The Drama Star Alana Haim Says Movie Will Force ‘Hard Discussions’ After Backlash Over Leaked Twist
Warning: this article contains major spoilers for The Drama.
The Drama star Alana Haim has warned audiences that the buzzy upcoming movie will force “very hard discussions” after its leaked plot twist sparked backlash last week.
The film, which stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, has been at the centre of discussion after a leak revealed the shock moment Zendaya’s character confesses to almost carrying out a school shooting but backing out last-minute.
Now, Alana — who plays Rachel in the movie — has preemptively responded to the chatter in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, just ahead of The Drama’s premiere this week.
“I saw [the movie] with some of my friends. We got an early screening and it was really crazy the amount of discussion that happened after the movie,” Alana, who is also a member of the music group HAIM, said.
She added that conversations among fans will “run the gamut” of emotions, saying that the discourse the movie will create is “why you make art”.
“There are going to be very hard discussions or very funny discussions or very sad discussions. It kind of runs the gamut of emotion with this movie, and I think that without this movie, a lot of people wouldn’t be talking about those things, which is why you make art,” Alana said.
As for whether she’ll weigh in on the inevitable commentary, Alana said her career in music has taught her that she “can’t look at anything” on social media.
“I am only coming from being in a band for my whole life, and I learned very quickly that you can’t look at anything, so I won’t be looking at anything, but I’m happy that there’s going to be discussions,” the singer and actress explained.
It comes days after Tom Mauser — the father of a victim killed in the Columbine school shooting in 1999 — described The Drama’s twist as “awful” and said the casting of Zendaya “humanises” school shooters and “normalises” that type of violence.
Meanwhile, on social media, one film critic refused to review the movie, saying the twist is “in bad taste” and that the “extremely delicate subject matter is handled so poorly it makes it impossible to discuss”.
The Drama hits Aussie cinemas this Thursday (April 2).
Lead images: A24/YouTube and Getty Images
