Jordan Alexa Davis discusses David Robert Mitchell’s original sci-fi adventure, The End of Oak Street.
A peaceful suburban neighborhood becomes the center of a prehistoric nightmare in The End of Oak Street, an ambitious new sci-fi survival thriller from writer-director David Robert Mitchell and producer J.J. Abrams.
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports the neighborhood someplace unknown, the Platt family discovers that survival depends on sticking together. Unfortunately, their new surroundings are filled with dinosaurs, dangerous wildlife and plenty of unexpected threats.
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor lead the ensemble alongside Maisy Stella, Christian Convery and Jordan Alexa Davis. The film blends family drama, large-scale spectacle, horror, humor and a mystery that keeps expanding as its characters attempt to understand what happened to their home.
I recently spoke with Davis about the wildly original movie, its practical neighborhood sets, acting opposite dinosaurs that were not really there, and whether she would return for another adventure in this strange world.
For more on the movie, read my full spoiler-free review of The End of Oak Street.
Jordan Alexa Davis Was Immediately Hooked by the Movie’s Original Story
I walked into The End of Oak Street without watching its trailers or knowing much beyond the involvement of dinosaurs. That mystery made the movie’s unexpected turns even more exciting because it continually transforms into something bigger, stranger, and more dangerous.
Davis had a similar reaction when she first read Mitchell’s screenplay and discovered just how far the filmmaker planned to take its suburban premise.
“I was immediately hooked and drawn in,” Davis told Nerdtropolis. “It was really a ride for sure. And it was so crazy. But I loved how it was something completely original but also still felt familiar and nostalgic in certain ways. So that really stood out to me.”
That mixture of originality and nostalgia is a major part of the film’s appeal. Although the story delivers an unusual approach to dinosaurs and cosmic science fiction, it centers everything around an ordinary family and a recognizable neighborhood.
The 1980s setting also limits how the characters can respond to the crisis.
There are no cellphones, social media platforms, or immediate news alerts to explain what is happening outside Oak Street. The residents must rely on one another as their familiar surroundings become increasingly unrecognizable.
For Davis, filming within a detailed physical environment helped establish that period and made it easier for the cast to step into the story.
“We shot it in Atlanta,” Davis said. “So the location that we were on, where it was these streets with houses that were like a little bit dated, so it felt like we were actually in the ’80s. So that was cool and really helpful to be in this setting where you kind of just step into the world, and you really feel like you’re transported back to that time.”
While the exterior streets gave the actors a complete neighborhood to explore, many of the interior sequences were created on soundstages.
“The interiors, most of them were on sound stages and stuff,” Davis explained. “But as far as with the dinosaurs, a lot of the times it wasn’t there in front of you, so you just had to kind of use your imagination.”
The Dinosaurs Required Plenty of Imagination on Set
The residents of Oak Street encounter several prehistoric creatures throughout the movie. Some are enormous, some are terrifying, and others create surprisingly funny moments during the family’s dangerous journey.
However, the completed dinosaurs audiences see on screen were naturally very different from what Davis and the cast saw while filming.
“We had some dinosaur cutout heads on just sticks, kind of, I guess, for eyeline or just to get the height of it,” Davis said. “And then sometimes there were people in a blue suit when it was the action stuff where we’re having to be in contact with them and stuff. And then sometimes it was nothing there at all, which was the most difficult for sure.”
The absence of a physical creature sometimes made the cast’s terrified reactions feel slightly unusual during production.
“It was just kind of silly when there was nothing there at all, and you had to just be like, ‘Whoa!’” Davis said. “And it’s just like there’s nothing in front of you.”
Although the cast spent much of the movie running, screaming and fighting for survival, Davis said the atmosphere changed as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.
“Everyone was so, so funny,” Davis said. “It was such a fun time, honestly. And I feel like that really helped with the vibe of everything because we’re just dealing with such heavy subject matter, and we’re acting scared all the time. So when we weren’t rolling, to be able to just relax and make jokes and just kind of kick it with each other, that was really nice to have that.”
The completed film takes audiences through a similarly wide range of emotions. Its intense and frightening sequences are balanced by comedy, heartfelt family moments and situations so unexpected that viewers may not know whether to laugh or remain terrified.
Davis discovered some of those reactions while watching the movie with an audience.
“Seeing it in a theater with other people and seeing what they found funny or shocking” was interesting, Davis explained. “When we were filming, certain parts I remember filming, they weren’t as funny to me because where my headspace is at with my character, she’s struggling with a lot of stuff. So I was in a more serious state.”
Ordinary People Face an Extraordinary Prehistoric Threat
Part of what makes The End of Oak Street work is that its characters are not trained soldiers, scientists, or survival experts. They are ordinary people suddenly forced to navigate an impossible situation.
Davis approached the movie’s many running sequences with that idea in mind. Instead of preparing to move like an experienced action hero, she wanted her character’s physical reactions to feel natural.
“My character is just a normal girl,” Davis said. “She’s just an average teenage girl. So if this happened to her, she wouldn’t be ready to run. She wouldn’t have training and stuff.”
Davis added that the characters’ lack of preparation helped make their experience more relatable.
“I feel like that’s what’s so interesting about it,” Davis said. “They’re not these muscular, in-shape-built people, but they’re having to deal with all of this.”
If Davis ever found herself trapped in a similar situation, her first priority would be finding the people closest to her.
“I’d just gather my family and those closest to me in such a scary situation like that,” Davis said. “But I feel like I’m not that good in stressful situations. I tend to kind of freak out a little bit. But someone close to me who’s more like a voice of reason, I would need them to kind of pull me back down.”
When asked to choose three things she would want for survival, Davis picked a weapon, basic supplies and her family.
“A weapon for sure,” Davis said. “Whatever weapon. Probably water, food, stay hydrated. And then my sisters or my family. I don’t know if that counts as an object, but I need them there with me.”
She would also prefer to encounter one of the movie’s less aggressive dinosaurs.
“One of the herbivores, I guess,” Davis said. “I like the ones with the long necks, but they’re just so big, so I don’t know where that would go or anything.”
Davis Would Return for Another Oak Street Adventure
Mitchell’s film raises several questions about its mysterious cosmic event and what may exist beyond the transformed neighborhood. While the story stands on its own, Davis believes the concept could move in several different directions if Mitchell chooses to continue exploring it.
“That would be amazing,” Davis said about potentially returning. “I feel like David definitely left it open. It could go so many different directions. And I’m just excited to see what he does with it.”
The project also taught Davis an important lesson about separating emotionally demanding work from her personal life.
“I guess just kind of learning how to separate myself from the work and my personal life, especially being attached to something that I care so much about,” Davis said. “I care so deeply for the characters in this world and everything. But I think especially when you’re doing thrillers and stuff that’s very intense, you need to learn how to set boundaries and have it be separated from your normal everyday life.”
With its massive creatures, immersive sound, unpredictable scares and wide suburban environments, The End of Oak Street was designed as a theatrical experience. Davis believes viewers should see the movie on the largest screen available.
“You’re just in for a ride,” Davis said. “So why not go on the biggest screen possible and just have it be even more amazing and enjoyable for that reason?”
About The End of Oak Street
The End of Oak Street stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery and Jordan Alexa Davis.
David Robert Mitchell wrote and directed the film. J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper produced. Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker served as executive producers.
The creative team includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, composer Michael Giacchino and costume designer Erin Benach.
The End of Oak Street is now playing in theaters and IMAX.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
