Halle Berry said she learned how to skin a squirrel while preparing for Never Let Go—but the production did not use a real squirrel for the scene. Reporting on a statement from PETA says director Alexandre Aja used realistic props and movie effects instead.
What Halle Berry said about preparing for the role
At Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas on April 10, 2024, Berry described the survival demands of playing a mother isolated in the woods. “There was no electricity, no lights, my character skinning squirrels, and they’re eating bugs and frogs — raw frogs — in the woods. It was a challenge,” she said. She added, “I had to really skin a squirrel. These things wildly challenged me to create some reality within this world that felt so foreign.” Yahoo Entertainment’s April 10 report covered her remarks.
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Never Let Go - DVD, BLURAY, Digital | $11.03 | Buy on Amazon |
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Never Let Me Go (2010) [Blu-ray] | $12.62 | Buy on Amazon |
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Never Let Go [Blu-ray] | $13.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Was a real squirrel used in the movie?
No. Berry’s statement was about learning the skill for the role; it does not mean she killed or skinned a real animal during filming. In a statement reported by Yahoo Entertainment on April 17, PETA’s Director of Animals in Film and Television, Lauren Thomasson, said the production used movie effects rather than a live squirrel. A later theGrio report described the clarification as the use of realistic props.
Thomasson said: “While moviegoers may squirm in their seats at the sight of a squirrel being skinned, Alexander Aja’s use of movie magic, instead of a thinking, feeling being in Never Let Go, once again proves that technology is the key to modern, humane movie production.” The director’s name is Alexandre Aja; the spelling “Alexander” appears in the quoted statement.
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- A mother and her twin sons who have been haunted by an evil spirit for years find their safety and their surroundings compromised when one of the children questions whether the evil is real or imagined.
Why the skill fits the film’s story
Never Let Go is a psychological horror thriller about a mother and her twin sons living in isolation. They treat their home and family bond as protection, and use ropes to stay connected to the house when they enter the woods. Their sense of safety is tested when one son questions whether the evil they fear is real. The survival details Berry described—including eating what the woods provide—belong to that isolated setting. ComingSoon’s September 19, 2024 interview with Aja discusses the film’s premise.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the setting helped the cast
Berry also credited the location with helping the performances feel grounded. In an interview, she described filming at a real old house in the woods and working in the elements, sometimes at night. She said those conditions helped both her and the younger actors inhabit the story’s unsettling world. TheGrio’s May 17, 2024 coverage includes her comments about the setting.
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