Jacob Batalon tries his hand on horror in 'Tarot'

Jacob Batalon, the 27-year-old Filipino-American actor who is best known as Ned Leeds, Peter Parker's best friend in the "Spider-Man" franchise, tries his hand in the horror genre in the supernatural film, "Tarot."

Based on the 1992 novel, "Horrorscope" by Nicholas Adams, the horror film is the directorial debut of writer-directors Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, with Adams as co-writer.

It is the story of a group of friends who rent a mansion in the Catskills and try to entertain and distract themselves by reading horoscopes and using a box of tarot cards they discovered in the basement. And even though they learned that it is against the rules in Tarot to use somebody else's deck, they still proceeded.

Aside from Batalon, others in the cast include Harriet Slater (Haley), Avantika Vandanapu (Paige), Adain Bradley (Grant), Humberly Gonzalez (Madeline), Wolfgang Novogratz (Lucas), Larsen Thompson (Elise), and Olwen Fouere (Alma Astryn).

Cast of 'Tarot.' Contributed photo

Batalon, who portrays Paxton, is everyone's best friend. Cohen described him in the notes, "He calls things as he sees them, which often leads to some unintentional humor.

"He's the glue that holds this group together," said Halberg. "He's extremely honest—to a fault—which gets him into trouble sometimes but is also very funny."

"What people might not realize is that he is one of the best dramatic actors out there. He has so much range and brings so much heart—he steals every scene he's in," said Cohen.

Halberg also said out that because Batalon is an accomplished improvisational actor, the filmmakers could call on that skill as well. For example, in one scene, Paxton is comforting Grant after his breakup with Haley. "We had Jacob improv on different things that he could do with his best friend Grant, now that Grant has broken up with Haley," she said. "He just kept riffing—spa days, couple's massages, pottery classes…"

Batalon enjoyed playing the role and the chance to bring depth to a character that might have been merely comic relief.

In our exclusive interview via email, Batalon tells us more about his new dive into the horror world, his character, how comfortable he was doing improv, if he ever had someone read his future using Tarot cards, if he ever visited a haunted house, the scariest and most memorable scene he did in the movie, and if his ancestors ever told him of ghost stories in the Philippines.

Scene from 'Tarot.' Contributed photo

Horror is a new genre for you. What made you say yes to this project?

I just wanted to be a part of a horror movie that didn't stick to the normal tropes of horror genre. I think having Paxton's comedy in it really balances out the tone of the film. I think it's great to have these little injections of comedy where everything doesn't have to be so dark and so brooding.

Can you tell us more about your character, Paxton?

Paxton is a scaredy cat. But also, I think Paxton is like a potty mouth, smokes weed, like he's very much a normal college kid.

How comfortable were you doing a lot of improv here?

I enjoy the space to create and to play. I think it helps a lot with the sort of organic storytelling of relationships in movies. And it helps me personally get into a scene or a few scenes more focused. I definitely think that's the best part [about improvising].

Have you ever had someone read your future using tarot cards?

We actually did a promo shoot with an actual tarot reader. And it was such a pleasant experience. It was so uplifting and positive that I kind of want to do it again. I think that it really opened my mind to seeing my life and my goals in a certain way that I would not have seen it. So that was really mind-opening for sure. I'd probably go back again. I'd probably go somewhere and get my palm read at some point, or go to a psychic maybe.

Jacob Batalon in 'Tarot.' Contributed photo

Definitely I have not been to a haunted house. I've been to, like, a play-haunted house where they jump-scare you, that was really fun. But no, I would not go to a haunted house because I think that haunted houses keep spirits who have, like, unfinished business so I wouldn't want to mess around with a mad demon or angels or spirits.

What was the scariest moment for you while filming this movie? What was the most memorable?

Oh, man, there's a scene where we're on this bridge trying to run away, and that was really terrifying. There were a lot of nights where we did the Tarot reading scenes, and that was super fun. But I think, ironically, the most fun night that I had was when we did this campfire scene. It didn't even feel like a horror movie. It felt like a coming-of-age story. And then it all turns bad.

Growing up, did your Lolo or Lola tell you stories about the haunted houses in the Philippines or their experiences with ghosts?

My uncle actually has that gift where he can see ghosts and stuff, and he would always see this one spirit that was in his house all the time. But he said it was a white ghost, so it meant that he was safe. But he did see one black ghost once that definitely was gonna haunt him. He moved away from the Philippines after that.