We first met Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s Ed and Lorraine Warren in 2013. The Conjuring debuted in theaters to monumental critical and commercial success, solidifying James Wan’s status as one of the greatest names in horror of all time! From there a legendary universe of creepy characters and stories were born. Now, twelve years later, The Conjuring Universe comes to an end with the final chapter – The Conjuring: Last Rites!
The Conjuring franchise is all about belief and family. Going back to the very first film, our protagonists, The Warrens, sought out missions to help regular loving families battle the forces of evil that were always threatened by love and togetherness. It should just as well be fitting that the series should end with a film that truly centers on the love of The Warren Family itself. As such, appropriately, joining Wilson and Farmiga are actors Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy, playing Judy Warren and her fiancee Tony Spera.
We were recently given the opportunity to speak with all four actors at a recent roundtable event with other members of the press. Together we discussed the legacy of this franchise on horror, the end of the journey with Last Rites, and the power of love and family in the face of true darkness. So what did they have to say about the final chapter of The Conjuring Universe?
Well despite the fact that The Conjuring films are terrifying, because they are so focused on family and love as much as jump-scares, it’s fairly expected that things would get pretty emotional, especially for the final chapter. In fact, one of our friends, Neil Bui from the publication Dorkaholics, asked Wilson and Farmiga what it was like to balance the fear with the sentimentality that comes with a closing chapter.
“Yeah. I mean, we, we knew going in [that this would be the last],” stated Wilson. “…We knew that they wanted to bookend it with the most emotional movie that we could…if you have[seen the first two Conjuring films], I think there’s an added sense of sentimentality. All those little callbacks to the first film and the second film, I think, are really important…We wanted to honor that original Conjuring spirit…So that was a constant source of of really mining the [original] work, with the writers, producers, James [Wan], [director Michael Chaves]…I mean, everybody just trying to do the best we could, to honor the series and to end it the proper way.”
Farmiga added, “I felt that pressure. Like, how do you come back and turn up that dial to 11? [Patrick] and I have made casting out demons together romantic…So how do we bring even more love, you know? Yeah, these are two people who finish exorcisms together, but they also finish each other’s sentences…How do we bring all those things that we know the fans are hankering for, which I think, is the love…the audience have fallen in love with what Ed and Lorraine represent. In the middle of all the chaos and the terror is this really unwavering, really tender connection between them and that was always very exciting for us to come back to…But I think the stakes were tremendously high, just in terms of the plot and in bringing it back to cracking open the Warrens’ diary with this one…We’re bearing witness to something profoundly tragic that happened in this beast…and so the stakes were going to be tremendous on this one, just because the writers and James and Peter [Safran] really got sort of that plot point right in terms of how to make it deeply, deeply personal.”
As Fermiga noted, because this franchise has always been about the love shared by Ed and Lorraine, seeing them pass the horror baton to a new couple like Judy and Tony felt apt. With Tomlinson stepping in for previous franchise actresses, Sterling Jerins and Mckenna Grace, and Hardy joining the franchise for the first time, it was interesting to see how that love would evolve from couple to couple. When asked about what it was like to bring that element of love to their characters, Hardy said “Sadly, I came on quite late into the project, so it was sort of a bit like slap dash…But me and Mia, we got together and plotted out Tony and Judy’s entire lives together. And I think we just naturally get on pretty well…It’s quite a natural rapport, and [we] just tried to put that into the film…to kind of make that couple as as lovable by the audience as possible.”
“There were parallels,” Tomlinson added. “Judy in the film [is] trying to come to terms with this power that she has…she doesn’t share it so much with her mom, because she knows that her mom is very concerned for her. Vera put it perfectly. She called herself the helicopter mom. And so she leans a lot on Tony to provide that support and that safety. And I think that for me as a new actor coming into this (this is my first massive role in a Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema film), Ben, for me, in many ways, was that person to lean on. And I was really lucky. We sat next to each other for three months side by side in our makeup chairs. We shared our lovely hair and makeup team…And, yeah, we were sort of in it together…So there was love on and off set in terms of just support and respect, which is brilliant.”
Farmiga and Wilson weren’t shy to discuss the inclusion of Tomlinson and Hardy to the Conjuring Universe either. As the movie represents a passing of the baton, of sorts, to a new generation of characters, so too does the film represent a passing of the baton from Farmiga and Wilson to their co-stars. “They both did a fantastic job,” stated Wilson. “And, you know, they kind of took the torch of characters that have been played [previously]…And because of this [there was] a whole new set of problems. Because now we’re looking at them as adults, right? Young adults…Ben is certainly super established. Not saying that, Mia, is not but, but Ben’s got a pretty extensive resume…But this series, if you haven’t done a lot of horror, and specifically these types of movies…it’s a whole different beast. So that was exciting. It was actually exciting to watch these actors kind of discover what this movie is. There’s a heightened sense of theatricality…we don’t bail out of any scene. The love scenes are super romantic. The death scenes are super deadly. So I think it was [about] getting them on the same page and having rehearsals with them early and talking it through…to really just provide them with the most open and comfortable environment to go for it.”
Farmiga acknowledged the challenges her new co-stars had jumping into the franchise at the last installment. “I remember at the beginning, Mia was having a real [challenge with] the pace that we work, budget constraints…There’s a lot. We have to work fast…I remember coaching Mia through the pacing…[telling her] there’s not going to be a lot of time for rehearsal. And so we’re going to work this out in real time. Watching her become stronger and stronger, and more comfortable with that process…and opening up her heart to the way we have to work…that was really interesting to watch her blossom as an actress.”
This was something even Tomlinson admitted to. “There’s challenges around horror,” she stated. “Because it’s quite choreographed…knowing the pace. I mean Vera famously with her famous head turns; we see the timing of it. I often had [Chaves] go slower because I was sort of too used to reacting as I normally would. Which is to whip your head around and be terrified. But yeah, fascinating. I learned so much. I mean, Vera and Patrick are the kings and queens of this horror world…and they were so generous with me and Ben, we learned a huge amount working with them.”
One of the other aspects of doing a Conjuring movie is getting into the period-piece settings and styles. This was another thing that has been consistent with every film in The Conjuring Universe. And while Wilson and Farmiga have done enough of these films for this element to feel fairly routine for them, it was a new experience for Tomlinson and Hardy. The Nerds of Color was able to ask them about how it was to get into the 80s vibe of the film.
“It’s so cool,” stated Hardy. “It’s like, one of the joys of being an actor is getting to explore those different time periods and to play in the 80s as well. That’s my parents generation. Their adolescence was in the 80s, so it kind of made me feel closer to them in some way, which was really kind of cool. And get to speak to them, and be like, ‘Dad, what kind of music did you listen to in the in the 80s,’ …and what I could use to sort of take from that and bring it into Tony. So it was really cool. And I love the fashion I’ve got about, I don’t know about you, but yeah, I’m like, I’m like, I can’t wait to 80s to have a comeback.”
“To add to that,” contributed Tomlinson, “I think that, you know, Michael Chaves and all the art [and costume] departments…like everybody, was so collaborative and really embraced creating a space. We were really lucky. A lot of what we shot was in the real, physical world. We weren’t doing so much on VFX, and I think that that creates such a great headspace for an actor to come into. There’s a scene, you know, where I’m sort of exploring…a bit of the house…I come into the scene and before that…I’m sort of standing there, and I’m looking around at this stock room, and they have all these funny old 80s cake mix boxes and games. And they’ve just put in such meticulous detail. I can’t wait for all generations to watch this film and spot pieces from the 80s. I mean, it’s amazing.”
The Nerds of Color was also able to ask Farmiga and Wilson about their legacy on the franchise. Being part of The Conjuring for over a decade, since 2013, and effectively kicking off a universe where they brought The Warrens to life in no less than six films (if you include cameos), it was important to see how the franchise has changed them both as actors and believers. Their response was quite surprising.
“It’s interesting,” began Wilson. “I think we were always were open people were open actors. So it’s not like I was a skeptic and now I’m a believer…I think there’s an openness [to] bring on everything. Bring on a billion dollar franchise, and bring on the demons. Like, let’s go…If it’s fight or flight, we’re definitely fighters…I think, if anything…if I’m really breaking it down I have become an actor because a lot of because of these movies. You don’t have a ton of time, and you’ve got to swing a big stick and go for it, and be bold and brazen and embrace the love and embrace the fear. And that’s probably affected into my other work, I bet. Yeah, I think a large majority of that is because of these movies.”
“It’s a workout,” Farmiga stated. “Horror is a workout. It’s increased my stamina, for sure! For sure!”
When Wan’s first Conjuring film hit theaters in 2013, I, along with many other fans, found myself completely surprised at just how good mainstream horror could be. Not only because of the scares, but because of the heart The Conjuring exhibited, both from how it explored love and family, but also how the actors involved loved and believed in the stories of The Warrens. Now that we are at the final chapter, it feels surreal to say goodbye to them. We were incredibly lucky to spend one final junket with them all: Farmiga, Wilson, Tomlinson, and Hardy. And more than anything we learned one last time that all it takes to survive a billion dollar horror franchise is family, belief, and stamina!
Stay tuned to The Nerds of Color for more interviews for The Conjuring: Last Rites, including conversations with Chaves and Wan.
And don’t forget to check out The Conjuring: Last Rites, in theaters this Friday!
