found myself talking to people who had experienced grief because she has not had her parents with her for a majority of her life and that has really weighed on her.
“That is certainly one of the reasons why she hasn’t had structure,” she says continuing. “And that is the reason why she does some of the things that she does – because she hasn’t had that structure. That was certainly a big part of it for me because it was so important to Iris as a character.”
And of course now that Freya is starting to make a name for herself in the horror genre, fans will want to know whether she ws a horror fan before she set foot on the set of Baghead. “I wouldn’t say that they are the films I normally go towards,” she laughs. “But I do enjoy the experience… and I do see it as an experience to go and see a horror film in the cinema.
“I remember being obsessed as a teenager watching the trailer during break time at school and turning off the lights in the classroom,” she continues with a laugh. “We would watch things like The Human Centipede trailer and anything to do with ghosts and we would really freak ourselves out!”
That should also serve as a warning to those going to see Baghead in cinemas – this is a film that is likely to freak some people out with its scares. Of course, that meant that as an actress Freya also had to go through some intense moments on set.
“You always feel like you have this buzz of adrenalin on a shoot day,” she explains. “It is really hard to settle your mind afterwards but the moment that you do you just fall straight asleep because you are exhausted from just having to keep constant focus but most of the time I do find it easy to leave my character at work and try to carry it with me for too long.”
And for all the horror fans across Phuket who are going to watch Baghead in cinemas this weekend, Freya has a quick message for you. “I hope you all enjoy it. I hope you all get a jump out of your seat and make sure you have some great snacks. I am always fighting for the character-driven aspect of the film, so I hope you all see enough of that and really care about the characters.”
Baghead is screening in cinemas in Phuket right now and is rated ‘15’.
David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He is also an accredited reviewer for Rotten Tomatoes. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus