Rachael Taylor: ‘Transformers’ Techie stars anew in supernatural thriller

Rachael Taylor stars opposite Joshua Jackson in the terrifying psychological thriller “Shutter.” They play a newly married couple who travel to Japan on an exciting adventure, which turns out to be more frightening than their worst nightmare, when strange, ghostly images appear on their photographs. It seems that someone – or something is determined to sabotage their lives together.      

Rachael Taylor is Jane: the happy, radiant bride looking forward to married life with the man she loves – Joshua Jackson’s Ben. Taylor shares what it’s like to film in a foreign land and a Japanese speaking director.

Q:How exciting was it playing the lead female role in this film?

A:“It is a spooky and fascinating role for a woman because it is about the betrayal of trust and betrayal within a relationship. I think it will really resonate with women as well as with men. You relate to her as she makes a lot of terrifying discoveries and the audience has to see and feel through her, so it was a great pleasure and privilege to make the film. I wasn’t sure that I deserved it at the time. But I am so happy I had the chance. I loved it.”

Q:Can you explain what happens in terms of the supernatural?

A:“After the car crash, this bizarre ghost-like image keeps appearing in all the pictures she and her husband take; her tourist shots and his professional pictures. It is a supernatural apparition and at first she writes it off as a light mark, but the images become more and more pronounced and more and more difficult to ignore. Then she discovers the realm of spirit photography. It is actually a real phenomenon. There are photographs in existence that people still can’t explain.”

Q:Other than the language barrier what was it like working with the director, Masayuki Ochiai?

A: “He Is incredibly talented. He is brilliant at building tension and allowing creepy things to take their time to unfold. He has directed a number of Japanese films that are so eerie. They do not let up and they are amazing and distressing in a distinctly Japanese way. In the West, psychological thrillers and horror movies can sometimes be quite overt, with characters getting out the chain saw and hacking people and pulling rifles. But this film is not like that at all. It reminds me in some ways of WHAT LIES BENEATH, which is about a secret.”  

Q:What was it like working with Joshua?

A:“I cannot say enough good things about him. He is such a talented actor and a very intelligent man. He is well read and is a very advanced human being as well being an advanced actor. He is obviously a lot more experienced than I am and he was the person I went to for advice. He was an incredible support for me. I also think that he is great in the film and audiences are going to be really intrigued to see him play this role because it is different from anything he has ever done. What felt so important to me in this story was making sure the relationship between us was solid with a really tangible chemistry between us and that we looked like a young newly wed couple in love.”

Q:What is the film ultimately all about do you think?

A:“Even though there is a supernatural element, what’s interesting is that it is a human drama, a relationship drama and it asks how well do you really know the person you think you know so well? What life did they lead before their life collided with yours? I think lots of men and women go through that on a day to day basis.”

Q:Did you see the original film?

A:“That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to make this movie because I adored the original Thai film. Our version is completely different though. It is an interpretation rather than a remake.”

Q:How did TRANSFORMERS change your life?

A:“It opened up a lot of doors and it is funny, even doing a supporting role in a big movie like that, I went from utter obscurity to getting considered for good projects. It put me on the radar so to speak. I am very grateful for it.”

Q:How did it all start for you?

A:“I grew up in a very small town and I was never really aware that acting or art in general was actually something that I could pursue as a career. I started quite late compared to some actors. I moved to Sydney when I was 16 to try to start acting and did not begin working for a couple of years and then I started to get film and television roles. I know that I was always creative as a child and always wanted to act even before I knew what that meant. Also, I had a great English teacher who was a real inspiration.

Q:You look beautiful in the film and very glamorous today. Can you talk about your style?

A:“You often hear actors saying they only like jeans and tee shirts, but I really like to dress up. I like looking young and fun but ladylike as well. I like sophistication. If go out for dinner I want to put on a dress and high heels. I am not into the LA style of jeans and sneakers, although I do wear casual clothes during the day of course. I love Donna Karan and Alexander Wang and Phillip Lim and an Australian designer, Tony Maticevski”

“Shutter” opens soon in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.