Exclusive: Helena Howard Talks Quibi’s Don’t Look Deeper

Now airing on Quibi is the sci-fi thriller series Don’t Look Deeper from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke and and Lost co-creator Jeffrey Lieber.

Directed by Hardwicke, this futuristic thriller stars Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns), and breakout talent Helena Howard (Madeline’s Madeline), as well as Jan Luis Castellanos (13 Reasons Why), Ema Horvath (The Gallows Act II), Kaiwi Lyman (Den of Thieves), Harvey Zielinski (My First Summer), and Belissa Escobedo (The Baker and the Beauty).

Set in Merced, California, “fifteen minutes into the future,” Don’t Look Deeper centers on a high school senior who can’t seem to shake the feeling that something about her just isn’t right. And that something is… she’s not human… not one of us. This revelation of what she really is, where she comes from, and who has started looking for her, sets in motion a series of events that suddenly puts her entire life in jeopardy.

For Howard, who was nominated for Best Female Lead at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards, Don’t Look Deeper is an entirely different film, but at the same time with some similarities in that both characters that she plays are trying to discover themselves.

BlackFilmandTV.com spoke exclusively with Howard about the fiml.

What came into saying yes to this series?

Helena Howard: it was the script initially, and then seeing all of the characters flesh out. You just know when something's going to be right from the writing and this was so good. It was so visual. I just had to do it.

How would you relate to the character you are playing?

Helena Howard: I would say, one I was a teenager before. And two, Aisha is always trying to find her identity. I've always been on this discovery of identity. I think all of us are on a journey of identity. That's what life is. But also with her, it's grounded in love and empathy and compassion.That's where mine comes from as well.

Without saying much, your character is also going through some health issues. As you read the script, was this a role that you had to do some research on?

Helena Howard: Yes, we had research being done in the beginning of pre-production. Catherine was really great at that because there were so many different things to be done but one of them was observing Sophia the robot and really watching her nuances and intricacies and her movements and then how to physicalize that and put that in my own body.

What's the best way to describe this series?

Helena Howard: Don’t Look Deeper is something that questions humanity, identity and technology in the perspective of a teenager who's on the journey, to discover her truth, only to find out that that truth or those truths are embedded in lies, everything that she's ever known. That's where the journey and the discovery really starts.

How was working with Don Cheadle and Emily Mortimer?

Helena Howard: It was really great. He is just an awesome person. We had great chemistry. I think it's really easy to have chemistry with someone like Don because he's so natural and organic. He's a real person. When I say a real person, I just mean that he's himself He's just authentic and it's easy to feel like you're being received by him completely. The same can be said when you're in a scene with him. You're giving your energy and it's being received so then he's giving the energy back and you can receive it. It's great because that's what a scene is. You're two people creating or recreating a moment, will not recreating creating actually or living in it. And Emily, she's so sweet and genuine and is this creator in the series. Having that relationship play out and that dynamic was really fun to play off of it.

What's your takeaway in working with Catherine that you can take on to your next project?

Helena Howard: Now I have a friend for life, from Katherine and other people from the show. I've learned incredible work ethic. I have a different way to approach projects now from working on this project, which is really neat.

‘Madeline, Madeline’ got you a lot of attention. As a young actor are roles becoming less challenging? Are you getting calls or are you doing a lot more to be to get in the door for auditions?

Helena Howard: I always like to keep myself open to challenges because it's always important to keep your muscles flexed and exercised. To be challenge is to continue to grow. That's the only way you can excel in this life is to challenge yourself. So I love these complex roles that might make other people think twice. Humans are complex and challenging. I love finding the similarities between maybe myself or other people and the roles that I take on. It's really honoring.