With roles in It Follows, The Guest, Watcher, and now, Longlegs, Maika Monroe is no stranger to the unsettling — but that still didn’t stop her from “blacking out” due to nerves during her first live talk-show appearance earlier this week, she tells NYLON. In what’s already been dubbed “the most terrifying horror movie of 2024,” the scream queen plays Lee Harker, an FBI agent assigned to track down Nicolas Cage in his final role as a serial killer.
Below, Monroe dishes on the six items she couldn’t live without while filming, from her favorite Canadian delicacy to director Osgood Perkins’ custom, rock-heavy playlist.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
“I saw it a couple of weeks before going into the film, and it, for whatever reason, really connected with me. I saw a lot of similarities [between] my character Lee and Rooney [Mara] in that film. It was a nice little gift in the beginning [of filming Longlegs] that really helped me find [my] character.”
Poutine
“I, uh, ate a lot of poutine. We were filming in Canada, and I feel like that was a very comforting meal. We would finish filming, find a little restaurant near set, and go eat poutine and have a beer. It was a bonding moment… eating our poutine.”
Oz Perkins’ Playlist
“During filming, the director made this playlist, which was so fun. It was a lot of T. Rex, of course, because there’s a lot of T. Rex in the film, but also old rock bands. I listened to a lot of Nina Simone during filming. Music is so important to me when filming, so that was the best.”
Wordle App
“The New York Times app… Wordle? Wordle! That’s it. I’m obsessed. It’s probably my favorite app.”
Three Women By Lisa Taddeo
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily connected to the film, I just love this book so much. It’s these three different stories about women who have been through trauma or something traumatic, and it’s so beautifully told. It was a great read [while on] set. They were each going through something so different, yet it all felt incredibly relatable from different moments of your life.”
Love Island USA Season Six
“Another huge help for unwinding after intense filming days [is] Love Island. Ugh. It’s the best. I’m so deep into the current season now, oh my God. It’s so terrible, but it’s so good. I can’t turn away. I imagine the producers behind this [season] are like, We’ve got gold, because all the people on this season are so drama. So extra.”
