The horror film phenomenon of 2024, Longlegscould have been worn by an actress other than Maika Monroe. But this actress refused the golden opportunity for a reason that no one could have suspected.
Directed by Oz Perkins, Longlegs broke everything at the cinema when it was released in July 2024. With revenues of 126 million dollars for a budget of 10 million, the independent film distributed by Neon made the effect of a small bomb in the middle of summer blockbusters. At the top of the bill, Maika Monroe opposite an unrecognizable Nicolas Cage in this horrific-satanic thriller.
But the actress revealed in 2014 in It Follows was not the only one considered for the role of Lee, the young FBI agent. Indeed, another actress specializing in horror recently revealed that she almost got the job, and ended up turning it down because reasons that were at least unexpected.
Longlegs vs Scream
It was actress Melissa Barrera who spoke to Collider in November 2024 on the fact that she had been contacted for the main role of Longlegs. Star the Scream V et Scream VIfilms in which she took up the torch from Neve Campbell in final girl badass, Barrera has been making genre films for several years.
In 2024 alone, she was the heroine of horror comedies Abigail et Your Monster (the latter not having been released in France), and this is precisely why the reason why Barrera refused to film Longlegs seems particularly astonishing.
As told by Collidershe would have indeed been very impressed by the scenario and would have gone so far as to meet Oz Perkins, but would have backed down because she refuses to act in films that touch too closely on the subject of Satanism. Two reasons for this: her Catholic education which makes her cautious on the subject of the Evil One, and the fact that Melissa Barrera believes very strongly in ghosts. Criteria which in fact immediately disqualify a film like Longlegs.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
But, then, how can we explain that the actress agreed to play the daughter of Billy Loomis who chats with her father from beyond in the saga Screamand that she confronted the demon Dracula in Abigailtwo particularly bloody examples among many others?
Maybe it's the specific mention of a Satanist cult, as in Longlegswhich was the limit not to be crossed for the actress. A priori, it's not tomorrow that she will change her mind:
“I don't think anyone will ever see me in a film like that, because that's a door I never want to open.”
Was it really Melissa Barrera's superstition that ultimately allowed Maika Monroe to get the role, or were there other reasons that remained secret? How likely was Barrera to actually get the job? Given the success of the film, it's clear that Monroe was convincing in the role of Lee, whether she was Perkins' first choice or not.
Besides, the distributor Neon believes in it so much that they will Oscar campaignnotably for best actress (Maika Monroe) and best supporting actor (Nicolas Cage).
Maika Monroe continues the momentum. She was recently cast in two horror film projects : a remake of The Hand on the Cradle directed by Mexican Michelle Garza Cervera, and a vampire film called Bridesdirected by Chloe Okuno (with whom Monroe had previously collaborated on Watcher).
