The film Lights Out follows Martin, played by Gabriel Bateman, who starts experiencing unexplained and terrifying events when the lights go out, just as his sister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) did as a child. Rebecca works to try to find out the truth about an entity, which has a connection to their mother (Maria Bello).

Bateman, who also talked to Jamie Ruby of SciFi Vision about his work on the series Outcast and American Gothic in a previous interview, discussed his work in the film, which opened today to a nationwide audience.



How did you get the role in Lights Out? Did you audition?

The first audition was completely different than the actual script was, but all I knew really was that he was being haunted by something. And we didn't know if it was an actual ghost, or it was a figment of his imagination, or if it was something that his mom was doing. After filming it, I kind of got to know more about what was going on, but even still at the end of the movie, you're not exactly sure which it is.

Teresa Palmer plays your sister and Maria Bello plays your mother in the film. Can you talk about working with them?

I worked with Teresa Palmer a lot. We were almost in every scene together, and whenever I was filming with her, she would do it so well that she would pull you in with her. You would kind of feel like you were that character, because she played her as if she was [the character].

And the same goes with Maria Bello, because she has so much experience, she can just kind of help you through it.

Can you talk about working with the special effects on the film?

I did all of my own stunts, but yeah, a lot of it, as far as the deity goes, was special effects, because they couldn't do everything such as levitations and things.

So you did your own stunts, how was that?

It was great! I actually love doing my own stunts, as long as I don't get too badly hurt, which I haven't yet, but for some of them I was being pulled under a bed or pulled through a hallway. So it was just completely fun.

What was your favorite part or scene that you filmed?

So many of them are different in different ways, and I loved them for different reasons, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the ending scene, because it kind of just wrapped it all up. And at the end I kind of got what was going on better, and it was nice to see how it finished.

Do you remember what the hardest scene was to film?

Probably actually the last one too, because I hated to see it over.

This is going to the LA Film Festival. Do you enjoy going to film festivals and stuff? Have you gone to any of those before?

Yes absolutely. So far I've only been to a few, but I just went to one called the TIFF Film Festival and another one call the Hot Docs, which is about documentaries.

I assume you're going to the movie premiere for Lights Out closer to release date?

Hopefully I can make it. I might be filming, but if I'm not, then hopefully I can go there, yeah.

Have you gone to other movie premieres before?

Yes. Not for Lights Out though.

I don't know if you've been on Twitter long, but do you enjoy or are you looking forward to that instant feedback of social media?

Yes definitely.

Did you ever or are you planning to ever live tweet or anything?

I did it with Code Black, and I think I might do it for the premiere of Lights Out if I can.

Do you have any other projects coming up you can talk about?

Nothing for sure, but I'm in the mix for something.



Photos Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures