Simone Kessell stars as Mary in this action-packed revenge-thriller, Hard Home.
After the shocking murder of her daughter, a woman turns her high-tech home into a trap for the killer, initiating a deadly cat-and-mouse game where every move can be fatal.
Hard Home was written by Mark Shea Price and directed by James Bamford. It stars Simone Kessell, Joseph Millson, Rachel Adedeji, Daphne Cheung, Rosie Day, and Andrew Howard
Check out our interview with Simone:
How would you describe the film?
Simone: I would describe the film as a horror revenge film.
What do you think sets Hard Home apart from other revenge thrillers?
Simone: I think what sets Hard Home apart from other revenge thrillers is that it’s unique in the fact that a mother will go to no ends to, you know kill the man. Kill and torture the man that destroyed her life and took her daughter’s life.
How would you describe Mary?
Simone: Mary is a woman who, through her grief and ocd obsessive compulsion, compulsive disorder who sets up a home to take on the man who killed her daughter. Mary is a woman who is absolutely driven, and she is a woman who is completely and actually out for revenge. It’s a kind of character I’ve never played before. Some may call her mentally ill. I would call her a woman that is in so much pain that she has no answers except to kill the man that took the life of her daughter.
How did you find out about this role?
Simone: The role came through my agent. I was asked to read the script, and then they gave me dates and said that they would love me to play the role, and at the time. You know, it was a it was a crazy time, because we had the strike and everything. And this was, I’m an Australian or New Zealand Australian actor. It was a great opportunity for me to shoot a film in Bulgaria somewhere had never been. They approached me and asked me, and I was thrilled to be asked.
How did you prepare to play Mary?
Simone: I just got very fit. I got very fit, and I rehearsed and rehearsed and trained so that I could be strong for the role in convincing in the role. And then, you know, you sort of put it together with the stunt team, and then with the director and the crew, and the result is Hard Home.
What was it like working with James and the cast?
Simone: The cast was fantastic. Andrew Howard! Wonderful Welsh actor! I really enjoyed working with him, he’s such a character. The cast was great. I’d worked with them all again. James Bamford was wonderful working with a stunt director. Really, it was an eye opener, you know. He didn’t overshoot things. He knew how he wanted to cut the fight sequences. So that was that was great. It was. He was very easy directed to work with.
Do you have a favorite stunt or a bit of action from the film that you really enjoyed?
Simone: Yeah, running. I liked other forest stuff. I enjoyed running through the forest and doing all that kind of you know those action sequences. I like to run, and it was sort of a great day for it. And yeah, I enjoyed all the running. I enjoyed a lot of the fight stuff. I didn’t enjoy the end sequences in the dungeon was dirty. It took me a week to get that out of my hair.
Is there anything else you’d like the audience to know about HARD HOME or the experience?
Simone: I think Hard Home is pure entertainment. An hour and a half to just detach from real life and get yourself into the world of Mary and her revenge. I think Hard Home is definitely a genre horror film. And if you’re into that, then I think you’ll really enjoy the ride.
Is there anything else coming up for you?
Simone: Yes, 2 shows I’m currently working on. One is “The Last Frontier” with Apple. Which is with Jason Clark who is the lead of that. I have been working on that since January, and then I’m also filming “Yellow Jackets” Season 3.
