Evil: Gia Crovatin on Playing Cult Leader Renee on Paramount+ Series

Gia Crovatin is always looking for new roles to challenge her, even if she’s not particularly familiar with the genre. While promoting her latest horror thriller in Saban Films’ House of Darkness, the actress spoke to Bleeding Cool about her unexpected turn as the cult leader Renee in the Paramount+ supernatural series Evil in the episode “The Demon of Cults.” The seventh episode of the third season follows Kristen (Katja Herbers), David (Mike Colter), and Ben (Aasif Mandvi) as they investigate a young man Owen (Kevin Paul), who’s believed to be possessed. They learn he’s tied to a group believed to be a cult led by Renee, whom Ben was familiar with from a science league his sister acclimated him to.

As Ben gets closer than he imagined with Renee, he soon discovers he’s way over his head. “[Aasif] is such a fabulous actor. I was so impressed with him,” Crovatin said. “He comes from the theater too, like me, but he’s funny and thoughtful. He does his homework. I had such a blast, and what a generous human being. I hope that anybody who gets the chance to work with Aasif Mandvi does because he’s great and a phenomenal actor.”

Why “Evil” Appealed to Gia Crovatin

Crovatin is thankful to creators Michelle and Robert King for the opportunity to be a part of such a unique TV show. “The concept of that show is so fascinating, and I think the Kings do a brilliant job of bringing these psychological, scientific, and ideological arguments to life. Everybody plays it very straight, and they take their jobs really seriously, but behind the scenes, there’s so much fun,” Crovatin shared. “When do I ever get to play a cult leader? I mean, that is great [laughs]. I was thrilled to play a cult leader. I had a great time.” All three seasons of Evil are available to stream on Paramount+. House of Darkness, which also stars Justin Long, Kate Bosworth, and Lucy Walters, comes to theaters on September 9th, digital and on-demand on September 13th.