Send Help, Sam Raimi Director and Zainab Azizi Producer interview

Interviewer: "Alright, first off... Sam, what was it that drew you to the initial pitch for Send Help, and why did you decide this was the right project for you to direct?"

Sam: "Well, actually, Zeinab was the one who heard the original pitch first. She was so captivated by it that she brought the writers to me and had them pitch it again. I think... what attracted... well, what was it that hooked you first?"

Zeinab: "What first drew me in was the character of Linda Little. I think she’s someone everyone can relate to. We’ve all felt underappreciated and overworked at some point. The fantasy of being stranded on a desert island with a terrible boss was just so delicious—I knew it was a film that simply had to be made."

Sam (joking): "But I was your boss back then!"

Zeinab (laughing): "Well... here we are!"

Sam: "Depends for how long... but yeah, here we are."

Zeinab: "Here we are."

Interviewer: "Next one is for Zeinab. Linda Little is a perfect example of a strong female anti-hero. What was the process like developing her character?"

Zeinab: "Developing her was quite a journey. We wanted to ensure she stayed relatable, especially since we’ve never really seen an anti-hero quite like her. During development, we explored the full range of how dark we could take her while still making sure she remained redeemable. It was very important to me that, in making a genre film, we didn't portray a weak woman, but rather a very strong one who truly comes into her own power."

Interviewer: "This is for both of you. This film is a masterclass in mixed-genre storytelling. How did you each approach balancing the different tones?"

Sam: "Well, it was always envisioned as an adventure-comedy with a thriller edge. It was already a mixed-genre piece when Shannon and Swift wrote the script. I’ve always loved blending genres. I find that building a suspense sequence—with its setup and eventual payoff through a scare—is very similar to the structure of a joke. You build an expectation and then hit them with the 'punchline' or the scare. In my early horror films, I noticed people would often laugh right when the scare happened. I realized then that I could play with that; I can set up a joke and pivot to something terrifying, or build intense anxiety and break it with a laugh. It works incredibly well because the mechanics are so similar. It offers the audience a unique experience, and since this screenplay already had that DNA, we were all perfectly aligned."

Interviewer: "How did working with survivalist Kai enhance the story?"

Zeinab: "She was our North Star. She was with us through pre-production and on set, working closely with Rachel. She made sure that everything we did was authentic to a survival situation on an island like Phuket. She was absolutely instrumental."

Sam: "And she’s versatile—she could do the same job in a freezing northern environment too. She has a completely different skill set for those conditions compared to the tropical setting we had."

Interviewer: "Last question: Rachel and Dylan give such balanced performances. How did you craft Linda and Bradley’s arcs so that they both have redeemable moments as the conflict ramps up?"

Sam: "It really started with the writing. Shannon and Swift’s script was expertly designed that way, and then the actors took it further, making it richer, funnier, and more grounded. The situations in the script are quite absurd, so the actors played them very straight. They showed their vulnerabilities and insecurities, and because they’re such pros, they really did the work to figure out who these people were. On set, they would even improvise in character—one would throw something out and the other would catch it and riff back. I’d just tell the crew, 'Keep rolling, this is great.' It’s that bit of magic you get when great actors work this hard on a project."

Zeinab: "And of course, five words: In Sam Raimi we trust."

Sam: "Yeah."