Shailene Woodley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reunite in Prime Video’s new film Killer Heat, eight years after they shared the screen in the biopic Snowden. For Woodley, the film noir, which premieres Sept. 26 on the streamer, checks the boxes for the kind of movie she wants to watch right now.
“I think that the world is really responding to joy at the moment, or fun and adventure,” Woodley tells Yahoo Entertainment.
In an election year, that seems to be truer than ever. While the debate rages online over whether celebrity endorsements matter, the co-stars agree they have an “obligation” to use their platforms.
“I completely agree with the assertion that, ‘Hey, just because you happen to be famous for this reason doesn’t mean we should listen to your opinions about politics.’ And that makes perfect sense,” Gordon-Levitt says.
“At the same time, in a democracy, everybody, I think, can and should express their opinion. And we should not be listening to someone just because they’re famous — but if someone who happens to be in a movie has a point to make that resonates with you on the merits of the point … then great,” he continues. “I feel like there’s an opportunity, and … I feel some amount of obligation as someone who’s got this platform to deliver those points that make sense to me. And then whoever’s listening can decide if the points resonate or they don’t.”
Woodley agrees “with everything” her co-star said.
“I think the main point for me to just highlight is people shouldn’t listen because we’re in a movie … but because we’re also human beings who care just like the rest of the human beings in our country and in this world,” she explains.
“And I think that if we do have a platform, it’s not like there’s an exploitative nature to use that,” Woodley continues. “It’s just what happens to be in this life. And with that, there is a responsibility, I think, to share your honest opinion without pressure and without judgment. That’s what I would hope.”
In Killer Heat, Woodley’s character hires a private detective (Gordon-Levitt) to investigate the supposed accidental death of her wealthy brother-in-law. It’s the latest in a string of projects (The Perfect Couple, Blink Twice) to focus on wealthy families, secrets and the lengths people will go to maintain power or the upper hand. Woodley thinks it’s a theme that people love to watch, especially now, because “it’s just fun.”
“I kind of want to watch things that don’t leave me feeling really sad or depressed afterwards. At the moment, I’m enjoying watching things that just have great entertainment and do have some thrill to them and do have a little bit of a psychological question mark,” she says.
Gordon-Levitt adds, “There’s a joy to a good old-fashioned detective movie. There’s a reason why as long as we’ve been making movies, we’ve been telling these kinds of stories.”
Killer Heat will be released on Thursday, Sept. 26 on Prime Video.
