Q&A with Sarah Nicklin: Exploring Her Role in New Religious Horror Film GARDEN OF EDEN

Directed by Marcel Walz, Garden of Eden is now available on VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD, and we caught up with Sarah Nicklin for our latest Q&A to talk about her role in the new religious horror film:

When you're evaluating potential roles, what do you look for in a film's story and the character you want to play? And what did you enjoy about Garden of Eden when you first heard about it? 

Sarah Nicklin: Even with a good script or great character I want to play, a film or set experience can end up being a disaster - or a mediocre script with a seemingly boring role can create a great film that helps your career. So I've given up on trying to decide to do something based on if I think it's gonna be good or fulfilling or not. I've created 4 criteria for if I'll take a role - it's good reel material, it's good resume material, it pays well, it's someone I want to work with and is a good networking opportunity.

Even with that, I think one of the biggest challenges, especially when acting in horror, is repetition - there's only so many times you can run and scream, be terrorized, or be evil, etc. before it gets old. These

days, when I’m offered a somewhat "bland" role that still fits into one of those 4 criteria, I try to find ways to make it more interesting for myself to play while still staying true to the director’s vision and story.

For example, in Pretty Boy, I asked to make my character deaf and use sign language for all my lines. I’d been learning ASL for two years, and since it was a sequel to Blind, which focused on visual impairment, it felt thematically fitting to explore hearing impairment in the sequel. The director, Marcel Walz, and writer Joe Knetter liked the idea, so that's what we did. And it made the "archetype slasher victim" role more personally interesting to me to play. In If It Bleeds (not yet released), I asked to use an obnoxious Long Island accent to match the character’s annoying behavior - again, a way to make a simple part more fun and interesting to me personally, giving myself more to do while still keeping with the essence of what was already written.

With Garden of Eden, I was immediately drawn to the character of Patricia - she was complex, layered, and full of internal conflict. Honestly, no offense, but the rest of the film was secondary to the chance to play such a rich role. It was the kind of part actors dream about - emotionally demanding, nuanced, and a big powerful monologue at the end. It gave me the opportunity to truly “do the work” and use every tool in my acting toolbox to fully inhabit a deeply flawed, conflicted character. This is the kind of material we train with in acting class, or do in theater, but rarely get to explore on screen, especially in a supporting role.

Of course, the subject matter of this film is quite heavy. What kind of research or prep do you do before you get on set?

Sarah Nicklin: I relied on my method acting training I learned from the Lee Strasberg Institute and while getting an acting degree at Emerson - though I’ll spare you all the boring actor technical stuff haha. I connected Patricia’s emotional journey with moments from my own life, preparing a range of “emotional colors” to reflect the different stages of extreme grief she experiences. Then on the day, I let whatever "color" I was feeling in that moment come through onto "the canvas" of the film.

I built a backstory, a world, a life, and all of her relationships. I know everything that happened the day of Patricia's daughter's birthday when I gave her the bike that she would eventually be riding when she got hit by the car. I know the happy moments we had on vacation, the lessons I taught her, the fights we had, and why Dad isn't in the picture. Then through sense memory work, those created memories became as real to me as any of my own.

Can you talk about working with Marcel Walz and with these highly charged scenes?

Sarah Nicklin: Both Marcel and Joe were incredibly supportive and gave me the space I needed. Since we’d worked together before on Pretty Boy and were already friends, there was a strong foundation of trust, and I didn’t feel self-conscious about keeping to myself on set. Marcel was especially thoughtful about giving me accurate timeline updates, rare on a film set, which also speaks to their professionalism and efficiency. I’d get a 30min warning, then a 10min, which was so helpful to making sure I was ready on time - always delivered in a calm, quiet tone as not to "intrude".

When it came time to shoot, everything was very smooth and efficient - the lighting, camera setup, blocking was all streamlined. Marcel knew what he wanted and we typically did just two takes. The entire environment was built to support the actors and make it easy to deliver our best work. It was honestly an ideal setup, and one I know is rare to come by.

What does it take for you to get into the headspace of a world like we see in Garden of Eden? Before you begin shooting on a given day, do you have anything that helps get you into character, like a playlist?

Sarah Nicklin: Each morning before set, I grounded myself by walking barefoot in the grass and connecting with the trees and nature in our backyard. Nature has always been a calming, grounding, emotionally-opening force for me.

On set, I’d say a quick hello, then find a quiet spot to be alone, listening to music and journal, as if I were Patricia.

I listened to Mazzy Star as a "default" mood. Then when I got the 30min warning, Anyone Who Knows What Love Is by Irma Thomas on repeat, then at the 10min warning, My Immortal by Evanescence on repeat.

There are some great uses of practical FX in this film for the blood and guts. What was your on-set experience?

Sarah Nicklin: There's so much amazing gore in this film that I never saw on set! Usually, I would want to watch all of the practical FX shots, as that is some of the most fun parts. But since I was sequestering myself to stay in my headspace, I didn't get to watch any of it. The only thing I got to see was the throat slit in the scene I'm in.

This film definitely evokes the same kinds of feelings you get when watching a great folk horror or religious cult film. After our readers watch Garden of Eden, what are some of your recommendations for cult / religious horror films they should check out?

Sarah Nicklin: Ooooh great question! I absolutely loved Saint Maud (2019) and still think it's one of the best films of the past several years. When Evil Lurks (2023), also one of the best films of the past few years and while I guess it's not technically folk horror, it still has that tone to me. Martyrs (2008) - the French version not the American remake, which was also an inspiration for this film. And you can't miss The Witch (2015) or the granddaddy of folk horror, The Wicker Man (1973).

Can you share with our readers what projects you have coming up? 

Sarah Nicklin: The most exciting thing is, of course, the thing I can't talk about, as it hasn't been officially announced yet, but it's a recognizable horror property and will be released in time for Halloween this year :)

If It Bleeds is a great horror anthology with an awesome cast (Doug Jones, Dee Wallace, etc) that is currently in post-production.

I'm currently gearing up to shoot Total Party Kill, which is a supernatural horror comedy about an all-female D&D group whose final game night takes a terrifying turn when they start dying the way their characters die in the game.

And outside of horror, I'll be working on a boxing drama biopic based on true events shooting in the UK.

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"The Eden family are devout Christians who do everything they can to live the word of God and set an example of what is right and wrong. They have been very successful in business and are rich beyond their needs. In order to give back, the family throws garden parties. Each guest that is lucky enough to find a key at the party gets to have their most wished for dream come true. But a dream for some can be a nightmare for others."