Lauren Cohan Dishes on That Huge Twist in New Horror Flick The Boy

Lauren Cohan is no stranger to the horror genre. She deals with the undead day in and day out on AMC's hit TV show The Walking Dead. But The Boy, a creepy new horror movie about a seemingly sentient doll, is her first real venture into the traditional horror film genre. We recently sat down with Cohan to talk about what it was like, and she discussed her own fascination with the horror genre in her youth, the film's portrayal of the female spirit, and that seriously devastating twist. OK, and maybe we squeezed in a few questions about The Walking Dead, too. Keep reading to see what she had to say, then get ready; The Boy hits theaters Friday, Jan. 22.

POPSUGAR: What it's been like working on a horror film for the first time?

Lauren Cohan: I mean, I feel like this is sort of a milestone that every actor can go through and can get to go through. I've always wanted to do a horror movie, and I grew up watching a lot of horror. I now, recently in life, don't have the stomach for it because I spend so much time in it.

PS: Oh god, I bet.

LC: So I sort of try to give myself a break. But this script was so compelling to me and so fast moving and intriguing. And I didn't feel like this had been done before the way that they did it. So I wanted to do it. I thought, "This is crazy; this is not the break that you need!"

PS: But it felt like one, in a sense.

LC: Yeah it did.

PS: What was your favorite horror film growing up?

LC: I loved Stephen King, so I loved Pet Sematary, Misery . . . what was your favorite?

PS: I loved The Shining, personally. I read The Shining when I was in high school and it freaked me out. I couldn't sleep for weeks.

LC: You know, I actually never read The Shining, which I should've done. When I was very small, I read all Christopher Pike novels and stuff like that. And Scary Stories, you know what I mean. It's funny, talking about it these last few days because of the film, it's making me want to go back into it, you know?

PS: Oh, totally.

PS: So, Greta [Cohan's character in The Boy]. She's kind of had a rough go of it in terms of the men in her life. And she's just starting to attach this great meaning to Brahms when everything kind of falls apart. What's the greater implication of this betrayal?

LC: I think what's interesting in this film is that it's a lot of people who create these strange regimens to sort of heal themselves or give themselves safety or move on from their pasts. Greta initially is just trying to get away from this crazy ex-boyfriend and her crazy past. She ends up falling under the same spell as the parents did with the boy. So ultimately, by the end of the film, I think she finds herself. Up to that point, she's sort of a creature of reaction. She's a victim of these different circumstances and doesn't know how to set her own two feet firmly on the ground.

PS: Right.

LC: And I think that definitely with Malcolm [Cohan's love interest], played by Rupert Evans . . . at the end of the movie, we see her make a firm choice about what she wants.

PS: That was such an interesting moment. She's so horrified when she learns the truth about the boy. But then she decides to go back for Malcolm. She's free, and then she's like, "You know what? I'm going back in there." It's a very empowering moment.

LC: There's a few really shocking twists. Really specific twists and trusting her gut, that she was right to stay. That's sort of being proven in getting Malcolm on her side and everything. And then in the end, you know, fighting for love, and it's not so much fighting for love, but it's choosing good and choosing the right thing. That's her highest strength.

PS: And hoping that someday, this kind of thing won't happen to her.

LC: Yes, totally. And she's had her eyes opened, too. It's like, it took this many bad dudes being around her to see a good one.

PS: So, speaking of twists . . . I mean, I have a lot of experience with horror films, and I felt personally blindsided by this! Like, I didn't see it coming at all, and I always try to figure it out. Did you see it coming? What was it like when you found out?

LC: Yeah, not remotely! I was reading the script, and I usually I would try to read something on the computer. Not ideal to read on your phone, but I opened it on mine to read the first couple of pages, and before I knew it I had finished the script. And I was sitting on a plane, and I was like, "OK!" . . . It's so creepy.