TV
Matthew Lillard Praises Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ Series: “A Pure Adaptation of the Book”
After a brief but memorable turn in The Life of Chuck, Matthew Lillard has reunited with Mike Flanagan on another Stephen King adaptation: the reimagining of “Carrie” for Prime Video.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Lillard shared enthusiastic praise for Flanagan, his fellow castmates, and the series as a whole.
“Carrie‘s brilliant. Mike Flanagan, who I worked with on Life of Chuck, he is just the single greatest force of nature in this industry,” said Lillard, who plays Principal Grayle in the show.
Lillard explained, “It’s three different sort of sections. It’s the story Carrie written by Stephen King. It’s really a pure adaptation of the book [more] than the original movie was. The [Brian] De Palma film is really about sort of one aspect, but there’s a lot that happens in the book that’s been introduced to the show.”
“There’s three different tiers: the teachers, and the parents, and the students,” Lillard continued. “The teachers and the parents are kind of the varsity-level of actors; you know, old … And then the kids, the kids are freaking brilliant. They’re brilliant actors. I would watch them work, and I was blown away at their ability to be honest and truthful.”
He added, “We saw the first three episodes cut before we even left Vancouver, Mike had already finished and picture-locked the first three episodes, which was remarkable. But the show’s great. It’s really fantastic. The only thing that sucks is you have to wait a year to see it, because it’s so good.”
In “Carrie,” misfit high-schooler Carrie White has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother. After her father’s sudden and untimely death, Carrie finds herself contending with the alien landscape of public high school, a bullying scandal that shatters her community, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers.
Mike Flanagan serves as writer and showrunner in addition to directing select episodes of the eight-part series. Amazon MGM Studios produces.
Summer H. Howell stars as Carrie White, with Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Josie Toah as Tina Blake, Arthur Conti as Billy Nolan, Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross, and Amber Midthunder as Rita Desjardian.
Recurring guest stars include Heather Graham, Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Crystal Balint, Danielle Klaudt, Tim Bagley, Tahmoh Penikett, Mapuana Makia, Naika Toussaint, Delainey Hayles, Cassandra Naud, and Rowan Danielle.
Lillard can next be seen in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, in theaters December 5, and Scream 7, due out February 27.
Meanwhile, Flanagan is in pre-production on his new take on The Exorcist starring Scarlett Johansson.
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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