The third installment of the After franchise, After We Fell, follows Tessa (Josephine Langford) on a new journey as she moves to Seattle for her dream job, which also takes her away from Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). With distance and his jealousy complicating things, and the return of Tessa’s father and some revelations about Hardin’s own family adding even more tension, the intensity of their unpredictable relationship is pushed to the limit.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Langford talked about exploring this relationship dynamic over a series of films, what most surprised her about this journey, shooting the third and fourth films back-to-back in Bulgaria, what she enjoyed about Tessa’s arc in this installment, the ice cube, the cliffhanger endings, and the incredible support she’s gotten from fans.
Collider: I appreciate you talking to me about this. It’s been fun to take this journey with you guys, as I would imagine it is for you to take this journey with the character.
JOSEPHINE LANGFORD: And people keep coming back. It’s great.
It’s quite rare to get a continuing film series that’s just about a couple and their relationship, when it doesn’t involved them saving the world, or fighting vampires, or surviving an apocalypse. What have you most enjoyed about the opportunity to do these films, to play this character, and to just explore their lives?
LANGFORD: I think you said it perfectly. We get to explore normal human problems, and to do something like this, that’s a drama and a romance, where you were just playing characters. It is melodramatic, in that these crazy situations happen that you wouldn’t expect to happen in day to day life, but that’s what’s so nice about it, just playing real people with problems.
Has anything most surprised you, from an acting standpoint, that you didn’t realize would happen because you hadn’t done four movies of a continuing story before?
LANGFORD: Well, I’d done barely any movies and this was the first time I was the lead in a movie. The first film, I was in every scene of the movie. I think I was in every shot, except one. With the second, the third, and the fourth, it wasn’t like that because we had more scenes with other characters and it wasn’t just from Tessa’s point of view. But I remember having that as my introduction to this and the industry, and I was like, “Whoa.” It’s a lot. I’ve learned so much about not just the hours involved, but how difficult it is to make a film and how difficult it is to make a good film and just the amount of effort that goes into it and all of the different departments. I’ve just learned lots of little things that I don’t think I ever would’ve been aware of, if not through experience.
What was it like to finish the last scene on the last day, knowing that would be it for these characters. Have you officially said goodbye to this character yet, or does it not feel like you’re there yet, since the fourth film still won’t be coming out for a bit?
LANGFORD: It doesn’t feel like it’s over. You’re right, it’s probably because the fourth film hasn’t come out. I think once it does, I’ll feel more done. We haven’t even done ADR for the fourth film, so it’s not finished yet. But I do feel like their journey is done, at least as far as I’m aware.
How did your first day on the first film compare to your last day on the last film? Do you feel very different now, personally?
LANGFORD: I feel very similar, in a lot of ways. I think the differences are probably just that I’m older, I’m not living in the same place, and I know things that I didn’t know two years ago. But I really don’t feel that different. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me.
You shot this in Bulgaria during a pandemic. What was it like to be in a very foreign country and have this experience, shooting with all of the new safety protocols? Did it ever feel very alien?
LANGFORD: It feels alien. When you get the first call that says you’re shooting in this country and it’s somewhere you’ve never been. But after you get there, people are just people. It doesn’t matter what language they speak. You fall back into it. There are little things that you notice, like the food is different, or you don’t understand a reference, but human behavior is pretty much the same wherever you go. Luckily, we had a lot of the same people with us. And so, when we were on set and we were doing it, it just felt very comfortable and very normal, very quickly.
I would imagine that it would have been a lot harder, if you hadn’t been able to already establish this relationship before you’re then having to deal with all of the new safety protocols.
LANGFORD: Oh, absolutely. It is weird working for people for three months and not getting to see their faces until the very last day, or sometimes even then not getting to see their faces. But there’s a silver lining in it, in that because we were quarantined, we got to really get close as a cast and spend a lot of time together and bond. That was nice.
You’ve had different directors for each of the first three films. What has it been like to have different visions and perspectives on these characters while you guys are the constant throughout?
LANGFORD: I’d say it’s very normal. TV shows usually have a different director for each episode, and films in a franchise. I’m not sure if there is a single franchise that has one director for all three, four, or five movies. But yeah, every director brings their own style and their own thoughts and vision, so it’s interesting. It’s really fascinating, as the actor, to get to see how that changes with each film and how the set is run.
What do you think makes Tessa different in this film, both individually and in her relationship with Hardin. Were there things that you specifically enjoyed exploring with her, at this point in her life?
LANGFORD: I like that she’s older in these movies because she’s a slightly different character. You’re not playing a girl who’s coming out of high school and going straight into college. You get to play someone a little bit older, and that’s nice. It’s more similar, I guess, to where you’re at in life. The other thing I enjoyed is that we got to have more fights, me and Hero. We got to get into more specific fights with extended scenes and conflicts because they’re already in the relationship, and that’s really nice. Having these moments where you see them brushing their teeth together, or lying in bed talking together, it’s really nice to get to show a relationship between two adults and all the little intimate moments that happen.
Is it important to you to have her be at a point in her life where she doesn’t want to give up herself and her dreams, just because she loves him?
LANGFORD: I would say it’s somewhat out of my control because that’s the story. If the story wasn’t that, I wouldn’t wanna change it, if there was a reason for it being that. The credit goes to the story. That is what it’s about. She has to ask herself this really hard question of, “What do I want to value? What do I value more? Can I make these two things work, a relationship and love or a career?” She is the one who chooses career, or to at least try to make it work.
Do you feel like you and Hero Fiennes Tiffin have been on the same page, when it comes to your characters and their relationship, and their feelings and reactions, and when you guys think they’re justified or when they’re not? Do you feel like you come at it from the same place, or do you ever have disagreements about how they’re behaving?
LANGFORD: We don’t talk about that because it’s my job to understand why Tessa is doing something she’s doing and why it’s completely justified, and it’s his job to understand why Hardin is doing something he’s doing and why it’s completely justified. There is no objective answer. If we were to talk about it and try to objectively discuss, “Who’s right in this argument?,” it would make it harder for us. We have to each believe that we’re coming from the correct place. When you do that, that’s how you are able to do scenes like that.
One of the things that struck me watching the scene that you guys have together that involves the ice cube. How long do you have to do something like that? What are the challenges of having to deal with something that’s melting and that you have a time limit with?
LANGFORD: Everyone has been asking about this ice cube. When we were doing the scene, Hero was like, “Hold on, how are we gonna do this? The ice cube is gonna melt in five seconds.” We did one closeup of it on the skin, or maybe two, and then the ice cube was not there for the rest of the scene. There was nothing in his hand. If there was, it was probably glass or plastic. I think it’s just movie magic.
I’ve had my skin burned with ice, so it just felt uncomfortable.
LANGFORD: I’m not gonna lie, when we did the one take and she’s meant to look like she’s enjoying it, it was freezing and I did struggle not to scream.
I actually really love the friendship that’s developed between Tessa and Kimberly. What have you enjoyed about exploring that, especially when it seems like the most genuine friendship she has with somebody who doesn’t really want or expect anything from her?
LANGFORD: It’s interesting because it’s a really wonderful friendship that Tessa has with Kimberly. She’s obviously older, and I love that sometimes that can happen in life. I have a lot of older female friends, as opposed to people around my age. I think it’s nice because she’s a friend, but she’s also older, so she has this mature perspective, which I think is really helpful for Tessa in her life, especially with the stuff she’s dealing with, with Hardin. But it’s not just one way. It’s not a mother-daughter relationship because Tessa then helps her when she’s having to deal with stuff with Vance. It’s a mutual relationship. And Arielle [Kebbel] is so great. It was just wonderful getting to do scenes with her.
This film is left on a cliffhanger. There’s a shocking moment at the end of it, and thankfully the fourth film was already shot. Is there anything you can tease fans to hold them over for the fourth film?
LANGFORD: Honestly, I have a feeling that fans of these movies have read the books, and if they haven’t, they will go straight home and read them. I remember when I was watching Harry Potter. I hadn’t read Harry Potter, so I went home and I read the final book because I just had to know what happened, after I saw the sixth movie. The good news is that they can find out the answer, but they also don’t have to because the movie will be out very soon, I think next year.
How fun has it been to get to have those cliffhangers? That’s not something that happens in movies very often because usually the story has a more definite conclusion. Is it fun to be able to play with the audience in that way, knowing that they will get to come back?
LANGFORD: Oh, we just love it. We’re very sadistic. We love torturing them apparently. It’s a lot of fun getting to just always leave them on a cliffhanger, and they just have to wait another year. I do feel bad for these fans because I know what it’s like when you’re watching something and it ends at that moment, right when you wanna know what happens next.
What has been the most surprising thing about this fan base that has developed and that I’m sure you’ve heard from a lot with these movies? What has that been like to experience?
LANGFORD: The most surprising thing is probably the positivity and the love. I’m constantly in awe. I’m waiting for the day where they’re like, “Recast Josephine.” They’re just so supportive. That’s what I like about fandom, and that’s what I think is great about being a fan of something and being passionate. It’s the positivity and the support. That’s been so overwhelmingly wonderful.
After We Fell is available on-demand on October 19th.