Midori Francis has carved a niche for herself playing kinky roles in projects including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” but her latest role in the supernatural body horror film “Saccharine” takes things to a whole different level.
The 32-year-old actress played Hannah, a medical student haunted by internalized fatphobia, family trauma, a real-life ghost, and a massive crush on her gym teacher, who starts taking weight-loss pills containing a sinister secret ingredient, human ash.Speaking with PEOPLE, Frances talked about the personal struggles that brought her to the role, the tight schedule on which she shot the film, and what she hopes to do next.
What is the theme of “Saccharine” and why did Midori Francis take on this role
Written and directed by Natalie Erika James, Saccharine takes an intimate look at one woman’s struggle with body image, self-esteem and the compulsions of shame, told through supernatural body horror through a queer lens. Danielle MacDonald played Hannah’s best friend in Ride or Die, while Shoko Shofukuti brought warmth to the role of her nervous but lovable mother.The film represents the latest entry in the burgeoning horror aesthetic genre, alongside titles like “The Ugly Stepsister” and “The Substance.” James shared a warning to any potential viewer struggling with an eating disorder, given the subject matter of the film.Frances was candid about what attracted her to the project and what made her stop. “I would have never come close to this if I didn’t have years of therapy and a constant journey toward recovery,” she told the outlet.
“I’ve had struggles with eating disorders. My family has been affected by addiction, and I think the increased mental battles can cause a lot of shame.”She added, “I think about the little girl I was, who maybe always had to put up a façade or protect those things because I was too afraid to talk about them or embrace my darkness. Now, being this actor, it’s incredible that my job happens to provide a path and a way to explore those aspects of myself.”
“There is no antidote to shame like making a film like this.”Frances also noted that she could tell from reading the script that writer-director James had a deep understanding of the subject matter. “I could tell from reading the script that whoever wrote it had empathy and understanding of what it feels like to be trapped in your own compulsions. I knew it was real,” she said.
How Midori Francis Filmed ‘Saccharine’ Just Two Days After ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Wrapped
The film was shot in Melbourne, Australia, on an extremely tight schedule, and Francis arrived under exceptional circumstances.
She finished her 38-episode stint on Grey’s Anatomy just two days before boarding the plane. It was also the first time she’d exercised her scream queen antics since 2023’s “Unseen.”“So I finished, and I cried, and I said goodbye to all my friends. And I said, ‘What a great chapter,’ and two days later, I was on a plane from Los Angeles to Melbourne,” she said. “I got off the plane at about 6 a.m., and I was getting Hannah dressed at about 8 a.m.
“And then we were running on the floor.”Francis was present in every frame of the film, leaving little room for downtime. “I could be in Australia. I don’t know. I’ve only seen a soundstage,” she joked about her first week on set.
Build chemistry with the cast
Despite the tight schedule, Frances found ways to connect with her co-stars. Her relationship with director Natalie Erika James had been building for months via video calls before filming began. With McDonald, the connection was instant.
“From the first table read when I was sitting next to her, she thought I was being mischievous and making jokes, and she was completely supportive of that,” she said. “We had a rehearsal where we practiced inhaling fake ketamine, like you do as an actor.
“There was definitely some connection.”
The prosthetics, the playlist and the lost notebook
As Saccharine unfolded over the course of eight weeks, Francis required prosthetics and body suits at both ends of Hannah’s physical transformation, covering the beginning and end stages of her weight loss journey.
“It took a lot of time. Hats off to our amazing prosthetics team. I was basically there in the middle of the night,” she said.To get into character during those long makeup sessions, Frances listened to a specially curated playlist compiled by James, to which she also contributed vocals. Among its additions are “Genesis” by Grimes, “Body Terror Song” by AJJ, and “Nobody” by Mitski.She also relied heavily on her marble notebook throughout filming, a habit she has maintained since her work on “Dash and Lily.”
The notebook disappeared during filming, sending her into a panic. “That’s my lifeblood. I write everything down, every stage, every scene, where you’re at. And then it also had a lot of random poetry in it where I was like, ‘I don’t want anyone to see this,'” she said. Fortunately, it was found and returned to her.
“I embraced it,” she added.
What Midori Francis learned about herself by playing Hana
For Francis, playing Hannah has been an unexpected personal journey. “I had a lot of sympathy for Hannah at the top of the movie.
“I think that by empathizing with Hannah, there were probably parts of myself that I empathized with as well,” she said. “Loving her insecurities and loving her quiet nervousness, her awkwardness, gave me a little love for those parts of myself.”She also spoke about the broader cultural timing of the film, which arrives amid widespread debate about weight-loss drugs. “I think we’re in an interesting moment where it seems that as a result of some forward momentum, we’re now seeing some backwards movement, which is sad,” she said.On the subject of horror during filming, Frances revealed that she kept a file of creepy images on her phone to quickly get into character. She also described one particularly disturbing moment involving an actress playing a corpse being lowered with ropes toward her face while being told to remain completely still. “It was scary. It was scary,” she said.
Midori Francis talks strange roles, horror, and what comes next
Frances thought about how she became famous for her eccentric roles. “Right after ‘Dash and Lily,’ I had an interview and they asked me, ‘What role do you want to play next?’ and I just threw it out there.
I thought to myself, “Well, I’ve never played a role so strange.” That will be fun. And then I think ‘Sex Lives’ came after that, and then they never stopped coming.”She noted that what she appreciated most about “Saccharine” was that Hannah’s queerness was simply part of who she was, rather than the focus of the story. “Weirdness isn’t the point. It’s just Hannah, that’s just an aspect of it,” she said.When asked about her next steps, Francis hinted at a possible new direction.
“I’ve never played a villain before. Maybe this is about to be the era of the villain,” she said. She also expressed her enthusiasm to continue in the horror genre. “Horror is in such a sweet spot. There’s never been such an appetite outside of the niche audience. It feels like a collective appetite for the genre.”As for a potential return to “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Frances said she hasn’t heard any updates but remains open to it. “I know this show means a lot to a lot of people and I’m sure there will be an audience for it.”“Saccharine” is currently in theaters and will be available for streaming later.
