ZACH CREGGER ALMOST CAST ‘ZAC EFRON TYPE’ IN NEW FILM ‘BARBARIAN’ STARRING JUSTIN LONG AND GEORGINA CAMPBELL

by Tatyana Arrington September 7, 2022

by Tatyana Arrington September 7, 2022 76 comments

Barbarian is a 2022 American horror film written and directed by Zach Cregger, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, and Justin Long. The film takes place in Detroit and centers around Tess (Campbell), who is in town for a job interview. Tess rents an AIRBNB only to find it is already occupied by Keith (Skarsgard), a charming but odd stranger, and against her better judgment she decides to stay the night. Little does Tess know that Keith is not the only unexpected house guest.

Zach Cregger says that the idea for the film was centered around women listening to that little voice inside their head, choosing not to ignore “red flags”. “Those red flags are often benign, things like a man doing you a favor that you didn’t ask for, injecting sexuality into an otherwise sterile conversation, or unwanted physical touching even if it’s not sexual. All these things that women have to be careful about, that as a man, I never had to consider because I don’t live in that psychic landscape where half the population could be looking at me as prey. It made me realize how different the experiences are of being a man in the modern world and being a woman.”

Barbarian has classic horror elements that were inspired by films including; The Grudge, Jeepers Creepers, and Get Out. “This movie wouldn’t have happened if Get Out didn’t exist,” Cregger states. Campbell, Skarsgard, and Long are all standouts in the film bringing Cregger’s film to life.

Justin Long, in particular, was not Cregger’s first choice (he was opting for a more ‘Zac Efron’ type), but Long’s character AJ works so well in the film simply because of the type of character he plays. Without saying too much, audiences may or may not want terrible things to happen to his character.

We had the opportunity to interview Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, and Zach Cregger.

Check out the interview below:

Barbarian is in theaters everywhere Friday, September 9th.

Tatyana Arrington

Tatyana Arrington is an actress, entertainment reporter, social media influencer, entrepreneur, and co- author. Originally from Queens, New York, Tatyana’s career began as an infant model at Wilhelmina Agency and was featured in campaigns for Spiegel and Toys R Us. Her first professional acting job was in Mirandy and Brother Wind with Acting Up! Since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor’s in Communications, she completed an internship with The Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern. Post apprenticeship, she starred in Tavern shows A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, As You Like It, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Tatyana has made television appearances on Homicide Hunter Lt. Joe Kenda and Fatal Attraction. Tatyana’s influencer work began in 2018 and since then she has worked global brands including Reebok, GoDaddy, Fab Fit Fun, Amazon, Tampax, Holiday Inn, Zaful, and Atlantis Bahamas on campaigns in front of the camera. In 2019 she began her journey as a digital host professional and has got to cover press events for Disney, Netflix, BET, Amazon, and Starz. In April 2020, Tatyana re-launched Stix Unlimited, a unisex streetwear clothing line founded by her late brother. Tatyana was named one of the “Resilience Rising” by People Magazine and U.S. Bank in honor of her efforts with STIX. In February 2021, Tatyana teamed up with with her mother, Vanessa and sister, Summer to write “The Adventures of Summer and Winter” inspired by her younger sister and puppy of the same name. The Adventures of Summer and Winter is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.