HAVING UPSET US ALL WITH SAINT MAUD, DIRECTOR ROSE GLASS IS DOUBLING DOWN WITH BODYBUILDING THRILLER LOVE LIES BLEEDING. SHE, STAR KRISTEN STEWART AND THE TEAM TELL US HOW THEY MUSCLED UP

WORDS SOPHIE BUTCHER

Female bodybuilders line up to be judged

Rose Glass’ directorial debut was a shock to the system. Following a lonely carer with a violent past, determined to save a former showbiz star’s soul, Saint Maud was a dark, atmospheric look at a young woman’s downfall through extreme religious devotion. It was filled with mesmerising performances and spine-chilling moments —the words, “Fuck me”, Empire’s James Dyer’s online reaction to watching it, were used to promote the film, and perfectly encapsulated the impact. It also introduced Glass to the world as a visionary new filmmaker, got a lot of awards attention (including two BAFTA nominations), and garnered praise from critics, audiences and Hollywood stars alike —including one who would become a huge part of Glass’ next step.

“I love that movie so much,” Kristen Stewart tells Empire. “It’s so perfectly constructed, so unruly and scary and hilarious. If you let it sit for a while in you, and realise what it’s about, you go, ‘Wow, I think that person is a genius.’” The pair arranged a meeting in London, and Glass pitched her new movie —the first time she’d done so to anyone. “I thought it had gone terribly,” the director laughs. “I just suddenly got really starstruck.” But despite Glass’ nerves, it was a no-brainer for Stewart. “I was willing to do anything with her,” says the actor.

It’s a good job. That new movie is Love Lies Bleeding, and it’s one hell of a ride. A natural follow-up to Maud in some ways, it couldn’t be more different in others. It’s bigger and bolder, and the idea had been brewing a while, first coming to Glass during post-production on her debut. “I was riding this wave of confidence from having actually gotten to make a film and it not be a disaster,” she says. “So by the time Saint Maud was pretty much finished, I was like, ‘Fuck yeah, let’s do another one.’ And early on, I had the idea that it’d be cool to do something about a bodybuilder.”

Glass was taking the notion of the ‘strong female character’ and running with it. That appealed to Stewart. “I was really amused and impressed by her irreverent response to being allowed to make a second movie,” says the actor. “She told me she was working on something about a really strong woman, because she’d been encouraged by the industry that we function within to do that. I guess that’s an easy way for people to feel good about greenlighting movies, if we overcome adversity and are like a walking affirmation. So she was like, ‘I’ll give you a fucking walking affirmation.’”