Venture into the shadowy realm where childhood innocence meets its ghostly counterpart in this weeks episode of Pop Culture Weekly as Kyle McMahon sits down with the stars of Blumhouse's "Imaginary." Kyle is joined by the stellar cast DeWanda Wise, Taegen Burns, and Pyper Braun, who peel back the curtain on the film's intertwining of whimsy and dread. Discover the commitment to character development and the refreshing embrace of practical effects that set this horror gem apart. You'll get the inside scoop on how these actors drew from their own wells of creativity to flesh out their roles—creating an atmosphere that's as authentic as it is spine-chilling.
Amidst the screams and thrills, DeWanda Wise takes us deeper, sharing her journey as both an actor and an executive producer. Her insights into her character Jess and the crafting of a complex backstory shine a light on the nuance and power of horror storytelling. Wise also touches on the pivotal role of black women in horror, an empowering perspective that adds a rich layer to our discussion. If you're curious about the behind-the-scenes magic of "Imaginary," and the dedicated work of Blumhouse and Jason Blum, then this conversation is one you won't want to miss. Join us as we reveal the secrets that make this eerie masterpiece a must-see, both in theaters and on your future streaming binge list.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Pop Culture Weekly YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@popcultureweekly
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
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Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
Pop Culture Weekly twitter: http://www.twitter.com/popculturepodca
Amidst the screams and thrills, DeWanda Wise takes us deeper, sharing her journey as both an actor and an executive producer. Her insights into her character Jess and the crafting of a complex backstory shine a light on the nuance and power of horror storytelling. Wise also touches on the pivotal role of black women in horror, an empowering perspective that adds a rich layer to our discussion. If you're curious about the behind-the-scenes magic of "Imaginary," and the dedicated work of Blumhouse and Jason Blum, then this conversation is one you won't want to miss. Join us as we reveal the secrets that make this eerie masterpiece a must-see, both in theaters and on your future streaming binge list.
Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/
---------------
Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.com
Watch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videos
or Pop Culture Weekly YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@popcultureweekly
Read the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.com
Follow Kyle on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmacmusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kmacmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahon
Website: http://www.kylemcmahon.me
Pop Culture Weekly twitter: http://www.twitter.com/popculturepodca
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the brand new Blumhouse
Productions film Imaginary. I talk withthe cast, including to Wanda Wi's,
Tagan Burns and Piper Braun. Let'sgo Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle
McMahon from My Heart Radio your popculture news, views, reviews, and
(00:20):
celebrity interviews on all the movies,TV, music and pop culture u CRABE
Weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon. What'sup. Hello, and welcome to pop
Culture we leek Welcome the pop CultureWeekly with Kyle McMahon. I'm Kyle McMahon
(00:41):
and this episode is all about Blumhouse'sImaginary. This film is really really great.
It's very unique and imaginative, ifyou will. It's not your typical,
you know, horror movie. Ireally really enjoyed it. It's got
(01:02):
a great cast. Of course.It's produced by Jason Blum who I mean
what and Jeff Wadler, who alsowrote and directed it. The official synopsis
from Blumhouse is an original horror tapsinto the innocence of imaginary friends and begs
the question are they really figments ofchildhood imagination? Or is something more terrifying
(01:23):
lying just beneath. When Jessica movesback into her childhood home with her family,
her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerieattachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey
she finds in the basement. Alicestarts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful
and become increasingly sinister. It is. I loved it. I really did
(01:45):
love it. I loved being inthat world, and I'm trying to be
as spoiler free as possible. Thoseare really great job world building and fleshing
out the characters too, very layered, you know, which I really appreciate.
I talk with the cast, includingJessica, who is Dewanda, why
she's amazing. I talk with thegirls, Taking Burns who plays Taylor,
(02:07):
and Piper Braun who plays Alice.So let's just hop right into the interviews.
First up, Taking Burns and PiperBraun, thank you both for joining
me. I really appreciate it,Yes, thank you, thank you.
Of course. First of all,I love that Chauncey is there. It's
(02:30):
kind of creepy, but I loveit. So how how was this project
for both of you? You know, like going into it and then now
that it's finished and you can lookback and watch it. What was it
like, you know, looking backat the whole process for you, I
mean, getting to see it allcome together was so because again having you
(02:53):
add in those sound effects and youadd in all of this music and everything
to make it more intense, becauseit's like you're filming in and it's like,
you know, it's supposed to bescary and have jump scares, and
then you actually see it and they'relike, Okay, those look good,
you know, yeah, And howabout for you, Piper? For me,
well, set wasn't scary. Itwas It was actually a lot lighter
(03:15):
than in the movie. They definitelymade it a lot darker, and it
wasn't as scary as you think itis. I mean the jump scares and
when we were watching the movie forthe first time, we knew when the
jump scares were coming, but therewas a couple, but there were a
couple that just got you and youwere like, there was one of me
(03:36):
that got me, Like I wasn'tstill got me? Yeah, I love
that And what was it? Youknow? This The thing one of the
things that I love about the filmis that it is, uh, it
really plays with the imagination if youwill, of the viewer, you know
obviously, as well as it beingvital to the plot. And interestingly enough,
(04:01):
the way you know films are createdtoday, you had to use your
imagination a lot in filming. Didyou ever, you know, conjure up
something or was there a specific thingthat you conjured up to get you in
that space to act? Yeah?I mean I think it's like when creating
(04:26):
the characters, and really you douse your imagination to really develop each story
and just really develop their art.So I think just kind of using that
imagination to really think up like storiesof you know, Alice when she was
younger that led her to who sheis now, and stories of when Taylor
was younger that why is she theway she is with all those the people
around her, and just using thatimagination to develop your characters and stuff.
(04:50):
And there was nothing, So,you know, I'm trying to be as
spoiler free as possible to it's hard. Was there anything as you're filming that,
like, you know, you soyou know on the script and that
eventually you're going to be the vieweris going to see you're looking at X
(05:10):
the scary X. Right. Wasthere any kind of thing that you conjured
in your mind to be that Xas you're as you're filming. You know
what I'm saying. Well, wedidn't really do as much green screen stuff
as you think. So all thosemonsters in the movie were actual guys in
(05:33):
costumes. Awesome. Yeah, andthey were all very nice guys. And
I mean even the sets it waslike those I won't say which set,
but it was not green screen.It was. It was truly this insanely
and well done set that I mean, I'm walking through it like kind of
(05:55):
tripping. This is really good.Oh, I know what you're talking about.
No harsh green screen, isn't it. It's like the tiniest yeah,
like a back yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. But that looked really
good and I'm seeing it on screen. I was so happy with how it
turned out. That looks so goodon screen. You'll have to watch sch
(06:15):
one, you know, to saymuch one it is. I knew going
in that more practical effects were donethen a lot of you know, movies
today, I didn't know how much. So that's awesome to hear that,
you know, you guys weren't onI forget what they call it in the
Disney films or it's like a threesixty you know, Green Screen Studio,
and you really were you know,kind of in these worlds, which is
(06:39):
awesome. Yeah, was super helpful, especially when actually acting. And it's
like we didn't have to use ourimagination as much, which was it was
super helpful. I mean, itwas helpful having these physical things and kind
of like you with having your littlebear and your teddy Bear and having those
creatures and all of it was superhelpful to elevating our performance. And then
(07:00):
when you do have those scenes,it's it's really nice to have something physical
rather than mentally thinking of it.Having Chancey with me, you felt the
weight of the bear. You hadthe actual the bear was being held in
your arms, and it wasn't somethinglike a pole or a ball or something.
(07:24):
It was it was an actual teddybear. That's awesome And for you
know, for you, I knowyou said that it was a lot lighter
and not as scary and stuff onset as when I'm watching it in the
theater, you know, jumping onthe random stranger next to me. But
do you are you able to leavekind of work at home while you're filming
(07:46):
a project like that, because Ifeel like there's a lot of heavy stuff
in imaginary, and you know,are you able to kind of say,
all right, I'm done filming forthe day. I'm going to go to
my hotel or apartment or whatever andchill and kind of leave that on set
or does some of that kind ofcome with you while you're until you're done
(08:09):
wrapping. I definitely think it wasimportant to kind of once you're done on
set. I mean we'd go homeand we'd hang out and we play board
games and everything. But also thenit's like, Okay, next morning,
you're back in the character, sodon't forget about it too much. But
also having the nice kind of relaxingnight after Yeah, after keep it almost
like tabs, Like it's like,okay, put the work tab back it
(08:35):
flip the other tab and it's likeflip it, like we'll switch back and
forth in tone. Yeah, we'redone, and it's you have a very
competitive side when it comes to game. I learned that, and that was
it was just learning when to bringwork, when to flip that switch,
(08:56):
and like when you got to saidit was like okay work mode. Yes,
Yeah, it's like almost like aone light almost like a light switch.
Okay, yeah, all right,both of you. You know,
obviously your sisters in the film,so you know, and and working on
a film, you tend to spenda lot of time with each other.
(09:16):
How did your relationship develop personally throughthat? You know, did you find
like a sisterly bond with each other? I would say so definitely. Yeah.
I mean having again, we wouldgo home and play games, or
we'd go out to eat, andit was kind of an instant bond that
we had an instant sisterly bond.And yeah, and we don't we don't
(09:39):
have any sisters, family children,oh we have, we have brothers.
We're not only children. Yes,So it was it was definitely like,
oh I get a sister now exactly. And it was fun getting to have
that for like be in that forfor two months, getting to have a
sister. Yeah, and yeah,that's cool and that's something you guys will
(10:03):
have forever, you know. Okay, Piper, for you, you know,
you have a lot of imaginary Thefilm is resting on you. And
again I'm trying to be as spoilerfree as possible, but how did you
do that? You do? Youboth are such amazing actors, but you
(10:24):
know, you, in particular,Piper, really have to do a lot.
Yeah, how do you carry somethinglike that? I mean, if
it weren't for my last movie thatI did before this one, I don't
think I would have been able toget through this movie. And working on
(10:46):
a multi cam comedy before this reallyactually did help me because I knew that
I would have to process my likewhen I respond, and really all my
jobs before this one really did helpme. And if it weren't for all
my family before this family, Idon't think I would be here right now.
(11:11):
And I'm really glad. I lovethat. And you've done such an
amazing job and so and take andso of you. You you play you
know, a sort of angsty teenager. Yes, uh, and and you
carry that so well too. AndI mean that as a compliment with you,
by the way, thank you ofcourse, So thank you both for
(11:33):
speaking with me. I cannot waitfor everybody to go and see Imaginary.
It is so great and I hopethat we continue to see stories that deal
with these characters in the future.So yeah, thank you, thank you.
I have a one ful quest ofyour day. Thank you, have
a great have a great day,girls. Piper brawn and taking burnss.
(11:54):
I'm telling you, I love Imaginary. It's really great. It is out
now in theaters. If you're listeningto this new you're listening to this later
on. It's probably out on streamingand home video and all that good stuff.
I really love Imaginary. I reallylove Blumhouse. I love basically everything
Blumhouse has ever done. Jason Blumto me, is a genius. And
(12:18):
you know, if you're a horrorfan, you probably agree. All right,
before we talk to Dewanda Wise,let's take a break and pay the
bills. Sixty seconds, see yousoon, all right. Thanks for hanging
out and letting us pay the bills. Our advertisers are amazing and they and
you allow us to do what wedo each and every week to bring you
(12:41):
pop culture weekly. And I appreciateyou, and I love you, and
I thank you that you're hanging outwith me. I really do all right.
Next up, Dewanda Wise has beenin film, television, theater.
She is a powerhouse. I loveher. She played Kayla Watts in Jurassic
World Dominion, you know as Kaylaand Dominion. She played the pilot in
(13:03):
twenty twenty one's Fatherhood with Kevin Hartand Alfred Ward word or who I Love.
She played Swan in that, shewas in the Twilight Zone in twenty
nineteen. She's got to have itas Nola Darling and so many other great
things. I really do love herand I'm excited to talk to her.
Not only does she star in this, but she's an executive producer as well,
(13:24):
which I think is important. Andyou know you'll hear why in our
interview all right here. She isthe one and knownly the wonder Why.
Thank you so much to Wander forspeaking with me. I really appreciate it.
Yeah, thanks for having me.Of course, I absolutely love the
film and I can't wait for everybodyto see it. You are incredible in
(13:46):
it. Jess is really, forme, the heart of the film,
and you do such a great jobas Jess. Was What was it like
for you, you know, playingher? It was a delight, you
know, obviously it's a very catharticexperience, even being in a you know,
in a horror movie. But Ireally love I really love crafting characters
(14:11):
like that, Like I love kindof planting the seeds and just going through
a script and you know, workingwith Jeff to to make sure that we
told her story in a way thatallowed the audience in and for them to
have a horror movie protagonist who youcare about. You know, you can
watch a horror movie and you caneither watch one that's like, oh,
(14:33):
I want them to make it,or you can watch one where you're just
kind of like doing a body count, you know what I mean. And
I just I really set out tomake to make the first and I think
you did. And you know,one of the things that I love speaking
to what you're saying is, youknow, oftentimes in horr I'm a huge
horror fan, and oftentimes in horrorsometimes the backstories aren't so backstory, yees,
(14:58):
and Jess as a very rich andI'm trying to be as spoiler for
as possible, but Jess has avery rich backstory that's very multi layered,
and there's a lot going on andthat partially drives her and it partially drives
the story. And that really reallyreally stood out to me because it's,
you know, unfortunately, in agenre I love, it's not as common
(15:22):
as it should be. Yeah,I agree, I agree. I mean
I think that's what drew me into begin with. The first conversation I
had with Blumhouse casting was that itwas this notion of like a kind of
a trojan horse, you know,horror movie so to speak, you know,
one that at the core of ithas all these like deeply resonant and
maybe even hard themes, but ultimatelyit's still entertaining, still has like the
(15:45):
twists and turns, you know,but just just has like a little more
character development, you know, andreally presents an opportunity for you know,
not just my character, but allthe characters to really like latch onto something
real, so that by the timewe take viewers on the journey, you
know, they're they're all in andthey're taking us seriously. Yeah, and
(16:07):
it is it is a journey,and you know, and and that's I
just love it. And part ofthat reason, uh is also because not
to be funny, but it leavesa lot to your imagination. And you
know, it's this imagination uh thatfor the viewer where it's like childhood fears
(16:27):
and uh and adult fears and allall of this kind of thing. And
I think it's just uh expertly doesit and it's so enjoyable for for you
you know, when you're doing Ifrom my understanding, uh that a lot
of it was practical effects, whichyou know today is not always front and
(16:48):
center. Was that, you know, do you find that more comfortable as
an actor to be looking at youknow, what you're essentially going to be
looking at on screen, or doyou are you able to kind of compartmentalize
that traditionally? You know, Ihave been wildly fortunate thus far. I
keep reading and seeing these interviews aboutactors who are just like in an entirely
(17:15):
green room, and that sounds wildto me. It just sounds wild to
me. And I'm sure you knowthere are naturally elements of performing for film
and TV that you're still acting witha piece of tape. Like if you
see any close up of an actorright, chances are they were not actually
(17:37):
looking at someone else's eyeballs. Chancesare they were looking at a little teeny
tiny piece of tape in the cornerof like you know, the matchbox of
a camera. But I have nothad the experience where I haven't been immersed
in an environment, you know whatI mean. And this was both like
(18:00):
from every single department, from theprops department to you know, our set
designer, to our creature feature,you know, spectral, Like every single
department gave us so much to playwith. Everything's so tactile, and I
do think it makes a difference.I don't know any better because I have
(18:22):
absolutely zero point of reference. We'llhave to have this conversation again in the
future when I do my first greenscreen movie. But you know, as
it stands, I do think itmakes I do think it makes a huge
impact on the performance of an actor. Yeah, I couldn't imagine. You
know, so many films and theydo it well. I'm not knocking it,
but I couldn't imagine, especially Iforget what it's called, but those
(18:45):
three sixty like environment green screen thingslike you know, I mean, it's
gotta be cool, but it's alsogot to be just disorienting, I'm assuming
as an actor. I mean,I think it's just you know, there
will be there were days on Jurassicfor sure, where it's just like we
need to know where you have totell us exactly what the eye line is.
(19:06):
There are six actors on this,you know state, but we still
had like the Giganatasaurus, we stillhad all these other things at our disposal.
So I mean, I'm sure Ican, because I'm an extraordinary performer.
But if I had to choose,I mean, I'm practical all the
way. And not to mention,it's just really fun to see a director
(19:26):
directing, you know, all thoseother elements. It's really fun. It's
also really funny, but it's mostlyit's mostly really fun to just you know,
watching Jeff choreograph Michael, who playsboth you know, he plays two
creatures in the movie. I'm alsotrying to be spoiler free, but he
plays two creatures in the movie,and just watching him, you know,
help him construct this very physical performance. I mean, it's just, you
(19:52):
know, as a wanna be futuredirector myself, it's really cool. And
as a viewer it's awesome. Youknow. I love that I speak with
Elvira just about every October. Ilove her. And this last October we
were talking about kind of in thevein of Oscar, so white, horror
so white, and I feel likehorror has really been a place in the
(20:18):
last five ten years, especially thatblack performers, black creatives are really flourishing.
Yeah, and and you know,we have all these iconic screen screen
queens and I feel like, youknow, you you are now one of
them. How do you feel speakingas you know, there aren't many feature
(20:42):
films in the horror genre from amajor studio that are led by a black
woman. How how what do youspeak to? Yeah, how do you
speak to that? Well? First, I feel like you this might be
the first interview that had said thatso plainly. Oh, I hope that's
(21:03):
not bad. It's not bad atall. I am you know, I
feel like what I've been trying todo from the very beginning. You know,
I joined SAG after in college.It was in two thousand and five,
and what I've been trying to dovery quietly, is create and build
a career that is subtly subversive,that is as that has casts that are
(21:30):
as diverse as my friend group isthat you know, really feel like black
women who were like free, justjust free black women. You know,
you can go back, you cansee it, like, you know,
you look at Ola Darling, youcan look at you know, Aaron and
someone great, and you just seethis tapestry of women who I personally heavily
(21:53):
identify with, who are just goingabout the business of living their lives,
you know, and so being ableto in this space particularly there is a
simultaneity that I'm operating from because forme, it became about constructing a character
(22:14):
who you know is going through thesethings that feel believable and true and you
know that many people can identify with, while also acknowledging the cultural specificities of
what it is and means for ablack viewer to watch a horror movie.
(22:36):
You know what I mean. Andthere are little things that if anyone's watching,
I'll give you guys a couple oflike little tidbits because it really makes
me laugh. Actually, there arelittle choices. This happened on Twilight Zone
two where like, you know,you'll be in hair and makeup and and
they want to like if they're tryingto break you down, right, they
like, okay, we're trying toWe got to dirt you up, we
(22:59):
got to make you look really rough. Right. One thing that I never
allow hair and makeup to do isgive me like cracked lips because for black
people it's hilarious. It's hilarious.Dave Chappelle has made it hilarious. I
know that every black person in theworld knows that. So it's something that
you know. Because I'm an executiveproducer on this project. Too. There's
(23:19):
like I'm working with multiple brains init, you know what I mean,
moving back to her childhood home.It's like if you're watching a traditional horror
movie, a lot of the housesare really scary, Like a lot of
the houses are haunted houses. They'revery clearly haunted houses, and you don't
want to go in them. Noone knows why you're moving back to this
(23:41):
house. It's just like, sellthe house, you know what I mean,
Like, sell the house and movesomewhere else. And so Jeff and
I the like Locations manager props toLocations for finding a home that looks like
you would move back to, youknow what I mean, that looks like,
yeah, the house isn't scary,Our house is not scary. Can't
(24:02):
win with basements. Basements are inherentlyterrifying. You know, we're going down
in the basement. I'm sorry,but yeah, you know, I think
it's that I think I appreciate theacknowledgment because you know, I am trying
to build something that I haven't necessarilya career that I haven't necessarily seen,
(24:22):
and you know, do it withas much mindfulness and specificity as possible.
I love that you are doing itbeautifully. I can't wait to see all
of your creative talents continue to beput out into the world. And I'll
be there day one on opening daywatching them all. Thank you, Thank
you, really appreciate it. Dowonder why she is a queen? She
(24:47):
is so She's just a powerhouse andI love her. She's so great in
everything she does. But I loveher as Kayla and Jurassic World Dominion,
and I love her as Jessica.Yes. Imaginary which is out right now
from Blumhouse and Lionsgate. Love Lionsgate. So go see it and let me
(25:07):
know what you think. Hit meup on social or email me, or
if you're using the iHeartRadio app,which is free. There's a talkback button
right on this episode. You canhit that and it sends a voicemail to
me or right away. Please benice. Some of you aren't always kind
and I can handle that. Butyou know, just whatever, send whatever
(25:29):
you want, tell me what youthink, you know what, we might
put you on the show. Allright. I love you. Go see
Imaginary from Blumhouse in theaters. Now, let me know what you think about
it. I think you're gonna loveit as much as I do. Hope
you enjoyed my conversations with the starsof Imaginary. I love you, See
you next week. We thank youfor listening to pop Culture Weekly. Here
(25:52):
all the latest at pop culturewekly dotcom. Chaucea'd Bear, Chaucey Bear,
is he evil? Doesn't care?Chauncey's Bear, Chauncey Bear. You don't
(26:15):
want chaut You burn your hair.
In this episode of pop Culture Weekly, it's all about the brand new Blumhouse
Productions film Imaginary. I talk withthe cast, including to Wanda Wi's,
Tagan Burns and Piper Braun. Let'sgo Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle
McMahon from My Heart Radio your popculture news, views, reviews, and
(00:20):
celebrity interviews on all the movies,TV, music and pop culture u CRABE
Weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon. What'sup. Hello, and welcome to pop
Culture we leek Welcome the pop CultureWeekly with Kyle McMahon. I'm Kyle McMahon
(00:41):
and this episode is all about Blumhouse'sImaginary. This film is really really great.
It's very unique and imaginative, ifyou will. It's not your typical,
you know, horror movie. Ireally really enjoyed it. It's got
(01:02):
a great cast. Of course.It's produced by Jason Blum who I mean
what and Jeff Wadler, who alsowrote and directed it. The official synopsis
from Blumhouse is an original horror tapsinto the innocence of imaginary friends and begs
the question are they really figments ofchildhood imagination? Or is something more terrifying
(01:23):
lying just beneath. When Jessica movesback into her childhood home with her family,
her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerieattachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey
she finds in the basement. Alicestarts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful
and become increasingly sinister. It is. I loved it. I really did
(01:45):
love it. I loved being inthat world, and I'm trying to be
as spoiler free as possible. Thoseare really great job world building and fleshing
out the characters too, very layered, you know, which I really appreciate.
I talk with the cast, includingJessica, who is Dewanda, why
she's amazing. I talk with thegirls, Taking Burns who plays Taylor,
(02:07):
and Piper Braun who plays Alice.So let's just hop right into the interviews.
First up, Taking Burns and PiperBraun, thank you both for joining
me. I really appreciate it,Yes, thank you, thank you.
Of course. First of all,I love that Chauncey is there. It's
(02:30):
kind of creepy, but I loveit. So how how was this project
for both of you? You know, like going into it and then now
that it's finished and you can lookback and watch it. What was it
like, you know, looking backat the whole process for you, I
mean, getting to see it allcome together was so because again having you
(02:53):
add in those sound effects and youadd in all of this music and everything
to make it more intense, becauseit's like you're filming in and it's like,
you know, it's supposed to bescary and have jump scares, and
then you actually see it and they'relike, Okay, those look good,
you know, yeah, And howabout for you, Piper? For me,
well, set wasn't scary. Itwas It was actually a lot lighter
(03:15):
than in the movie. They definitelymade it a lot darker, and it
wasn't as scary as you think itis. I mean the jump scares and
when we were watching the movie forthe first time, we knew when the
jump scares were coming, but therewas a couple, but there were a
couple that just got you and youwere like, there was one of me
(03:36):
that got me, Like I wasn'tstill got me? Yeah, I love
that And what was it? Youknow? This The thing one of the
things that I love about the filmis that it is, uh, it
really plays with the imagination if youwill, of the viewer, you know
obviously, as well as it beingvital to the plot. And interestingly enough,
(04:01):
the way you know films are createdtoday, you had to use your
imagination a lot in filming. Didyou ever, you know, conjure up
something or was there a specific thingthat you conjured up to get you in
that space to act? Yeah?I mean I think it's like when creating
(04:26):
the characters, and really you douse your imagination to really develop each story
and just really develop their art.So I think just kind of using that
imagination to really think up like storiesof you know, Alice when she was
younger that led her to who sheis now, and stories of when Taylor
was younger that why is she theway she is with all those the people
around her, and just using thatimagination to develop your characters and stuff.
(04:50):
And there was nothing, So,you know, I'm trying to be as
spoiler free as possible to it's hard. Was there anything as you're filming that,
like, you know, you soyou know on the script and that
eventually you're going to be the vieweris going to see you're looking at X
(05:10):
the scary X. Right. Wasthere any kind of thing that you conjured
in your mind to be that Xas you're as you're filming. You know
what I'm saying. Well, wedidn't really do as much green screen stuff
as you think. So all thosemonsters in the movie were actual guys in
(05:33):
costumes. Awesome. Yeah, andthey were all very nice guys. And
I mean even the sets it waslike those I won't say which set,
but it was not green screen.It was. It was truly this insanely
and well done set that I mean, I'm walking through it like kind of
(05:55):
tripping. This is really good.Oh, I know what you're talking about.
No harsh green screen, isn't it. It's like the tiniest yeah,
like a back yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. But that looked really
good and I'm seeing it on screen. I was so happy with how it
turned out. That looks so goodon screen. You'll have to watch sch
(06:15):
one, you know, to saymuch one it is. I knew going
in that more practical effects were donethen a lot of you know, movies
today, I didn't know how much. So that's awesome to hear that,
you know, you guys weren't onI forget what they call it in the
Disney films or it's like a threesixty you know, Green Screen Studio,
and you really were you know,kind of in these worlds, which is
(06:39):
awesome. Yeah, was super helpful, especially when actually acting. And it's
like we didn't have to use ourimagination as much, which was it was
super helpful. I mean, itwas helpful having these physical things and kind
of like you with having your littlebear and your teddy Bear and having those
creatures and all of it was superhelpful to elevating our performance. And then
(07:00):
when you do have those scenes,it's it's really nice to have something physical
rather than mentally thinking of it.Having Chancey with me, you felt the
weight of the bear. You hadthe actual the bear was being held in
your arms, and it wasn't somethinglike a pole or a ball or something.
(07:24):
It was it was an actual teddybear. That's awesome And for you
know, for you, I knowyou said that it was a lot lighter
and not as scary and stuff onset as when I'm watching it in the
theater, you know, jumping onthe random stranger next to me. But
do you are you able to leavekind of work at home while you're filming
(07:46):
a project like that, because Ifeel like there's a lot of heavy stuff
in imaginary, and you know,are you able to kind of say,
all right, I'm done filming forthe day. I'm going to go to
my hotel or apartment or whatever andchill and kind of leave that on set
or does some of that kind ofcome with you while you're until you're done
(08:09):
wrapping. I definitely think it wasimportant to kind of once you're done on
set. I mean we'd go homeand we'd hang out and we play board
games and everything. But also thenit's like, Okay, next morning,
you're back in the character, sodon't forget about it too much. But
also having the nice kind of relaxingnight after Yeah, after keep it almost
like tabs, Like it's like,okay, put the work tab back it
(08:35):
flip the other tab and it's likeflip it, like we'll switch back and
forth in tone. Yeah, we'redone, and it's you have a very
competitive side when it comes to game. I learned that, and that was
it was just learning when to bringwork, when to flip that switch,
(08:56):
and like when you got to saidit was like okay work mode. Yes,
Yeah, it's like almost like aone light almost like a light switch.
Okay, yeah, all right,both of you. You know,
obviously your sisters in the film,so you know, and and working on
a film, you tend to spenda lot of time with each other.
(09:16):
How did your relationship develop personally throughthat? You know, did you find
like a sisterly bond with each other? I would say so definitely. Yeah.
I mean having again, we wouldgo home and play games, or
we'd go out to eat, andit was kind of an instant bond that
we had an instant sisterly bond.And yeah, and we don't we don't
(09:39):
have any sisters, family children,oh we have, we have brothers.
We're not only children. Yes,So it was it was definitely like,
oh I get a sister now exactly. And it was fun getting to have
that for like be in that forfor two months, getting to have a
sister. Yeah, and yeah,that's cool and that's something you guys will
(10:03):
have forever, you know. Okay, Piper, for you, you know,
you have a lot of imaginary Thefilm is resting on you. And
again I'm trying to be as spoilerfree as possible, but how did you
do that? You do? Youboth are such amazing actors, but you
(10:24):
know, you, in particular,Piper, really have to do a lot.
Yeah, how do you carry somethinglike that? I mean, if
it weren't for my last movie thatI did before this one, I don't
think I would have been able toget through this movie. And working on
(10:46):
a multi cam comedy before this reallyactually did help me because I knew that
I would have to process my likewhen I respond, and really all my
jobs before this one really did helpme. And if it weren't for all
my family before this family, Idon't think I would be here right now.
(11:11):
And I'm really glad. I lovethat. And you've done such an
amazing job and so and take andso of you. You you play you
know, a sort of angsty teenager. Yes, uh, and and you
carry that so well too. AndI mean that as a compliment with you,
by the way, thank you ofcourse, So thank you both for
(11:33):
speaking with me. I cannot waitfor everybody to go and see Imaginary.
It is so great and I hopethat we continue to see stories that deal
with these characters in the future.So yeah, thank you, thank you.
I have a one ful quest ofyour day. Thank you, have
a great have a great day,girls. Piper brawn and taking burnss.
(11:54):
I'm telling you, I love Imaginary. It's really great. It is out
now in theaters. If you're listeningto this new you're listening to this later
on. It's probably out on streamingand home video and all that good stuff.
I really love Imaginary. I reallylove Blumhouse. I love basically everything
Blumhouse has ever done. Jason Blumto me, is a genius. And
(12:18):
you know, if you're a horrorfan, you probably agree. All right,
before we talk to Dewanda Wise,let's take a break and pay the
bills. Sixty seconds, see yousoon, all right. Thanks for hanging
out and letting us pay the bills. Our advertisers are amazing and they and
you allow us to do what wedo each and every week to bring you
(12:41):
pop culture weekly. And I appreciateyou, and I love you, and
I thank you that you're hanging outwith me. I really do all right.
Next up, Dewanda Wise has beenin film, television, theater.
She is a powerhouse. I loveher. She played Kayla Watts in Jurassic
World Dominion, you know as Kaylaand Dominion. She played the pilot in
(13:03):
twenty twenty one's Fatherhood with Kevin Hartand Alfred Ward word or who I Love.
She played Swan in that, shewas in the Twilight Zone in twenty
nineteen. She's got to have itas Nola Darling and so many other great
things. I really do love herand I'm excited to talk to her.
Not only does she star in this, but she's an executive producer as well,
(13:24):
which I think is important. Andyou know you'll hear why in our
interview all right here. She isthe one and knownly the wonder Why.
Thank you so much to Wander forspeaking with me. I really appreciate it.
Yeah, thanks for having me.Of course, I absolutely love the
film and I can't wait for everybodyto see it. You are incredible in
(13:46):
it. Jess is really, forme, the heart of the film,
and you do such a great jobas Jess. Was What was it like
for you, you know, playingher? It was a delight, you
know, obviously it's a very catharticexperience, even being in a you know,
in a horror movie. But Ireally love I really love crafting characters
(14:11):
like that, Like I love kindof planting the seeds and just going through
a script and you know, workingwith Jeff to to make sure that we
told her story in a way thatallowed the audience in and for them to
have a horror movie protagonist who youcare about. You know, you can
watch a horror movie and you caneither watch one that's like, oh,
(14:33):
I want them to make it,or you can watch one where you're just
kind of like doing a body count, you know what I mean. And
I just I really set out tomake to make the first and I think
you did. And you know,one of the things that I love speaking
to what you're saying is, youknow, oftentimes in horr I'm a huge
horror fan, and oftentimes in horrorsometimes the backstories aren't so backstory, yees,
(14:58):
and Jess as a very rich andI'm trying to be as spoiler for
as possible, but Jess has avery rich backstory that's very multi layered,
and there's a lot going on andthat partially drives her and it partially drives
the story. And that really reallyreally stood out to me because it's,
you know, unfortunately, in agenre I love, it's not as common
(15:22):
as it should be. Yeah,I agree, I agree. I mean
I think that's what drew me into begin with. The first conversation I
had with Blumhouse casting was that itwas this notion of like a kind of
a trojan horse, you know,horror movie so to speak, you know,
one that at the core of ithas all these like deeply resonant and
maybe even hard themes, but ultimatelyit's still entertaining, still has like the
(15:45):
twists and turns, you know,but just just has like a little more
character development, you know, andreally presents an opportunity for you know,
not just my character, but allthe characters to really like latch onto something
real, so that by the timewe take viewers on the journey, you
know, they're they're all in andthey're taking us seriously. Yeah, and
(16:07):
it is it is a journey,and you know, and and that's I
just love it. And part ofthat reason, uh is also because not
to be funny, but it leavesa lot to your imagination. And you
know, it's this imagination uh thatfor the viewer where it's like childhood fears
(16:27):
and uh and adult fears and allall of this kind of thing. And
I think it's just uh expertly doesit and it's so enjoyable for for you
you know, when you're doing Ifrom my understanding, uh that a lot
of it was practical effects, whichyou know today is not always front and
(16:48):
center. Was that, you know, do you find that more comfortable as
an actor to be looking at youknow, what you're essentially going to be
looking at on screen, or doyou are you able to kind of compartmentalize
that traditionally? You know, Ihave been wildly fortunate thus far. I
keep reading and seeing these interviews aboutactors who are just like in an entirely
(17:15):
green room, and that sounds wildto me. It just sounds wild to
me. And I'm sure you knowthere are naturally elements of performing for film
and TV that you're still acting witha piece of tape. Like if you
see any close up of an actorright, chances are they were not actually
(17:37):
looking at someone else's eyeballs. Chancesare they were looking at a little teeny
tiny piece of tape in the cornerof like you know, the matchbox of
a camera. But I have nothad the experience where I haven't been immersed
in an environment, you know whatI mean. And this was both like
(18:00):
from every single department, from theprops department to you know, our set
designer, to our creature feature,you know, spectral, Like every single
department gave us so much to playwith. Everything's so tactile, and I
do think it makes a difference.I don't know any better because I have
(18:22):
absolutely zero point of reference. We'llhave to have this conversation again in the
future when I do my first greenscreen movie. But you know, as
it stands, I do think itmakes I do think it makes a huge
impact on the performance of an actor. Yeah, I couldn't imagine. You
know, so many films and theydo it well. I'm not knocking it,
but I couldn't imagine, especially Iforget what it's called, but those
(18:45):
three sixty like environment green screen thingslike you know, I mean, it's
gotta be cool, but it's alsogot to be just disorienting, I'm assuming
as an actor. I mean,I think it's just you know, there
will be there were days on Jurassicfor sure, where it's just like we
need to know where you have totell us exactly what the eye line is.
(19:06):
There are six actors on this,you know state, but we still
had like the Giganatasaurus, we stillhad all these other things at our disposal.
So I mean, I'm sure Ican, because I'm an extraordinary performer.
But if I had to choose,I mean, I'm practical all the
way. And not to mention,it's just really fun to see a director
(19:26):
directing, you know, all thoseother elements. It's really fun. It's
also really funny, but it's mostlyit's mostly really fun to just you know,
watching Jeff choreograph Michael, who playsboth you know, he plays two
creatures in the movie. I'm alsotrying to be spoiler free, but he
plays two creatures in the movie,and just watching him, you know,
help him construct this very physical performance. I mean, it's just, you
(19:52):
know, as a wanna be futuredirector myself, it's really cool. And
as a viewer it's awesome. Youknow. I love that I speak with
Elvira just about every October. Ilove her. And this last October we
were talking about kind of in thevein of Oscar, so white, horror
so white, and I feel likehorror has really been a place in the
(20:18):
last five ten years, especially thatblack performers, black creatives are really flourishing.
Yeah, and and you know,we have all these iconic screen screen
queens and I feel like, youknow, you you are now one of
them. How do you feel speakingas you know, there aren't many feature
(20:42):
films in the horror genre from amajor studio that are led by a black
woman. How how what do youspeak to? Yeah, how do you
speak to that? Well? First, I feel like you this might be
the first interview that had said thatso plainly. Oh, I hope that's
(21:03):
not bad. It's not bad atall. I am you know, I
feel like what I've been trying todo from the very beginning. You know,
I joined SAG after in college.It was in two thousand and five,
and what I've been trying to dovery quietly, is create and build
a career that is subtly subversive,that is as that has casts that are
(21:30):
as diverse as my friend group isthat you know, really feel like black
women who were like free, justjust free black women. You know,
you can go back, you cansee it, like, you know,
you look at Ola Darling, youcan look at you know, Aaron and
someone great, and you just seethis tapestry of women who I personally heavily
(21:53):
identify with, who are just goingabout the business of living their lives,
you know, and so being ableto in this space particularly there is a
simultaneity that I'm operating from because forme, it became about constructing a character
(22:14):
who you know is going through thesethings that feel believable and true and you
know that many people can identify with, while also acknowledging the cultural specificities of
what it is and means for ablack viewer to watch a horror movie.
(22:36):
You know what I mean. Andthere are little things that if anyone's watching,
I'll give you guys a couple oflike little tidbits because it really makes
me laugh. Actually, there arelittle choices. This happened on Twilight Zone
two where like, you know,you'll be in hair and makeup and and
they want to like if they're tryingto break you down, right, they
like, okay, we're trying toWe got to dirt you up, we
(22:59):
got to make you look really rough. Right. One thing that I never
allow hair and makeup to do isgive me like cracked lips because for black
people it's hilarious. It's hilarious.Dave Chappelle has made it hilarious. I
know that every black person in theworld knows that. So it's something that
you know. Because I'm an executiveproducer on this project. Too. There's
(23:19):
like I'm working with multiple brains init, you know what I mean,
moving back to her childhood home.It's like if you're watching a traditional horror
movie, a lot of the housesare really scary, Like a lot of
the houses are haunted houses. They'revery clearly haunted houses, and you don't
want to go in them. Noone knows why you're moving back to this
(23:41):
house. It's just like, sellthe house, you know what I mean,
Like, sell the house and movesomewhere else. And so Jeff and
I the like Locations manager props toLocations for finding a home that looks like
you would move back to, youknow what I mean, that looks like,
yeah, the house isn't scary,Our house is not scary. Can't
(24:02):
win with basements. Basements are inherentlyterrifying. You know, we're going down
in the basement. I'm sorry,but yeah, you know, I think
it's that I think I appreciate theacknowledgment because you know, I am trying
to build something that I haven't necessarilya career that I haven't necessarily seen,
(24:22):
and you know, do it withas much mindfulness and specificity as possible.
I love that you are doing itbeautifully. I can't wait to see all
of your creative talents continue to beput out into the world. And I'll
be there day one on opening daywatching them all. Thank you, Thank
you, really appreciate it. Dowonder why she is a queen? She
(24:47):
is so She's just a powerhouse andI love her. She's so great in
everything she does. But I loveher as Kayla and Jurassic World Dominion,
and I love her as Jessica.Yes. Imaginary which is out right now
from Blumhouse and Lionsgate. Love Lionsgate. So go see it and let me
(25:07):
know what you think. Hit meup on social or email me, or
if you're using the iHeartRadio app,which is free. There's a talkback button
right on this episode. You canhit that and it sends a voicemail to
me or right away. Please benice. Some of you aren't always kind
and I can handle that. Butyou know, just whatever, send whatever
(25:29):
you want, tell me what youthink, you know what, we might
put you on the show. Allright. I love you. Go see
Imaginary from Blumhouse in theaters. Now, let me know what you think about
it. I think you're gonna loveit as much as I do. Hope
you enjoyed my conversations with the starsof Imaginary. I love you, See
you next week. We thank youfor listening to pop Culture Weekly. Here
(25:52):
all the latest at pop culturewekly dotcom. Chaucea'd Bear, Chaucey Bear,
is he evil? Doesn't care?Chauncey's Bear, Chauncey Bear. You don't
(26:15):
want chaut You burn your hair.
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