One of the fun things about Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria is that it features the big screen return of Jessica Harper, who of course played Suzy Bannion in Dario Argento’s Suspiria. That role is being played by Dakota Johnson this time around, with Harper playing a new character named Anke. In a chat with EW, the actress just detailed her role in the remake.
“So, I play the love interest of this character Dr. Klemperer (Tilda Swinton),” Harper told the site. “So, this character Dr. Klemperer, lost his wife many many years before, and spends much of his time longing for her, and hoping somehow their paths will cross again. He doesn’t know what became of her, all those years before. So, I magically reappear, and then some other magic happens, which I don’t want to spoil. But Lutz Ebersdorf and I get to play this sort of romantic story at the center of this movie, which is really fun. It’s this lovely emotional thread that cuts through the center of the movie.”
She continued, “The shoot for me was pretty brief. I was only involved for a few days, because my part was a small part. The shoot for others was long and difficult because they were in an abandoned hotel on a hilltop in Italy. And I was there too and I know it was difficult. It was cold and dark and scary. It was like a haunted house, which was kind of appropriate, but not ideal shooting circumstances. But I had a wonderful time. Because I was the star of the original movie, when I walked on the set you would have thought I was David Bowie. [Laughs] I sort of had a celebrity moment, which was so sweet.”
In the chat, Harper reveals that she actually lied to Guadagnino in order to get the part, telling him she knew how to speak German. To prepare, she then learned the language!
Suspiria opens in 250 theaters this weekend, November 2.
