2023
Search results
He is best known for his role as Adrian Griffin in the 2020 adaptation of The Invisible Man and for his roles as Luke Crain and Peter Quint in the Netflix television programs The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) respectively.
- January 1, 1
- 1.91 m
- Westminster, London, England, UK
- The Haunting of Hill House breakout gives us an insight into his next big horror role.
- The Invisible Man Gallery
- 59 Movies to Geek Out Over in 2020
By Rosie Knight
Updated: Jan 16, 2020 2:15 am
Posted: Jan 16, 2020 1:00 am
How do you play an invisible man? That's one of the questions that immediately come to mind when you think of the classic Universal Monster and the men who have brought him to life. Leigh Whannell's vision is a far cry from the 1933 Claude Rains version, and we have seen Kevin Bacon's take on the evil and invisible antagonist in Paul Verheoven's Hollow Man. This time it's up to The Haunting of Hill House's Oliver Jackson-Cohen to take on the mantle. Alongside his director, the young British star is excited to do something completely different. The film's big twist is that here Jackson-Cohen's character is the villain, an abusive and powerful man who is desperate to destroy the life of the woman who dared to leave him. According to the actor who'll be bringing the terrifying vision to life, it was the only way the story could be told.
"It's an amazing space and amazing script, it's such a genius kind of story. I think it's the only way to do it. It completely turns the story on its head and Lee's written such an incredibly solid script. I just think to go in by telling it from this woman's point of view of something we've all experienced, you know, these relationships that are incredibly dangerous and toxic. To kind of look at it from that point of view and base it, in reality, is a genius way of handling the property."
Bringing the character to life in a way that felt authentic and grounded was a challenge for Jackson-Cohen who sat down with IGN and a small group of press during a visit to the Sydney set of the Blumhouse film. However, the hook of invisible man Adrian Griffin being a sociopathic billionaire who can charm as easily as he can terrorize inspired the actor to find his footing.
That realism and dedication to doing something entirely new led to their tech-heavy take on the character. Though Jackson-Cohen's lips were (mostly) sealed, he did reveal what separated their take from the H.G. Wells novel and classic Universal film that inspired it.
"I think where Leigh is very smart is that our film is not potions and magic. It's a very probable story that is quite timely as well. So I think approaching it -- and specifically with this abusive relationship and how it isn't necessarily a physically abusive one, it's an emotional one -- I think that's something that speaks to so many people, because we've all been there or we've witnessed friends that are going through it. When someone says something to you and you kind of you can rationalize in a way. It's about that, it's about this woman getting out of this relationship that is toxic and then trying to deal with the aftermath of that."
"I think that the way that Adrian operates he could play on that as a performance, knowing full well, exactly what he's doing. The whole thing's about manipulation. I think that that's very true, again, of these relationships. I watched all these documentaries on women and men that stay in these relationships and why they keep on going back and it was really interesting. There was this woman that was interviewed, and it sounded so horrific what was going on in that particular relationship. But she said, 'Every time I would go and say I'm done, he would cry. And it would hook me back in because I didn't want to see him so broken.' It's all a tactic, so what's been interesting with this is playing around with that idea of how much manipulation? How much you can get her to believe?"
With such a lightning rod topic at its center, how does Jackson-Cohen think that the film will resonate with victims of domestic violence and abuse? He's hopeful that it will be a cathartic experience elevated by a strong central performance from his co-star Elizabeth Moss.
"I hope that the film resonates with people that have had similar situations. And, you know, the way that Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) was written, She is such a strong woman. And the thing is that a lot of what's been so interesting in sort of researching this is that so many of the people that are in these relationships, it's not because they're weak, it's because of this sort of mastermind power that's been sort of hooked on to them, that is still impossible for anyone that's intelligent [to escape]. And a lot of these people that are stuck in relationships like this are incredibly intelligent, and Celia being one of them. She's a very smart, strong, intelligent woman."
The Invisible Man hits screens on Feb. 28 in the US and UK and Feb. 27 in Australia.
He is best known for his role as Adrian Griffin in the 2020 adaptation of The Invisible Man and for his roles as Luke Crain and Peter Quint in the Netflix television programmes The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) respectively.
Feb 28, 2020 · With Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer, Aldis Hodge. When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
- (258K)
- Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Leigh Whannell
- 2020-02-28
Feb 25, 2020 · The Invisible Man - Oliver Jackson-Cohen InterviewDirected by Leigh Whannell and starring Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Michael Dorman, ...
- 4 min
- 2.9K
- FilmIsNow Movie Bloopers & Extras
Mar 1, 2020 · Oliver Jackson-Cohen is living large in the horror genre right now! After seeing his star power skyrocket with the release of The Haunting of Hill House, not only was he tapped to play a new...
- 5 min
- 14.1K
- Collider Interviews
People also ask
Who is Oliver Mansour Jackson-Cohen?
Is Jackson-Cohen a good candidate for 'the Invisible Man'?
Who is Oliver Jackson-Cohen?
Is Oliver Jackson-Cohen too good at playing creepy husbands?
Mar 2, 2020 · As Adrian Griffin, Jackson-Cohen plays a very real, very dangerous type of villain in The Invisible Man. The actor revealed why he had no hesitation over taking the role, and told us why he...
