STACK Jul #129

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030 JULY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
visit Q&A CINEMA
Stefanie Scott encounters bad spirits and best friends in
horror prequel INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3.
How did you get involved in this project?
STEFANIE SCOTT: I love the Insidious films
and auditioned, like anybody else. I had just
wrapped the shoot of Jem and the Holograms
when I got an email to audition for the role of
Quinn in Insidious: Chapter 3. I was so excited!
What did you think of the script when you
read it?
I thought it was super creepy. I remember
being in my apartment reading it and how it
freaked me out. It’s a very cool script, and what
I love about it is that it’s creepy but not gory.
After reading the script I started working the
lines, met with the director Leigh Whannell, did
some scenes for him and got the role. I was so
thrilled because it is such a cool franchise.
What was your recollection of the previous
Insidious movies?
I actually saw Insidious: Chapter 2 before
the first one, because I wasn’t much into scary
movies before; although I recently got into
them. I remember being so scared. I saw it one
night with a bunch of friends. I had a hoodie
that I kept on pulling over my eyes every time
the creepy lady in the white
dress came out. Then I saw
the first film after I started
going for this role, which
made it all make more
sense to me because this
movie is a prequel that
introduces the characters
and brings Elise back.
What do you like the
most about Quinn
Brenner, your character?
That even though she doesn’t understand
what’s happening to her she still has hope.
That’s what I find the most inspiring about
Quinn. Also, she really beats to her own drum,
and her style is so cool. Funnily enough, when
I walked into her room on the set I thought it
reminded me of my own.
You mentioned the importance in the story
of the character of Elise Rainier – a role
played again by Lin Shaye.What can you
say about her?
I think Quinn and Elise have a connection
right away, which probably has to do with the
psychic that is in her. And working with Lin has
been a dream. I just love talking to her.
And Maggie, your best friend in the movie,
is portrayed by one of your
best friends in real life:
Hayley Kiyoko.
That’s another thing!
Hayley is one of my best
friends in real life, so I feel
our connection on screen is
real. Isn’t she the coolest?
And she has all these crazy
hair colors! I wish I were
more like her.
Were you looking forward
to working with her again?
Yes, Hayley and I had just worked on Jem
and the Holograms together, so it was really
fun to be with her again on a movie set. We
just have this great relationship and are both in
real life so much like our characters.
Can you talk a bit about what your
character goes through in this film?
Quinn loses her mother at a really tough
time – when she is in high school and deciding
what to do with her life. And because I really
need a connection with her I visit a psychic to
find a way to communicate with my mom and
find out if she is on the other side.
That is when the character of Lin Shaye
comes into play.What happens then?
Then I get into an accident and get involved
with a bad spirit, who I think is my mom. I don’t
know what I would do if this happened to me
in real life. I think I would probably be paralyzed
with fear and never speak again.
What can you say of LeighWhannell, who
debuts as a director with this film and also
returns as an actor to the role of Specs?
Leigh is such a cool dude, and he is so easy-
going. I can’t believe it’s his first time directing.
But the truth is that no one knows this story
better than him, because the
Insidious franchise is his
baby and he wrote all the
films. Before we started
shooting he had everyone
come to his house and
watch The Shining. Stefanie Scott as Quinn Brenner
• Insidious:
Chapter 3
is in cinemas on
July 16
Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier
PARANORMAL
ACTIVITY
I remember being in
my apartment reading
[the script] and how it
freaked me out