Kate Hudson & Kaia Gerber On Extreme Beauty Horrors [Interview]

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One of the most outrageous genre titles to premiere at TIFF 2024 was Shell, a horror-comedy spotlighting the grotesque lengths we go through to stay young and beautiful. The shocking debut from director Max Minghella, Shell is a surprise-filled spectacle that’s as nasty as it is silly. If you’re not already sold, Shell has a cast as stacked with stars as anything you’re likely to witness at TIFF.

The film features Elisabeth Moss as an actress willing to go to extreme lengths to keep her looks competitive in an industry where beauty standards are constantly moving goalposts. Kate Hudson gives an inarguably breakaway performance in Shell, appearing as the enigmatic CEO of a miraculous company that provides a game-changing beauty procedure … with gross consequences.

To celebrate the premiere of Shell, I had the opportunity to sit down with stars Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber to discuss their wild new horror movie, extreme beauty procedures, and the movies that terrified them the most growing up. Check out our conversation below:

Dread Central: Kate, your character, she’s not the kindest person, right?

Kate Hudson: No, she is not.

DC: Yet I found myself rooting for her.

KH: I think that’s because there’s something liberating about her and brutally honest. She’s incredibly self-possessed, very confident, very sexually free. And so the hope—and it sounds like it worked if that’s how you feel—is that she emanates a specific kind of confidence.

DC: Is playing a villain as fun as it looks?

KH: Always. And I think a villain has to be likable unless you’re in some … different kind of horror movie. But here, we’re in a world of camp and fun.

Kaia Gerber: What you cannot remove from Kate [Hudson] is her charisma. It doesn’t matter what character she’s playing. That’s the bit of Kate where you’re like, I want to be around this person no matter what evil thing she’s up to. There is just something so magnetic about her as a person that is in all of her performances.

DC: How do you empathize with your character, Kaia? Sure, she’s a sweetheart, but we’re not really supposed to root for her.

KG: She’s not evil in an apparent way, but of course, she reminds Elizabeth Moss’s character, Samantha, about her sensitivities. She’s a physical manifestation of everything that woman is insecure about. She’s booking the roles that she wants. She’s younger than she is. She’s like, “You used to babysit me.” She’s reminding her of how old she is, and she has what appears to be an ease about it. Although I think, of course, if it were easy, my character wouldn’t end up at a place like Shell. It shows that she’s still falling into the societal traps that most women in this film are falling into.

I also wanted her to be lovable for her journey in this movie. You have to care about her, sort of, with where she goes. The audience might not like her initially, but that was through Elizabeth’s character’s eyes.

DC: What was it like working with a male director [Max Minghella] on such a woman-centric story? Was he open to your feedback and that sort of collaboration?

Hudson pauses — staring at me — for ten very long seconds.

KH: …It’s funny. I wasn’t listening to anything you said because I was looking at your glasses and realized I have the same glasses. I was like, I wonder, and then you’re saying, I thought you were talking to her and—

Gerber interrupts:

KG: —Good question! I’m going to jump in. We got this question earlier, and it was the first time it had occurred to both of us that it was like Max was a male director. He handles everything with such sensitivity and is so open, generous, and kind. He’s also another actor. So, to be directed by an actor who’s sensitive and knows how to really take care of the environment, it’s so nurturing that we got asked this question earlier today and I was like, it literally just occurred to me that because it didn’t feel like it played a role in the dynamic onset at all.

KH: When you’re doing sensitive things and when you’re being sexual … you want to make sure that you feel protected. Max is just the best. He’s so sensitive to everyone on set. He wants to create a beautiful environment. He is a very gentle spirit and on set, and so I never thought of it either. He also said that he relates to what these women are going through. It is relatable for him as well. The themes are just as relatable. He’s turning 40, and he’s thinking about his mortality. It never felt like he was telling a female-specific story; it felt very relatable—

KG: —For anyone! Of course, there’s so much societal pressure on women to look a certain way, but I mean, it really does affect everyone. I’m sure, historically, women have gotten probably the most intense version of it, but if you zoom out, it touches everyone, especially with social media. I don’t know a single person who isn’t affected by it.

DC: This film has some grim body horror; how are you with gore?

KH: Terrible. I hate it. But with this movie, for me, is where I can go: this is fun. This kind of movie is my kind of body horror thriller situation. I’m just not a big fan of torture. The real crazy, hardcore. I just can’t, I can’t get into it.

DC: Was there ever a movie when you were younger that scarred either of you?

KH: A Nightmare On Elm Street. My brother was so into horror movies, so I saw that when I was too young to watch it; every time my parents were out of town, it was like a horror night. And I wanted the validation and love of my brother, so I wanted to watch them too. I’ll never forget watching A Nightmare On Elm Street when I was too young, and I was like, this is too much. It destroyed me. Yeah, it’s his nails. It’s the clawing on the side of the railing … I just was like, oh God, I can’t handle this….

KG: I’ve always loved gore! I am the freak at the doctor’s office who watches them put the needle in when they’re taking my blood. I love all that stuff. I really don’t get grossed out easily at all. For me, it’s like I just love horror as a genre so much. To have something that’s preying on all of our deepest fears, but also to make you laugh, all my favorite horror films are also so funny with so much humor. And I think that Max really went for that and dove into the humorous part. While it is body horror, there’s enough; it’s not taking himself seriously. So, people like Kate who don’t want to watch blood and guts can handle it.

I grew up with all The Conjuring movies and I love those films so much. They’re heavy. I also love Paranormal Activity. And then I think Ari Aster is a genius. Hereditary goes places where you’re sure he won’t go. And that’s what he does.

KH: I can’t watch it!

DC: Did making this film inspire you to take more roles in the genre space?

KH: I love working with people that inspire me. If I’m working with a great filmmaker who really understands the genre and is going to push it, that will be something I’ll do. That’s why I love being in this business. That’s why we’re in the business. I might not sit through it multiple times, but working with visionary directors has always been my goal. I got that opportunity, it would be an absolute yes.

When I did Skeleton Key, there’s a scene where I had these things on my eyes, and you have to put yourself in situations that, and I’m in the voodoo world … and I’m very sensitive to energy, and I work with energy a lot. And when you’re in that, it does bring things up. And so it is incredibly intense, yet it was the most fun experience I’ve ever had.

DC: Inspired by Shell, is there any standard beauty procedure you’d be too freaked out to try?

KG: Well, my philosophy is that if it sounds too good to be true, it is. So, an example of that too-good-to-be-true stuff is cool sculpting. Cool sculpting is the answer to this for me. It’s when they squeeze your fat and freeze it. But there have been huge lawsuits against them because it has caused serious issues for many people who have gone in for it. Of course, you’ve always gotta read the fine print. But I just think I love a treatment that does what it says it’s going to do. And aren’t people putting feces on their faces or something?

DC: Whhhhatt? I mean, I’ve heard of a vampire facial…

KH: A vampire facial is when they take your own blood. It’s a spinning thing. It’s plasma, so they spin your blood, and it separates. The plasma is very good for your blood.

My jaw drops.