Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston about their work on ‘Obsession’, developing the screenplay, how Johnston and Navarrette approached playing their characters, and Barker’s leap from making online content to directing a theatrical movie.

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Director Curry Barker on the set of his film OBSESSION, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Manny Liotta / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Moviefone: To begin with, Curry, can you talk about developing the screenplay and how you came up with the idea for the film?

Curry Barker: I had already had this idea for a while about obsession and that theme. There are so many things that you could be obsessed with, whether it’s being obsessed with being the top person at your job or being obsessed with climbing the ranks in a sport or whatever. So, that topic is so interesting as a human study of what we decide to do when we’re obsessed with something. The concept of being obsessed with another person was something that I hadn’t seen really explored a lot. It was really intriguing to me. Then once the wish element found its way, I was like, this is how I can do it. I can make it about a wish that goes wrong. So, it was backwards. It wasn’t like I had the wish idea. I had this obsession idea and then I came up with the wish part of it.

(L to R) Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

MF: Michael, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and how you approached playing Bear?

Michael Johnston: I remember when I first read the script, it was interesting to me because I knew that he was the point of view character and the protagonist. But as I got deeper into the script, I’m like, wait a minute, this is kind of morally gray. Honestly, that’s just what I loved about it. We talked a lot about it, and it was important to keep Bear relatable to an extent and likable. So, I had to not judge him. I had to make everything that he did from his perspective of his deepest desires. We can all relate to some of those desires. Then ultimately at some point his ego is a little too big or he’s just a scaredy cat and he makes some questionable decisions. But I know that to me, that was the joy of this whole thing. I immediately hooked in with this character and I had to meet Curry. I’m so glad that it worked out.

(L to R) Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

MF: Inde, can you talk about your approach to playing Nikki and striking the right tone for the character?

Inde Navarrette: I wanted to make sure that she was incredibly grounded. I wanted to make sure that she seemed like a girl that you could meet outside if you walked out your door right now. So, we spent a lot of time figuring out how far we wanted to take her. We wanted to keep her feet on the ground. So, Curry and I did a lot of work late at night figuring out screams. We joke about how we thought the police were going to be called on us finding the levels in the suburbs. But I think we found a good pocket and I felt safe and comfortable in the environment. We did all the horrific stuff first. So, after that, I was like there’s nothing that will top that so you can throw anything at me, and it’ll be fine.

(L to R) Michael Johnston stars as Bear, Megan Lawless as Sarah and Cooper Tomlinson as Ian in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

MF: Finally, Curry, can you talk about making the leap from creating online content to shooting a theatrical movie? Were there new tools that you added to your toolbox?

CB: It was very different. I remember the first day showing up and going downstairs to the camera department and they had all the monitors set up and they were putting the lenses on the cameras. Then I went back up the stairs and saw the art department putting wallpaper up that wasn’t there and bringing in couches. I was just like, “Oh my God, this ship is so much bigger and I’m the captain.” It felt a little daunting at first. But then you say action a couple times, you call cut, and you’re working with people that you had already gotten to know before. Luckily, we had enough time to rehearse. You just realize it’s the same thing you’ve been doing for years, it’s just on a slightly bigger scale. So, you get over that quickly and then you’re just in it.

Editorial Note: Don Kaye conducted this interview and contributed to this article.

Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki in ‘Obsession’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 Focus Features LLC.

What is the plot of ‘Obsession’?

After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart (Inde Navarrette), a hopeless romantic (Michael Johnston) finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

Who is in the cast of ‘Obsession’?

‘Obsession’ opens in theaters on May 15th.

List of Curry Barker Movies:

Buy Tickets: ‘Obsession’ Movie Showtimes

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