'Pet Sematary' Stars Jason Clarke And Amy Seimetz On Working With Bleak Subject Matter [Video Interview]

In Pet Sematary, Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz play Louis and Rachel Creed. The married couple uproots their family from Boston to rural Maine, hoping for a little peace and quiet. What they get is constant, abject terror. Clarke and Seimetz both bring a true down-to-earth quality to their characters in the new Stephen King adaptation, making the pair seem like a real married couple going through hell.

I spoke with the actors following the Pet Sematary premiere at SXSW and you can watch our interview below.

Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz Pet Sematary Interview

When I sat down with Clarke and Seimetz, the first question I asked was how familiar both of them were with the material before signing on. Clarke hadn't read King's book, but read it in preparation for the role. Seimetz, however, confessed to being a big fan of King and this particular novel, which no doubt helped with the decision to join the cast.

In King's novel, and in the 1989 film adaptation, Rachel Creed is a bit of a passive character, who remains out of the loop for a good portion of the story. That's not the case with the new Pet Sematary, which injects Rachel directly into the action. Clarke and Seimetz both touched on how strong a change this was, and how it ultimately made for a better film. Watch the rest of the interview to hear how the actors approached their roles while making sure to not get lost in the dark bleakness of the subject matter. And also enjoy me acting incredibly nervous through the footage, because I have terrible social anxiety!

Pet Sematary opens April 5, 2019.