Original-Cin Q&A: Teen scream-queen Lulu Wilson on the bloody revenge movie Becky, Star Trek: Picard and feminism
Look out for up and coming young actress Lulu Wilson. No, I mean literally, look out!
The 14-year old has made a name as a tween scream-queen, having starred in films like Ouija: Origin of Evil and Annabelle: Creation, as well as the Netflix television series, The Haunting of Hill House.
Her latest role is in the thriller Becky, where she plays the lead character, a willful and rebellious teen who tries to reconnect with her father during a weekend getaway at a lakefront house. The trip soon takes a turn for the worse when neo-Nazi convicts on the run, led by the merciless Dominick, (Kevin James) suddenly invade the home, and Becky gets very angry indeed. Some have called it, “Home Alone with blood”.
Fighting for her family’s life, Lulu Wilson plays cat and mouse with a neo-Nazi (Kevin James) in Becky.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Lulu Wilson about the film, doing her own stunts, being on an episode of Star Trek PIcard and her next film where she plays a young Gloria Steinem.
Click HERE to listen to Bonnie’s interview with Becky co-star Amanda Brugel.
Click HERE for Jim Slotek’s review of the movie Becky.
Becky is currently available on VOD.
ORIGINAL-CIN: I really wanted to talk to you because, oh my goodness, your portrayal of Becky is beyond words. You kick butt like I've never seen by someone your age!
LULU WILSON: “Thank you so much. Kicking butt made it extra fun to be in this movie and watching the butt kicking sort of pay off, was really fun, too.”
OC: Not only do I want to know what your initial reaction was to the script, but what did your parents say?
WILSON: (Laughs) “I first got the script when I was 11, and so of course my parents were a little hesitant at first. After all it’s about an 11-year-old ultimately battling a Nazi!
“As the script developed and I grew up a little, I sort of realized that it's very me and had a lot of my personality in the character. Also Becky is not only a gore-soaked thriller. It also is very empowering for young girls to know they don't need to be saved.
“Here’s a girl who is ultimately doing it all herself, and it's really showing her raw anger. The media sometimes doesn't let girls show their anger as much as they do with boys. So, both me and my parents thought, ‘Why not?’ It’s scary and bloody but in the end a great role for me to play.”
OC: Let’s face it, the character has gone through a lot, and has plenty of pent-up anger and frustration after losing her mom. So, I think she has some justification for what she does.
WILSON: “Yes, thank you!! I completely agree! She's having a hard time. It's only been a year since her mother died and her dad has this new love interest (played by Amanda Brugel) who he brings to their father daughter weekend at the cabin.
“That would make me very angry as well! Then these guys come and invade their cabin and threaten them all with violence which just puts her over the edge! She is totally justified in her behavior!”
Becky, in full revenge mode.
OC: Tell me a little bit about your stunts because I know you have done stunt work before. But you were pretty insistent on doing as much as you possibly could for this film.
WILSON: “I like to be really involved and there were a lot of practical effects on set, which were really interesting to watch and learn about.
“It’s really important to me to do as much as I can. And of course, I can’t get my body slammed on the ground or punched. I don't want to do that.
“But it also helps me get into the character and I was very lucky because I had the greatest stunt coordinator, and she sort of let me do everything I was allowed to in the safest possible way.”
OC: You did get to do this amazing zip-lining scene!
WILSON: “I swear that was pretty much the best day of my life. I got to zip-line and I'm afraid of heights.
“I don't like roller coasters, I don't like doing any of that and I remember being pulled up on the zip-line, which was terrifying! I had to psych myself up to let go and then the camera started rolling.
“I just faced my fears and it was great! I had so much fun doing all of that and that same day I got to fake stab the stunt coordinator. I really got to let out all my aggression with this character and I have to say I just had such a good time.”
OC: You spent some time in Toronto as the film was shot just North of the city. Did you enjoy yourself here?
WILSON: “I really liked Toronto, and for the most part we were on the outskirts of the city, in the woods. We actually spent most of the time in the woods, which was fun at the beginning. But after a while, I got a lot of mosquito bites, which I didn’t really love.” (Laughs)
OC: I have to ask you about Kevin James. We all know him for his comedy, so we've never seen him in a role like this. What was it like for you to play opposite him. I hope he didn’t pull a ‘method actor’ and stay in character the whole time!
WILSON: “ He didn't stay in character, which I appreciated because it would be hard to be on set with somebody like Dominic all day long.
“It was very interesting watching him go in and out of character. In real life he is the nicest guy but just watching that switch sort of flip on and off was fascinating. He was a brutal and angry guy for the role. And then, right as the cameras stopped rolling, he would immediately come over to me to apologize and ask me if I was OK.
“Seeing the switch from such an extreme hateful character to such an extremely nice guy was just incredible.”
OC: Joel McHale, who plays your dad, must have been there to lighten the load. He’s a pretty funny guy.
WILSON: “ He was really fun and a joy to be around. We had a scene in the car that took a lot of time to shoot and he spent most of the time cracking jokes.
OC: “Lastly, our Canadian gal Amanda Brugel….
WILSON: “She's amazing! I liked watching her because I didn't get to do many scenes with her and what she does in this movie is just so powerful. She really is a powerful actress.”
OC: Looking at your resume it is safe to say that you are definitely becoming a bit of a Scream Queen. Do you even like scary movies?
WILSON: “I love scary movies! I sort of grew up on them to be honest. We lived across the street from a movie theatre, so my dad and my oldest sister would go every Friday night and see a scary movie. So, I sort of grew up in that environment.
“Of course, I didn't really want to see them at first, but then I realized that horror movies are just so entertaining. You’ve got all the elements in there and it's kind of fun to be disturbed a little bit, especially when you know it’s all fake!” (Laughs)
OC: I can't not ask you about being on Star Trek: Picard! What is it like to be on a show that you know has a huge fan base?
WILSON: “At first I felt like I was invading their space because I'm not a ginormous Star Trek fan and I felt a bit intimidated. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn't know how the whole cast and crew would respond to having me on set. But my fears didn’t last long at all.
“Everyone was so great, and they're all like a family who were very welcoming. Patrick Stewart is the nicest guy and I remember we just had so many great conversations and he immediately put me at ease. It was one of my best experiences.”
OC: Have you ever experienced Comic-Con?
WILSON: “Oh yeah. I attended my first one a few years ago for Annabelle Creation, and it was a really fun experience because I am pretty nerdy about horror movies.
“So watching people sort of nerd out over Annabelle was incredible. It’s such an immersive experience, I can’t even imagine what it would be like going there representing Star Trek!” (Laughs)
OC: You have a film coming out (hopefully) this fall called The Glorias. about Gloria Steinem, directed by Julie Taymor (with Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore playing her art different ages). I just finished watching the series Mrs. America which focuses on Gloria Steinem’s Women’s Lib movement vs. the anti-ERA. You're playing Gloria as a young girl, did you even know who she was?
WILSON: “I did know about her and I didn't really have to do much research. I have two older sisters, so it's very like sisterhood in my home.
“Female empowerment in my house was and is important and we've always really been into feminism. It was really an honor to play a younger version of her. And meeting her in person was beyond amazing.
“I almost started crying because I was so excited. She's so powerful, so inspiring and such a positive role model and getting to play in version was truly an honor.”