Niki Kossbest known for co-starring on the Freeform series Famous in Love, shines as the sassy Pierce in Jacob Johnston‘s horror flick Dreamcatcher.
Film synopsis: Dylan, known to his fans as DJ Dreamcatcher, is on the brink of global stardom. Everything changes the night of Cataclysm, an underground music festival, where two estranged sisters and their friends meet Dylan. After a drug fueled gruesome event, things begin to spiral into a 48-hour whirlwind of violence and mayhem.
The film also stars Zachary Gordon, Travis Burns, Blaine Kern III, Olivia Sui, Emrhys Cooper, Elizabeth Posey, Nazanin Mandi, Adrienne Wilkinson, and Lou Ferrigno Jr.
What drew you to this project?
Niki: The script is what initially drew me to this project. It was unique. It was also really mysterious and left me wanting to know more. Actually, it left me wanting to read it again to find the puzzle pieces I missed in the first read through. I felt that way about Pierce too, which made me excited to unpack her and her personal journey.
How would you describe your character, Pierce?
Niki: Pierce is a trouble person. She’s been through a lot and has never given herself the chance to feel her real feelings. In fact, she’s addicted to escaping her real feelings in any way she can. She’s sassy, strong willed and intelligent. Although, she doesn’t make the most intelligent decisions, that’s for sure.
How did you prepare for this role?
Niki: I prepped for this role a little differently than usual. I read the script a couple times and wrote down every question I could think of about Pierce and her backstory. Then I had a long dinner with Jacob to unpack the answer together. After that, I kind of just let it sink in and threw it all away. I knew that when I got on set everything we talked about would come into play, but I didn’t want to overthink it. Jacob also made my a playlist of songs that made him think of Pierce that I listened to every day on the way to set.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while taking on this role?
Niki: It’s interesting because Pierce is still kind of a mystery to me. All the research and prep I did to try to understand her only got me so far. To this day, I still don’t fully understand her. Maybe that’s because she was such a mystery to herself and never really allowed herself to understand who she really was at the core. That was challenging to work around, but made for a really interesting and mesmerizing experience.
Are you a fan of scary movies? What would be some go-to movies for Halloween movie Fridays?
Niki: I’m not actually. I don’t love the feeling of being scared to be honest. I love a good psychological thriller, but straight up horror I never really go into. I watched Scream for the first time with the cast before we started shooting though and I actually really liked that one. It was fun and campy, but you couldn’t really look away.
In one word, how would you describe this movie?
Niki: Cataclysm.
You can follow Niki on social media with her handle @NikiKoss.
Dreamcatcher will be coming to On-Demand and Digital on March 5.
