How Jack Haven Found “Innocence” in ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ Slasher Little Death

It might seem a bit jarring to hear that an actor “took a sweetness” from a character called Little Death, but Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’s Jack Haven found an innocence to the slasher in Jane Schoenbrun’s latest feature. The actor gained.

They’ve also waded into the filmmaking waters in recent years. In Camp Miasma, Haven reunites with Schoenbrun after the pair worked together on the director’s acclaimed feature I Saw the TV Glow.

What Happened

Below, Haven digs into the film premiering at Cannes, working as a filmmaker and the Camp Miasma sequence that the actor found to be their most physically challenging scene ever. I wish I was mentally stable enough to enjoy something like Cannes.

• It really feels like a feeling of your grandmother telling you a story as a child, it’s that wonder.

• Even when Jane describes something or describes an idea for a film, that’s unlike anything.

• As with the whole film, as with all of Jane’s work.

Key Details

The best part was that I knew it was a good thing in my mind. Probably in my body, I knew it was a good thing.

• We did it maybe eight times, and still on the last take, I screamed afterwards because I forgot something.

• The stunt people in the background, they were doing such hard work because they were throwing themselves against the wall and then falling to the rhythm of the stabs.

• The pieces were all there, but it’s still probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do as an actor, just in terms of physical intensity.

Why It Matters

My mind turned invasive species mode and was running through the rainforest, trying not to get caught. It’s like, you know that scene in The Beach when Leonardo DiCaprio goes into video game mode and he’s being chased?

• But the camera assistant, Emma, was holding the camera, and then there were sandbags on the back so it was counterbalanced, but it’s still… The fight choreographer, stunt choreographer, Maja Aro, had this really.

• I don’t even know how heavy it was, but it felt like it was as heavy at least as me.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by The Hollywood Reporter as more details emerge