Summary
Directed by Austin Peters and co-written with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan,Skincare, is currently available to see in theaters. The vanity thriller stars Elizabeth Banks as Hope Goldman, an aesthetician willing to do whatever it takes to grow her skincare business. In a world that revolves around social media, Hope struggles to salvage the company’s image after a hacker sends an obscene email to her clients. When Hope grows suspicious of a facialist who recently opened a boutique across the street, she enlists the help ofLewis Pullman’s character, Jordan.
Pullman was excited to work with Banks, sharing that he learned more about the craft by playing oppositeThe Hunger Gamesstar. He also jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Peters, as Pullman enjoys the director’s previous work and his ability to craft a compelling narrative. In addition to Banks and Pullman, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, andThe Rookie’sNathan Fillionmake up the main cast.
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Screen Rantchats with Pullman about what drew him to the project, designing his character with Peters, and the importance of filmingSkincareon-location in Los Angeles.
Pullman Says That Elizabeth Banks Was Born To Play Hope Goldman In Skincare
Screen Rant: To start off, what first stuck out to you when you read the script forSkincare?
Lewis Pullman: There are so many levels and layers to every character within this, not just Jordan. I knew Elizabeth Banks was going to be attached, so I got to imagine her as I read it for the first time, and it was very clear that she was going to knock this out of the park. She was born for this role.
Austin Peters, the director, he’s a first-time director, but he has done so many music videos and stuff. He has such a good eye for what makes narrative interesting and what draws you in. This psycho-thriller genre feels like something where I was like, “He’s going to be able to really sink his teeth into this.” I was just excited to be considered.
Speaking of Elizabeth, you share the majority of your scenes with her. How was working together and building that rapport?
Lewis Pullman: Easy. She’s such a pro, and she knows exactly what makes a scene really engaging and really makes you lean in. It was really fun to be able to learn from her and get to play opposite her. I’ve just seen it once, and I already want to see it again, because she plays Hope Goldman, very, very well.
Pullman Learned About Being A Life Coach While Doing Research For His Skincare Character
“I got to watch a lot of YouTube videos of life coaches and see what some of the most compelling ones are.”
How did Jordan evolve from when you first read the script to when you were filming? Did you add any nuances that weren’t necessarily on the page?
Lewis Pullman: Me and Austin had a lot of good talks about it. I didn’t add anything different than was on the page. There was definitely some improv and stuff. That was what was so great about working with Austin. To a certain degree, we were allowed to try something out. There is some stuff I don’t want to give away about his character.
He’s a life coach, so I got to watch a lot of YouTube videos of life coaches and see what some of the most compelling ones are, some of the least compelling ones are, and where Jordan might land on that, and get to come up with my own, “What would a life coach session look like for Jordan?” And so I got to come up with a lot of that part, which was really fun, and trying to discover what his voice was, and also designing his character.
I wanted him to have that earring, I wanted him to have that tattoo, I got that necklace. I wasshooting Outer Rangeat the time, and I was not in an episode or something, so the schedule worked out so I could come back. I was like, fake earring stud, fake tattoo, fake all these things. Austin was game. He was like, “Hell yeah.”
Your director mentioned that it was very important to shootSkincareon-location in Los Angeles. How do you think that added to the overall authenticity of the film?
Lewis Pullman: Yeah. It really provides a very streamlined source right to where you are and where your characters were. The energy of the air around them that might have been swarming around them in the moment. [We shot around that swirling globe.] I think it’s on Sunset. But we got to shoot there, which is like a legendary spot, and then some great little motels around there near Harvard & Stone. It’s a very L.A. movie, so it would have been weird to shoot it anywhere else.
You mentioned that you learned about being a life coach through this character, but given that you’ve worked in so many genres, what other ways do you feel Jordan helped you flex some new creative muscles?
Lewis Pullman: He’s very much an opportunist, so trying to go into every scene trying to think of what Jordan might be able to get out of this was an interesting task, without giving anything away, or without making him too much of an unlikable, selfish guy. He’s both really good at it and really bad at it at the same time. So finding the moments that worked best story-wise, when he might actually pretty impressively be kind of a chameleon, and then other times when he’s fumbling the ball a little bit.
More About Lewis Pullman’s New Film, Skincare
Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line, but her personal and work lives are challenged when rival facialist Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a new skincare boutique directly across from her store. She starts to suspect that someone is trying to sabotage her reputation and business, and together with her new friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman) she embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of who is trying to destroy her life.
Skincareis currently available in theaters.
Skincare
“Skincare” features the renowned aesthetician Hope Goldman and the challenges she faces when her rival, Angel Vergara, opens a competing boutique just across the street. This rivalry sets off a chain of events where Hope, with the support of her friend Jordan, seeks to discover the person behind the sabotage of her business.
