"In this exclusive interview, Don Mancini sheds light on what to expect from the thrilling new season of #Chucky, delves into Jake and Devon's relationship, and teases an upcoming Chucky movie.
Experience the blend of horror, heart, and groundbreaking queerness in Chucky's latest saga."
Experience the blend of horror, heart, and groundbreaking queerness in Chucky's latest saga."
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PeopleTranscript
00:00 Hi, I am Kaitlin McDaniel. I'm with Gayety. It's so wonderful to see you. How are you?
00:08 I'm good. How are you?
00:10 I'm great. So excited to talk about this show. I have been a big fan, been writing about
00:15 it since it started. So love to see where it's going. So I hear that season three is
00:26 promising to be scarier, bloodier, and gayer. Is that true?
00:32 Yes, true on all counts. Yeah. Have you seen the last four episodes yet?
00:37 I have not.
00:38 You have not. Okay. Yeah, I think, but that's fair promises in each category. Yes.
00:46 Can you elaborate a little bit on just like how these horror elements have evolved in
00:51 this season and how you continue to push the bar with this show?
00:56 Well it's important to all of us to sort of like make it different somehow each time
01:03 out. It's something I tried to do with the movies as well before we ever got to television.
01:09 So I guess I had a certain amount of practice at it, but it maybe says as much about my
01:16 attention span or lack thereof that I need a different vibe, an injection of a different
01:24 vibe for every movie or season of the show. But I think it is one of the things that keeps
01:30 people interested in it. I think that to keep reinventing it. And fortunately, Chucky has
01:37 proven himself to be a very versatile character. He works in all kinds of shades of the horror
01:47 genre and sub genres. He works in straightforward horror, also works great in horror comedy,
01:55 and different, even different kinds of comedy even. So yes, with this season specifically,
02:05 the introduction of more supernatural elements and a more elaborate supernatural mythology
02:13 really appealed to me. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. And we
02:18 put a little of this in the first half of the season. At some point there's a conversation
02:23 about well, what's the difference between is Chucky a ghost? I mean, what is a ghost
02:28 or what is a spirit? And it just occurred to me that Chucky, he is a ghost in a way.
02:35 He's a ghost that's animating something. So why not have him encounter other ghosts?
02:41 And I've long been intrigued by the actual lore surrounding the White House that for
02:47 decades people have talked about it being haunted and seeing various ghosts there. And
02:53 so I just thought that Chucky in a haunted White House just seemed kind of mouthwatering
03:01 to me. And hopefully other people are liking it as well.
03:05 I mean, absolutely. It was definitely a twist that I think many didn't see coming. We're
03:10 always wondering where he's going to go next. But to go, you know, to the White House is
03:14 definitely something we're all excited to see. And I love that you kind of talked about
03:19 Chucky's being so versatile. And I wanted to ask you, because obviously there's a lot
03:25 of queer representation in the series. And even Chucky himself has that heart to heart
03:29 where he talks about his queer kid. So I wanted to know, when did you know he was an ally?
03:37 I think starting with Bride of Chucky, I would say. I mean, Bride of Chucky was the first
03:43 movie where I was sort of conscious about injecting queer content and having an explicitly
03:51 gay character. But also it was the vibe of the whole thing was different from the previous
03:57 movies. I mean, and casting was a big part of that. I mean, that's one of the reasons
04:02 that I wanted Jennifer Tilly so badly, because, you know, she was already a queer icon, especially
04:12 because of Bound. So her and Alexis Arquette, John Ritter, you know, there were a lot of
04:22 connections to gay culture and queer culture built into that movie. So I think that whether
04:31 Chucky was conscious of it or not at that stage, certainly his, you know, his franchise
04:38 was becoming an ally. But then I think, you know, I think he becomes consciously an ally
04:43 with Bride of Chucky when, you know, he gets to know his child and in all their glory and
04:54 their multifaceted glory. And he, you know, he makes this big speech where he's like accepting
05:00 of that. He goes, "My multi-talented kid."
05:02 Absolutely. And it's just so funny to see him talk about it where, you know, he makes
05:06 jokes that he's not a monster while he's killing people.
05:10 Right. But he, you know, he has standards, you know, it's not, you know, it's like,
05:15 it's like, I, you know, he is a monster, but he's not a homophobe. That's like, that's
05:21 ridiculous. Right. You know, that's like twisted beyond any measure.
05:26 Right. Which is the theme that we should always be saying in horror movies. Like that's just
05:31 too much. And I wanted to ask, I know that you have been talking about that there's a
05:36 new movie coming up that might be in the works for Chucky. And I loved that this series really
05:42 just brings like this like coming of age queerness, but then also infuses the horror. So is that
05:47 something that we might be seeing in projects going forward?
05:51 Yeah. You know, well, you know, we were continuing to focus, you know, throughout the series
05:58 on this young gay teen couple, Jake and Devin. And in season three, now that they're 17 and
06:05 18 years old, they're ready to take their romance to the next level. So, you know, that,
06:12 you know, it's been a central part of the show, those characters throughout. And it's
06:17 a, it's a vibe that I want to retain in a relationship. I, you know, I think it's still
06:25 worth exploring. And I think the actors are so great. You know, I really, Zach and Bjorn
06:32 are wonderful. All the kids are.
06:36 Yeah. And is there anything that you can tease about their relationship? I know fans love
06:41 seeing them together and so eager for more stuff.
06:43 Well, like I said, I mean, I feel like I already did when they're 18 years old. They're 18
06:51 year old gay boys. They've been together for a few years now.
06:56 What's going to come next?
06:59 I think, I think that's, that's the tease.
07:04 And is there anything else you want to tease about the new series or tell audiences about
07:08 what's coming next?
07:11 Just that it's a level of carnage brought by Chucky that you've not seen before, because,
07:18 you know, now that we know that he's dying and aging, he's, you know, encouraged by Tiffany
07:24 to go out in the blaze of glory. So, you know, he's going for the nukes as the trailer revealed.
07:32 So that's, that's new and very game changing.
07:35 Absolutely. Well, that's all the time I have. Thank you so much.
07:39 Thank you. Nice to meet you.
07:41 - Thank you. - Yeah.