The true horrors of both dating and technology are explored in horror thriller Drop, starring Hollywood darlings Meghann Fahy and It Ends With Us star Brandon Skenlar.
Drop sees Violet (Fahy), a widowed single mother who works as a therapist for domestic abuse victims, find herself on the first date from hell – and not because of the man she's agreed to go out with. From within a gorgeous restaurant at the top of a Chicago tower, she receives increasingly threatening anonymous “drops” to her phone, with the sender eventually instructing her to kill her date (Skenlar) – or her son dies. It's quite a premise, and full of as many jokes as there are chilling moments and action sequences.
The lead stars of the hit Disney+ series talk about rejecting sexual shame, female friendship, and the power of female anger.
As well as the perils of looking for love online – particularly through the apps – Drop also brings to the surface a conversation around AirDrops and the ways in which this technology is abused and used to abuse. After all, a 2019 study found that just under half (44%) of women had received an unwanted (at times indecent) image on London Underground services, with additional reports being received all over the UK. Since, the first person has been convicted of cyberflashing in England and Wales, but the question remains whether these new laws are enough.
When GLAMOUR asks Meghann what the film has to say about this issue, though, she says that it's alternatively making a statement about just how much we are on our phones, which she defines as “one of the scariest parts of the movie”.
"I think that the film is less teaching a lesson… raising awareness," she says. "I guess, not really awareness… it's not trying to tell you something. It's just saying ‘Hey, do you think about this?’ And that's kind of what I like about it, because the way that technology is used in the film is very much the way that we use it in real life.
"I think one of the scariest parts of the movie is the scene at the very beginning when Violet starts looking around to see who it might be, and everybody is on their phone and that is actually very true to life. It really is, you know. So that was kind of strange because it was so stylised in the movie, like it could be anybody.
“But if you look around any room that you're in, any restaurant, you can see at least half of the people have their phone in their hand. It's crazy.”
After finding a huge fan following from her roles in The White Lotus, The Perfect Couple and The Bold Type, amongst others, the buzz around Drop solidifies Meghann as a star. When GLAMOUR asks if the experience of stepping into a female lead role was empowering, her response was “pretty much, in every way”, but insisted the reason for this was in no small part because of her bond with Brandon onset.
“He was such a great buddy and partner and so supportive. And I really needed that at times,” she adds.
Meghann and Brandon took GLAMOUR's Bestie Test…
GLAMOUR: What were your first impressions of each other?
Meghann: So tall [laughs].
Brandon: And with Meghann, just very demure, kind eyes.
Meghann: Awww!
Brandon: Yeah, very kind eyes. Very nice calming presence.
Meghann: Oh that's so sweet!
Brandon: Genuinely.
GLAMOUR: Brandon, what is Meghann's biggest ick?
Brandon: I'd say how people treat other people.
Meghann: That's so true!
Brandon: That would be Meghann's biggest ick – a true testament of character.
GLAMOUR: Meghann, what would Brandon’s karaoke song of choice be?
Meghann: Oh wow, karaoke. Maybe [starts to sing Your Man by Josh Turner]
Brandon: [Laughing] Yeah, yeah! [Joins in the singing] I can nail that one.
Meghann: Oh I love when you do that. Whatever song that is.
Brandon: Bobby Cochran or Billy Cochran or something? Yeah.
GLAMOUR: Brandon, who would Meghann want to play her in her biopic?
Meghann: I have no idea…
Brandon: Who could do it… I feel like Emma Stone could play you.
Meghann: Wow, I'll take it! I love her. Huge, huge fan… I fully accept that. Yeah, reach out.
GLAMOUR: Who would be most likely to ignore a WhatsApp or leave someone on read?
Meghann: Brandon!
Brandon: Probably me, yeah.
Meghann: But not in a bad way! Brandon's not very attached to his devices, so it's not like he's, you know, being rude.
Brandon: You only keep up with so many people, you know. And the ones that you do keep up with, I keep up with them very well.
Meghann: Yeah.
Brandon: [To Meghann] I text you back, I kept texting you back!
Meghann: Yes! I'm saying you're a very present person,
Brandon: I try to be…
Meghann: When you're with someone, you're with them… To be fair, I often have anxiety when I'm trying to fall asleep thinking about the, like, 10, 12, 13, 14 people that I need to text back.
Brandon: My buddy was hanging out with me in my hotel room, and I was talking about things. I mentioned someone and I was like ‘oh I gotta text them back’. Then I mentioned somebody else and I was like ‘I didn’t text them back, right?' That reminded me of the other person I've got to text back. You read it, and you're like I'll get back to you [with] the time to give a thoughtful answer.
Meghann: Exactly.
Brandon: You don't want to just say whatever, they're like, ‘how you doing’? Well, let me tell you how I'm doing… It's not [just] 'I'm good'. Like, 'No, I'm not. This is why…' Or ‘I am good, and this is why’. Yeah, so that's probably why some people maybe get left on read.
Meghann: I think it's healthy. You can't always be available to everyone all the time.
GLAMOUR: Who would fare better in a horror movie scenario and why?
Meghann: This tree trunk [check video]
Brandon: Probably me.
Meghann: Yeah, you would kick so much ass!
Brandon: I know the little boy in me has always fantasised about what I would do if someone broke into my home, or want to save somebody in distress, you know? It's like a guy thing, a little boy thing.
Meghann: Yeah 100%. I know so many guys who are, like, if there's ever an alien apocalypse, this is my plan. They've spent a lot of time thinking about it.
Brandon: [Laughing] Yeah, sh*t goes down in a restaurant or a plane…
Meghann: What you gonna do then?
Brandon: They did that study, it was absurd, they polled all these men, how many people thought that in a hijacking situation if they could land a plane? And I think it was like 80% of men fully believe that they can land a plane – have you seen the cockpit of an aeroplane? Might as well be laughing.
Meghann: Lot of buttons in there!
Brandon: It's like, knobs everywhere and buttons, switches. I can't land a plane. Kidding me? No, I did the 20% that's like, I have no idea, that planes definitely gonna crash, yeah. But something like 80% of men truly believe that they could land a plane in a crisis situation, which is insane.
Meghann: Scary!
Things are about to get very, very intense.
GLAMOUR: [To Brandon] But you could be the horror movie hero in real life?
Brandon: In a horror movie? For sure, yeah.
Meghann: I would definitely want… You are someone who I would want to be with if sh*t went down.
Brandon: I figure in a horror movie situation, I'd end up hunting them.
Meghann: Spooky Brandon.
Brandon: Yeah, I get spooky with it.
GLAMOUR: The film also hints at the low-key horrors of dating – what advice would you guys give our readers, especially on the apps?
Brandon: Oh, I don't know…
Meghann: Me neither!
Brandon: I'd say just trust your gut.
Meghann: Yeah that's great advice.
Brandon: I'd be less concerned with all the things that the app sort of asks you to project and more concerned with how you feel, actually.
Meghann: Yeah, very good.
Drop is out in cinemas now.
