[Interview] Cast/Directors of THE WRATH OF BECKY

In THE WRATH OF BECKY, we meet Becky once again two years after she escaped a violent attack on her family. Becky attempts to rebuild her life in the care of an older woman – a kindred spirit named Elena. But when a group known as the “Noble Men” break into their home, attack them, and take her beloved dog, Diego, Becky must return to her old ways to protect herself and her loved ones.

For the theatrical release of THE WRATH OF BECKY, Nightmarish Conjurings’ Shannon McGrew spoke with writer-directors Suzanne Coote and Matt Angel as well as actors Lulu Wilson and Seann William Scott. During their interview, they discussed everything from the decision to continue Becky’s story, the excitement of bringing Becky back to life on screen, the process of creating the terror that is Darryl, and more.

Thank you all so much for speaking with me today. To start things off, I’ll direct my first question to Matt and Suzanne. What inspired you both to continue with Becky’s story?

Suzanne Coote: We really liked the first film. We really like Lulu. We really like the idea of killing fascists, not the reality of it [Laughs]. We like challenges such as coming on as the directors of a sequel when we didn’t do the first one. All of it was a challenge.

Matt Angel: We loved the first film. What was so great about the first film is you had a very human character in Becky with very human trauma and struggles. My favorite sequels are those that kind of defy the genre of the first one and totally turn things on their head and you can go, well, the first one was kind of a quiet thriller and this one is an action horror film. When we sat down and rewatched Becky, I had a very clear sense [of what I wanted to do].

I looked at Suzanne and was like, what if we lean into Edgar Wright and Tarantino and Guy Richie and movies like Kickass and Deadpool and just hyper-stylize this and create a world that is satirical, not satirical enough, sadly, of our world but satirical and take our time to get to know who this character is who’s experienced this trauma and how she’s grown and evolved in two years. After earning that humanity, then really going for it and giving the audience that loves the first film something that they’re gonna love and feel energized by. And also, having a film that stands on its own two feet and brings in a new audience.

Lulu, what do you enjoy most about portraying Becky and bringing her to life on screen?

Lulu Wilson: All of it. That’s such a lame answer [Laughs]. I’ve been around Becky and I’ve been in the presence of this character for six years. I love her. I love her so much. I love the storyline. I know that it’s the type of movie that for me, personally, I would watch and become obsessed with if I wasn’t Becky. Specifically, for the second movie, what drew me to the script itself was…Becky’s gone through a lot within the two years between the first and second films. She’s had to do a lot of growing and she’s had to do a lot of maturing. She’s lived so many lifetimes and experienced so many things within this very short amount of time. She’s kind of dropped that teenage angst act. She doesn’t have a family other than her dog, Diego, who she loves and is very protective of. She’s never going to let her guard down; it’s still very much up. But she spent this time training and preparing herself. She knows that something’s gonna happen and she’s gonna be ready for it. And she was [Laughs].

Seann, shortly after we meet your character, Darryl Jr., you give us a chilling monologue that paints a perfect picture of the type of person you are. How did you prepare to step into a role like that?

Seann William Scott: What was different about this movie was that we had these conversations about the character two weeks before we started to shoot the movie. So, it was evolving and really collaborative. I think, ultimately, I’m kind of a dark guy [Laughs]. I’m a good guy but I go dark so it wasn’t that hard to tap into some things. I mean, obviously, I’m not like Darryl, thank god, but I’ll let Suzanne and Matt talk more about the actual character cause I just had ideas and then they put it together.

Suzanne Coote: I think what I’m hearing is that it’s not difficult for Seann to be a really fucking good actor. The same way it’s not difficult for Matt to write a really good script in three weeks and not difficult for Lulu to nail every single moment in this movie. When Seann read the script, he had so many great ideas for Darryl. The character changed, he became more disturbing, and that monologue…Seann was like, I want a monologue and I want this to be his backstory. We were like okay, yes, you’re so fucking dark and this is great cause so are we [Laughs].

Matt Angel: He had so many great ideas for the character. What was originally on the page for Darryl Jr., we give Seann all the credit in the world for what it turned into and what he brought to the character. And like Suzanne said, he did what all great movie stars do. He was like, you know that line, I want that, what if we talk about this and [Darryl] was this and he went through this and this is what he did and that’s why X, Y, and Z happened, and the monologue needs to be this kind of scene. It was the first scene he shot in the film.

Suzanne Coote: If he can’t answer what his process is, it’s because he’s the process.

Seann William Scott: Thank you, guys!

Matt Angel: Apparently, he’s just really f***ed up in the head [Laughs].

What’s next for Becky? Are you hoping for more movies to take place in the future?

Suzanne Coote: There will be a Becky 18 and it’ll take place in space [Laughs].

Matt Angel: Lulu really wants to do Becky on a cruise ship.

Lulu Wilson: Yes! I like the titles: Becky 4, All Aboard Becky, Becky’s on a Boat [Laughs].

Here’s to hoping we get a whole cinematic universe surrounding Becky kicking butt and taking names. Until then, THE WRATH OF BECKY will be exclusively in theaters May 26, 2023. For more on the film, check out our review.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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