×
Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer, And Drew Van Acker Talk New Thriller Last Survivors And More - Exclusive Interview

Contains spoilers for "Last Survivors"

In "Last Survivors," Jake (Drew Van Acker) and his father Troy (Stephen Moyer) have been hiding deep in the mountains for 20 years, due to World War III leading to the collapse of society. There, they live off the land, hunt and forage for food, and kill anyone who comes near their secluded cabin. It's pretty much the only life Jake has known — until his father is badly wounded and needs "outsider" medication. Enter Alicia Silverstone as Henrietta, who inadvertently helps Jake and turns his world upside-down in the process.

All three stars of the movie are also executive producers, which says a lot about their commitment to the film, which is out in theatres and on demand February 4. It's also quite a stamp of approval, coming from the stars of such iconic fare as "Pretty Little Liars" (Van Acker), "True Blood" (Moyer), and "Clueless" (Silverstone).

During an exclusive interview with the "Last Survivors" cast, Silverstone reflected on her memorable career and what she hopes she never has to do in the future, Moyer discussed his acting methods, and Van Acker told a hilarious tale of one very strategically placed sock.

Alicia Silverstone was caught off-guard by Drew Van Acker's nude scene

The film went in an unexpected direction. First question is for Stephen. On set, in your mind, did you approach the first half of the film as "I'm in a post-apocalyptic world and I'm a survivor," or did you have the mentality of a fugitive on the lam the whole time?

Stephen Moyer: Great question. I feel like in order to live in the present, to be in the moment, when you are working, you have to believe what you are doing. You have to believe in your character. You have to believe in your character's worth. Nobody's good or bad. You are living your normality. In his world, this horrific thing has happened 20 years before, and he is protecting his son. So, for me, it was all about creating a world in which Jake felt held and comforted and nurtured and respected, but also, my character is the father, so he is the father figure and Jake has to do what I say. In a way, he doesn't quite believe that Jake has grown up and can do things for himself. It's a lot for him to let go of, to allow Jake to become that. For me, the trauma, the obstacle was the pulling apart, letting Jake be the adult that he had become.

Drew, what was the hardest part of filming? You actually filmed during the winter in Montana, right?

Drew Van Acker: Yeah, we did, and it was cold. Very cold, for sure. We were in the elements, absolutely, but the hardest part was probably seeing Alicia's face when I burst into the room, fully nude. That was probably the hardest part for me because it was a mix of shock and awe. It was a bit of looking away, and it was very uncomfortable, you know what I mean? She's such a trooper, so ... It was more of like a [opens eyes wide] "Oh..." It was a good experience. We had some good times and, yes, it was very cold and we were fully in the elements.

Alicia Silverstone: I think if I had to look away, it was because you had a sock over your penis.

Moyer: I was surprised! I was going to say, you kept using the words "the hardest thing for you" and I was in a completely different place there. [Laughs.]

Silverstone: If he hadn't had the sock on, I definitely wouldn't have looked away.

Van Acker: Yeah, there was a sock involved...

Silverstone: It made it so silly.

Van Acker: It's always silly. It always feels almost a little bit more awkward that this is a thing, you know? ... I'm not even sure if that was the proper answer... [Laughs]

Silverstone: I don't know how we got off on that tangent. [Laughs]

Alicia Silverstone is 'committed to aging for real' on screen

Now, Alicia, you're celebrating 30 years in the business this year since literally exploding out of the gate with the one-two punch of the Aerosmith videos and "Clueless." When you think back, what stands out the most about that time in your life and how's it feel to still have a prolific career all these years later?

Silverstone: Well, my first job was "The Crush" and I was 15 years old when I did that — no, the first job was "Wonder Years," forgive me. Then, the first film was "The Crush." Then I did many more movies before I did "Clueless," which is the one that everybody knows, and which I'm so proud of. I've been doing a lot of independent movies. I did a movie with Yorgos Lanthimos. I did "The Lodge" with these amazing European filmmakers who did "Goodnight Mommy," this really weird movie that I love. I just did a movie with Benicio Del Toro that's called "The Reptile."

As a mother, I have very little time to do anything that takes me away from my son, so I'm getting to do things that fill me up. That's what we all want to do, right? Do things that fill you up. I'm lucky that I have a business on the side that allows me to make choices that I don't get paid anything to do. It's okay, you know? I can play wherever I want. I make vitamins and all of that. I get to adjust an artist and I'm grateful for that. That's all I ever wanted.

Do you feel like things in Hollywood are changing for women in terms of being allowed to age on screen in the same way men are allowed? Like, say, still being offered youthful, desirable roles, such as Henrietta?

Silverstone: I've always felt very grateful for what I have, and I've always felt like ... I'm not great to talk about this because I don't have some wonderful thing to say about it. I feel like, I haven't done any work to my face, and I hope that I never do. I'm really committed to aging, for real, on screen. That means that your forehead's going to do move around and it's going to have lines everywhere, but I want to be representing real people and not Hollywood people who have work done to their faces. I really want that ... without any disrespect to anyone that's done work to themselves.

I want to show that being like my mother, when she died, she was beautiful to me, so beautiful with all of her wrinkles and with all of her life. I remember my ex-husband always saying how beautiful she was, and that made me happy that someone could see somebody very old and weathered but know that they're so beautiful. I would like for us to represent women that way because that's what most of the world looks like. For me, that's what I'm interested in. I'm sure we can always improve on having better roles for women. I'm sure that's a real thing, but it's not part of my daily consciousness. I'm happy that I'm getting to play and do great things and I feel so lucky.

Drew Van Acker was nervous about working with Alicia and Stephen Moyer

Drew, what was it like working with Stephen and Alicia? You already went over the sock incident, but any other memorable moments stand out from the set?

Van Acker: Yeah, [we] won't talk about the sock again. I think what really sticks out for me is when I first met both of them. They're both very accomplished actors, so I was very familiar with both of them. It's one of those things where you prepare as much as you can on your own, and then you have no idea what they're coming with or what they're bringing. I was very familiar with who they were and their body of work, and fans of both of them, so I knew they were going to be professional and super talented and ready, but you don't know what to expect.

You're a bit caught off guard. You're a bit nervous and anxious and whatnot, and you want to be as good as you can to live up to what they're bringing and all this running through your head. I remember meeting both of them for the first time and feeling really, really at ease. It was almost like I kind of sat back, and they made me feel really welcomed and happy to be there, which made me excited. It made me let my guard down and be able to play and be open with the both of them. I think that was really important. They don't know it, because you don't say this to them like, "Hey, how you doing? I'm Drew, I'm super excited and a bit nervous to be working with you." You don't say that.

Moyer: Drew is a really accomplished actor and he didn't appear to be nervous at all. He's fantastic in his role. It's not like he turned up off of the street. He's done a lot of very cool work.

Van Acker: Well, I appreciate that, Stephen. That was kind of where I was coming from. Those moments stick out for me because they made it very easy for me, and I respect their work. Working with them was easy. I hate to say that. I don't know if that makes sense, but it was easy...

Moyer: That walk down the mountain in the snow was awesome, wasn't it? And the cold.

Van Acker: Yeah, we had some good times. We had some fun in the snow. So, overall, it was a really good experience.

"Last Survivors" premieres in theatres and will be available to rent and purchase on demand Friday, February 4.