We talked with Jocelin Donahue about her latest release, Offseason. Written and directed by Mickey Keating (Darling, Carnage Park), Donahue stars as Marie, a woman who travels to a desolate island town after receiving a mysterious letter and soon becomes trapped in a nightmare.
As announced last year, the film’s North American rights were acquired by RLJE Films and Shudder. Offseason is now in theaters, on VOD, and Digital via RLJE Films.
Horror Geek Life: With Offseason, and even House of the Devil, you have a remarkable knack for playing characters who are isolated and vulnerable, yet they’re never weak. How challenging is it to toe that line?
Jocelin Donahue: Wow, that’s such an interesting question, and it’s true. One of the things I’ve been grateful for is the opportunity to play characters who are resolute even though they’re dealing with horrific situations or unbelievable situations. There is a strength to most of the characters I’ve gotten to play. In Offseason, Marie as a character is not the most vulnerable character. She’s shut off and kind of a loner. So that strength was there, and then I think maybe the vulnerability comes as she realizes in what deep water she’s in. She’s having to accept this dawning that’s happening that seems unbelievable but is now undeniable. So, that was an interesting psychological transformation to play in Offseason.
HGL: What drew you in to play Maria?
Jocelin Donahue: There’s something about this story that’s kind of like a fable where I felt like I got the chance to play pure emotions. Because of this nightmare logic, it’s not like you’re playing like a typical drama or even horror movie where things make sense or add up. There’s a lot of surreal, uncanny weirdness. I did want to get into playing the tone of that, and then with Marie, she’s still reeling from the loss of her mom. With George, there’s tension because their relationship’s already not on good footing when they make it down to Florida, so there was like a lot of tension and drama there. I think the most interesting thing with Marie was the horror of learning a family secret after someone has passed. With this one being so monumental and its repercussions, there was a lot to play there as an actor.
HGL: I loved the island and especially the beautiful nighttime shots. It added so much to the mystery and horror of the island. Where did filming take place?
Jocelin Donahue: I have to give so much credit and respect to Mac Fisken, our DP, who is so talented. He and Mickey (Keating) work really close together and have made so many movies together. Mickey had storyboarded every single shot for this. We shot it in Florida in a little town called New Smyrna, where Mickey had gone as a kid on vacation. He grew up an hour away.
Another thing that really drew me to this was his strong sense of place, and all of his films have such a distinct visual style. He and Mac really created something special here. The nighttime being in this really lush, tropical, foggy place was just so evocative and helped everyone get into the atmosphere and the mood.
HGL: As we’ve seen, you are not afraid to do films that lack a happily-ever-after-type ending. Is that something that piques your interest when taking on projects?
Jocelin Donahue: It’s funny you said that. I know we don’t want to reveal too much about the ending, but where I said this is like a fable or myth or tragedy, it doesn’t have to be some storybook Hollywood thing where everything ties up perfectly. That was something that I thought was interesting about this, especially in a movie that’s so much about atmosphere and just feeling and an unsettled unease. The audience can walk away and interpret it on their own or leave with questions. I think that’s okay.
HGL: I know that the release of Offseason is a major focus for you right now, but are there any other projects coming up you wanted to mention?
Jocelin Donahue: There are a couple of things that I can’t say too much about, but I’m hoping to be shooting a feature in May. Also, later this year, I’m looking forward to the release of a really cool narrative video game that I worked on with Sam Barlow, which I think is going to be really innovative and interesting and fun for game players and cinema lovers.
HGL: Oh, wow! Did you do the voice-acting on that or motion capture?
Jocelin Donahue: It was full motion; it is a cinematic narrative feature, so it’s all shot as film. It’s a mystery that players are going to have to piece together.
HGL: Very cool. I’ll have to keep an eye on that for sure. The last thing, you’re, of course, not a stranger to the horror genre. While you’ve gone across genres in your career, is it one that draws you back for specific reasons?
Jocelin Donahue: Yes, for sure. You get to do so much as an actor in the horror genre. And you get to play the drama, you get to do the comedy, and on top of that, you get to have these high-stakes situations. So, for sure, I love working in the horror genre. I’m so grateful for the support of the community and the filmmakers that I’ve gotten to work with. It’s been a blessing.
