Acclaimed Hollywood actress Sissy Spacek committed herself to the role of Carrie White in unexpectedly dark ways during Brian De Palma's 1976 production of Carrie. The Texan star knew she was fit for the part and proved De Palma wrong when he initially rejected her. The Stephen King adaptation has gone down in history as one of the most quintessential films in the horror genre, and much of that has to do with Spacek's acting tricks.
Carrie was both a commercial and critical success, earning a spot as one of the most influential horror films ever made by various reputable magazine publications, including Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. It received a pseudo-sequel and two reboots, a 2002 TV movie and a 2013 film starring Chloe Grace Moretz. Up against actresses like Melanie Griffith and Betsy Slade for Carrie White, Sissy Spacek decided to show up to her audition without brushing her teeth, with Vaseline in her hair and an unwashed face. The trick that convinced Brian De Palma to cast her as Carrie kickstarted a pattern of method acting she would use during production to elevate the film's horrific effects.
There are famous cases of method acting in Hollywood that seem to have little bearing on the overall strength of the respective film. Jared Leto infamously gifted his co-stars used condoms and Margot Robbie a live rat while filming Carrie's classic prom finale. Norma Watson's actress P.J. Soles has spoken about the trailer Spacek requested MGM put up behind the filming studio as a place to sleep for the sake of continuity. Spacek reportedly explained her reasoning to Soles. "It’s gotta match, I want it to look great" (via Vulture). That small choice Spacek made to enhance the look and feel of the classic Carrie outfit contributed to the prom scene's influence on pop culture and horror, but it wasn't the only valuable trick she used while filming.
Sissy Spacek’s Method Acting Made Carrie A Horror Classic
Sissy Spacek's performance as Carrie has been celebrated for starkly inspiring fear and sympathy, garnering her six Oscar nominations, and much of her memorable acting likely has to do with the methods she used off-screen to successfully flesh out her character. Spacek isolated herself from the cast to maximize the dehumanizing distance between Carrie White and her bullies. Soles also affirmed this in her Vulture interview when she noted the pair only began getting along in the final week of shooting, as Spacek's MGM trailer was decked out in religious décor, and she closely studied Bible illustrations. Spacek deepened her connection to Carrie White by studying how people in history reacted while being stoned for heresy which helped her fearful body language around her religiously abusive mother look all the more real. The combination of these tricks during production and her empathy towards the character of Carrie White ensured Sissy Spacek ensured her performance in Carrie was both grounded and outstanding.
Over the years, Sissy Spacek has moved on to acting mostly in television series rather than feature films, yet the legacy of Carrie continues to live on in pop culture. The method acting she personalized to succeed in her audition and make Carrie White as dynamic as possible secured the enduring impact of this Stephen King adaptation. If Spacek had not used these dark tricks while shooting Carrie, it might not have become the timeless classic audiences now know it to be.
