Exclusive Interview with ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ Star Roman Christou

One of 2019’s upcoming horror flicks includes The Curse of La Llorona, produced by The Conjuring director James Wan and directed by Michael Chaves. The film centers around a single mother (Linda Cardellini) and her two children under threat by the fabled ghost, “La Llorona,” translated into English as “The Weeping Woman.” Popular in Latin American folklore, La Llorona is the vengeful and mournful spirit who, after drowning her two children, searches for them in grief.

I had the opportunity to interview Roman Christou, who stars as Chris, one of the two children in the film. We talked about what it’s like to work on a horror set, his future aspirations, and more! Keep reading to see what he had to say!

Congratulations on making your feature film debut! What made you want to be an actor at such a young age?

Thank you. I was influenced by my brother, who is also an actor. I spent a lot of time watching him prepare for auditions and it just sort of gave me the acting bug.

Being in a horror film as your first feature role must be really intense, what other genres would you like to tackle in the future?

I love to watch comedy. I would say that would be something I’d like to tackle one day. It’s totally different and moves a lot faster.

Since it must be difficult to stay in that head space and environment for a long time, what was the most challenging aspect of making a horror film? On a lighter note, what was the most fun?

I didn’t really feel like I spent too much time in that headspace. I know it’s scary onscreen, but offscreen it’s more mechanical and a lot less scary. The scene I had the most fun filming was the car scene for sure. There was a lot going on in that scene.

Had you heard of the legend of La Llorona, “the Weeping Woman” before signing onto the project and did you do any research or only work with the script?

I had never heard of La Llorona before filming. It’s very a popular folklore in the Latino community, so I asked some of my friends whose parents originated in Mexico and South America. They were all very familiar with the story. My mom and I looked it up and I learned all about it before filming. I also learned a lot on set from different people who knew the story.

What “legend” would you like to see made into a film?

Any of the DC Legends that haven’t made it to the big screen yet. I love DC comic movies!

What’s the most important thing you took away from the experience of working on The Curse of La Llorona?

I learned so much about acting, set etiquette, and my own strengths. Filming is an amazing experience and I’ll never forget how much I learned on set.

Since the film is set in the 1970s in California, where you’re also from, what was it like entering another time period?

Everything just felt old! It was the first time I manually rolled down a car window.

Did you spend time with any of your co-stars who portrayed Chris’ family to establish a bond before filming?

Jaynee-Lynne [Kinchen] and I spent a lot of time together because most of our scenes were together. We quickly had a brother and sister bond even before filming began. Linda [Cardellini] was very sweet, and we bonded quickly as well.

Is there anything that helped you get into the character of Chris, especially during the scarier scenes?

In my mind, my role was the protector. Even though I was so young and very scared myself, I had to protect my sister and my mom. Emotionally, I had to seem strong even though I was freaked out by La Llorona.

What do your friends and family think of you starring in a horror film as your first big role?

My family has been super supportive, and they all think it’s pretty cool that I got this part. In my daily life, it hasn’t been that big of a deal. I go to a regular school and play sports. My friends don’t really talk about it. When the movie is released, I hope to go see it at our local movie theater with a bunch of friends.

I know that next to acting, you also love music. Would you ever want to be in a musical film or pursue a musical career in the future?

I love music. Yes, that’s definitely something I could see myself pursuing.<

Our website is called Talk Nerdy With Us. What is something that you nerd out about?

Fortnite. Definitely Fortnite.

The Curse of La Llorona will be released in theaters on April 19. You can follow Roman on Instagram and Facebook to learn more. 

Photo Credit: Birdie Thompson