Ariana DeBose talks 'House of Spoils' and why she's using her platform to get out the vote

NEW YORK – Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose admits that when it comes to movies, she prefers "cupcakes, sprinkles and joy." None of those are found in her latest film, “House of Spoils” (streaming now on Prime Video). The horror movie brings the star into unfamiliar territory.

"I do think that horror can sometimes allow you to process through fear," DeBose, 33, tells USA TODAY. "I think there are people who like to feel scared. I'm not one of them."

The actress says she respects the genre and enjoyed the challenge that "House of Spoils" provided.

"Making this particular film actually showed me that there's a technique" to horror, she explains. "It does take real skill. It's not just, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm going to scream my face off.' "

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DeBose took the role of a lead seriously and was cognizant of how she carried herself on the set. Past experiences, both positive and negative, informed her actions. DeBose wouldn't divulge any names of colleagues who left a bad impression, joking that she wants "to work again." When it comes to positive experiences, she immediately mentions "West Side Story" co-star Rita Moreno and Jamie Lee Curtis.

“The vibe that I get from her, even when she's just cultivating relationships within the industry, it's joy. It's curiosity. It's genuine,” DeBose says of Curtis. “Like, wanting to know, what's your vibe? What do you think?”

'House of Spoilers' serves up horror with a side du jour

DeBose had to sharpen her knife skills for “House of Spoils,” but this isn’t a slasher film. The actress plays a chef who leaves a fancy New York City restaurant to run a trendy new spot upstate. There are a number of issues, namely a less-than-savory restaurateur (Arian Moayed) who also thrusts an unqualified sous chef (Barbie Ferreira) upon her. But perhaps most importantly, the place is haunted by its previous owner.

To train for her kitchen scenes, DeBose visited Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja at Shukette, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. She says the experience was “enlightening.”

“Just seeing how the energy of a kitchen functions and like every chef in the kitchen needs each other,” she recalls. “But also it all revolves around the head chef and everyone has their own leadership style. So I took a lot of different things from Chef Ayesha and I chopped a bunch of vegetables every day while I was making this movie.”

Is a return to Broadway next for Ariana DeBose?

DeBose will soon head to Nashville to film another Prime Video project: the recently green-lit “Scarpetta” series with Curtis and Nicole Kidman. She’s also politically active in a number of campaigns to get out the vote, specifically for the Democratic party.

“Not everyone, especially on social media, wants to be in conversation with you,” she says. “They want to have an opinion about you or your opinion, and they want to pick it apart, but they don't want to be in conversation about it. And that is a sad thing to me, because I do remember a time growing up where I saw individuals converse about their differences as opposed to shame each other about their differences.

“I'm Puerto Rican, I'm black, I'm queer, I'm a woman. All of these things to me are on the ballot. And I also look at it as when I cast a vote, I'm not just doing it for me, I'm doing it for the people that I love.”

In December, DeBose is back in theaters as Marvel's Calypso in "Kraven the Hunter." And as for her seemingly-annual gig hosting the Tony Awards, DeBose laughs when the prospect of hosting a fourth consecutive time is broached.

“I doubt it,” she responds when asked if she would return to the awards show. “When I have an idea, I come to the table. I love my theater family, but I might be all out of ideas.

“And to be honest, I really want to get back to the stage. I've been very inspired by the things I've seen over the last three years, and it's been a way for me to stay connected (to Broadway), but I also would like to get back to the ‘doing.’ And so I'm hoping that'll start soon.”