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Speak No Evil: Everything to Know About the Cast & Characters of the James McAvoy-Led Thriller
Universal and Blumhouse's Speak No Evil hits the big screen Friday, September 13.
A relaxing vacation in the English countryside turns unbelievably sinister for a family of three in Speak No Evil, the latest genre team-up between the dynamic duo of Universal Pictures and Blumhouse. Hitting theaters everywhere September 13, the film was written and directed by James Watkins (co-creator of McMafia), who adapted the 2022 Danish movie of the same name for English-speaking audiences.
Calling on the bestial instincts he so effectively displayed in Split and Glass, James McAvoy heads up the tight-knit ensemble as a mercurial patriarch who seems to derive pleasure out of torturing other families by preying on their adherence to strict social constructs. As Martin Vanger (Stellan Skarsgård) states in David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the ingrained societal desire to be polite and accommodating can often trump the subtle alarm bells that something is off about another human being.
So, who are the major players in this upcoming psychological thriller? Let's take a closer look at the six key characters in Speak No Evil.
A Guide to the Cast of Speak No Evil
James McAvoy as Patrick, aka "Paddy'
As you've probably seen in the trailers, Paddy initially presents himself as a retired and incredibly charismatic physician living a simpler, carefree lifestyle in rural England with his wife and son. However, it's all just a front to lure an unsuspecting family into his twisted domain. In reality, the once-charming character is an unhinged sociopath, harboring deep feelings of rage, resentment, and jealousy.
“Paddy holds to an older, traditionalist expression of manhood,” McAvoy explains in the film's production notes. “James Watkins and I really leaned into that aspect of him as we fleshed out who Paddy is and what he means to the story and to the culture, giving him some mythic heft with timely resonance. Here’s this man’s man, beholden to some ancient idea of masculinity, living in the countryside, living off the land, or so you think. It all seems so wholesome and earthy. And yet this is ancient England that we’re talking about, and there’s darkness in the land; there’s a history of violence and bloodshed and horrible things in that dirt, and so there’s evil in that earthy masculinity that he’s romanticizing and selling."
Where you've seen James McAvoy before: Split, X-Men: First Class, Atomic Blonde
Aisling Franciosi as Ciara
Paddy's wife is one half of the nefarious operation meant to lure other families into a trap. Ciara puts out a warm and inviting aura that softens her spouse's bristlier edges, thus mitigating suspicion on the part of potential victims.
“I love how she presents one way but is very much another way underneath it all," Franciosi says. "She comes across as very warm and unthreatening. Just a lovely young woman, a caring mother, and a loving wife. She’s a great balance to Paddy’s boisterousness, which is important in getting the Daltons — Louise and Ben — to warm to them. She’s hiding terrible secrets but there’s complexity to her deception. She’s complicit and culpable, but she’s also a victim. She’s become who she is through terrible trauma and long-term abuse. The question of how culpable a victim could be was very interesting to me. I also wanted to present a version of Ciara who is very much in love with Paddy but whose goals are not necessarily the same as Paddy’s."
Where you've seen Aisling Franciosi before: The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Fall, The Nightingale
Dan Hough as Ant
Paddy and Ciara's son, Ant, allegedly suffers from a condition known as aglossia, a genetic defect in which a child is born with a deformed tongue. Based on the trailers, however, it seems as though Ant's inability to speak was a more recent development, courtesy of his so-called "parents."
“Ant’s a very sad kid, for specific reasons that you come to understand,” Hough says. “The only way I could get into Ant is just to ask: What if everything that has happened to this kid happened to me? That's how I got into the character. It was challenging because you have to figure out how to express yourself in different ways, through body language and expressions. And I had to wear a prosthetic, a little plate that fit around my teeth and my tongue slid right under it. But it was always an amazing experience, from beginning to end. This is my first film. It was my first audition. It was a whirlwind of opportunities. I just loved it."
Where you've seen Dan Hough before: Hollyoaks
Mackenzie Davis as Louise Dalton
Hoping to rekindle the spark of her marriage, Louise reluctantly agrees to spend the weekend at Paddy and Ciara's, but soon realizes the couple are not who they appear to be. Turns out her constant anxiety and helicopter parenting style are about to pay off big-time. What's more, her experience as a public relations expert makes Louise the perfect person to notice some carefully concocted spin doctoring.
"The other adults in the movie are easy-going and light or just willfully ignoring troubling realities, but she’s got a lot of anxiety that no one shares or appreciates,” Davis says. “Worse, when she risks giving voice to it, she’s dressed down for it and made to feel ashamed. I think that’s a very relatable experience, especially for women, who often find themselves in these spaces where they’re constantly negotiating with their intuition and their fears about how they’re being perceived. Louise is something of a helicopter mom, and perhaps she’s overly anxious, but the fundamental irony is that this over-protectiveness ends up being her source of strength."
Where you've seen Mackenzie Davis before: Terminator: Dark Fate, Blade Runner 2049, Station Eleven
Scoot McNairy as Ben Dalton
Once a financial controller for a large company in Chicago, Ben has relocated his family to London in the hopes of advancing his career. Sadly, he was laid off shortly after the move due to an economic downturn. Unemployed and grappling with a failing marriage, Ben's low self-esteem makes him the perfect target for Paddy's machinations.
“When we pick up with Ben, he’s a man who’s lost his job and his confidence and is trying to find himself," states McNairy. "He meets Paddy, this exuberant personality who’s so sure of himself, who fishes and hunts and does all these rural, masculine things that Ben doesn’t do but maybe wishes he could do. What really makes Paddy so attractive to Ben, though, is Paddy’s utter confidence. It’s very infectious, and Ben comes to think that the answer to his soul-sickness is, ‘If I could be more like Paddy, my whole life would be better; I’ll be fixed.’ Paddy sees that, manipulates that, and toys with that.”
Where you've seen Scoot McNairy before: Monsters, Argo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Alix West Lefler as Agnes Dalton
Keenly aware of her parents' marital issues, Agnes is an anxious, yet incredibly strong, 11-year-old who doesn't go anywhere without her stuffed bunny, Hoppy. When things start to go south, Agnes may hold the key to escaping the hellish estate... if only Ben and Louise would take the time to listen to their daughter.
"Agnes has a lot of anxiety and does a ton of breathing exercises to help with her panic," notes Lefler. “So, I did research into what it’s like to have that kind of intense anxiety and what it looks like to have a panic attack. It was important for me to understand what it means to have that kind of mental health and emotional issue pulling you, affecting your personality and impacting you as you move through life.”
Where you've seen Alix Lefler before: Fire County, Dead Boy Detectives, Riverdale
Rated R, Speak No Evil hits the big screen Friday, September 13. Click here for tickets!
