'Abigail' directors remember Angus Cloud as 'funny' and 'generous'
The untimely passing of 25-year-old actor Angus Cloud, known for his role in HBO's Euphoria, shook Hollywood deeply. He passed away in July 2023, reportedly due to multiple drug overuse. Cloud had reportedly just completed work on his swansong Abigail sometime before his sudden demise. Now that the film is out, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took a moment to honor him and express their gratitude toward him during a conversation with CBR.
Directors reflected on Cloud's impact on 'Abigail'
Gillett shared his thoughts on Cloud's posthumous performance, stating, "I think that so much of who he is is on-screen in this movie, and I think so much of what the movie is, is because of the energy that Angus brought to set daily." "I think that he approached his work in a way that really is so generous, and I think allowed everyone else to show up and be their best, the most sort of curious versions of themselves."
Cloud's humor was his distinctive attribute
Bettinelli-Olpin highlighted that Cloud's sense of humor was a significant part of his personality. He expressed hope that this aspect would be evident in the film, stating, "He made us and everybody laugh so much. I just hope that that translates, and that people feel that in the movie." The director's comments suggest an expectation for Cloud's unique charm to resonate with audiences through his final performance.
'Abigail' is a tribute to Cloud's authenticity
The directors further discussed their experience of returning to the set after Cloud's passing, expressing a collective determination to complete the movie in a way that would honor him. Bettinelli-Olpin emphasized that all of Cloud's scenes in the movie are genuine, with no digital recreations or substitutions used. "Every single thing of Angus is Angus in the movie," he affirmed.
'Abigail' is a unique twist on 'Dracula's Daughter' (1936)
Abigail, which premiered on April 19, 2024, is backed by Universal Pictures. Its synopsis reads, "Children can be such monsters. After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50M ransom to watch the girl overnight." "In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they're locked inside with no normal little girl."
