"I was so thrilled"— Alexandra Corin Johnston on becoming Shark Girl (Exclusive)

Shark Girl combines all of the classic monster movie tropes with everything that makes a serial killer movie special, to bring you an hour and thirty minutes of action you can chomp upon. When Heidi, an influencer, has a fateful incident with a shark, things begin to change.

Alexandra Corin Johnston bit into the role with all her heart. She spoke to Sportskeeda at length about becoming Shark Girl, and what a departure it was from her usual roles:

"I was so thrilled (laughs out loud). I'm a fan of horror films. I love vampire movies. I love vampire shows. I love the movie 'The Fly'. This felt like an opportunity I've never been given. I'm often cast as the ingénue."

Elsewhere in the interview, she spoke about her character's transformation through the movie arc. Shark Girl is now available on Apple TV, Google, Fandango at Home, Xbox/Microsoft Store, Amazon, and Hoopla.

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Shark Girl star Alexandra Corin Johnston on what makes Heidi such a sympathetic villain

While the idea of a meek influencer may sound like an oxymoron at first, that's what Heidi is at the beginning of the movie. As she realizes that there's a thirst for blood in her that needs to be quenched, she moves about the world leaving a trail of blood and bone:

"I think Heidi is a sympathetic villain. Because the way she moves through her emotions is very relatable. So in the beginning, she's very beat down by the world. And the world she's created for herself."

Even though the genre may essentially be a 'monster movie', Shark Girl chronicles the journey of Heidi from being a pushover to someone in control, tapping into the darkness in herself that she had allowed to lay latent. Johnston continued:

"And when she starts 'turning', I think for Heidi it's all about the taste for power and having control in her life again. And letting that take over instead of trying to control how far she goes."

Seizing back control manifests in a rather grisly way for Heidi in Shark Girl as she realizes there may even be a degree of enjoyment in leaving violence in her wake. The actor continued:

"It feels too good to put a stop on it. So, her evolution from beginning to end and accepting that yes, I was treated badly by my boyfriend, by my agent, my photographers, but it doesn't matter now because I'm the strongest person on the planet and I can get anything I want, if I want."

Johnston goes on to admit that there's a point where the monster inside Heidi assumes control:

"I think Heidi has never had control or power in her life. And to finally have people listen to her and even fear her is everything she ever wanted and never knew how to find. Or acquire or create that agency for herself."

Without going into spoiler territory there's a specific moment in the film where the beast inside takes over. Johnston admits as much:

"And I really think she lets it get the better of her. And her animalistic instincts take over. Her humanity...there is a clear point in the movie when her humanity is all but gone."

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Shark Girl is written and directed by Justin Shilton and Rob Zazzali. In addition to Johnston, it stars Ryan Bertroche, Devon Odessa, Nick Tag, and others. This horror movie is expected to be a lot of fun.