“Big, scary, shark.” That is how actress Tommi Rose, who stars as Adrienne in the new film “The Devil’s Mouth,” describes the movie in three words.
The Devil’s Mouth follows five friends who set out on an adventure along Thailand’s stunning coast. They sign up for a guided swim through a cave known as the Devil’s Mouth, but their journey takes a terrifying turn when they face unexpected dangers lurking beneath the waters.
The Culver Theatre hosted the world premiere on July 28 of “The Devil’s Mouth.” The cast and crew celebrated a night full of excitement as they shared the film with audiences for the first time.
The cast, starring Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Nico Hiraga, Gavin Casalegno, Tommi Rose, Tayme Thapthimthong and Harrison Luna, walked the red carpet to celebrate the film’s premiere.
“The inspiration came from Aja Gabel and Myung Joh Wesner,” director Jeff Wadlow said. “They went swimming in Mexico and thought it was scary how deep the caves were. They decided it would be scarier if there was a shark with them. We set it in Thailand, and then we were off to the races.”
Kathryn Newton, who plays Sara, shared her experience filming in Thailand with the cast.
“This experience was challenging in many ways and riveting in many ways. But mostly, every challenge is an opportunity to do something great, and I looked at it that way,” Newton said.
Gavin Casalegno, who is known for playing Jeremiah in “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” discussed how filming “The Devil’s Mouth” allowed him to explore a different side of his acting.
“This being a thriller-horror genre, it was fun to explore,” Casalegno said. “I don’t think there was fear or horror in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ and it was nice to explore a different character.”
Being able to represent your culture in film is powerful for actors of color. Nico Hiraga, who stars as James, shared how important it is to represent Asians on screen.
“It’s about time we start killing it even harder than we already were and putting a mark on history here, showing people that [Asians] are absolutely phenomenal,” Hiraga said. “There are so many of us, and we have so many different talents. I’m stoked to be a part of the community.”
Filming almost every day in the water was a challenge for the cast and crew. Being able to work with a supportive community made the experience worthwhile, Wadlow said.
“I loved working with the cast. I said to them, ‘This is going to be the hardest job you’ve ever had, but it’s going to be the adventure of a lifetime,’ and they were all down for the adventure,” Wadlow said.
“The Devil’s Mouth” is now streaming on Prime Video.
