It’s Maika Monroe season, everyone. The actress stars in the new Paramount+ movie Significant Other, which premieres October 7. The movie follows a young couple, Ruth and Harry, who take a remote backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest, and things quickly take a dark turn. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Maika about what intrigued her about Significant Other.
“I had worked with the directors previously on a movie called Villains, and I had such an incredible time working with them. So when they came to me with their next project, I was already quite excited and just hoping that I would love the script. I read it and just sort of fell in love with it [and] fell in love with the role. It was like a blend of these different genres that seemed incredibly challenging, but also quite fun,” Maika said.
Significant Other was filmed on location in Oregona, which Maika called a “dream.” The It Follows star added, “You’re showing up to set every day and in the most insane, beautiful scenery. We’re really out there, which means some night shoots until 6 a.m. and it’s pouring rain and you’re freezing, but you’re all in it together.”
Maika co-stars alongside Emmy nominee Jake Lacy, who plays Harry. After Maika signed on, she discussed with the directors who would be great for the role of Harry. “There’s a lot of layers to it, so you need someone who can be grounded, but also funny but also can be scary, all these different things without giving too much away,” Maika revealed. “I think Jake’s name came up, and I’d recently seen White Lotus, and I was just like, ‘Oh, he’s perfect for this. This role was written for him.’ Like, I could hear his voice and his comedic timing just fitting so perfectly into this. So I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I hope that he likes it and comes on.’ We were so lucky to have him.”
In addition to starring in the film, Maika is also an executive producer. She admitted that she “definitely” wants to director someday. “That’s something that I’m starting to get into now. It’s always been an interest, but still, I’ve got so much to learn. But I’m definitely interested in behind-the-scenes, like kind of working from the ground up on a project,” Maika told HollywoodLife.
Maika has a knack for not choosing easy roles, and she has carved a niche for herself in the horror and thriller genres with films like Significant Other, It Follows, and Watcher. “I can’t control what is sent to me, but I control what I pick to do. I look at every project that I’ve done, and I really feel like I’ve grown a lot from it all. Challenging myself is so important and definitely something that I think about. Especially with this project, it was a very challenging,” Maika said.