Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie underwent an extraordinary experience while filming their new body horror movie, Together. The production, which demanded a close physical connection, had the actors literally attached to each other with a prosthetic, resulting in an intense and immersive working environment. This Dave Franco body horror collaboration unfolded over several days, with long hours of close proximity driving the emotional and physical narrative of the film.
Franco described a particularly demanding scene involving a reciprocating saw, which required them to remain side by side for ten hours without separation. Alison Brie remarked on the intensity of this experience, calling it
“a full immersion in what the effects of something like that would feel like,”
and emphasized that she couldn’t imagine sharing such an experience with anyone else.
The Depth of Collaboration Beyond Previous Projects
This project marks the duo’s most intense creative partnership to date, despite having collaborated multiple times before. Those past experiences included co-writing and acting-directing roles, but this film took their cooperation to a new level. Franco expressed confidence that this collaboration would remain unsurpassed. Brie highlighted the physical intimacy and emotional challenges involved, along with demanding scheduling that kept them together from day to night on almost every scene.
“All day, every day. Going home together at night, we truly didn’t spend a second apart,”
Brie explained, underscoring how the film‘s narrative demands mirrored their real-life closeness throughout the shoot. Franco also struggled to imagine any other arrangement that could surpass this degree of intertwining in their work.
Intense Practical Effects and Homages to Classic Body Horror
The body horror genre’s focus on physical transformation and psychological tension was manifested vividly through expert practical effects in Together. The prosthetic work conveyed both the grotesque and emotional entanglement faced by their characters, visually representing deeper relationship issues. Both actors cited iconic scenes from classic body horror films as their favorites, reflecting their appreciation for the genre’s legacy.
Franco mentioned the memorable scene in The Fly where Jeff Goldblum’s character is halfway through his transformation, describing it as
“so much gnarly, wet shit happening.”
Brie favored a tense and shocking moment from John Carpenter’s The Thing, specifically the test scene that reveals the monstrous presence, praising it for its shock value and disgust.
Exploring Relationship Dynamics Through Horror
Together tells the story of a couple facing difficult, messy relationship struggles, a theme that contrasts sharply with the actors’ off-screen romance. Franco clarified that their real-life relationship remains in a healthy place, which was essential for their willingness to tackle such a challenging subject matter. Brie echoed this sentiment, emphasizing their confidence in their relationship and their thorough consideration of working together.
Although their characters endure conflict and tension, Franco raised the possibility of emotional spillover from acting into real interactions, asking Brie whether moments of fighting in character ever caused personal friction. Brie responded thoughtfully, reassuring that acting remains a professional craft separate from their real feelings.
Franco agreed, noting how excited they were by the footage they were capturing and describing the filmmaking process as feeling like
“we were getting away with something.”
He celebrated the film’s unique, subversive nature as a source of energy that sustained them throughout the shoot.
Upcoming Release and Viewing Details
Fans of unusual and boundary-pushing cinema can experience Together when it hits theaters on July 30th. This collaboration between Dave Franco and Alison Brie stands out for its physical intensity, emotional depth, and bold body horror elements. Readers interested in more insight can explore additional coverage in the latest issue of FANGORIA and access detailed reviews and interviews related to the film.
