Ethan Embry was “terrified” of his new film “The Devil’s Candy” before he even began shooting it, the actor told TheWrap during a Toronto International Film Festival edition of “Drinking with the Stars,” presented by Teapigs.
“It was one of those rare ones where you fall in love with it, right there in the moment,” Embry said of the festival’s Midnight Madness programming selection.”I was terrified when I read it.”
The film sees Embry playing a struggling painter who is possessed by the Devil after he and his family move into a new home.
“At it’s core it’s the story of a family, of a dad that wants to do everything he can for his daughter,” Embry said. “He loves his daughter. His daughter is his world. And unfortunately, the Devil sees that innocence and wants to take it.”
If Embry’s religious upbringing is to be believed, his character is ripe for possession, because he’s immersed in heavy metal culture before being targeted by Satan.
“The religious aspect of this too is a really sensitive place for me. I grew up very religious, a Southern Baptist,” he said. “And I remember when I was a kid, AC/DC stood for ‘Anti-Christ/Death Child.’ That, and drugs, I was never supposed to think about. If that culture buys this and they find it to be a genuine representation of them, I’m more than happy.”
