The term “triple threat” is rare these days in Hollywood. However, not only does Smile 2 star, Naomi Scott, embody the very definition of that term, as a gifted singer, dancer and actor, she reinvents it completely. With her performance in the terrifying new sequel to Parker Finn’s Smile, Scott proves to everyone she is a dynamic force of charismatic nature to be reckoned with. And we were fortunate enough to chat with her about this stellar performance in the critically acclaimed horror film, hitting theaters today!
Ever since she broke out in Disney’s Lemonade Mouth, Scott has showcased her incredible talents in films like Power Rangers (so underrated!), Charlie’s Angels, and of course, was instrumental in driving Aladdin to over $1B at the box office with her showstopping performance as Jasmine. And now, she’s up against hellish forces beyond her control in Smile 2. So in honor of the film’s release, out in theaters today, we were lucky enough to sit down with the star to talk about the challenges of pounding bottles of Voss water, as well as the overall themes of the horrifying new film.
Here’s what she had to say — and as an added bonus, you have the audio of our discussion including my complete fanboy-ing over her for her performance:
NOC: First off, I’m going to start off with the dumbest question ever. But how difficult was it pounding bottle after bottle of Voss, scene after scene, take after take?
Scott: It’s really not a dumb question, Mike! There are no dumb questions… It’s not something I thought about until I’ve been asked about this so many times. And it was really quite a challenge. I really wanted to make sure we felt the anxiety of the moment. So I think it was a conversation between Parker and I… and we decided the moments it was part of the water. In particular, there was one [moment] where her anxiety is at the highest of levels, when she starts to feel the need to want to mask that or suppress that. And that’s when she goes for the bottle of water, which is something her therapist told her to do. But anyway, that one take was so difficult — the one where I throw the mirror into the glass — that was really tricky because we only got two whole takes for that twice, because it was an hour long reset for the glass. But what we did, there were times we’d start the take. And if it wasn’t the take [Parker wanted], he’d call ‘cut’ because he didn’t want to go all the way to have the long reset, because we didn’t have time. So I had to do it five times! I had to down that bottle of water five times fully. And for me it was so important. I wasn’t going to drink half of it. I was starting to feel bloated and I was burping…
It’s gotta feel like drowning sometimes right?
Yeah! It was rough! It was rough!
But as the great philosopher Derek Zoolander once said, ‘moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.‘
Great movie! Love that!
Getting serious, the best kind of horror is one that has a biting social commentary about real life problems, and I think Smile 2 does that wonderfully putting the pressures of celebrity and fame under the microscope as it does. And as someone who has experienced that sort of lifestyle as an actress and multi-talented performer, was that something that spoke to you about this movie, and something that you related to within Skye Riley.
I have definitely observed it, and I understand the tenants of it. And the idea of it somewhat. But I’ve been lucky because I live my life in obscurity pretty much. And I have lovely people every now and then come up and talk to me, and that’s very nice. But I’m not living under a microscope in the same way that Skye is, right? But of course it’s something I have observed and can understand, to an extent, just how it can isolate a person, and it can be a mix of someone feeling like they are seen but not known, because there’s a version of you projected to the world — sometimes by yourself or a particular person — and they craft that and project that. But then it feels like they can’t grow from that, because it that’s what’s projected back at them. And they feel somewhat misunderstood. And I think also fame not being conducive to working on yourself, because you’re being constantly looked at. So it can create less vulnerability and honesty sometimes. Both ways with the people around you not feeling they can keep you accountable, and you not feeling you can speak honestly to them about what you’re going through. So all of those things are really interesting, because if you take away the horror from this movie, it really is just a straight up drama. Which I really love about it. But for me the horror only elevates the themes really. It only kind of accentuates the themes. So I really enjoyed delving into that for sure.
Naomi, thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
In an industry where the term “triple threat” is becoming increasingly rare especially in horror, we get to see you as a force in this movie. And it’s actually being garnered for awards consideration. It’s that good, as well as the song “Just My Name,” which I believe you co-wrote, which was just really lovely. Truly a moment of beauty in an otherwise traumatic and horrifying movie!
Aww. Thanks Mike!
Congratulations and thank you for this wonderful interview!
In case it wasn’t clear from how much I gushed about her performance, Scott is truly a phenomenon in this film, giving 110% in every song, choreographed performance, and dramatic scene she’s anchoring. And it’s this fantastic performance that truly separates Smile 2 from your average, run-of-the-mill jump scare generator. I recommend seeing the film just for her! It’d be incredibly worth it!
Smile 2 is now playing in theaters!
