‘Sanctuary’: Margaret Qualley & Christopher Abbott Discuss Their Racy New Kink Film, Stunt Dildos & More [Interview]

Chris, the one I thought about for you was “Piercing,” which pretty much starts with the same premise, but goes to emotional places and draws conclusions far removed from those of “Sanctuary.” What do you see in the gap between these two films that can be seen as superficially similar?

Abbott: There are the similarities, yeah, the setting of a hotel room being a big one. And it’s me with one other character, a dominatrix. I think they’d play well together, in a double feature no one will ever program. But there’s difference in what the characters I play want out of this situation. “Piercing,” while still funny, is a bit darker. It’s more about murder.

Qualley: [Laughs, imitates Abbott’s cadence.] “It’s more about mur-dur.”

Abbott: Well, yeah! And this feels closer to a rom-com.

“Piercing” plays its cards pretty close to the vest, where this one wears its heart much closer to the sleeve. You get that classic Hollywood ending, with the strings coming up on a big kiss.

Abbott: It’s a cliché, but used purposefully. Putting that moment at the end, after everything we’ve seen, turns it on its head.

The script being structured roughly in real time, did you have any mental schematic for dividing it up? Either for helping memorization, or just breaking into the story?

Qualley: One marker I kept in mind was where the first scene ends, with me leaving and coming back. There are a few plot points that kind of tell you a new chapter is starting. But you know what? My hair actually divides the movie into three acts.

Alright, yeah, that’s what I wanted to ask about.

Qualley: Yes! It goes Wig, Real Hair Down, Real Hair Up. And you can get lots of symbolism out of that, too.

What do you see as the main commonalities between roleplaying and acting? The dynamic between your characters sometimes slips into this tone that sounds like an actor speaking with a director.

Abbott: This wasn’t at the front of our minds, but it’s impossible to not think about. These go together. As actors, we’re able to do things we can’t do in everyday life, we can be part of these situations where we can be vulnerable or do things that would be shameful, and we can explore that safely. These characters play these roles for themselves and each other, and by doing that, they can be more honest with themselves and each other than they are in ‘normal’ conditions. You put on a mask, and from behind it, you can speak honestly.

Qualley: I decided that the way I feel comfortable in life has a very specific set of guidelines, whereas when I play a character, that changes. I can do anything. That’s so freeing.

The scenarios they play out may be pretend, but the things they take away from it are very real. That’s the same thing I feel watching movies, and I wonder if that goes for acting as well. Are there aspects of performances you’ve brought back into your own lives?

Qualley: Hopefully, yeah. I try to learn from every job, either the character or the collaborators or the experience at large. Maybe I’ll learn something from talking with you right now!

Abbott: I try not to think about it in the sense of what I’ve learned, but I sometimes see this as a social experiment. Doing movies, being such a social job, you take away the ability to deal with people, work with people, get along. Doing a movie, you’re a big, temporary family. It’s challenging and overwhelming, but you get up on the learning curve after a while. So you carry that with you from one job to the next.

Some actors like to get in the zone and stay there, some don’t — these being intense scenes, what was the temperature between takes?

Qualley: It was like this, us here, pretty much.

Just flipping it on and off?

Abbott: It’s different for different projects. This time, it felt like the set was a tennis court. You show up, you know the game you’re here to play, but in between, you’re sitting down and taking a breather, just talking. There’s kind of a sportsmanship there. It’s a technical dance, this movie, with the camera and each other, very elaborate blocking. Our work was to focus on each other, just hit it back and forth between us. We play within this framework set up for us. I’m not saying Zach was moving my arm for me, but almost. He gives us parameters to work within, and there’s a kind of sporty feeling to that, for me.

Qualley: It’s exercise. You feel good after it’s done, very athletic.

One point of curiosity, for me: when we see the outline of your boner, what’s that in your pants? Like, a dowel?

Abbott: I don’t know if you know me. But I keep it real.

I guess that’s why I’m not an actor. I don’t think I could make that happen on command, under that kind of pressure.

Qualley: Oh my god, he’s kidding!

Okay, I’m willing to believe basically anything right now, I don’t know!

Abbott: No, no, it’s like a little dildo. Well, not little.

Is there any room for negotiation there? Do they show you a few dildos, and you pick the one that’s calling to you?

Abbott: Yeah, I wanted the sixteen-incher, but they said it would be too distracting. [Beat.] That was also a joke, for the record.

No, yeah, that one I got. I’m catching up.

Abbott: But yeah, just a regular dildo in my pants. Sorry to destroy any of the Hollywood magic there.

You’re both on the cinephile side of actordom. Are there any movies for two players you drew from for this?

Abbott: Wait, can I go back for a second?

To the dildo? Yes.

Abbott: We just saw the movie again last night, and something I never noticed before is that after that scene, when I get up with the erection, we have a very serious conversation. I started laughing, because no one can see it, but I’m still fake-hard out of frame having this very tender conversation.

Qualley: I give him this little look, kind of acknowledging it, like [gives a look that tacitly says ‘nice one, pal.’]

Abbott: But right, movies for two actors.

Qualley: For this one, I wasn’t thinking of two-handers so much, but we watched “His Girl Friday” after Zach mentioned it, for the screwball vibe of it.

Abbott: I was less into the workings of a two-person scene, and more into getting the screwball tone right. Aside from that, visually, I also thought a lot about Koreandramas like “The Housemaid,” and for that matter, “The Handmaiden” too. You get the intensity mixed with classic screwball, and it’s a great marriage of tones.

One last thing, for Margaret — I’m very curious about Ethan Cohen’s new movie, and I know better than to ask anything too specific, but did you get any movie homework while working on it? The Coens have a reputation for knowing their stuff.

Qualley: No homework, actually! He didn’t give me any. He just told me, “Tommy Lee Jones.”

That’s what he wanted from you?

Qualley: Yeah. So I did my best Tommy Lee Jones for him, and he was like, “Yeah, alright, maybe just be you then. Never mind.” I was like, “Oh. Cool!”

Abbott: A beautiful mind, hard at work.

“Sanctuary” opens Friday, May 19, via NEON.