'The Devil's Mouth' Interview: Kathryn Newton and More

Moviefone speaks with Kathryn Newton and director Jeff Wadlow about Prime Video's 'The Devil's Mouth'. "We really risked a lot to do this film," Newton said.

(L to R) Kathryn Newton and 'The Devil's Mouth' director Jeff Wadlow.

Premiering on Prime Video July 29th is the new survival thriller 'The Devil's Mouth', which was directed by Jeff Wardlow ('Kick-Ass 2').

The Devil's Mouth

"Paradise has an appetite."

PG-13Horror Thriller

Audience
Score

Release Date: Jul 29, 2026

Run Time: 1 hr 45 min

Watch The Devil's Mouth Online

The new film stars Kathryn Newton ('Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'), Lana Condor ('X-Men: Apocalypse'), Gavin Casalegno ('The Summer I Turned Pretty'), and Nico Hiraga ('Booksmart').

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kathryn Newton and director Jeff Wadlow about their work on 'The Devil's Mouth', developing the project, making it different than other shark movies, Newton's character, performing her own stunts, the challenges of working in water, and shooting on location in Thailand.

(L to R) Kathryn Newton as "Sara" and Lana Condor as "Max" in the horror thriller, 'The Devil's Mouth', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo credit Amazon MGM Studios 2026.

Moviefone: To begin with, Jeff, can you talk about developing this project and what you wanted to do to make it standout from other films in the genre?

Jeff Wadlow: The script was sent to me a couple of years ago. It's a blacklist script. It was written by Aja Gabel and Myung Joh Wesner. It was really compelling just on the concept alone. I love shark movies. I love claustrophobic horror. We had both. Then on the page there was this really nuanced and complex female friendship, and I was in.

MF: Kathryn, can you talk about Sara and Max's friendship, how it is tested in the movie, and creating that relationship with Lana Condor?

Kathryn Newton: I'm so lucky that I had such a great partner in Lana Condor. Like Jeff said, it was really all on the page. We're at that age where everyone can understand what it's like to separate from your best friend. You have to go away to come back. In this movie, it's almost as beautiful as it is scary, and they have to face something really hard together and a lot of secret truths come out. It's the question of will their friendship be able to handle it?

(L to R) Kathryn Newton as "Sara", Tommie Rose as "Adrienne", Lana Condor as “ Kate” and Nico Hiraga as “James” in the horror thriller, 'The Devil's Mouth', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo credit Amazon MGM Studios 2026.

MF: Kathryn, can you talk about the challenges of acting in water and how you prepared for those scenes?

KN: I wasn't able to prepare because I was working on another film and had two days between this and my next movie. However, the biggest challenge probably would've been hitting your mark. Genuinely, the cameramen were moving around in the water as well. We were floating. It was about using my skills with my peripheral vision and just making sure I could see the camera and find the lens, and help my co-stars find the lens. You had to have each other's backs because it was a lot of moving around in the ocean. We had one day where I remember Jeff looking at me and going, "We really didn't realize how much the boat was going to be moving," and we had to change the crane shot and bring the camera onto the boat because we were bobbing up and down. You can imagine the scene of me in the beginning of the movie in the ocean was almost impossible, but we got it done because our DP, James Kniest, is amazing.

MF: Jeff, as a director, what was the hardest part about shooting the water scenes?

JW: It was really challenging. One of the ways we handled it was we had four camera teams. When we were on stage and we built these big caves and we flooded them with water, one of the things I would do is I would set up all four cameras. Fortunately, I had this incredible cast led by Kathryn Newton. I would shoot the whole scene with four cameras, but it's not that the four cameras were doing four different shots. They would be picking up different parts of the scene, different parts of coverage. Kathryn talked about how difficult it was to hit the marks. It was even more difficult because I needed them to hit multiple marks because they're basically moving through all these different shots in one take. That's one way we tried to deal with the water of it all, but it was a constant challenge and safety is the most important thing on my movie sets, and any movie set. So, we had to keep that in mind when we were working in water because even a simple dialogue scene can be dangerous. So fortunately, everyone was really prepared and on top of it.

(L to R) Tayme Thapthimthong as “Wat” and Kathryn Newton as "Sara" in the horror thriller, 'The Devil's Mouth', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo credit Amazon MGM Studios 2026.

MF: Jeff, can you talk about finding the specific locations you needed in Thailand, and what it was like shooting there?

JW: I mean, Kathryn was such a fantastic partner, and so was the rest of the cast. It just kind of felt like we were on this adventure together. I mean, the characters are on this adventure, but I also felt like I was on an adventure with my actors. We were all in this foreign country on the other side of the planet. We couldn't go home, and we were doing these amazing things. I mean, when we got Kathryn up on that cliff, that was surreal. It added a lot to the movie. I mean, we could have easily shot that cliff scene on a green screen. In fact, production was pushing me to do it on a green screen. I was like, "No, we can get to that real cliff that looks like the cliff that she would be on. I think we should do it. If Kathryn wants to do it, we're going to do it."

MF: Finally. Kathryn, can you talk about performing that stunt?

KN: It was really a magical moment and a good opportunity for me. Jeff, he helped me do it though because we needed to have each other's backs in that kind of adventure. I mean, we really risked a lot to do this film. We hiked up these mountains. They made ladders made of wood, and these cameramen, they're carrying these cameras up this mountain in Thailand. It was a little like, "Are we allowed to do this?" I kept looking like, "Are we sure?" Because it really was, at the end of the day, our own will that got the job done because all of us could have been like, "No, I'm not going to do it." But if Jeff was down and I was down, we were going to make it happen. That was exciting, and it also really put us all together and on the same page because we were all risking a lot to get the shot. I think that's going to be something you can't deny when you see this film, and the audiences can feel it. We climbed up a cliff and through a cave for a lot of this movie. Most of it.

(L to R) Gavin Casalegno as "Greg", Tommie Rose as "Adrienne", Lana Condor as "Max", Kathryn Newton as "Sara" and Nico Hiraga as “James” in the horror thriller, 'The Devil's Mouth', from Amazon MGM studios. Photo credit Amazon MGM Studios 2026.

What is the plot of 'The Devil's Mouth'?

Five friends set out on one last adventure along Thailand’s stunning coast, eager for a final thrill before life in the real world begins. They sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth, a natural wonder that's as breathtaking as it is unforgiving.