While covering New York Comic Con for The Nerds of Color, I had the chance to speak with Black Phone 2 stars Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Miguel Mora, and Demián Bichir! We discussed the pressure of making a sequel, having Finn and Gwen’s sibling relationship as the heart of the story, bringing their own experiences to the characters, and more.

Four years ago, 13-year-old Finn killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of The Grabber. But true evil transcends death … and the phone is ringing again. Ethan Hawke returns to the most sinister role of his career as The Grabber seeks vengeance on Finn (Thames) from beyond the grave by menacing Finn’s younger sister, Gwen (McGraw). As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

We always love a good sequel, but I also know fans can be skeptical when the first project is so successful and well done. As an actress, I’m sure you feel that skepticism as well.
Madeleine McGraw: Oh, for sure.

What is it about this script that made you feel like we needed this sequel? Like, this story would not be complete without a second movie.
McGraw: I mean, I feel like I was in the same boat as fans. I was very skeptical as to what the heck they would make a sequel about. I was like, how are Scott and Cargill going to do this? But wow, did they come up with something truly, insanely incredible. It really is so different from the first movie, and I feel like that’s what makes it such a great sequel, that there really are such extreme differences from the first one. I feel like it’s also important to notice that, in horror movies, they don’t focus much on sibling connections, or on movies in general. You get to really see Finn and Gwen’s bond in the second movie more; you get to get more in-depth into it than you did in the first one, which is crazy to say, but they kind of trauma-bonded.

I actually want to go off of that because I’m a big fan of stories that incorporate that core of family, whether it’s siblings, a mother-daughter, etc.
McGraw: Truly, I think it’s the most important thing.

I think it really is, because it’s something that everyone, no matter what, can relate to in some way, shape, or form, right? What does that mean to you to play a character that is exploring that sort of relationship and getting to expand on it, especially in a horror movie?
McGraw: Unexpected. That’s why Black Phone 2 is so good. I mean, I truly am so beyond close with my family and every single one of my siblings. My sister’s literally right here. She is my best friend, comfort animal. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She always calms me and makes sure I’m never nervous. Whenever I’m around her, my nerves are always gone. And so, I just love that I got to continue playing a character that has that sort of relationship with her brother. I mean, I also have that relationship with my brothers, too. My brothers are also my best friends, and I feel like nothing is more important than family. And so, displaying that image on screen is so, so important. Your family will always have your back, no matter what, and I love them so much.

I also have to ask you about being a leading lady, because I feel like being a leading lady is one thing, but you’re a leading lady in a horror film. You’re also the center of our mystery, the driving force behind why we’re going down this path. And on top of that, you’re younger, and I feel like that is so important for young audiences to see.
McGraw: It’s very rare to see.

It’s just such a beautiful thing when it’s like, oh, now I can introduce the younger generation to this, and they’re going to see a character that they can relate to.
McGraw: And see, that is my hope. I’ve said it multiple times: playing Gwen, being a leading role in this movie, and already having such loyal younger fans —especially young girls — I really want them to have a character they can look up to. I want them to have a character that they can look up to and be inspired by, and I hope it shows them to be brave and not let anyone tell them what they can or cannot do, and to truly trust their instincts and never be afraid to speak up for what they believe in.

First of all, beautiful answer. If you had a character like Gwen when you were growing up, what quality do you think would have meant the most for you to see on screen?
McGraw: I’m going to go with probably bravery. I feel like our world is very scary, and people, especially, can be very intimidating and scary.

Especially for girls.
McGraw: Especially for girls, and so I feel like it’s so important to, no matter what, always be brave, and like I was saying, never be afraid to say what you believe in, and perseverance is key. Continue to push and reach for the stars, and no matter what, try to achieve your goals and your dreams. That is easily the most important thing to never lose that quality in yourself, for sure.

I was excited to hear that this story was going to continue because, for the horror genre in particular, it’s so interesting to see how the traumatic situations from the first movie are affecting the character moving forward. Even though we have a new mystery and a new way to continue what’s going on, we’re getting to see the aftermath of those crazy, brutal events. What was it like for you, as an actor, to dive into material like that?
Mason Thames: I had so much fun with it, and just as an actor, I had so much fun with it, even though I had to go to a dark place for it. Finney, in this film, is dealing with PTSD, and he’s dealing with the trauma of what happened to him as a 13-year-old, and just imagine what that could do to somebody, and I think a lot of people around the world can relate to that. I think his approach to dealing with it is really to try not to, to forget, and to act like it didn’t happen. He just wants to be left alone and just live, and I think it’s just an important story to tell because Finney has a lot of built-up emotions, anger, and sadness deep down, and as an actor, it was a lot of fun to do. But Finney breaks my heart.

I feel like, especially for a character like this, it’s hard not to relate to them and compare your own experiences. I know, obviously, there is a director, a writer, and a whole team working on this, but for you, as the actor, as the one playing him, were you able to share what you thought he would be going through or ask to incorporate specific things?
Thames: Scott and everyone on the team were so collaborative. Scott knows we know these characters so well because we created them together in the first movie, and this time we’re just continuing it. We’re all just storytellers, so getting to do that and bringing Finney to light again in this story was a lot of fun, and we had a lot of talks before filming, just figuring out what we wanted and little things we could change or little glimpses of hope in Finney.

One thing I really love is the brother-sister relationship. I think it is so beautiful when you get to incorporate a family bond of some sort, and it really gives the story a heart that other films lack when they don’t have one. What was it like to come back and expand on that, especially post-trauma?
Thames: I mean, I think even what attracted me so much to these movies is the heart of it. It’s not just a horror movie; there’s so much more going on, and so many messages to be told, and I think the biggest one is family, and that that’s kind of all you have at the end of the day. They’ll have you back no matter what.

To conclude, we’re at New York Comic Con, so you know I have to ask you about that.
Thames: I haven’t been to New York Comic Con; this is my first time here.

Really? I hope you get to explore it at some point and go on the floor, it’s unreal. But what is it like knowing you’re about to go into a panel room with fans who are here to see you and your movie? They are literally lined up right now, and they’re coming because your work has affected them in some way, and they want to see what you’re doing with the sequel. What does that mean to you?
Thames: It means the world, and it’s hard to find the words for it, but when we were doing the first movie, we didn’t know how people were going to react or what we were doing was going to become what it did. But seeing the response, how Black Phone affected people, and how special it is to so many people is such an honor, and the fact that I could be a part of something like that is amazing.

There is nothing more exciting than being in the room for a panel and seeing the reaction from the fans —the people you are creating this film for.
Miguel Mora: Absolutely, I mean, it’s really a pleasure to be here in New York at Comic Con and experience something like that, especially this early on in my career. I’m extremely grateful for that. I have so much pride in this film, I’m genuinely not being biased because I’m in it, but it’s such a good movie, it’s such a good story, it’s such a good sequel. A lot of horror sequels are just the same thing, slasher kind of, but this is not that. I can very confidently say that Scott Derrickson, Cargill, and the whole team behind it really put their heart into this, and I mean, you see that, you see that in this film, and I can’t wait for people to experience that themselves. 

There is so much pressure with a sequel, especially for a movie that was as good as the first one was, in the horror genre. What were you personally looking for when you read the script to make sure that this sequel was needed? 
Mora: There is a lot of pressure, just releasing a sequel, especially when the first one was that big a success, exactly as you said. I wasn’t nervous in any sense, because just working with Scott on the first one —being part of the first film —I knew this was already something special. When I heard that they’re doing a sequel, maybe the audience is probably like, ‘Oh, why? Why can’t they just keep it at that?’ I could hear the audience’s perspective, but hearing it from someone who actually worked with that team, I wasn’t worried at all. I knew that they were going to make something special, and when I heard that they’re doing a sequel, I was like, ‘Okay, this is going to be great. I know this is going to be good.’ And sure enough, I mean, read the script, and I couldn’t wait to start shooting.

I know, obviously, that there is a director, writers, and a whole team working on this. But as the actor, is there something you were personally able to suggest or bring to the character that was important to you?
Mora: You know, that’s a great question. Thank you for asking that. There were so many different perspectives that I had built for Ernesto, and stepping into the production, I really appreciate Scott for recognizing them. Very rarely would Scott ever have to correct me in anything, and that, to me, got to a point where I’m like, “Scott, are you sure I’m not doing anything wrong?” Every take, “Miguel, do the same thing. Miguel, do the same thing,” and that meant everything. To see that he recognizes the preparation that I put behind the character, he told me himself that I came to this very prepared, and the delivery of Ernesto, he was really happy with it, I mean, that’s what you want as an actor. If the director’s happy, perfect, and I think we just both collaboratively agreed on something, and he was just so helpful. He’s great working with his actors. 

Yeah, I always say I feel like no one knows and wants to protect the character more than the person who’s bringing them to life, because not only are you putting all that work in, but you are the character. You want to tell the story how it needs to be told. 
Mora: Exactly. Yeah, no, and Scott is really good at letting his actors explore those emotions and embody this new world. I mean, he’s such a good director and so good at that, and working with him was just an absolute pleasure. 

When you read the script, what jumped off the page that made you think, “I need to be a part of this”? Like, this is not a want, this is a need as an actor.
Demián Bichir: It was two things. First, it was when I saw the first film. When I saw the first film, I remember thinking, ‘I want to be a part of something like this,’ and I was so lucky. I was honored to receive Scott’s call offering me the role of Mando. When I read the script, I said, “Wow, this character has so many great scenes,” and then he has two key scenes that I thought, ‘Hmm, this is it, brother.’ Sometimes that’s all you ask for: give me one good scene, and this character has several, and one special scene with Mason. It resonates very heavily because the way our youth is around the world in general, and it’s so well reflected by Mason’s character and how Mando talks to him about choices in life, the path that you can follow, and how easy it is to lose track of reality. So that scene is key. It’s a key scene in the film, and I had such a great time shooting it, and if that scene works, it’s because Mason, the way he… it was ping-pong of the highest level, and it works because of him.

What is it like coming in as a fan yourself, knowing how much you loved the first one, and now getting to be part of the sequel? 
Bichir: You have no idea how many times in my career, I’ve said, “Wow, I’m very lucky.” This is one of those times again and again. I’m very lucky, I’m very grateful for this type of gift that comes into my hands, and I remember writing to Scott, “Thank you for trusting Mando in my hands. Thank you, always.” I’ll tell you something else: when I get my shot of tequila, I toast to that. I always toast to that, and I was just last night toasting to Scott’s good health because of this gift.

What is the feeling right now, knowing you’re about to take the stage at New York Comic Con with a room full of fans who are so, so excited about this film and your work?
Bichir: I’m just happy to be invited because this is about the kids. This is about The Grabber, and I’m just lucky to be a part of that. It’s the closest feeling to being a rock star, I guess. The way the fans go, that’s beautiful. I went to the Comic-Con in San Diego a long time ago with Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, and that was something. It was huge, so I’m looking forward to this one, too.

Black Phone 2 is now playing in theaters.