Director Leigh Whannell Shares War Stories From Making The Invisible Man - 8days Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Director Leigh Whannell Shares War Stories From Making The Invisible Man

He also tells us why he likes to read early reviews of John Carpenter's 'The Thing'.

Director Leigh Whannell Shares War Stories From Making The Invisible Man

As the co-creator of Saw, Leigh Whannell is notorious for putting audiences through the wringer — at least in the first three movies in the grisly series — by concocting various bone-breaking contraptions and flesh-ripping challenges. But in his latest, The Invisible Man, the Melbourne-born filmmaker, 43, didn’t rely on any torture devices to wind viewers up. In fact, you hardly see the perpetrator.

Produced by Jason Blum, the sci-fi horror, Whannell’s third film as director — after 2015’s paranormal activities-packed Insidious: Chapter 3 and Upgrade, the 2018 cyberpunk thriller about a quadriplegic getting AI implants — stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia, a woman trying escape her abusive ex Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who continues to stalk her with a cloaking suit he invented.

When 8DAYS.SG catches up with Whannell over the phone from LA recently, The Invisible Man topped the American box-office over the weekend with US$28.2 million (S$40 million). At press time, it has grossed nearly US$100 million worldwide — not bad for a movie that cost US$7 million to produce.

After a whirlwind press tour, Whannell is happy to spend a quiet weekend in LA. “Last night we had a little celebration in a restaurant with people who worked on the film,” says Whannell who began his career as an actor appearing in the long-running Aussie soap Neighbours. “It was really fun and low-key,” he adds.

It’s also a great time for Whannell to play catch up with his three kids — daughter Sabine Silver, seven, and twin sons Jones Grey and Wren River, two. “Obviously, when you are making a movie, you have to be away a lot,” he tells us. “I just want to reconnect with them.” Here we interrupt his family time (sorry!) and ask him what is his favourite part of the villain's lair.

 

Advertisement

Shopping

Advertisement

Want More? Check These Out

Watch

You May Also Like