Yahoo Lifestyle Stephanie Suganami (aka Steph Shep) Thinks She Could Be Swayed Into a Cult
If anyone is qualified to appear in a movie about the cult of celebrity, it's Stephanie Suganami, otherwise known as Steph Shep, who spent four years working as Kim Kardashian's assistant in the prime Kardashian years. The actor plays Emily, an influencer invited on a trip to experience pop legend Moretti's (John Malkovich) new album first-hand at this New Mexico compound. When the writers and influencers get to New Mexico, though, things get really creepy, and writer Ariel (played by Ayo Edebiri) is the only one who seems to realize how sketchy things are. Naturally, chaos ensues.
The film was one of the most highly-anticipated at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and it was seemingly the one movie people wanted to talk about while I was there. Stephanie makes the most of her feature film debut, playing Emily with a lack of self-awareness that somehow still allows us to sympathize with her when things go south. Cosmopolitan spoke to Stephanie about doing the field research for the role, whether she could be lulled into a Moretti-like cult situation, and who she'd ignore a lot of red flags for.
Was this your first time at Sundance?
I'd been to Sundance, like, to party in my 20s. This was my first time working and having a film there, and I literally had, like, an out of body experience. It was so much fun. This is just everything that I want to do, and to get to do it with our cast, who are such veterans and so regarded and seasoned, I felt so grateful. I literally would be sitting there like, is Juliette Lewis sitting next to me right now? Like, what is happening? It was crazy. We had the best time.
What are some tips and tricks you learned from being at the festival with them?
I just did an interview right before this with John and Juliette. And they really sit in their space, and are thoughtful, and they take their time. They don't rush through what they want to say. Sometimes if I get nervous, I'm like, what do I know? I rush myself along. I really want to try and take in the quality of, like, no, what I have to say is important.
This is your first feature film role. How did you get connected with the director, Mark Anthony Green?
We met about this role in 2019. I didn't know him as well as I do now, but we met through a friend, because we're both Midwest kids.
I'm also a Midwestern kid, I relate.
Okay, so you get it. We had a mutual friend that connected us because he knew that I was trying to find roles that might be right for me. You have these meetings where someone's like, I think you could be really good for this. And you're like, totally, sure, it'll happen. You take everything with a grain of salt. And then the pandemic happened. We stayed in touch, and then it wasn't until 2023 that it kind of came back around. And he's like, hey, I finally got this greenlit, A24 is attached. There's going to be an audition coming into your inbox. I put the audition on tape. I read the final script. I thought it was so smart. To get to work with Mark Anthony and Ayo and John Malkovich, it was just like, I will do whatever I need to do to lock this role in, because it's such a life changing project.
And I imagine this character is an archetype you are familiar with in real life. Were you able to draw on any of your own experiences or people you've met?
One hundred percent. I kept telling Mark Anthony, this is my role. I've been doing the field research for years on this girl. I know who Emily is, backwards and forwards. From all my life experiences and being surrounded by the influencer community, I definitely had a sense of who she was immediately. And so that was really fun to kind of put that together and pull off of my personal experiences.
Who would be your Moretti? Who is the person you would go into the desert and maybe ignore some red flags to be near.
There's so many people that I just die for. For some reason, the only people that are coming to mind right now are, like, SNL cast members, because I was just there for SNL 50. If Kristen Wiig was like, come with me, I would be like, whatever you say, I'll drink your Kool Aid. I'll do whatever you do.
I would trust her.
One hundred percent. I definitely, out of all of the cast, would be the most swayed into a cult.
Wait, what makes you say that?
I believe what people say. I am discerning to an extent, but if someone tells me something, I'm like, totally. If you say that, I believe you. Why would you lie? Because I don't lie. I'm a terrible liar. Wish I could be better. But if someone says something, I'm like, that's the truth. That's probably not the best quality.
I wonder if this is Midwestern, because I feel the same way.
Like, why would you make something up? Maybe it is a Midwest thing. Some people out here are not trusting anybody. And I'm like, of course you can trust them. I just met them. They're my best friend.
At what point in the movie would you have maybe dipped out and said, like, No, this is one red flag too far. I have my answer to this, but I'm curious for yours.
It just depends on what mood I'm in. I think I probably would just be like, in it. That's so concerning for me. I mean, obviously, the end. But all the way up until then I think I would just be like, this is dope. I don't know if I would be as discerning as Ariel is. She is very suss immediately. What's your moment? I'm dying to know.
I thought long and hard about this. I think it would be the shaving, when they tell the guests Moretti prefers them all to be completely shaved.
See, I would be like, Oh, I love this. I love spa treatments, like, whatever. That is super concerning. Someone's gonna read this. I'm gonna be targeted, and next thing you know, I'm gonna be in a cult or something.
[There are spoilers ahead for the second half of Opus. Proceed with caution.]
We'll have to establish the signal. Blink twice if you end up in a cult. I want to ask about the big climactic bean bag chair scene. Tell me about the prosthetics for this scene. Could you even see?
We have the most incredible makeup team led by Jennifer Quinteros, so I really just put all my trust in her, as I guess I do with everybody. We did two test days and then two shoot days. Over the two shoot days, it was like 12 hours, which doesn't seem like a lot, but I was completely blind for a day or two. I couldn't see anything. And you don't realize how heightened your other senses get. I've never had that experience of not being able to see. I got a little claustrophobic, of course, because you want to open your eyes and you can't. I had an AirPod in, listening to music or a podcast or whatever, and I was like, mind over matter, don't freak out. You kind of just settle into it, and everyone was so precious with me on set that. JQ was like, when she gets on set, everyone needs to be quiet, because you get really disoriented. Directionally, I didn't know which way was facing forward.
The cast would come over and just give me their hands. And I would kind of feel their hands. I'd be like, where's Ayo? Is she here? And she's like, I'm here. When Mark Anthony said that I would get to do a scene like that, I was like, this is so cool. I think that's so much fun to transform like that. I would definitely do that again.
What was it like to see yourself like that? I wonder if it's, in a way, liberating to throw away these beauty standards that we're all so beholden to.
It was crazy too, because I couldn't even see the scene. I didn't even know what room I was in. I didn't know what it looked like until I saw the film. I was like, Oh my gosh, that's what you guys were doing the whole time. I like to throw away the beauty standards and having to look a certain kind of way, that was really fun for me. My background is in dance, so the physicality in that part felt very easy to me.
Are there any habits or skills from your days as an assistant that surprised you by coming in handy on a film set?
If anything, I have maybe a more empathetic sense for the crew and producers, the PAs, all of those people that are trying to make the day run. Because I was that person that was trying to make the day run, and I know how difficult it can be when people are not paying attention, or not on time, or not listening. I definitely have a deeper appreciation for the behind the scenes logistics and stuff like that. I try and be as courteous as possible. I always like for those people to know that I see them.
What was your reaction to it when you first read the ending of the film? And now that it's permeated a bit, how do you feel about it? What do you think happens after the credits roll?
That was my favorite part of reading the script. I didn't think that he was gonna go there. It really was the cherry on top of all of that crazy manipulation through the whole film, and the mastermind of Moretti to pick someone like Ariel to be that vessel to start the movement. I think, especially in our culture today, it for sure would have taken off. People would have subscribed, 100 percent. And I think the book would be wildly successful. That that was probably the most real thing about it. I love the moment where Ayo as Ariel is sitting in the interview, and they pan to the news correspondent and she's got the little necklace on.
It's so interesting to watch Ayo's character go from a person who's interrogating this cult of celebrity to then ultimately becoming a person who is profiting off that, and profiting off people's pain.
It's quite layered. My reaction was Ariel's reaction, where she was kind of like, Wait, what did I do? That clearly was never her intention. And I think everybody has that same reaction, which I think is fun to experience with the character.
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