Pearl is the secret prequel no one saw coming. Pearl was shot immediately following X, Ti West’s slasher film about young would-be porn stars making a movie in the middle of nowhere, Texas in the 1970s and getting more than they bargained for when the owner of the farm they are renting from takes issue with the cast’s beauty and freedom. Pearl follows the murderer of X when she was a young, vibrant woman, full of hope for the future, and how that all went to hell. It's not exactly a horror movie, but it's not exactly a "feel good" movie, either - despite being brightly lit in a Technicolor dreamscape, complete with dance numbers.
We spoke with Ti about how he was able to get two movies greenlit before he had even shot the first (thanks, A24!) and keeping it a secret throughout. It will be the story that will become Hollywood legend: shooting in New Zealand because of Covid-19 safety protocols; writing the script for Pearl as a backstory for Mia Goth's character during quarantine; taking it to the studio with the idea to shoot it just a few weeks after X wrapped, with many of the same sets and same cast members.
We also discussed Mia Goth’s amazing performance, especially how her long takes happened on a whim and turned out to be one of the highlights of the film; collaborating with her on the script and working with her as a producer; and making Pearl a sympathetic character. And try as we might, we tried to squeeze something from him on MaXXXine, the third in the trilogy, said to be set in the 1980s home-video pornography world, but Ti was tight-lipped and wouldn’t divulge anything on the third film. I guess Pearl didn’t stay a secret for nothing!
108