Current:Home > FinanceAriana DeBose talks 'House of Spoils' and why she's using her platform to get out the vote -TradeStation
Ariana DeBose talks 'House of Spoils' and why she's using her platform to get out the vote
View
Date:2025-04-18 22:13:54
NEW YORK – Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose admits that when it comes to movies, she prefers "cupcakes, sprinkles and joy." None of those are found in her latest film, “House of Spoils” (streaming now on Prime Video). The horror movie brings the star into unfamiliar territory.
"I do think that horror can sometimes allow you to process through fear," DeBose, 33, tells USA TODAY. "I think there are people who like to feel scared. I'm not one of them."
The actress says she respects the genre and enjoyed the challenge that "House of Spoils" provided.
"Making this particular film actually showed me that there's a technique" to horror, she explains. "It does take real skill. It's not just, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm going to scream my face off.' "
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
DeBose took the role of a lead seriously and was cognizant of how she carried herself on the set. Past experiences, both positive and negative, informed her actions. DeBose wouldn't divulge any names of colleagues who left a bad impression, joking that she wants "to work again." When it comes to positive experiences, she immediately mentions "West Side Story" co-star Rita Moreno and Jamie Lee Curtis.
“The vibe that I get from her, even when she's just cultivating relationships within the industry, it's joy. It's curiosity. It's genuine,” DeBose says of Curtis. “Like, wanting to know, what's your vibe? What do you think?”
'House of Spoilers' serves up horror with a side du jour
DeBose had to sharpen her knife skills for “House of Spoils,” but this isn’t a slasher film. The actress plays a chef who leaves a fancy New York City restaurant to run a trendy new spot upstate. There are a number of issues, namely a less-than-savory restaurateur (Arian Moayed) who also thrusts an unqualified sous chef (Barbie Ferreira) upon her. But perhaps most importantly, the place is haunted by its previous owner.
To train for her kitchen scenes, DeBose visited Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja at Shukette, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. She says the experience was “enlightening.”
“Just seeing how the energy of a kitchen functions and like every chef in the kitchen needs each other,” she recalls. “But also it all revolves around the head chef and everyone has their own leadership style. So I took a lot of different things from Chef Ayesha and I chopped a bunch of vegetables every day while I was making this movie.”
Is a return to Broadway next for Ariana DeBose?
DeBose will soon head to Nashville to film another Prime Video project: the recently green-lit “Scarpetta” series with Curtis and Nicole Kidman. She’s also politically active in a number of campaigns to get out the vote, specifically for the Democratic party.
“Not everyone, especially on social media, wants to be in conversation with you,” she says. “They want to have an opinion about you or your opinion, and they want to pick it apart, but they don't want to be in conversation about it. And that is a sad thing to me, because I do remember a time growing up where I saw individuals converse about their differences as opposed to shame each other about their differences.
“I'm Puerto Rican, I'm black, I'm queer, I'm a woman. All of these things to me are on the ballot. And I also look at it as when I cast a vote, I'm not just doing it for me, I'm doing it for the people that I love.”
In December, DeBose is back in theaters as Marvel's Calypso in "Kraven the Hunter." And as for her seemingly-annual gig hosting the Tony Awards, DeBose laughs when the prospect of hosting a fourth consecutive time is broached.
“I doubt it,” she responds when asked if she would return to the awards show. “When I have an idea, I come to the table. I love my theater family, but I might be all out of ideas.
“And to be honest, I really want to get back to the stage. I've been very inspired by the things I've seen over the last three years, and it's been a way for me to stay connected (to Broadway), but I also would like to get back to the ‘doing.’ And so I'm hoping that'll start soon.”
veryGood! (82)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Elon Musk Offers to Give “Childless Cat Lady” Taylor Swift One of His 12 Kids
- Airport Fire in California blamed on crews doing fire-prevention work: See wildfire map
- How Fox News, CNN reacted to wild Trump-Harris debate: 'He took the bait'
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are declared divorced and single
- Judge orders former NFL star Adrian Peterson to turn over assets to pay $12M debt
- Taylor Swift's response to presidential debate? She quickly endorsed Kamala Harris.
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- MTV VMAs reveal most dramatic stage yet ahead of 40th anniversary award show
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Dolphins coaches, players react to ‘emotional’ and ‘triggering’ footage of Tyreek Hill traffic stop
- You Have 1 Day to Get 50% Off Tan-Luxe Drops, Too Faced Lip Liner, Kiehl's Moisturizer & $8 Sephora Deals
- Frankie Beverly, Soul Singer of “Before I Let Go” and Founder of Maze, Dead at 77
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos announces departure after 40-year tenure
- US inflation likely fell further last month as Fed prepares to cut rates next week
- Donald Trump Speaks Out on Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Hallmark+ hatches 'The Chicken Sisters': How to watch, changes from book
2024 lottery winners: How many people have won Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots?
Prosecutors charge Milwaukee man with shooting at officers
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Election officials warn that widespread problems with the US mail system could disrupt voting
Police in Tyreek Hill incident need to be fired – and the Dolphins owner must speak out
The first general election ballots are going in the mail as the presidential contest nears