Weapons Director Reveals Childhood Story That Inspired Aunt Gladys

Zach Cregger, the director of Weapons, recently discussed the inspiration behind the film’s character, Aunt Gladys. He emphasized that the character is not based on a real person. However, Aunt Gladys’ appearance was influenced by Cindy Sherman and the ’90s TV series, Twin Peaks. Meanwhile, the character’s theme draws from Cregger’s own childhood. 

Zach Cregger explains what inspired the character of Aunt Gladys

The actor and filmmaker offered an in-depth explanation of the inspiration behind Aunt Gladys in Weapons. He was asked, “Is Aunt Gladys based on something that you’ve witnessed or seen in real life?”

In a recent interview with Collider, Zach Cregger clarified that the character is not directly based on any real-life person. “No, she’s not based on anything I’ve experienced in real life, necessarily,” he said. The director elaborated that one can understand Gladys in two distinct ways: as an aesthetic and as a theme.

Explaining the aesthetic, Cregger said, “There’s two different ways to think about Gladys, right? If I think that what you’re asking me is Gladys as an aesthetic, I’m guessing. And no, her aesthetic comes from Cindy Sherman and Twin Peaks and Boca Raton retirees.”

However, the Barbarian director noted that the theme is closely linked to his personal experiences. He explained, “Gladys, as a theme, is very autobiographical. And really, it’s about my childhood. And it’s not that there was an evil woman that came into my life, but it was more about just growing up in an alcoholic family.”  

Zach Cregger further noted that Aunt Gladys’ character in Weapons symbolizes the disruption caused when a new presence enters a family environment. He shared, “The idea of a new entity coming into your house and upending the family dynamic, and taking a safe place and turning it into a scary place, and what it does to children, and that sort of thing. So that’s what Gladys means in terms of like the autobiographical blah, blah of it all.”

44-year-old director concluded with, “But no, I never met a crazy woman with red hair.” Additionally, he revealed that he had drafted an origin story for Gladys. However, he ultimately removed it, noting “to know a lot about her is to dull the knife.”

Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net