Get ready to see Glee star Dot-Marie Jones like you've never seen before.
In the twisted new psychological thriller Breeder, the Emmy-nominated actress delivers a chilling performance as Patti, the film’s central villain. Written and directed by first-time feature director Alex Goyette, Breeder centers on Russell (Daniel Doheny) — a struggling college student who is lured to the remote compound of a former award-winning dog breeder promising to fund his gene-editing research to save endangered bees. But Russell soon discovers a sick catch to the too-good-to-be-true opportunity: The delusional Patti is obsessed with eugenics and genetic perfection, and the intellectual student has been selected as the "stud" to copulate with one of her captive adoptive daughters, Ainsley (Maddie Phillips).
For Jones, who also executive produced the film, stepping into Patti’s skin marked a thrilling departure from the tough-yet-tender roles that made her a household name. "I read the script and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, this is something that's so different for me,'" Jones says of her initial reaction to reading Goyette’s screenplay. "I’ve done a few horror films, but I think this is more thriller — it's pretty horrific. I hate to say it like this, but it was fun. The script, to read it all the way through and go, 'Oh, my God, this is incredible,' especially for the type of character I was playing. She's so demented and so delusional, and I just fell in love."
Bringing the imposing Patti to life required a careful balance of calculated restraint and unnerving calm — a tone that Goyette and Jones crafted together on set. "It was absolutely wonderful to work with him," Jones says of the first-time filmmaker. "When he was directing, we collabed so much, but I totally got to where I saw what he was after as far as my character and where she was and that sense of this monotone that brought out the creep and made it more creepy. He was so patient and he listened and he would tell me exactly what he was thinking for the character."
Dot-Marie Jones as Patti in 'Breeder'Chris Labadie / IFC Films
While filmgoers might pick up on subtle echoes of classic genre antagonists — most notably Kathy Bates’s Oscar-winning turn as Annie Wilkes in Misery — Jones notes that Patti's disquieting persona was built from the ground up rather than modeled after existing horror icons. "Honestly, we worked together and we would try something, and he would tell me, 'OK, your voice, bring it more here,' you know, drop it down or whatever," Jones explains. "It’s a huge compliment to be compared to Kathy Bates, but I feel like we came up with [Patti] on our own."
There’s also something disturbingly unique about Patti that separates her from a lot of other female villains of the horror pantheon. There is a distinct, visceral horror in watching a motherly figure impose forced breeding and bodily control over other young women she considers her daughters, whom she also refers to as “bitches” in the canine sense. "Absolutely," Jones agrees when asked if changing the villain's gender would have altered the dynamic. "I had so many backstories in my own head. Like, is she wishing she was one of these [girls] and was part of this, you know, the whole eugenics and everything? I think it would have made a big difference had it been a man."
That unsettling dynamic pops up repeatedly throughout the film, particularly during a darkly humorous yet terrifying early scene where Patti knocks on Russell’s guest room door, singing in a creepy voice to inform him that it is "mating time.” Seconds later, she’s forcing him to remove his clothes and commanding him to engage in foreplay with Ainsley — yes, while she watches. Not breaking character during such intense and awkward scenes that involved full-frontal male nudity certainly took some focus, but Jones credits the tight-knit energy of the cast and crew with making the shoot a success.
"Nothing was necessarily tough, but we had a good time filming this," Jones says of keeping a straight face. "And as creepy as it was, I think that made it more fun. I was excited when I first got to see the film, you know, you shoot so many scenes and you think, 'Oh, my God,' because we kept trying different ways and you never know what take they're going to choose. But, of course, we laughed and screwed up and did everything we're supposed to do, but I think it paid off in the sense that we were very close."
Breeder touches on some uncomfortable ethical dilemmas surrounding bodily autonomy, genetic selection, and eugenics — topics that will certainly spark some thought-provoking conversation for those who see the film. In one scene, Patti flat out asks Russell if he is gay after he refuses to mate — leaving viewers to wonder how far she would go to enforce her breeding program — before offering erection pills and semen collection cups. In another scene, Ainsley and Russell discuss modern genetic engineering, calling the ability for expecting parents to tinker with unborn children a dangerous, slippery slope.
For Jones, those topics are precisely what will get audiences talking long after the credits roll. "Well, I think things are probably so close to that right now," Jones says of the film's cautionary themes. "I mean even now, folks that have the embryo implanted can pick what sex they want. So how far away are we from this? I'm sure it'll cause folks to talk about things. And also, it's like, who is anybody to pick who can mate or breed or have children? And at what cost do you limit that? And should we ever want to make that call?"
If there is one thing Jones does have in common with Patti, it’s their love of fur babies. During scenes where Patti is melting at the sight of puppies and talking to them with her high-pitched "puppy talk” voice, that’s pretty much how Jones talks to her own pets at home. "I have a big Cane Corso Black Lab Mix — Fancy — and we talked to her like a baby because she's our baby. And she's a 140-pound baby," Jones laughs. "So she's amazing. And you always got to [shifts to puppy talk voice] talk to the babies, you know? It was fun to do that and silly at the same time. But I'm like, 'Oh, my God, it worked so well.'"
Dot-Marie Jones as Patti in 'Breeder'Jaryl Lim / IFC Films
While fans have seen Jones dabble with horror before — including minor roles in American Horror Story and a recent episode of The Shards — Breeder showcases her ability to command the screen as a towering central antagonist. It’s a genre she is eager to explore much further.
"Absolutely, I would love to. I'd love to just work nonstop, 10 days a week if I could," Jones says of taking on more thrillers. "It's so much fun for me because I've always played the big, mean, tough girl. And that's one of the things I loved about Beiste [from Glee] is she had such a vulnerable side. That was 10 or 11 years ago, but to come and play Patti was so much fun because it wasn't just a couple of days of work; it was a few weeks and to be throughout the film as one of the leads. I'm forever grateful because I got this opportunity, and I had a blast and I would do it over and over again."
Horror fans won't have to wait long to see her back in the genre either. Jones already has Date in the pipeline, another thriller that reunites her with her Breeder costar Phillips. "I got to work with Maddie Phillips again. I love her like she was my daughter because she's so sweet and so darling, as were all the girls," Jones shares. "But as soon as we came home from doing Breeder in Vancouver, I got the offer to do this thing on Date. And I was like, 'Absolutely,' I would love to do more thrillers like this."
Of course, no conversation with Jones is complete without looking back at the role that earned her three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations: Coach Sheldon Beiste on Glee. Introduced in season 2 as the tough-talking, warm-hearted football coach of McKinley High, Beiste became one of the musical series's most pivotal characters, particularly through a groundbreaking storyline where the character transitioned to a transgender man in the final season. With series cocreator Ryan Murphy recently teasing a possible Glee revival, Jones remains firmly on board to revisit Sheldon Beiste.
"Of course, I would work on anything Ryan had," Jones says with a smile. "I've worked on so many different shows of his. And to have Glee come back... Maybe Sheldon could be school principal."
Breeder is now in theaters. Watch the trailer ahead.
