Exclusive interview: Elle O’Hara

Elle O’Hara is fast becoming a rising force in horror. The Glaswegian actress, who has steadily built a reputation for her intense, emotionally raw performances, takes on her most challenging role yet in Cara, a harrowing psychological horror that delves into trauma, addiction, and the unraveling of the human mind.

The film, directed by Hayden Hewitt and produced by Black Octopus, follows O’Hara as the titular character, a deeply broken woman spiraling further into madness. Now streaming, Cara has already made waves in the horror community, with O’Hara’s chilling performance earning her a Best Actress nomination at the Unrestricted View Film Festival in London.

In this interview, we talk to Elle about the processes behind her performances, dealing with heavy subject matter and her future projects.

Elle O’Hara Interview

Love Horror: Hello Elle, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. First off, can you tell us about Cara and how you became the film’s lead?

Elle O’Hara: Of course. I had met and worked with Michaela Longden (who plays Ashley and also was the casting director for Cara), and she reached out to tell me that Hayden was looking for an actress with my sort of look (he had dark curly hair in mind – lucky me!) and asked if I’d like to audition. I, of course, jumped at the chance, and I sent in my self tape audition. I was then sent the full script and had a chat to Hayden on the phone about his vision for Cara.

Speaking with Hayden was really useful, as I could hear and understand his passion for this story – it wasn’t just a bleak story about some fucked up people, it was a story about a young woman who was exposed to abuse from a young age and the repercussions that that had on her and those around her. What can abuse do to a person? How important is after care – and long term after care – for victims of sexual abuse? What happens when a victim of S.A doesn’t get the right kind of help?

I was asked to come in for a second round in person audition in Manchester, where I met Hayden, Graeme (producer) and Michaela at Black Octopus’ studio. I read a couple of scenes from the script, and then headed back to London. I remember Hayden phoned me just as I was walking through the door of my flat to tell me I got the part!

You delivered a stellar performance as Cara. I thought your ability to maintain such a broken personality and how she just keeps getting deeper into her madness was a wonder to watch. It’s a character that really got under my skin. How did you prepare for this complex role? Did you use any outside inspiration for how you played Cara?

Thank you so much, I’m still so early in my acting career and still fairly new to it all, so it means so much to get feedback and to know that people enjoyed it!

I worked closely with Hayden for weeks before the shoot. He was so great to work with as he was always available to answer all of my questions – we came up with Cara’s backstory and timeline of her life together. I just felt like with a character with such deep trauma as Cara has, I absolutely had to understand and know her in as much detail as I could, so I spent a lot of time talking to Hayden, researching S.A, imagining what her childhood was like and sort of sketching it all out – and basically just mulling it all over in my own head so that I felt as close to her as I could.

All of this became really useful when it then came to doing direct script work and scene work, and doing this work in turn also helped to flesh out the backstory and give me a better understanding of Cara.

The film takes a full-on approach to some heavy topics like misogyny, addiction, mental illness, and abuse, how did you keep things “light” on set to balance out the bleakness?

That’s all thanks to the rest of the cast and crew being really lovely people. Everyone was so great to work with and kept the atmosphere friendly and fun. I was so lucky to get to work with most of the rest of the cast, so I was always meeting new people and that kept me busy and gave such relief from the heavy content of the script.

What are some of your favorite moments working on this film?

As I mentioned just now, being able to work with and learn from so many talented actors was amazing. I was learning whilst working, which is such a good feeling. I remember walking back to my hotel after the first day filming – I actually took a wee video on my phone to document how I was feeling haha! – and I was just buzzing.

It’s such a special thing to be a part of a low-budget production like Cara – everyone is working to the bone to bring their shared vision to life, and it’s incredible how much work goes into it all. The crew were all so talented and great, and so bloody hard working!

This is not your first horror feature, what draws you to the genre?

The characters – I love playing dark, getting to explore the dark side of human nature/experiences. It brings a particular kind of challenge which I think is really fun!

You’ve worked on a great array of horror subgenres too, Cara being psychological horror, do you have a favorite type of horror movie to watch? Any favorite titles?

I loooove ‘Get Out’ – has to be up there with the all time favourites. I’m a big Mia Goth fan, love the X series.

Now that Cara is streaming, what would be your ideal movie night setup for it? What are we eating and drinking? What’s the vibe?

Love this question. Popcorn of course (Butterkist sweet!), Ben & Jerrys Fish Food and a cuppa!

Can you share any upcoming projects with us and where can we keep up with them?

The Baby in the Basket, a film I shot with Shepka Productions, has just also come out on streaming and DVD in the UK and U.S. It’s on Amazon, Sky Store and iTunes in the UK, and on Tubi in the U.S.

Cara is available on digital now, from Reel 2 Reel Films. Read our full review here: Cara 2024

Cara trailer