Chucky

By starrymag | October 4, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Now, I have to know more about your Catholic background.  That is such an interesting introduction.  First of all, tell us, did you go to parochial school and tell us also what were the other kind of influences with the Catholic background that helped propel you in this direction?

DON MANCINI: Like I said, as a kid I was raised Catholic, although interestingly, when I was in eighth grade I was sent to an Episcopalian school.  Which was really interesting, because it was really when I went to that school that I learned about aspects of the Catholic church that I actually hadn’t been apprised of.  For example, the concept of transubstantiation, which is the Catholic belief that during the mass when the priest blesses the host and the wine, it literally transforms into the flesh and blood of Christ.  And I was like, wait, we are supposed to believe that?  I just found that fascinating.  As I think I mentioned in the introduction there, it is an interesting aspect of, I suppose, any religion.  But any religion I think presupposes a belief in the supernatural.  And, so, to have “Chucky” intersect with that, I think is just really interesting.  One of the things we have always found is that Chucky often is at his most entertaining when he is subverting the status quo, and/or going after authority figures, and puncturing that kind of unthinking confidence that — or hypocrisies of people or institutions can have.  So, it is a fun arena to set Chucky loose in.

Q) Cool, and before eighth grade, were you going through a parochial school or going to public school?

DON MANCINI: I was in public school.  But, you know, I went to Sunday School, and made my first communion, and confession, and, you know, confession is an interesting thing.  When you are — I think you are 11 or 12, something like that, when you make your first confession. And I remember — I was a really good kid.  I was kind of a straight arrow.  I remember going, “Uhm, bless me father for I have sinned.  I think I’ve been bugging my mom to put up the Christmas tree.”

(Laughter)

DON MANCINI: That was my big sin I had to confess.  And he goes, “You are very sorry for your sins, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.  The Christmas tree shouldn’t go up any time before December 15th.”

(Laughter)

Q) Don, what is it about Chucky, both as a character and as kind of a horror universe, that translates so well to the TV series format?  How is it able to stay so fresh and relevant in 2022, over 30 years after the first “Child’s Play” movie?

DON MANCINI: Through the good graces of our fans is the short answer.  We are very grateful to them.  I think one of the most important aspects of the sustained popularity of the character is due to Brad Dourif and his performance, which I think is indelible.  And the puppeteers, who are led by Tony Gardner and Peter Chevako, they are amazing.  And I think in tandem, they bring Chucky to life to such a degree that we on set can all take it for granted.  You know, he is just the kids’ co-star, Jennifer’s co-star, or the actor that me and my fellow directors are directing.  But secondly, I think that “Chucky” works well as a television series because for years with the films would already set the precedent of doing serialized, ongoing, narrative storytelling.  We have been spinning this continuous web over decades.  So, to be able to do that now at an accelerated pace, and to go through eight hours of story per season, that’s really exciting.  Because it allows us to get more into character’s history, and relationships, and go down different avenues and explore characters that fans have been wanting to know more about.  This year we learned more about Glen and Glenda, what has been going on with them.  Fans have been wanting to know about that since 2004.  And I also think that the YA element is a good fit for “Chucky.”  Because one of our — aesthetically, we love to do over the top stylistic, grandiose, visual stuff.  And I think that’s the way teenagers emotions work.  Teenagers emotions are over the top and big.  That’s how you experience things when you are a teenager.  Everything is incredibly vivid.  So, I think that our franchise is a great fit for that.

Q) I want to know about the evolution of the look of Chucky and how that evolved. From your first — the first concept that you imagined him to look like to the way he finally looks today.  I’m wondering how much of a transition that was.  And the second part of the question is, how many — is Chucky available in stores?  Can you go buy him?  And do people actually want that thing in their house?

DON MANCINI: Let’s go to the most important answer, yes, very available in stores.  Go get your “Chucky” merchandise now, available in all Hot Topics and Spencer’s and any Universal Studios.

(Laughter)

DEVON SAWA: “Chucky” t-shirts, blankets, lunchboxes.

DON MANCINI: And online.  Please go for the licensed stuff.

DEVON SAWA: And new Don Mancini t-shirts.

DON MANCINI: I described in my original script, I described him specifically at the urging of a friend of mine.  I was lucky to have a friend that is a lawyer at the Writer’s Guild.  When I was writing that script, he urged me to describe Chucky very specifically.  Because in the unlikely event that it becomes a hit and a thing, you want to be able to be the legal creator of that character.  So, I said, okay, two feet tall, red hair, blue eyes, freckles, blue overalls, red sneakers.  All of that.  But that description, there’s something relatively generic about that.  David Kirschner, who has been our producer on all of the movies and on the TV Series from the beginning, he is also a very talented artist.  And based on my description, he codified the look of Chucky that you see here sitting next to me.  Hi.

JENNIFER TILLY: The use of the word “codify,” by the way, 2 points.

DON MANCINI: Thank you.  So — and the look does evolve at times, because sometimes we need to change his look to suit certain specific story elements that we might have in a specific movie or a season of the TV show.  So, that accounts for the slightly altered looks from season to season, year to year.  It is all very deliberate.

JENNIFER TILLY: I think it is very exciting for the fans, every year, to see the new incarnation of Chucky.  It keeps us fresh and new.  He is recognizable, but you mix it up a little bit and it is fun for them to see.  This season, and last season also, when they had a lot of Chuckys.  It is just really fun.  And Don gives them all — I mean, Brad gives them all different personalities, but they are all still Chucky because Brad does the voices so brilliantly.  They are different aspects of Chucky’s character, the different Chuckys.  I don’t think I am giving anything away, because there were a lot of Chuckies last season too.

DON MANCINI: We’ll stop you.

JENNIFER TILLY: The hook pulls me off the zoom camera.

The different voices, and when you are doing —

DON MANCINI: Blah, blah, blah, that we are not talking about.

DEVON SAWA: The old Fozzie Bear….

JENNIFER TILLY: I hijacked it.  Okay.  Never mind.  We are moving on.

DEVON SAWA: Trap door.

JENNIFER TILLY: But last season, there was the sort of naive Chucky, and do we —

BRAD DOURIF: Yeah, when there are different Chuckys, I do a different voice for each one, or at least a different low, medium, and high kind of thing.  And I go — and then there’s a bit of a personality that comes from reading the script.  And I go from beginning to end, in one character, and then go back to the beginning and do the second character.  Go back and do the third character.  That’s the way I have done it before this season, and I am not talking about anything having to do with this season.  Because I will be killed.

(Laughter)

Q) Don, was the Catholic horror idea something you ever imagined for one of the “Chucky” movies or just something you thought of for season two?

DON MANCINI: It is something I have been thinking about.  When you have an ongoing franchise, I spend an unholy amount of time thinking about Chucky.  Too much.  But one of the benefits of that is you have a lot of ideas.  You have ideas for characters that he can develop relationships with, different realms that he can operate in.  You kind of develop those and put them in a drawer.  So, it is something I have been wanting to do for a while.  Like I said, in the intro, I really enjoy plugging all of our characters into different sub genres of horror.  Some day we need to do Chucky as a vampire.  Chucky as a zombie.

JENNIFER TILLY: A shopaholic.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: Chucky on —

Q) Devon, this is your third character on the show.  What are your thoughts on bringing yet another character to life and were you okay with the “Idle Hands” references?

DEVON SAWA: Yeah, of course I was okay with the references.  I was excited when I got the news that I would be coming back.  It’s — I’ve loved this from the beginning.  I loved doing season two, season one.  This character was a little easier to play than the last two jerks that I played.  It’s been a blast.  I have been having so much fun with this thing, and I am just fortunate to be on it and getting that 10% discount on my “Chucky” merchandise, which is at Hot Topic by the way.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: And Spencer’s.

DON MANCINI: And Walmart.

DEVON SAWA: Target.

JENNIFER TILLY: In the hot priest genre.

Q): Alyvia, you are each a year older, and it is clear that year has been harrowing for these characters, can you talk about how your characters are coping in the aftermath of the Chucky incident?

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: Yeah.  It is a year later.  The kids are trying to deal with their trauma in any way possible.  I think that everything happened so fast and now finally everything is catching up to their emotions.  They have all been separated.  They are not together.  They cannot talk about the trauma they have endured with anybody other than each other, and they have kind of lost contact at this point.  So, they are just having to push it all down and just pretend like everything is okay when it is definitely not.  Lexy has turned to drugs.  She is trying to cope in any way possible because she feels like she has lost every single person who she loved.  And Devon and Jake are not there for her.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: I am sorry, Lexy.  I have my own problems.  So, I think Devon is — after season one, this kind of break in between, oh, I am on the big screen.  So, there’s a break in between.  And now Devon wants to reconnect with Jake and try to form this relationship more, but then it doesn’t end up working out.  They start losing contact, and there’s a lot of — some drama in between.  They are trying really hard, especially Devon, to connect.  But he can’t seem to get to Jake and that becomes a big thing.  And I am excited for you guys to see that, boom.  Did I do it?

I don’t know.

ZACKARY ARTHUR: Yeah, so, I guess this season, Jake is dealing with all of the guilt that has been placed upon him from — because he feels really responsible for all the damage that has been caused in the people that’s effected.  And so I am excited for you guys to see this season as well.  And, obviously, that relationship between him and Devon, you will get to see how that develops in this new environment, and how Chucky reacts in that new environment.

Q)  I have one question for everybody that wants to answer with no spoilers for the upcoming season.  What is your favorite “Chucky” memory?

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: Wait, from anything?

Q) Yeah.  Anything.  Yeah.  “Chucky” related only.  Yeah. Okay.  Come on.  You have to have a favorite.

DON MANCINI: I have to go first?  I mean that’s a lot of memories.  Gosh.  Someone else go first.  I was going to say something that was a spoiler.

BRAD DOURIF: From the movie, the night that Chucky got lucky.  Because I was shocked.  When Chucky had sex, I wasn’t expecting to be shocked, but I was so shocked and delighted.  And with Jennifer — because I have been working all alone, but that’s beside the point.  That was my favorite moment.

DON MANCINI: So, you are referring, Brad, to the premiere of “Bride of Chucky”?

BRAD DOURIF: Yeah, premiere of “Bride of Chucky.”

DON MANCINI: Yeah.

BRAD DOURIF: I saw the two dolls had sex, and even though — Jennifer and I did all that, you know, the voice for all that — voice only for all of that, microphones with glass between us.

JENNIFER TILLY: It is really fun.  Because we were the first people to do doll sex.  I know “South Park” did doll sex after we did our doll sex.  It was really fun, because the way that we worked, Brad and I were in booths, adjoining booths, so we could improvise.  I improvised “Chucky, Chucky –” because she hasn’t been a doll for so long.  “Do you have a rubber?”  And then Brad improvised, “Rubber?  Look at me, baby, I am all rubber.”  So, they had unprotected sex, which led to an unplanned pregnancy, which is a lesson for the kiddies.  It was fun when we saw it, because there were things that I didn’t really realize.  The puppeteers, like you say, Don, do such an amazing job.  Number one, she was very sexy.  You saw a little bit of Tiffany’s round bottom, and then when Chucky kissed her, his little animatronic tongue went out and rotated around in my mouth.  I was thinking, that’s strange.  So, I had to go back and loop in like a gargling sound.  Because he kept kissing me, because doll sex is different than real sex, but it is a lot of fun, especially when it is with Brad.

BRAD DOURIF: I concur.  Especially with Jennifer.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: My favorite moment is when we saw Chucky flip us off in the first season in the hospital.  One, because it was really fun night to film, and two because that was the first time we see the three amigos kind of coming together.  And you can see their goal, and Chucky is just being a little A-hole, and he flipped us off.  That is the first time that Devon sees Chucky actually acting and like moving and being human-like.

ZACKARY ARTHUR: Good ice breaker.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: And I remember watching that with our whole “Chucky” group, and it got a big gasp from everybody.  Everybody cheering, and it was like — yeah.  So, that’s my favorite moment.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: You know, Chucky is pretty cool.  I can’t think of a favorite moment, but do I like — I realize how recently how manipulative Chucky is.  He is sinister.  I see all the movies, and season one where he grabs somebody, and just molds them into what he wants slowly.  Like what he did with Junior and stuff.  I kind of like that whole dynamic with that — that final twist in the end.  And I was like whoa.

DEVON SAWA: My favorite moment was the video game scene.  I have a lot of moments from this season, but I don’t want to talk about them because they are spoilers.  But last year that sweet scene with them playing video games, it was beautifully shot.  It was grounded.  It was just this cool little scene with Chucky and the little girl, and I don’t know why it just — it is the first thing I think about with season one and my favorite moment for sure…that I am not in.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: Obviously, yeah.

ZACKARY ARTHUR: And I had to say my favorite moment is from this season that obviously I can’t talk about.  But, you know, I think last season there’s a scene with him and Caroline and he goes, “Snug as a fucking bug in a rug.”  I thought that was really funny.  When he is in the blankets.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: The singing too.  The lullaby was super creepy.  That was a good thing.

DON MANCINI: I have a lot, a lot of great memories.  But I think if we are mostly focusing on season one here, or at the moment, “Bride of Chucky” and season one, one of my favorite moments from season one was the Jake-Devon kiss.  And that was like something we planned, and talked about a lot, and worked on, and everyone was — it was very nervous energy on the set that night.  They did such a great job and had us all crying when that happened.  And, so, just knowing that that went over so well, and it was — the characters and that relationship embraced by the LGBTQ community that really meant a lot to all of us.

QUESTION: Hi, everyone.  For the cast, what was the biggest difference you felt between your first day on season one and your last day on season two?

DON MANCINI: Whoa.

ZACKARY ARTHUR: Wow.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: What the heck.

ZACKARY ARTHUR: The first day was really, really nerve-racking.  I felt like my last day was very, very like calm.  It felt like normal.  Because at that point, we had been doing it for a long time, and — yeah.  It is all super sad when it is the last day of filming and everybody is all, like — I remember last season I cried a little bit, and this season I am not going to say — I may have cried a little bit at the end of the season because you are going to miss everybody.  I just formed a lot of bonds with everybody on set, and so it is sad to leave.  So, I guess it went from super nervous energy to super sad energy, I guess.  I don’t know.  Not sad, sad that I am leaving.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: I guess for me, my first day was the big cafeteria scene between Jake and Devon.  It was my first ever scene in a show.  So, when I was doing it, it was really weird to sit there and then talk to Zack and have the whole camera crew be quiet.  And, so, everyone just hears the conversation, I am like — because I didn’t know how everything worked.  So, just sitting there talking normally in a quiet area, and people moving and I was like, okay.  It was my first thing that I was not used to it at all, but I got used to it.

On the last day of season 2 — that’s a crazy question.  After so much time, it kind of like — it is sad, obviously, and I am going to miss everybody.  But it is more I feel glad I was able to finish it and put up good work, and it was finished and I got to do it.  I get to go home.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: Lexy changes so drastically from the first season to the second season last day.  I was channeling major mean-girl energy on the first day, first season.  She has really just a whole complete different character.  So, I guess the way I played Lexy, the entire show, it — Don wrote this amazing part for her, and the emotions were just completely different.  I started the first season, first day playing a completely different character than I did ending.  It was just really fun ending out the second season with this brand-new character.

JENNIFER TILLY: I am trying to remember — I remember my first day was a sex scene with Nica.  So, I sort of jumped in and I was a little nervous because I hadn’t been — had done a sex scene for very long time.  And I was semi-retired.  I was just wandering around the world playing poker.  And it was sort of like jumping back in the saddle again.  But right off the bat, I felt super comfortable, and we had so much fun, me and Fiona.  And then the last day of the second season — at the end of the first season, Don says, “Well, we have to start thinking about season two.”  And I said, “What?”  I didn’t know it was a television series.  I thought it was like a television event.  I never thought there would be a season two.  And then at the end of the second season, I was like, can’t wait for season three, like – so, just assuming it will go on forever.  But it is always melancholy because the cast and crew become a family.  We have the greatest crew in the world.  And when you come back, there’s different people, and we are just hoping that for season three, if there is a season three, that we can get the whole gang together.  But definitely a feeling of job well done.  We had to wade through a lot of difficulties up in Toronto, regardless of having the greatest crew, and like — you know, like the kids say, really good sense of satisfaction.  Like we have done such a good job.  I think season two is even better than season one.

BRAD DOURIF: I agree.

JENNIFER TILLY: We are amazing.

DON MANCINI: Brad has to answer the question.

BRAD DOURIF: How did I feel at the very beginning.  Like, I wonder what Don is up to this season?  It was like — I read some, but I hadn’t read — there were very important things I hadn’t read.  But I had a feeling that he was up to something.  So, I was a little nervous I think about what was he going to be doing.  At the end of it, I had — it is actually it is not the end for me.  Because the vast amount of work I do is just so much Chucky noises, and ADR that has to go on that’s the, really in a way, it is the bulk of the work.  I’ve got to scream, yell, breathe, sigh, moan, cry, laugh, a lot.  So, I have a lot left to do, but I will let you know whenever end of November.

DEVON SAWA: So, the beginning of last season, like every actor, I was trying to figure out a way not to die, to try to change Don’s mind, and figure out how I can stay on this thing.  And somehow it worked, and I am back for season two.  I love working with the young actors.  I love — because I was a young actor so this is my first time working with kids my age when I started.  I just love watching them.  I love watching them grow, and season two has been a whole new experience watching them grow as young thespians, as young artists, and it’s been phenomenal.  Now I am just kind of wondering — I don’t know.  It was — I just had such a good damn great time.  It was such a blast.  So, yeah.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: I’ll DM you later, Devon.

DEVON SAWA: Okay.

JENNIFER TILLY: Don, you need to answer that question.

DON MANCINI: It was directed to the cast.  Not me.

JENNIFER TILLY: I think we should hear from you.

DEVON SAWA: Don finally got some sleep.

DON MANCINI: Exactly.  First day of first season, I was — I directed the first episode of season one.  So, between that and running the show, I was pretty nervous, and anxious, I guess on that first day is one always tends to be.  And then the last day of season two, I had just recovered from Covid.  I got Covid at the end.  And, so, I was able to land back on set on the very last day of shooting, and I had to direct a separate “Chucky”, a separate unit.  And I can’t say specifically what — although I think everyone here probably knows.  But the very last thing I did on the show, and that we did for the entire season, was a really important big shot in the show, and it was very successful.  So, it was a wonderful feeling to — a great end note.

DEVON SAWA: Oh, yeah.  Great great.

DON MANCINI: It was very exciting.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: It was a great last day, a fun last day.

DON MANCINI: It was a busy last day.

ALYVIA ALYN LIND: A lot going on.

BJÖRGVIN ARNARSON: It is a spooky last day.

Q) Brad, you played Chucky since ’88.  How have you and the character evolved?

BRAD DOURIF: Well, I am 72.  So, one of the things that happened is I got old, which is very strange.  I don’t know.  I think — you know, I think that Don Mancini is of all the collective unconscious, “Chucky” collective unconsciousness, he is the God thereof.  And most of my evolution comes from his imagination.  I always felt — I mean I felt that Don’s ability to grab where horror was going, how the genre changed, and adapt “Chucky,” it was always unique and extremely fun.  I think he is the reason why this thing continues to work, and why Jennifer and I still have a job from many many years.  Sometimes it is really — I know the character really well, so, I feel like I should be able to go in there and do it, but Don always comes up with shit that makes it harder.

(Laughter)

BRAD DOURIF:  Which is kind of a really kind of — I mean he really challenged me this year, I have to tell you.  I was really scared at times that I was going to fuck this up big time.  But — and he doesn’t.  I mean he really, really made us step out, so, that’s all good.  Being challenged is a good thing, and especially for someone who kind of considers himself to be retired.  So, I will end with that. I am so sad that I never got a chance to work with you guys.  You know.  I miss it.

DON MANCINI: Yeah.

BRAD DOURIF: I miss being able to work with you, and I think your work is beautiful, and you guys have done a really, really nice job, and I look forward to seeing in AVR screening.

JENNIFER TILLY: Maybe.

BRAD DOURIF: Good to see you, Jennifer, but always.

JENNIFER TILLY:  You could be a Geppetto that makes the Chucky dolls or something.  Don, start writing.

(Laughter)

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*