Hollywood Popular Artists

Sep 24th 2012, 20:00

Brian De Palma has never shied away from dark subject matters, so when footage from his latest film, "Passion," featured Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace flirting with each other and horrific acts of violence, no one seemed particularly shocked. It was De Palma being De Palma.

But when MTV News' Josh Horowitz caught up with the legendary director to talk about "Passion," which is actually a remake of 2010's "Love Crime," we found out that the sensuality in the trailer may not have been entirely De Palma's doing.

Read more after the jump!

The interplay between Rapace and McAdams lies at the heart of "Passion," but it unfolds in a darkly comic way. For De Palma, the key to that angle was McAdams' willingness to play against type.

"It's fun, the way that [Rapace's and McAdams' characters] dig at each other and humiliate each other," De Palma said. "Rachel McAdams is just a great antagonist. She's got you crying one moment, and the next moment, she's ice cold as she plunges an ice pick into your heart. Then she's saying, 'Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry. Did that go through your heart? I didn't mean to do it.' She's just a marvel to watch."

According to De Palma, there wasn't any coaching needed to get McAdams there. "I just stood back and let them go. Everything they did was like a marvel," he said. "I would just go, 'Holy mackerel.' They would do all kinds of teasing things with each other."

"Passion" will be presented as a part of the New York Film Festival.

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