Melissa Barrera Reveals Her Dream Director Wishlist
The horror star opens up about five filmmakers she's dying to collaborate with, including French and Belgian directors she's learning a new language for.
Anyone who's raised children knows they can be absolutely spine-chilling without even trying. Picture this: you wake up in the dead of night to find a small figure silently staring at you from beside your bed, then whispering your name until you jump out of your skin. Hollywood understands this primal fear, which explains movies like Abigail, featuring Melissa Barrera facing off against a bloodthirsty vampire child.
The Mexican actress has carved out quite a niche in the horror genre over recent years, transitioning from the acclaimed series Vida to major frightfests like Scream VI and the indie gem Your Monster. Her performance in the latter earned widespread praise and award recognition, playing a young woman who finds comfort with a creature living in her childhood bedroom closet after receiving a devastating cancer diagnosis. Caroline Lindy directed the project as her feature debut, and Barrera cherished working alongside a first-time filmmaker.
European Cinema Dreams
However, that doesn't mean she isn't eyeing some veteran filmmakers for future projects. Speaking with A Shot, Barrera revealed: "I actually have a wishlist on my phone of directors that I'd love to work with, that I actually just shared with my manager. I have a lot of European directors on there." She specifically mentioned Céline Sciamma, who crafted Portrait of a Lady on Fire, calling it "one of my favourite films."
Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont also ranks high on her dream collaboration list, particularly after his 2022 coming-of-age story Close. "That movie killed me," Barrera explained. "They (Sciamma and Dhont) both speak French, and I'm learning French right now because I want to work with them so badly that I'm like, 'I need to speak French so I can be in their movies.'"
International Talent on Her Radar
Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve earned a spot on Barrera's roster as well, with the actress citing his 2010 psychological thriller Incendies among her top picks. She also highlighted Mexican director Fernando Frias, who created the 2019 musical drama I'm No Longer Here. "He's very talented and cool, and I hope that we can find something that we can do together," she noted.
Rounding out her list is Boots Riley, the creative force behind 2018's critically acclaimed dark comedy Sorry to Bother You. "I was actually supposed to be in his last movie, and it didn't work out scheduling-wise, but I am sure that I'm going to work with him at some point. I will beg him to put me in another one of his movies," Barrera shared.
Upcoming Projects
While pursuing these dream collaborations, Barrera has two new films in the pipeline: Black Tides, a Renny Harlin-directed thriller featuring John Travolta about people under attack at sea, and The Collaboration, where she'll appear alongside Paul Bettany, who portrays iconic artist Andy Warhol.