Chandler Kinney – Zombies 2

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Besides Zombies 2 I’ve been working on a couple of things, but nothing that I can really share at the moment. But other than, I’m staying busy with school.

Q) What can you tease is the premise for Zombies 2?

A) We last left off with Zed (Milo Manheim) and Addison (Meg Donnelly) in a relationship and everything seems to be going well in Seabrook. The anti-monster laws were eliminated and everything seemed to be going well. Now, a pack of werewolves have arrived to Seabrook and they are ready to kick butt and take names. They are in search for a mysterious power source that is very crucial to their people. There are a couple of complications along the way (that I won’t get into it), but they are there to shake things up for everybody in Seabrook.

Q) Had you watched or been a fan of the first Zombies film?

A) Yes! I was definitely familiar. I’ve been friends with Meg Donnelly who plays Addison in the film. We’ve been friends for a couple of years now so when Zombies first came out, I was excited to see it. I watched it on TV and loved it. I thought it was really cool because everyone loves rom coms, especially with songs and dance. I loved it! So, when the opportunity came to do Zombies 2 I thought it would be a cool experience to have, to branch out and grow, to learn new things and to try things that I’ve never done before (like sing and dance on TV). I was definitely familiar and loved the message, but also how it was wrapped up in a fun and entertaining story.

Q) Was this an audition or something you were approached to do?

A) I auditioned. I went in and my first audition was actually the day before the chemistry read. On my way home from the first audition, Disney called and said, “Hey, we would like to see you tomorrow. We’ll be having a chemistry read.” I showed up and there were quite a few Willa’s and a couple of Wyatt’s (Pearce Joza). So, I ended up going into the room with all of the Disney executives maybe like six times, just in and out with different Wyatt’s. They had us do different scenes and different things each time. It was still a bit of an extensive casting process.

Q) How would you describe Willa in three words?

A) Oo! Powerful, confident and glamorous. [laughs]

Q) Did it take putting on all the makeup and tattoos to get into the character?

A) Getting into character was probably one of my favorite parts of this whole experience just because I’d never really had to take on such a large role before. Just the fact that Willa is a werewolf is kind of out there. So, I would say it took about a month to get there because we had a month of dance rehearsals in Toronto before we started filming. And during that month we had hair and makeup trials. We had appointments for prosthetics for our ears and fangs. We had nail appointments for our claws. Everything was just coming together to form our characters and it was really nice to have that time just because I’d never really been given the opportunity to get so deep and play around. To have this trial and error experimentation process of seeing what works – even down to the physicality of it and how you’d walk through the set…The boats we’d wear. I think the first couple weeks we practiced in tennis shoes and then towards the end, when we got closer to filming, we rehearsed in the boots we would wear for filming. Everything had to come together to get settled down into that character so everything would be portrayed as realistically (I guess) as a dancing/singing werewolf can be portrayed. [laughs] But I loved that whole process of trying to figure out who she is.

Q) In the photos we’ve seen so far for Zombies 2 there seems to be a common tattoo amongst the werewolf pack. What can you tease to our readers about the meaning behind it?

A) All the werewolves have body markings and they are actually really cool. Each body marking on our arms and faces all have specific distinct meaning. So, one you will see over and over again is kind of shaped like a wolf head. That stands for the pack. That’s kind of a fun little Easter egg thing that we don’t really talk about in the movie. I just love the fact that Disney is so detail oriented that they actually went through the process of finding like a were language. So, anything that you see on the screen have a meaning. It’s all very intentional.

Q) Going into the movie, were you hoping to share scenes with anyone in particular?

A) I loved getting to work with Meg especially! There is definitely friction between Willa and Addison as Willa feels threatened a bit by Addison’s eagerness to be so welcoming to Seabrook. Willa is a bit suspicious about that and other things. I’ll let readers wait to find out. [laughs] I also loved working with Milo. The whole cast, honestly. But Milo is so incredibly talented so getting to share the stage (if you will) with him was absolutely just phenomenal. He is definitely one who will walk on the set and you can feel his presence. There is just this electric energy about him that brings life to the whole world – the whole Zombies universe. It was truly an incredible experience.

Q) Do you have a favorite song that you were a part of?

A) I would say one of my favorites would have to be “We Own the Night” because it’s the first time that you see the werewolves in their elements. It is just a really, really cool piece that starts in the forest and travels through a couple different sets. That was really fun to film. [chuckles] I think the audience will get a great idea of who the werewolves are. There is a really quick sequence and we rush into that song. It’s a really fun one. And it was really cool because it was all night shoots when we filmed it. So, we were up at 2AM to 5AM dancing and singing. It was probably one of the best moments in my life.

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from tuning in to Zombies 2?

A) I think at its core Zombies 2 is about acceptance with others and yourself. Everything that you are – your flaws and imperfections. It’s also about embracing differences and realizing diversity in all forms is so powerful and actually essential to having a united community and that’s what life at Seabrook kind of evolves to. The werewolves kind of come in and are so against conforming to the idea of these societal norms. Everyone really has to come to the conclusion that everyone is different. People look different and talk different and walk differently and that’s all okay. It’s also really wonderful and something to be celebrated. That was what Zombie 2 is at its core.

Q) How do you plan to celebrate the premiere of the film?

A) Probably with my friends and family. When it comes out February 14^th, I don’t know where I’ll be but I know I’ll be with my close friends and family just enjoying the movie. I’ve already seen it a couple of times, but I can’t wait to watch it a thousand times more.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of your work?

A) I would love to say thank you so much for all of the support. I absolutely cannot wait for everyone to see Zombies 2 because it certainly was a labor of love. We put a ton of work into it. I think it is fantastic and I think everyone is going to love it. Thanks for loving Willa. I have already seen such support online and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. I’m just super excited.