Mia Wasikowska‘s latest film, “Piercing,” is a most unconventional love story between two highly disturbed individuals. “Piercing” is Nicolas Pesce‘s followup to his critically acclaimed directorial debut, “The Eyes of My Mother,” and a warmup for his hotly anticipated upcoming “Grudge” remake, which comes out in 2020. Although it isn’t a role we’re used to seeing Wasikowska in, she commands the character with ease, reminding audiences of her impressive range.

An adaptation of Ryû Murakami‘s (“Audition“) eponymous novel, “Piercing” follows Reed (Christopher Abbott), a family man who embarks on a business trip with an elaborate plan to murder a prostitute, Jackie (Wasikowska). Anchored by exceptional performances from Wasikowska and Abbott, “Piercing” solidifies Pesce as a horror auteur to watch (read our review).

Ahead of its theatrical and digital release, I spoke with Wasikowska about approaching the unconventional of “Piercing,” working with Pesce and Abbott, working with Mia Hansen-Løve in the upcoming “Bergman Island,” details on “The Devil All the Time,” and more.

I went in having no idea what to expect to sort of maximize the viewing experience. It was intense, shocking, and funny all at once. How did Nicolas Pesce approach you with and sell you the concept of “Piercing?”
I read the script and I thought it was really brilliant, but I was also quite scared because of obvious reasons; it’s quite confronting material. And I wasn’t sure what to expect from who was making the film, but it came to me really last minute and I had to make a decision about it in 24 hours. Looking back, it was probably a really good way to have made a decision about this film. Because if I had too much time to think about it, there’s a lot of reasons why you could talk yourself out of it. But I really liked him [Pesce] and I liked the guys that were making it and it just seemed such a different character than the ones that I’ve played over the last few years, and I’d really wanted to do something modern and different. This seemed the obvious next thing to do.

Were you familiar with Ryû Murakami’s novel before reading the script?
No, I wasn’t. And I hadn’t seen Nic’s films, but everybody had talked about his films so highly.

Read the rest of the interview at The Playlist.