“Everybody’s curious,” says Rumer Wills, actress in this Friday's Sorority Row, when talking about her family. Though she may be the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, the focus may soon rest solely on her, as the 21-year-old thespian is slowly making a name that is all her own. She made her onscreen debut in 1995 in her mother’s film Now and Then, but really felt the spotlight in 2008’s The House Bunny, where she played a lovable member of a defunct sorority. Her newest film is Sorority Row, a slasher flick led by a bunch of women who span from Step Up 2: The Street’s Briana Evigan to Dragonball Evolution’s Jamie Chung, to Ms. Willis herself.
I sat down with Rumer Willis that included discussions about the working with Carrie Fisher, screaming, the strikes and gutters of the audition process, and yes, even what it is like to have Die Hard’s John McClane as your father.
On the story of Sorority Row ...
It’s a bunch of sorority girls that play a prank on one of the girls’ boyfriends, which is obviously very wrong, and we end up killing one of the girls. The whole story, which is one thing that attracted me to the script, was that it’s not just a horror film about people dying where you can just place any of the characters there with anyone. I think this one, you have to specifically cast it, and I think they did a great job just with all of the chemistry. It’s really about the characters – the characters drive the story. And you get to know each of them, and how they’re physically and emotionally handling the situation.
So you’re the bookish character [in the film]? Tell us about that.
Well, I can’t handle any of the chaos that is going on around me. I’m freaking out, having a mental breakdown through the whole thing. I was crying and screaming – my glasses kept fogging up actually, from my tears.
You seem very outgoing, but your character is very withdrawn. How did you make the transition to that character?
I always feel there’s that girl or guy that just never quite feels comfortable, they always try to interject and they get shut down. I always thought about that girl who was like “Oh, well what about that?” and there’s just crickets. Honestly to me I think being awkward and kind of funny is much more fun than having to play the perfect, gorgeous girl.
There are similarities between The House Bunny and now Sorority Row in that they’re driven by all-female casts. Are you generally attracted to those movies?
For sure. Especially in an industry, horror [also], all the movies are men coming in to save the day. It’s true though – the guy, big strong man who comes in, “All right! Don’t worry girls!”
That doesn’t happen in Sorority Row?
No, it’s all girls kicking butt.
You ever play a practical joke like that, one that went wrong?
No, I think I’d be way too scared. People kept asking us that and the girls and I were talking about it, and we were really bummed we didn’t have more pranks to play on set. Only one happened, and it was Briana [Evigan], who plays Cassidy. She came out one day and put on my stunt double’s wig and my glasses, and had on fake tears. She came out to set and all of the PAs were going “What’s wrong with Rumer, you guys?” And she came up to me, and it took me a couple of seconds to know who it was.
On her costars ...
This group of girls is really so talented, productive, and supportive of each other. Sometimes you have actors, when they’re not on camera, [who] don’t put as much effort into it. You really have to get into an intense emotional state. Actually, screaming helped me get that kind of intensity. It really helps to get your adrenaline going.
That being said, are there different on-set vibes when it comes to shooting a horror as opposed to a comedy?
Oh, for sure. We definitely laugh like crazy, [but] it’s definitely a different vibe. Comedy is, other than the emotional scenes - comedy is very hard. I definitely didn’t realize how hard it was until I did it. It’s all about the timing. You can’t just have one person who checks the line – it is really about chemistry of how you play with each other.
You worked with Carrie Fisher on the film?
She was amazing, so unbelievably intelligent and witty. She’s not one of those women who comes on set and tries to make her presence [known]. She comes on set, they say “action,” and she just turns it on. She’s so funny. And quiet. But every once and a while, she’d be sitting in the make-up chair, and offer up a one-liner. I would love to see her one-woman show called “Wishful Drinking.”
When you watched Sorority Row, even though you’ve been on set, do you get scared?
I totally did. There were so many things that I had forgotten, like one-liners. We have really good jump moments – and such unique death scenes. That, and not knowing who the killer is until the very end – that’s one of my biggest pet peeves.
Tell us about one of your favorite deaths.
There are a couple good ones. The thing that I like about all of them is that there is just enough to make your stomach turn, but not too much. For me, I have a hard time watching those movies where it’s like “I’m gonna rip your face off.” This movie just gives enough to freak you out, and it’s really scary. We kind of noticed a trend in all of the death scenes that there’s some kind of oral fixation.
Did you not notice that until after you saw the film?
We didn’t really think about it. I think until you see the movie as a whole, and then you go “Wait a minute.”
That’s authorship for you.
Yeah. Amazing writers, I was shocked that two grown married men could write as sorority girls.
Have you seen the original film [The House on Sorority Row]?
They didn’t want us to watch it. They didn’t want it to affect our performance. But all the girls are planning on having a little slumber party.
I heard that when you were hired they wanted a blood curdling scream, and that you could do that?
I didn’t scream in the audition or anything like that. It was one of those things that happened on set. We were rehearsing the big scene at the beginning and we were just outside, and I happened to scream because it was a part of the script and it was like “Whoa! Where did that come from?” It just ended up kind of working. I found the movie to end up being funny, but it was great. I love the humor in this movie. We’re definitely pushing for the more horror side of it, but it’s really funny.
The business is a lot more challenging for younger actors.
There’s a lot more talented young women. I think the great thing that I love about this group of girls – first of all, I’ll stay friends [with them] after this. They’re probably the first set of real girlfriends I’ve had, and I will stay in touch with. We’re all so supportive of each other, and that’s so nice to see, because the business can be so cut-throaty. I think that you have to remember, especially if you’re trying to break into this business or anything like that, that when you’re going into an audition and you don’t get a job, it’s not necessarily a reflection of your acting. If you’re a director – or cast director – you go in with a very specific idea of what you want. And because there are so many young women, if you don’t fit [the specific idea], there are other women. I’ve gone to auditions where they’ve said “You were great,” but they needed more variety, like “you have dark hair, and this character has dark hair, so we want to change it up a little bit.” You can never take it too personally.
How do you not take it personally?
It’s difficult, of course, at first. But there are things that I could be right for that the other girls wouldn’t be right for. It’s about your personality, and sometimes how you look. There’s a role that I auditioned for, and I was too tall. It doesn’t have anything to do with how you audition, I was just too tall for the actor they had already cast. It’s hard, and every once in a while you go “bummer,” but you just keep going. There’s gonna be that part that works for you. I actually originally auditioned to play Jessica, and Leah Pipes auditioned to played Ellie. And they called us back, and they said, “Hey, we would love if you played Ellie.” Honestly when I went into that table read and I saw Leah [play Jessica], I could not have been more emphatic. She does an amazing job as Jessica. Honestly, sometimes I think she’s a little bit scarier than the killer in it.
What was it like growing up in your house? Normal?
Yeah, just a normal family. People ask me, “Don’t you wish you had a normal life?” And I go, “To me, I don’t know anything else. That’s the only experience I have.” Honestly – normal. But that’s not even a real world, when it comes to families, because everyone has different things in their family, that they deal with. But I wouldn’t trade how I grew up for anything. I have traveled to some amazing places, and got to see some amazing things. Whether or not I would have traded that for anything else, I don’t think I would ever want to.
When we ask you about your family and parents, is that something that you feel you’ve come into your own? Do you prefer to distance yourself from that, you’re making your own mark now?
Everybody’s curious – first of all, they think my family is some phenomenon that we all get along, which is sad to me that’s not just a normal thing. But everybody’s interested, everybody’s curious.
Favorite movie of your mom’s?
Nothing But Trouble. So funny.
And then there’s your dad.
I’d love to do something where I could play an opposing part [against him], that’d be so cool.
I heard you were a musician as well.
Yeah, we had a couple of nights where there was a piano at the hotel, and we were up there jamming. Most of the time we were getting in at eight o’clock in the morning, and of course we’re all covered in blood and dirt. You have this group of girls walking in, and they just look beat to crap. Because by the time you get done, it’s six-thirty in the morning, and you’re just like “I want to go home, and shower.”
What’s the worst rumor that’s ever been told about you?
I really don’t know. For me, you can’t live your life by what other people’s opinions of you are. If everyone did that, we would have a miserable existence. But, of course, everyone is going to have their opinions. If you don’t like me, fine, you don’t like me.
What’s it like being in the pit of celebrity journalism? It’s merciless sometimes.
It’s really different. Like you said, the acting is different now, the media … even a couple of years ago, there was never this much internet [gossiping]. And I don’t know if it’s a phase, or if it’s gonna fade out. But in all honesty, from what it seems like, I think people are really getting tired of hearing people talk crap. If you have nothing that perpetuates that, people are going “Do you really have nothing better to do with your life?”
If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
I’d love to do something with music, maybe photography or something like that. I have a short film that my mom directed, actually. I think you can get it on iTunes. It’s called Streak.
What do you like playing on piano?
When I was growing up, I was trained in opera – but when you have that foundation, I don’t think I’ll go out and sing opera. When you have that training, you can go anywhere. My dad is honestly responsible for my taste in music. I never listened to Billboard charts or top 100 when I was growing up. I was listening to anything from Led Zeppelin to Billy Holliday to Creedance Clearwater Revival, and Joe Cochran. For me, jazz has been something I have always really loved. I would love to find a way to make it relevant, for our generation. I was just watching the original Woodstock, watching Joe Cochran do that song – every part of his body is a part of that song. And the music was about so much more than just selling an album. In the future I hope there are really more artists where it’s about the music, and the passion. And that is what people love to see and love to watch – it’s people speaking from personal experience.