Ever wanted to see Liam Neeson's Taken from the mother's perspective? Lou is the movie for you.
Following a mother in search of her daughter, Lou is Netflix's latest original action-packed, survivalist thriller. Advocate Channel Correspondent Rachel Smith recently sat down with stars Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett to discuss what it was like to dive into the genres from a women's point of view.
"[Lou] was a great gift to me, because I've always wanted to be in this action/thriller genre," Janney shared. "I never thought I'd get the opportunity to. At my age, to get a script like this, this is frickin' awesome."
Smollett agreed, acknowledging that audiences don't often see combat capable women onscreen, especially after they reach a certain age. She praised Janney for her performance, and the representation it brings.
"I have so much respect for this woman, she threw herself into the elements, threw herself into the stunts and the training. But the thing about it is, it's so inspiring for me," Smollett said, gesturing to Janney. "I don't get this image of women that much.
Smollett added she was also encouraged by how hard she and her co-star had to work to learn combat choreography, and how Janney never faltered throughout filming.
"I was just so inspired by her, and her work ethic. Because we were battling the rain, the mud, the elements, demons, villains..."
As Smollett trailed off, Janney added: "She was right there with me. It was so great to have a partner who was game, and willing to be as uncomfortable as we were for most of the film."
Lou follows Smollett's character, a mother whose daughter is kidnapped during an intense storm. To bring her home, Smollett teams up with Janney's Lou, the mysterious elder next door who lives a life of solitude.
Beyond being a combination of action, thriller, and survival genres, Janney shared that the film also divulges into the rich inner lives of its two women protagonists.
"It's a conversation between these two women about the kinds of paths that they've chosen, two different ones, and they judge each other for it," she said. "And they come to understand each other at the end. It's a beautiful journey underneath, too. There's lots of different layers that are going on."
Stream Lou now exclusively on Netflix.
