Danielle Panabaker Interview On ‘Girls Against Boys’

I was working on another film, and I was really specifically looking for something much smaller, and much more of an emotional challenge, because I think it was where I was in my life, and that is what I was craving. And this came my way, and I took a look at it and I really loved that it left me asking questions and I was curious and I wanted to know more. So [director] Austin [Chick] and I hopped on Skype to chat and it was a great match.

It's really interesting, but what was so attractive to me initially was the lack of actual over-the-top flooding gore that I feel like you see in this movie. I think that was Austin's intention from the beginning, if not to sort of hit you over the head with it, but to let you know, that's what was going on, so that was definitely a conversation we had. It just alternates on my own experience, coming from films that were filled with gore.

It's really ironic actually that you would bring up that scene. One of the difficulties in shooting with such a low budget is that you don't have money to throw around on props, so they ordered the two fake feet that I chopped off, and unfortunately, instead of sending a left foot and a right foot, they sent two left feet. Not only were two left feet sent, but they just didn't look very authentic, so that was a challenge of shooting that scene specifically. Michael [Stahl-David]'s character is tied to this bed and Nicole [LaLiberte] went to cut the ropes, and the props department came running and said, "No, no no! Don't cut it! We don't have anymore!" There would be no more rope for us to work with it. So, there were certainly physical challenges, but I think that actually worked to our benefit because a lot of the gore and gruesomeness happened off camera, you hear it and you know it's there, but you are not assaulted with it visually.

I don't know that I necessarily consider it as political. For me, I was trying to focus on being authentic to this character, the young woman who had gone through the assault and such a horrible experience that I've never personally been through. So I just wanted to be very truthful to my interpretation of what would happen and stages of grief she's going through and how sort of comatose she is.

Absolutely, that's something that I saw from the beginning and was really attracted to. I think everyone can relate to having that person that they wish could make them understand the pain they cause them. One of my favorite parts of the last scene is that you are left with a big question, I love that and it was great as an actor to get some work through that.

You know what? I'm attracted to work. The truth of the matter is that these are the films that get made and it's much easier to have a film made in this sort of genre, than those drama made. Ironically, I am certainly more attracted to the dramatic story telling, but I've been very fortunate in that I have gotten to a variety of different films in this genre. Friday the 13th was a great education to how the filmmakers create that world.