'It's Kind of Challenging Killing People': Nicky Whelan Talks Psycho 'Inconceivable' Role

Movies By TooFab Staff |
Lionsgate

It's not easy being a murderous nanny.

Aussie actress Nicky Whelan definitely stepped outside her comfort zone to play a surrogate with a secret in the new thriller "Inconceivable," which finds her doing some nasty things to get a family of her own.

The film re-teams her with Nicolas Cage, who she previously worked with in "Left Behind" and "Dog Eat Dog." Gina Gershon, Natalie Eva Marie and Faye Dunaway also star.

Keep reading to see why she was attracted to the dark role and and why her on-screen killing spree was a challenge.

Was it fun for you to step into this villain, bad girl, crazy role?

It was fun because it's a little different from what I usually do. I'm usually the victim. I'd like to do more of this kind of stuff because it's definitely different and a little darker and more challenging. I want to do more of that for sure.

Was it this chance to play a different kind of character that really attracted you to the role in the first place?

Definitely, that was a huge part of it, playing something I don't usually get to play. Also, I really liked a female driven cast, all female leads, really strong girls. That was a great opportunity. Also great to work with Nic again, I'm such a fan of Gina Gershon and I love Eva Marie and Faye Dunaway, so when you've got a great cast like that, it's easy to say yes.

You have worked with Nic a couple times now, what's it like working with him? People always want to know what he's really like since everyone has this idea of him based on his characters.

He plays incredible characters and he's so good at what he does but he's so normal and grounding and he's got great stories and he's calm and cool. I was so scared, because he's Nic Cage, and then you sort of meet him and he's so welcoming and warm and a really, really smart guy. He's good to be around for sure.

What was the most challenging aspect of this project?

It's kind of challenging killing people. It's kind of an ugly process, strangling people to death, it's pretty dark and creepy trying to make that real. Drowning and killing, it gets dark, it's a little challenging. It was definitely different from anything I've done, for sure.

Your character is the latest in a long line of unhinged women on film, do you have a favorite from a past film you looked at for inspiration?

I feel like this movie is a lot like "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," that whole vibe and I did watch that movie before I did this. It still holds really well, so that was a point of reference, I watched a handful of scenes from that.

You have a lot of scenes with Eva Marie as well. What was it like working with her in her acting debut?

Did did a really great job. You would never know it was her first acting gig, she was honestly so good and she's been in the industry for so long. You would never have known it was her first movie. She came in and was so fun to be around, she ended up being a girlfriend of mine. She's solid, she's hardcore, she's got a good team around her now so I think we're going to see her in a lot of stuff. She really embraced her character and she's so ballsy. Everything she was asked to do, she just did it.

You also share a lot of screen time with Gina, what was it like going into those scenes, when there is this tension between the characters?

Gina's so good, she is such a good actress and she always has been, I've looked up to her. It was a bit nerve-wracking but I loved her. Gina's just such a fierce lady and I love it. She lifts you when you're around her because she's so good, so that was a real treat for sure, she's hardcore.

What's next for you?

I've got a movie called Tragedy Girls coming out, which is a comedy horror. My husband is the executive producer and him and I are both in the movie. That comes out in October. That's so gory and so crazy and I have a crazy death in that and we had so much fun doing it.

"Inconceivable" is in theaters and on demand today.