Melissa Barrera’s Dream Directors: Her Ultimate Collaboration Wishlist
Melissa Barrera reveals the acclaimed filmmakers she’s eager to work with, from European auteurs to celebrated names like Denis Villeneuve and Boots Riley. Discover who tops her list.
There’s a certain kind of fear that only parents know, and it’s not always the sort you see in horror films. Waking in the small hours to find a toddler silently looming by your bedside, whispering your name, can be enough to make anyone jump. Filmmakers are well aware of this, which perhaps explains the appeal of ‘Abigail’, a 2024 release featuring Melissa Barrera as she faces off against a bloodthirsty child vampire. While the film weaves in moments of dark humour, the premise alone is enough to unsettle even the bravest viewer.
Barrera, hailing from Mexico, has carved out a niche for herself in the world of suspense and the macabre. Her journey from the cult television drama ‘Vida’ to leading roles in ‘Scream VI’ and the indie comedy ‘Your Monster’ has not gone unnoticed. The latter, directed by Caroline Lindy in her feature debut, earned Barrera significant praise and an award nomination for her portrayal of a young actress grappling with a devastating cancer diagnosis, only to find an unlikely companion in a literal monster hiding in her wardrobe. Barrera has spoken fondly of working with Lindy, particularly enjoying the energy of collaborating with a director on their first major project.
Directors on Barrera’s Radar
Despite her appreciation for emerging talent, Barrera has her sights set on a handful of established filmmakers she’s keen to work with. She recently shared,
“I actually have a wishlist on my phone of directors that I’d love to work with, that I actually just shared with my manager. I have a lot of European directors on there.”
She went on to mention,
“Off the top of my head, I have Céline Sciamma on there, who did Portrait of a Lady on Fire, one of my favourite films.”
Another name high on her list is Lukas Dhont, the Belgian director behind the 2022 coming-of-age drama ‘Close’. Barrera explained,
“That movie killed me. They (Sciamma and Dhont) both speak French, and I’m learning French right now because I want to work with them so badly that I’m like, ‘I need to speak French so I can be in their movies.’”
International Aspirations
Her ambitions don’t stop at Europe. Barrera also singled out Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, citing his 2010 thriller ‘Incendies’ as a particular favourite. She added Mexican director Fernando Frias to her list, praising his work on the 2019 musical drama ‘I’m No Longer Here’.
“He’s very talented and cool, and I hope that we can find something that we can do together.”
Boots Riley, the American director known for the acclaimed black comedy ‘Sorry to Bother You’, also features among her dream collaborators. Barrera revealed,
“I was actually supposed to be in his last movie, and it didn’t work out scheduling-wise, but I am sure that I’m going to work with him at some point. I will beg him to put me in another one of his movies.”
What’s Next for Barrera
Looking ahead, Barrera has a pair of new projects on the horizon. She’s set to appear in ‘Black Tides’, a thriller directed by Renny Harlin and starring John Travolta, which follows a group of people under attack at sea. She’ll also feature in ‘The Collaboration’, sharing the screen with Paul Bettany as the iconic artist Andy Warhol.
For those keeping track, Barrera’s top five directors she’s eager to work with are: Boots Riley (USA), Lukas Dhont (Belgium), Fernando Frias (Mexico), Céline Sciamma (France), and Denis Villeneuve (Canada).