The suspense thriller Vivarium tells the unsettling story of what happens when one couple’s search for a dream home places them directly in the center of a terrifying nightmare that they can’t escape, once they are trapped within mysterious rows of identical houses. Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) take an unsuspecting trip to the idyllic suburban neighborhood of Yonder, and quickly find a hell that strains their patience and their relationship.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Imogen Poots talked about the film’s building sense of terror, the support system that existed on set, working with the young actor who plays The Boy, and the horror of shooting one particularly disturbing moment. She also talked about how she approaches finding the next project, why she wanted to be a part of the FX series Y: The Last Man, which is currently on hold while all productions are shut down, and why HBO’s I Know This Much Is True was one of the greatest creative experiences she’s ever had.

Be aware that there are some spoilers for the film discussed.

Collider: There’s something scary about getting to the place in adulthood where it’s time to get a house, especially when you’re a couple of who’s likely looking to start a family, and then have that whole dream turned into a nightmare. When you watch this film, there’s a building sense of terror to it. Was that there in the script, the first time you read it? Was that always the feel of this story, for you?

IMOGEN POOTS: Yeah, absolutely. It shifted over time, both during when we made it and I’ve seen it once. Considering the time we’re in right now, it’s a film that has the ability to, like a barnacle, latch onto the latest horror show that’s occurring, whether that be the housing crisis, or whether that be the expectation on gender roles. It can shape shift, in that way. I’m with you, when it comes to the young couple buying a house. From the outside, they’ve reached paradise. They’ve got this lovely house, they’ve got a child, they’ve got food delivered and cable TV. It should be like paradise, but it’s actually hell because of the claustrophobia and the repetition. I think that was there, in the beginning. It just had to come alive.

Because it’s essentially just you and Jesse Eisenberg for most of this, with the addition of the younger actor playing The Boy, did it feel like more of a partnership with your director, as far as the shoot went? Did you feel like you had more of a say because it was really just this small group of you?

POOTS: Yeah. (Director) Lorcan [Finnegan] and Jesse are such specific types of men, who are so kind and compassionate. They’re really the greatest people to make independent films with. They’re just wonderful. So, I didn’t really ever come up against anything where I felt I couldn’t express myself or ask certain questions. It did feel like a partnership, but it always does with independent films. You’re all rooting for each other, to make sure that the director is getting his vision and it’s being supported, and you, as the actors, have the time to at least trying some exploration of the character, on the day. Jesse is a real trooper. He’s an incredible person to go to work with, every day. It was rad for an actor to sign up for a role that could have potentially seemed like the second lead. I think it’s quite rare for an actor to turn up and say, “Yeah, I’m gonna turn up and support the female.” Jesse had that in spades. It was really awesome. We were lucky to get him.

What was it like to do scenes with the young actor playing The Boy? What was the process of working with Senan Jennings and exploring that very odd relationship dynamic between your characters?

POOTS: I know, right? We just pray this movie doesn’t totally fudge him up for life. The truth of it is that I’ve worked with a few kids, and I don’t know if they were of their own accord, or the idea seemed enticing, so they were there, but Senan Jennings was really excited to be there and he really loved doing it. He had a really good time. It never felt like, “Oh, there’s a child on a film set.” It was someone really enjoying the experience, and that would be a credit to his mom because she was totally normal. And by normal, I mean like she was like, “What is this?,” which is good. He just really had a good time. I think he was really wonderful in the scenes because he managed to understand what it was that we were making, which was more like a cartoon than real life. He could get on board with it because it was fun for him to role play, in that way. He was wonderful, and all you’ve gotta do is respond to somebody who’s that brilliant. He was present and he did what he was told. He was a golden child actor, who was really wonderful.

One of the things that still haunts me about this movie is that you and Jesse Eisenberg each get zipped into a body bag, which seems like my worst nightmare. What was that like?

POOTS: Filming that was horrible. It was so horrible. I think I actually caused more fuss than Jesse. Jesse was so accommodating and like, “Whatever you need.” He’s so wonderful and patient and kind. When they actually zipped him up and did the vacuum suction, he was like, “As long as my baby still has a father, at the end of the shooting day, I’m fine.” He was game for it. And I was like, “No! No!” It was freaky and scary. Not only is it terrible, but it’s just such a humiliating way to die, so I was nervous about that.

At this point in your life and career, what do you look for in a project? Do you have a personal checklist for what gets you interested and excited about the work, or is it just like an instinctual feeling when you read something?

POOTS: It’s a good question. In a way, you always have your dream list of people that you wanna work with. In terms of actors, I’ve been very fortunate to work with people who, in my opinion are just extraordinary, and to have that chances has meant a lot. In terms of going forward, we change all the time. The way that I felt, originally, about a career in acting has shifted. I was a lot more snobby, when I was younger, about what real art was and what the cost of real art was, and all of that. As you grow older, you work just as hard and you have the same work etiquette, but you enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be this fraught, intense process. It can be a lot of fun, and you can meet quite extraordinary folks, along the way. Whether it be a big movie or a tiny movie or a play, there’s so much that to excavate. But in terms of going forward, it’s so hard to know. I wouldn’t say, “I only ever like this kind of thing,” ‘cause that would be so silly. You have all of these people who you look up to, but ultimately, it’s unknowable. It’s such a strange job, in that way. I don’t think you really get to choose.

From left, Imogen Poost as Gemma and Senan Jennings as The Boy in the thriller “Vivarium,” a Saban Films release.

Before all production was postponed, you were working on Y: The Last Man, weren’t you?

POOTS: Yes, I was, and then a real virus hit and we’ve all put that one on the backburner. I had just turned up on the east coast with my suitcases, for five months, and got the call to say they were postponing, which is obviously for the best. That’s something that we’ll be picking up, as soon as we can. We’re filming in Toronto, and everyone, across the board, is on hold with it all. 

That’s a project that the network has been attempting to develop for about five years. They’ve gotten close, but then there was a showrunner change and a bit of a reboot of the show.

POOTS: I know! It’s so intense. It’s like Terry Gilliam style.

Especially as somebody who’s read it, why do you think it’s such a special project that the network seems to think it’s important enough to tell, to keep sticking with it, with quite the determination?

POOTS: I think people who are a part of this industry are all a bit nuts and we all refuse to give up. We’re a resilient bunch of freaks. So, that’s part of it. I also think the material is so rich. Yes, it’s about the maybes, and that’s first and foremost, but it’s also just an incredible collection of characters. I get the impression that it comes back to, this is a scenario and an unknown situation, with these circumstances. There’s something just extremely intriguing about Y: The Last Man, and what would it mean for society. It’s also a template that you can update quite easily. For example, we have a character who’s transgender, and I think that adds another layer to it, in the sense of what happens about hormones? What does gender mean? Does gender outlast bias? There’s a lot to delve into there. I think the people behind it are just really awesome, and I’m just really excited. I’m so excited about the actors involved. I like it because my character will never be a man’s girlfriend, since all of the men are dead. That’s why I’m in it.

You’re also in the HBO mini-series, I Know This Much is True, with Mark Ruffalo playing twins. How was that experience, and what was it like to work with director Derek Cianfrance?

POOTS: That, for me, was one of the greatest creative experiences that I’ve had. I’d wanted to work with Derek Cianfrance for so long. I’d occasionally send him an email, just being like, “Hello, my name’s Imogen. I’m an actor. I think you’re so great.” I would’ve just been there, anyway. The cast was so extraordinary. Mark Ruffalo is just on another planet. He’s so exceptional, as an actor and as a human. He gives so much back, on a film set, but then outside of his work as an actor, his work as an activist is huge. He’s something else. I was just very, very lucky to be there. And we shot on film, which is unheard of. We’d get to do 20-minute takes, and that’s the kind of stuff that you only really get to do in rehearsals for a play, or something. I just had the time of my life. And Kathryn Hahn is in it, who’s just the coolest lady. And Juliette Lewis was great.

That’s really cool that he shot it on film.

POOTS: Obviously, so many filmmakers would want that, and it’s so cool that Derek had people around him, supporting that vision. That’s the uphill battle. Whether it was HBO or some other producers he had, who were like, “Yeah, let’s do it, let’s do film,” that’s credit to them, and it was so cool.

Vivarium is available on-demand and digital HD.