Interviews With Writer/Director Jill Gevargizian & Star Najarra Townsend For THE STYLIST

For one of horror’s best and newest, The Stylist, I was able to speak with writer/director Jill Gevargizian and the star Najarra Townsend about the creation of the character, story, style, and bringing this sympathetic killer to life:

Jill Gevargizian

This is Kristy Strouse with Film Inquiry. I really loved the film! As a big horror fan, I love when I find these gems, ones that really leave an impression. Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me, and congrats on the film! There are a few horror/thrillers that The Stylist reminded me of, are there any specific films/filmmakers that inspired you?

Jill Gevargizian: At the conception of the idea I was largely inspired by the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Lucky McKee’s May. But then when it came down to making the film, I pinpointed the major themes we were exploring and made a list of films that connected thematically to use as a mood guide. I shared that with the entire cast and crew. That included films like Carrie, Neon Demon, and Black Swan. In the process, I discovered alot of films for the first time that ended up being incredibly influential – like Bergman’s Persona, Altman’s Three Women, and Brian De Palma’s Sisters.

All terrific films! I can see why they’d inspire you. Where did the idea for the story come from?

Jill Gevargizian: I’ve been a hairstylist for almost 20 years and one day I asked myself, “How is there not already a slasher about a hairstylist that kills people?” I took that as a sign that I should do it!

Naturally! When you created the short did you have a feature in mind? What was the evolution of that like?

Jill Gevargizian: Yes, from the start I wanted to tell this story in feature-length form. But at the time I had very little experience directing and so it just made sense to start with a short film, then write the feature. The journey from short to feature was incredibly challenging from the writing to the financing, to making it. It has been about a 5-year journey from releasing the short film to now. Something that I found especially striking about the film is the character of Claire. Yes, she’s a serial killer but she’s also sympathetic, can you speak to that at all? I’m really interested in finding the humanity in all people/characters, even those who we easily forget or easily call a monster.

Another element I loved is the care, this sort of sensory feel, in which Claire takes her practice. As a hairstylist yourself, did you consider that when you were envisioning these sequences?

Jill Gevargizian: We wanted to put you in Claire’s shoes the entire film. Hairstyling is like a ritual for her and it’s very intimate. We wanted the viewer to be able to feeeeeeel it. You know what I mean?

I do! It really comes across. As co-writer, can you tell us a bit about your writing process? How did the collaboration work?

Jill Gevargizian: This project is so personal to me. I knew there were certain things I needed to figure out before I brought anyone else in. So I spent 6 months or so on my own, developing the outline and writing a very bare-bones draft. Then I turned to Eric Havens, who wrote the short film with me too. He did a pass through the draft. Then we went back and forth until we had something we felt we could share with producers and such. We got some great feedback and decided to bring Eric Stolze on board to give it a fresh perspective. The script was always evolving for 4 years up until we shot it!

I loved the differences between Claire and Olivia. There’s a wonderful mix of longing for Claire’s life and yet, envy. Can you talk about these character’s unique traits and the complexity of their relationship?

Jill Gevargizian: Olivia operated in essence as the “Anti-Claire.” From Claire’s perspective, Olivia is perfect and has the perfect life, she has everything Claire doesn’t. That began as admiration, turns to obsession, and spirals down into envy. There’s a turning point in the film where Claire learns that her and Olivia come from a similar family background. They both suffered a similar trauma. This bonds Claire to Olivia more but also becomes the seed of what turns Claire’s feelings dark. She thinks, “If we came from the same place, why did I end up here but she is there?” And those thoughts consume her. It is our intention to present Olivia the way Claire saw her. The perspective is askew.

I love the artistry with the scalps/wigs, can you talk a bit about the prosthetics and what went into pulling off these… very realistic looking additions/effects?

Jill Gevargizian: Thank you! The special effects work was done by Colleen Coffman. She also did the FX on the short film (on all my work, actually!). A scalping is quite the effect to pull off… pun intended. So much goes into it and we have to cast the roles before we can do anything! Because, say, if a character is getting scalped in the film, we have to find a wig that matches their real hair! Which is not easy on a limited budget.

Colleen has background wig work as well as prosthetic makeup. She also made a lot of “scalps” to be placed in Claire’s Lair, from victims we assume are from before the film begins. One of those was the scalp from the short! She would add “skin” to the front of the wigs and then feed some of the hair through it, to make the edge look realistic. What was fun about the feature, is with each kill we decided to show off something different. The film is really about Claire’s downward spiral, her self-sabotage. So we set up the first kill to show you her normal routine, how she’s done things her entire serial killer career. But after that, when things start to get out of Claire’s control, from then on we decided each kill would be messier than the last and shown in more detail.

I love that! Can you talk about casting? Najarra was in your original short (also a producer), but how did she first get involved there?

Jill Gevargizian: I met Najarra at a film festival in 2013 where her film Contracted was premiering. Her performance stuck with me. When we were casting for the short, I sent her the script and the rest is history. She was really excited about playing Claire. She brought her to life in the short so perfectly, I knew there was no way I would make the feature without her.

It’s a disturbing story, but also visually stunning. Whether it be lighting, costumes, sets – how do you find that balance?

Jill Gevargizian: We gave everything meaning. The color palettes, the wardrobe, the set designs, the camera move, and position – every decision has an intention and can be defended. I think that is the difference. To know why you’re doing something. Does it mean something? Or is it purely aesthetic? It can be both. And I think those details are what make a film incredibly powerful.

Lastly, What’s next for you?

Jill Gevargizian: I’m ready to direct another film! I’ve got a few projects in the works. And still working on The Stylist in so many ways. We’ve got more exciting things in store.

I look forward to it!

Najarra Townsend

Thanks for speaking with me today, you’re so terrific in the film! As well as being the star, you’re the producer, what was it about this story that caught your attention?

Najarra Townsend: When I first read the short I was immediately intrigued by the sympathy I felt for this serial killer. It wasn’t necessarily about the kills, but really about Claire’s struggle with what she does and who she is. The idea of a character study on a serial killer really caught my attention. Jill and Eric Havens did a great job of shaping Claire on the page in the original short. I really felt her struggle and pain in the last scene of the film. That scene is where you see your first glance of the real Claire and that’s what hooked me. I wanted to bring her to life.

Absolutely, and you really bring that sympathy to the screen. What were your initial thoughts on her (going back to the short film version too)?

Najarra Townsend: I found Claire fascinating. Diving into the mind of a woman who desperately wants to be someone else at any cost. She evolved a lot from the short to the feature but my initial thoughts were how I wanted the challenge of playing this complex character.

That’s great, so, how did you prepare, in a sense, to get inside this character’s head?

Najarra Townsend: Backstory. It’s all about her backstory to me. Jill and I discussed Claire’s childhood and pivotal moments in her life, and I kept a notebook of memories that I felt were important to the character as well as fleshing out her relationships with different key people throughout her life. I wanted to make sure I knew where she came from and what she had been through to make her who she is today. So I basically spent a lot of time writing as Claire.

That’s really interesting! How else do you feel you made her your own? Were there any other changes/collaborations on the role?

Najarra Townsend: Because this project started as a short and evolved to a feature over the course of years, I was lucky enough to be involved in all of that along the way. Jill was very collaborative and would ask what I thought of different drafts of the feature script. I felt very included in the development of the character.

I always bring pieces of myself to a role so it’s hard not to make it your own. Claire is a combination of Jill, the writers, their influences, and me and my experiences.

How was it working aside Brea Grant? [Another young female horror icon in my opinion] and with director Jill Gevargizian?

Najarra Townsend: It was so nice to finally work with Brea! We’ve known each other for years and there were a few times I thought we would work together but it never ended up happening. So to finally share a film with her was so nice. Brea is extremely talented and smart. She will always be my go-to for good book recommendations.

As for Jill, we’ve been working together for over 6 years now and I absolutely adore her. Any time she has a project she wants me to do it’s an immediate yes from me because I know whatever she does will be very well thought out and she will be passionate about it.

I can tell! What else are you working on?

Najarra Townsend: I currently have a few films in post, that should be released soon. Keep checking my social media for all current updates. @najarra

We want to thank Jill Gevargizian and Najarra Townsend for taking the time to speak with Film Inquiry.