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Ben Aldridge on the LGBT+ representation in Knock at the Cabin

Ben Aldridge says the portrayal of a gay relationship in new thriller Knock at the Cabin is "nicely progressive" in how the character's sexuality is not the centre of their story.

The film, directed by M Night Shyamalan and adapted from a novel, follows a gay couple — played by Aldridge and Hamilton star Jonathan Groff — as they attempt to defend their daughter from home invaders.

Knock at the Cabin, which also stars Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint, is out in cinemas across the UK from 3 February.

Video transcript

TOM BEASLEY: One of the things I wanted to ask you, there's a sort of religious element, I think, to this story. And I wanted to ask whether any of your own background kind of informed that part of it for you?

BEN ALDRIDGE: Yeah, it's weird, I grew up religious and then moved away from it as I got older. And just like the year before doing this film, started to just think about that a little bit more in a kind of like, oh, no, maybe I do believe in something. But then I was playing this like super atheist cynic, who is a human rights lawyer and also-- not only does he not believe in religion, he's also kind of-- he kind of doesn't believe in humanity as well. I think he thinks that it's pretty-- he's pretty cynical about that.

So it was a really interesting experience to be someone who was so definite about that. And he's the only voice in the room, in the cabin, who feels that way. Everyone else has a kind of belief in something more than he does.

So it was a bit weird because I was the only actor that had the perspective that I had. And everyone else was a bit more like-- a bit more spiritual about the entire film, and I was always a bit more skeptical about the whole thing, I think. But yeah, it was interesting.

TOM BEASLEY: Yeah, I think it's an interesting side of it. I think the other side is the fact that you're playing a gay character, but the fact he's gay is not the center of the story.

BEN ALDRIDGE: Yeah.

TOM BEASLEY: But also, the story doesn't ignore it. And I think that was really important.

BEN ALDRIDGE: Yeah, I think it feels nicely progressive in that way in that like it places a single sex parent family at the center of the film, but they-- Night treats them like a-- like the normal family that they should be treated like. And it's-- I think it adds a really interesting element to the film and there's interesting detail in there, but it isn't the crux of it. They just happen to be this family with gay dads.

And yeah, it felt like-- I love that. It felt great that was the center of a big studio like blockbuster. Can we call it a blockbuster?

TOM BEASLEY: I think so.

BEN ALDRIDGE: OK, cool, cool. Great. Thanks.