Mena Suvari Reveals She ‘Personally Identified’ With Aspects Of Her ‘House Of Chains’ Character

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Mena Suvari scary new Lifetime movie stars House of Chains. While Laura and Tye seem to have the perfect family, they have dark secrets that have remained hidden for years. Adhering to their own strict religious beliefs, Laura and Tye’s authoritarian ways with their children grow stronger and lead them down the path of child abuse, abandonment, and imprisonment. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Mena about tackling such a difficult role.

“Honestly, I feel like there are aspects of Laura and her personality and her story that I have personally identified, and I think that’s part of the reason why I attracted to her,” Mena said. “The whole story is about how one person can really get caught up in another person and completely lose themselves and completely turn their version of themselves into their worst nightmare. I don’t think Laura ever thought this would be part of her story. I feel like diving into it, I have some emotional connection to it, but it’s really just such a gift that can work with Stephen [Tonkin], our writer-director. I just felt like everything was there. We really had time to really work together, rehearse and talk. That was the biggest gift for me, to actually have the time to have a really conversation in that space. “

Mena admits that getting into Laura’s mind every day during filming was not easy. “It was very intense. It’s stressful. It was exhausting,” she revealed. “I felt like I had to really decompress. We’re filming in Canada, and all of our actors, our writer-director, our producer, are the absolute best. If we didn’t have any of that, I don’t know how I’d get through it. All these incredible kids, some of them the first movies they’ve ever worked on, and the professionalism, dedication, care and consideration given to this story and the way it is told. story, I was very impressed. It’s a great environment to be a part of where it’s really weird that we have to perform and put on camera. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of them.”

Due to the subject of tension, Mena was “worried” about the young actors playing Laura and Tye’s children in the Lifetime movie. “I am a new mother. My son is almost 17 months old, so I have all the new mom anxiety vibes about all of this. All I care about is them,” Mena said HollywoodLife. “I said [to writer-director Stephen Tonkin], ‘If there’s anything you need me to do without them there, I can’t do it.’ I was very nervous about having to show some aspects of myself as mean, abusive and violent, and how they would go about it. I am very interested in that. But again, I’m telling you, the level of professionalism… I was blown away by the commitment and understanding of the matter. That was awesome for me to watch. I am grateful for everything that I do because I feel it gives me the opportunity to learn about myself. I just learned a lot about my own life and how I work through these kids. “

House of Chains bears similarities to the Turpin family. Laura and Tye’s relationship develops into a mess of abuse and control when they keep their six children locked up in their home. Tye was definitely the one who turned on the ringtone, and Laura entered the line. Mena discussed how she feels about her character and whether she sees Laura as a victim.

“I think that’s really what attracted me because I don’t think of anything as black and white. There’s a lot of nuance to it,” Mena said. “I was really captivated by how at the beginning of the movie when you first meet Laura, she is so down on her luck. I felt that she was finally convinced that no one really cared about her. No one can save her, and she’s just trying desperately and looking for anything to cling to. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when she met Tye. “

She continued, “Yes, I want to believe she was a victim. I feel like we’re all victims in some way, don’t we? I feel like we could talk about her story forever, but I don’t think she really wanted any of it for herself. I think Laura is very lost. I’d say it’s like a chipping. That is a condition. I know that for myself in my own life and the things that I’ve been through over the last few years, you feel like you’ve got a lifeline. There was such a thrill that occurred. For me, when I went through that, I didn’t have children. So I can also just assume that something is binding on you. I think Laura really feels like there’s nowhere to go, and you’re getting caught up in manipulation. You see that in the movies. I don’t want to give too much, but I feel like there’s a way to see Laura as a victim, especially in the end, because she’s at least trying to pull off an act that’s better than what she used to be. have in his life. end. She is trying. I want to believe that there is some hope for her in some way. “ House of Chains premieres September 10 on Lifetime.