Usually, it's expected that you can do the things that you say you can on your resume, but actress Jessica Harper felt the need to embellish a bit when it came to landing a cameo in one of this month's big horror movies, the remake of Suspiria. Harper is the star of the original 1977 version, but she wanted to be in the new film so badly that when director Luca Guadagnino asked is she could speak German, she didn't hesitate to say yes. The problem is, she didn't actually know how.
Luca [Guadagnino] called me and said, 'Hey would you like to do a cameo?' He didn't even have to finish the sentence. I said, 'Yes, tell me when and where,' and he said can I do it in German? And I said, 'No problem,' and he apparently went to David [Kajganich, the screenwriter] and said, 'She can speak German.'
If you're looking for a Halloween movie that will unnerve you as much as captivate you, you can't do much better than Suspiria. A remake of the classic 1977 film, Suspiria is getting positive reviews from critics who are praising Luca Guadagnino style and vision. Guadagnino is real hot right now, having come off of Oscar-contender Call Me By Your Name, and his involvement in the project was enough to peak the interest of Jessica Harper.
Jessica Harper was the star of the original Suspiria, having played Susie Bannion, the same role that Dakota Johnson plays in the remake. Guadagnino offered her a cameo appearance in the remake, and Harper told CBS News that she didn't even let him finish his sentence before saying yes. The problem was that her character, Anke, only speaks German in the film. So Harper had to make due on her word and learn the language ASAP.
Jessica Harper called up the Berlitz language school and worked with an instructor to learn her lines. She would listen to recordings of her instructor saying her lines from the script over and over again. Her character is Anke, the wife of Dr. Jozef Klemperer, played by newcomer Lutz Ebersdorf/veteran actress Tilda Swinton in heavy makeup.
Suspiria is an unnerving horror thriller that follows American dancer Susie Bannion, who joins a prestigious dance academy in Germany. However, a lot more than dancing is going on here, and it becomes clear that a supernatural conspiracy surrounds everything. The movie is not for the squeamish, as blood and gore are aplenty in both versions of the film.
Thankfully, you don't have to speak German to see Suspiria. The movie is out in theaters right now, so stick with CinemaBlend for all future updates.
