At the Cinema Barberini in Rome Kathryn Newton and Sarah Michelle Gellar held the press conference of Until Death separates us 2, the new chapter of the horror saga of Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, narrating his experience and answering the questions of journalists. The film will be in Italian theatres from 9 April.
After Abigail (2024) is the second collaboration between the two authors and Kathryn Newton who created the film with the actress in mind. The choice to call Sarah Michelle Gellar was very enthusiastically welcomed by the actress of Buffy, who was already a fan of the original film.
Sarah Michelle Gellar e Kathryn Newton sul film
As long as death does not separate us 2 is a bloody revenge movie that also introduces a reflection on family relationships, thanks also to the addition of the character of Newton, Faith, sister of the protagonist. The actress said: “Samara (ndr, Weaving, protagonist of the film) became my older sister even in life practically […] the dynamic between us was very easy to find because I leaned a lot on her… I really fell in love with her, a cool person, a fantastic leader and a perfect role model.”.
Also Sarah Michelle Gellar, interpreter of one of the two twins Danforth, spoke of her character: “ Kathryn and I are both unique daughters so we had to pretend… me and Shawn (ndr, Hatosy, interpreter of Titus Danforth) have long spoken to rebuild the relationship. The twins are something fascinating, they have a bond you’ll never understand if you don’t pass. […] In my life I have known so many people as Ursula grew up in the shadow of a parent with strong presence, which does not allow you to develop your identity. Ursula is so, he has no complete identity because half is twin, and half is a soldier of the father, now it is in the position he was waiting for from all his life”.
Gellar, mainly known for heroin roles, also spoke of comparing with a role as villain: “I am very lucky because the public has always accepted me in both roles, but being a villain is always fun […] I hope to give humanity in any role, what I want is the three-dimensionality, I never seek caricature. Even so if you are bad there must be a reason, I like to find out what motivates the character to be so […] I’m not afraid to choose different roles because I have loyal fans and faithful, I choose the movie if the role me enjoys”
As long as death does not separate us 2 is a frenetic and fun horror that is not afraid to mix genres to entertain and amaze the viewer. In this regard, Gellar stated that the film reminded her of the reason why she loves horror, that is, the absence of rules: “In the horror rules are created for each individual story. This film has its own rules and every genre film suffers a contamination […] here is everything, action, dramatic moments and more truculent parts […] this makes the film so interesting because you can decide how to see it, it can be a fun trip for those who love comedies and horrors. Cinema takes problems in real life and takes advantage of the genre to talk about something else, as it is willing to do people to acquire power and keep it.”.
“For me this film is a team effort,” adds Newton, “my favorite scenes are all together, the choral scenes are beautiful because we made jokes, talked… the cast is fantastic, from Elijah (ndr, Woods), Shawn, Néstor (ndr, Carbonell)…”
David Cronenberg’s cameo is the cherry on the cake of a crazy ensemble, as Gellar says: “At first, we were very upset about him. For a moment I stayed speechless and then became enthusiastic, felt on the set this change of energy […] is such a nice person, he loves to make movies, he wanted to be treated like any other member of the cast but people stopped him and he kept answering […] we also asked him directions of direction but he refused saying that he was an actor just like all of us”
The actress continues by deepening the atmosphere on the set and recalling the importance of cinema as a collective event: “Everyone should feel confident on the set, I’m not afraid to sell, I’m not afraid of bosses, if there’s something wrong I say. I also told Kathryn, if there is something to call me, I want to take what I learned and share it with younger generations
The setting on the set, however, was like a group of friends who had fun crazy. It was a joy to work with these people. The effects were all real, there is no CGI, this involved extra work […] the cinema is the space where one puts aside the phone and takes off with the rest of the world not to think about anything else. This is the hope of this film, this kind of audience comes with you, jumps in the chair or redacchia and for this reason the cinema is so important and you have to go to the room for this shared experience“
Il ricordo di Nicholas Brendon
Gellar also recalls the recent disappearance of Nicholas Brendon, co-star of Buffy: “When you lose a person very prematurely it is a tragedy, it is a hard weight to carry. Sometimes I have the feeling that in our series there have been more tragedies than anything… he was an integral part of Buffy and that’s something that will never disappear. As actors we often think of the legacy we leave and he brought joy in the series and in the spectators” and continues to mention the cancellation of the reboot “the affection was incredible, in these weeks I have been overwhelmed by love so that I have not yet managed to absorb it all”.
Finally, Kathryn Newton mentioned the possibility of returning to the franchise (although the results at the box office were not exciting): “Matt and Tyler did a fantastic job first chapter and a fantastic sequel and could pull out another autonomous… you have to tell me what you think, if this movie liked you! I look forward to working with them again, I would do anything, if they asked me to be a mummy… well I would! You and me, Sarah, we could be two beautiful mummies.”.
The article Until death separate us 2, Sarah Michelle Gellar in Rome: “Nicholas Brandon will remain in everyone’s hearts. Grate for public affection” comes from Dituttounpop.it.
