Obsession’s Cast Shares the Dangers of Wishes

Obsession is a chilling tale of getting what you want, and that wish not always being what you bargained for.

The Mary Sue sat down with Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette and Curry Barker to talk about Obsession and what about desire drives us. Sarah Carey asked the cast about wishes and what leads us down a path to obsession. 

It’s an interesting dance to be sure. We’re huge fans of pop culture here at The Mary Sue. So, being into different things, or even people comes with the territory. But, it can go too far, and that can get you into trouble. Especially when you get the ability to wish for whatever you want with dire consequences.

“That’s a really hard question to answer,” Johnston began. “You know, some crazy stuff happens. But, I think for me, what really stands out is the most powerful would just be the power of the Willow itself. I mean, who knows what this thing is capable of? You know? 

“We didn’t dive into the lore behind the One Wish Willow in this movie,” he added. “Which I actually like, because I think that Curry [Barker], made this movie just about the relationship between mostly these 2 characters.” 

“It helps the audience to see more of themselves or society, in general, in this movie. I think that’s why it works so well,” Johnston continued. “But yeah, I think there’s power to all of it. You have to keep in mind that Bear didn’t know that it was actually gonna work.”

Obsession and the allure of just one wish

For the creator behind Obsession, the question can take on a lot of different forms depending on who you are. Is it a “1 wish and immediate consequences” thing or are we going more “monkey’s paw” here.

Either way, Barker is being completely up-front that the object of that obsession can become the most dangerous element around. In Nikki’s case for the film, that’s quite literal. But, there are some allegorical underpinnings there as well. Poor Bear did something dumb and didn’t even know it. 

“It depends on the context, because if the person that makes the wish knows that the wish is going to come true. Then, they’re the most dangerous person,” Barker joked. “Because they could wish for anything.”

“But if it’s a situation like in this movie, where he bought a little toy at a little crystal shop had no idea that it was going to work,” he added. “The person that becomes the most dangerous physically is Nikki. She’s physically dangerous, she could kill you. So I guess that’s that’s the most. I guess that’s the answer I’ll take.”

Desire can be dangerous

 One thing is for sure, desire can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Navarrette plays Nikki in the new movie. She’s on the other end of the One Wish Willow. And, that means she’s holding all the power as the narrative kicks into a higher gear. But, isn’t that part of the fun?

“ I can answer from the person being wished for, and being the most dangerous,” Navarrette shared. “Because why not be dangerous? Why not be dangerous?”

(featured image: Focus Features)

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