Mia Goth reveals how Shelley Duvall and Debbie Harry inspired ‘MaXXXine’ performance
Following the release of MaXXXine, the third instalment of Ti West’s X trilogy, Mia Goth has explained how two icons of the 1980s helped inspire her performance in the titular role.
The highly-anticipate finale to the set of three movies arrived in cinemas on July 5th, and has already earned the approval of legendary director Martin Scorsese. The iconic figure said that he believes each of the three films in the X trilogy symbolised a “different type of horror, related to different eras in American moviemaking.”
Scorsese described MaXXXine as representing “’80s Hollywood rancid, desperate.” Whereas, in contrast, Pearl he viewed as “’50s melodrama in vivid, saturated colour”.
The first picture of the trilogy follows an adult film star looking to make her big break; Maxine’s efforts are upended by Pearl, a jaded former actor who was jealous of the youthfulness of the performers making movies on her property, with the protagonist barely getting out of the horror comedy alive.
Then, in the follow-up prequel, Goth portrayed the villain from X to chart the origin story of Pearl, exploring how she became filled with jealousy and rage. Whereas, in MaXXXine, Goth returns as Maxine Minx as she attempts to make her name for herself in the fame-hungry city of Los Angeles in the 1980s despite the city being clouded by the presence of a mysterious serial killer.
As the latest movie was set in the 1980s, Goth, born in 1993, was too young to live through the decade, but took it upon herself to study icons of the era to get a flavour of the times.
In an exclusive Q&A provided to Far Out, Goth explained: “When I think about the 1980s, I think of my mum a lot. When I was growing up, she always spoke to me about the ‘80s and how much fun she had, the music and the parties that she would go to, and the fashion. When it became time to start researching this, it always felt like even though I wasn’t around during that time, I felt very close to it.”
Goth stated she found “researching the time” to be “so informative” and helped shape Maxine, partly thanks to the inspiration of Blondie’s Debbie Harry. She explained: “I didn’t really know who Maxine was going to be at that time. I didn’t know how to position her; I didn’t really know what angle to approach her with. Then I started listening to the music and I started watching Debbie Harry interviews, and Blondie videos in particular that inspired me. It took a firm understanding of the 1980s to get a firm understanding of who Maxine was going to be.”
Additionally, due to her speciality in horror, unsurprisingly, Goth revealed she has also taken inspiration from the late Shelley Duvall throughout her career. When asked to name one female actor from the horror genre who she “particularly admires”, Goth replied: “The Shining is one of my favourite movies. I think Shelley Duvall is amazing and is incredible in every movie that she’s in. She’s definitely someone that I look up to and admire.”
Tragically, Duvall passed away, aged 75, following complications with diabetes on July 11th, but Goth’s comments further demonstrate the legacy she left behind and how her filmography continues to inspire the new wave of horror stars.
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