Lily-Rose Depp on Demonic Sexual Awakening as Her ‘Bible’

Some directors give movie references to watch, others advise their actors to read books about morbid monster sex. Of course, horror author Robert Eggers does both.

“Nosferatu” star Lily-Rose Depp told IndieWire that writer-director Eggers encouraged her to read French author Remy de Gourmont’s short story “Péhor” to prepare for the role of Ellen Hutter, a woman who is Count Orlok (Bill Skårsgard) summons her companion. Orlok possesses Ellen in her sleep and is determined to make her his bride, even though she is already married to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult).

Depp perceived de Gourmont’s occult writings as a kind of “Bible” during production. “Rob is known to be incredibly well-researched, so he sent me lots of references and films that inspired him for the role. “He also gave me this text to read called ‘Péhor’ (by Remy de Gourmont) which is kind of a story about a young religious girl who has a sexually awakening love story with a demon,” Depp told IndieWire during a recent interview . “That was of course very relevant for me. I used it like a Bible, so to speak, and read it over and over again while filming.”

“Péhor” is part of “Histoires magiques,” a collection of short stories centered on a young girl named Douceline who sensually devotes herself to religious figures. Douceline becomes sexually involved with the undead creature Péhor, who awakens her to the pleasures of sin.

Depp’s performance as Ellen includes gutturally simulated orgasms amid her cosmic connection to Orlok, which manifests itself in seizures. Depp channeled the moaning sounds she showcased on the controversial and critically misunderstood series The Idol, which was Depp’s TV debut and breakout role. “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson was behind the Max show.

When asked if “The Idol” prepared her for the physical and vocal elements of simulated sex in “Nosferatu,” Depp simply replied, “Yes,” then added, “I love meeting an ‘Idol’ fan . “I love talking about it.”

In the series, Depp played pop star Jocelyn, a sort of femme fatale dealing with the stress of an upcoming tour and a toxic romance with a club owner (The Weeknd). “Honestly, of course, I feel like there’s a real through line (between the projects),” Depp said of the two roles. “Jocelyn and Ellen couldn’t be more different, and the worlds they live in couldn’t be more different. For me there’s a through line in that they’re both very specific, demanding roles and that’s clearly something I’d like to explore.”

She continued, “I definitely feel like the physical work that I did on ‘The Idol’ and also the emotional work definitely helped prepare me for this film (‘Nosferatu’) because he just taught me so much.” . Honestly, The Idol was a real period of growth for me as an actor and as a person. I feel like I learned so much, especially on The Idol, that I took it with me to Nosferatu. I feel like every role you play teaches you something and, if you will, pushes you forward in your artistic path.”

It also helped that filming on Nosferatu began immediately after Depp wrapped production on The Idol. “We shot ‘Nosferatu’ just two months after we wrapped ‘The Idol.'” So I feel like I had that in my body, the physicality and the emotions and everything. I definitely brought that with me, even though, as you know, it’s a very different style of filmmaking,” Depp said. “It’s very different in a lot of ways, but I felt those similarities.”

Between The Idol and Nosferatu, both of which showcase Depp’s undeniable range and talent, which medium would the actress prefer to pursue in her next project? Although Depp couldn’t reveal any details, she has at least one more project on the horizon and assured that she is interested in both film and television, especially in this Hollywood era.

“I think there has hardly ever been a better time for both,” Depp said. “I think the bridge was kind of a divide between film and television, where so many incredible film directors work in television and vice versa. I love doing both. “The Idol” was my first experience on television and I loved it so much.”

Focus Features will release “Nosferatu” in theaters on Wednesday, December 25th.