Zooey Deschanel acted in the horror film by M. Night Shyamalan ‘The incident’ (The Happening, 2008) and although many would consider it a failure for her it was a good job, in which she acted alongside Mark Wahlberg in a story centered on a group of people struggling to survive an outbreak of mysterious mass suicides.
“I don’t know if thrillers are my thing”
According to a new interview in The Guardian, the actress does not share the negative reception of the movie:
“The director, M. Night Shyamalan, had a powerful vision and we were all trying to do what he wanted. I trusted him, because he’s a great filmmaker. I didn’t know until I saw the movie, but I think he was looking for a stylized horror, like ‘The Birds,’ and maybe people didn’t get it. I had a lot of fun working with Night and Mark Wahlberg, but while I’ve done serious dramas, I’m not sure I fit into thrillers. greatest joy in doing comedy.”
Shyamalan’s twist in which the trees are releasing toxins that are causing the deaths caused no small amount of derision and Wahlberg, Deschanel and Shyamalan have long had to endure criticism. Speaking at a press conference for ‘The Fighter’ (2013), Wahlberg revealed that his partner Amy Adams “dodged a bullet” by turning down “a bad movie” he made, revealing:
“I don’t want to tell you what movie… okay, ‘The Incident.’ fuck it It is what it is. The fucking trees, man. The plants. Fuck it, you can’t blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least he wasn’t playing cop or robber.”
For his part, Shyamalan explained to Vulture in 2019 that ‘The Incident’ did not attract critics or the public due to its tone:
“I was hoping to make the movie feel like a B-movie. My intended tone was inconsistent, which is why they couldn’t see it.”