US star Alicia Witt said starring alongside Nicolas Cage in new horror film Longlegs helped with the death of both her parents and a cancer diagnosis.

The actor and singer plays Ruth, the traumatised mother of a young FBI agent, (played by Maika Monroe), who is attempting to bring down the titular killer – played by Cage.

The role came after both of her parents were found dead in their home in Worcester, Massachusetts, in late 2021.

Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage (Ian West/PA)

In a social media post after the incident, 48-year-old Witt said they were “beautifully original souls”.

Months later, Witt revealed she had been receiving treatment, including chemotherapy and a mastectomy, after a breast cancer diagnosis.

“Making Longlegs felt like a very spiritual experience,” Witt told the Guardian of the Osgood Perkins-directed project.

“It felt as though something within me that needed to be released was released, and shall forevermore remain within these frames.

“…I’m very proud of whatever got channelled. It felt that intense and that personal for me: the catharsis of getting to play Ruth was profound.”

Witt, who said only a handful of people were her “touchstones” during that time in her life, appeared to suggest she found a place to expel some of the sadness she felt.

“It’s odd, but true, that by making a film that explores the dark, somehow I see the light in creating something like this,” she told the Guardian.

“I think that only by being tapped into the light can you eliminate the dark.”

Witt is known for her role as Zelda in the final season of Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and for starring in the original 1984 production of sci-fi thriller Dune.

Longlegs will be released in UK cinemas on July 12.