‘The Invisible Man’: Elisabeth Moss Says New Film Explores Different Types Of Abuse

Elisabeth Moss stars as the victim of a “toxic” relationship in the film “The Invisible Man.” The actress, 37, told Yahoo! Entertainment that her character’s Cecilia relationship with her husband, who is played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, is based on the many horrors real women face every day.

“We really tried to be inclusive of different kinds of abuse,” Moss said of the thriller. “Not just physical abuse, but emotional abuse, psychological abuse, gaslighting, bullying. That there are different kinds of toxic relationships that can be incredibly damaging to people.”

The "Us" star added that she feels the horror genre is going into a new direction. She pointed out how both the Jordan Peele project and this one contain hidden messages and female leads.

"I think the idea of putting a woman at the center of it, turning the Invisible Man the monster into a real monster, into an abusive relationship, into gaslighting, all of that, the way that [director] Leigh [Whannell] constructed that and still made it scary and entertaining all of that with this deeper underlying thing," she said. "It's where this genre's going, I think."

Whannell, who wrote and acted in “Saw” and the “Insidious” films, didn’t intend to tackle such a heavy topic with this film. However, when it came about he dove headfirst into the issue by visiting domestic violence shelters and speaking with counselors.

"I think that was something that emerged organically through the writing of the script," he told the outlet. “And when you do your research into that stuff, as I did, you find out how scary and how prevalent it is.”

Jackson-Cohen, who taps into the intense role of Adrian Griffin, hopes the film does more than cause viewers to jump.

"And we witness this behavior all the time," the actor said of his character’s actions. "So if it can do something, this movie, apart from scare people, it's hopefully to kind of get that message across."

Moss further pushed the film’s connection to today’s events such as the #MeToo movement.

"The idea of a woman not being believed obviously is very relevant right now,” she added.

"The Invisible Man" hits theaters on Friday.