Parker Finn’s Smile 2 is currently in cinemas and its star, Naomi Scott, is getting rave reviews for her performance as international popstar, Syke Riley. A step-up from its predecessor in every way, Smile 2 is perfect viewing for Halloween scares. Naomi Scott’s performance in Smile 2 is breathtaking and, in a just world, would see her earn some discussion during awards season. In preparation for the role. Scott not only had to learn her lines, but also craft a global pop sensation, which involved singing and dancing in Smile 2. Although clearly an intense project to be a part of, Naomi Scott isn’t over Skye Riley just yet and graciously gave some time to THN so that we could pick her brain about her new project.
Without any spoilers of the content, what was your reaction when you first read THAT ending?
I can’t remember what my reaction was to the end. What I do remember is I had a conversation with Parker without even reading the script. I’d seen the short film and was a fan of the short film, and I’d seen the first movie in the cinema. I was a fan of Parker’s at that point. So when we had the conversation, he was talking to me about this character and how this is really a character piece, and if you took the horror way, it plays as a drama.
When I read the script I think it was more of an excitement that it delivered on the promise of what he told me it was. Interestingly, maybe just because as an actor that’s what I do, I was so zoned in on what Skye is going through at any moment and her journey, that I don’t even think I necessarily took in all the horror elements of it. I do remember being like, “this is intense”, and when he said to me, “you’re going to be the most exalted you’ve ever been in your life”, I kind of laughed at him, but I was so wrong.
The Smile films are known for their intensity. As an actor, how did you approach filming to ensure that you didn’t burn yourself out emotionally?
It’s all the boring things, which is having a good support network at home, trying to switch off by doing puzzles or word wheels, drinking as much water, vitamins, and eating well. It’s living like a monk. It’s like for anyone… someone who does theatre a lot, they’re actors and performers who do incredible long runs in the theatre and they’re doing very intense things, this is not new, or people on tour. It’s like an athlete, you live like a bit of a monk.
How much work from yourself went into creating international pop star Skye Riley?
What was great is, by the time I arrived, there were already things in motion in terms of building a shape of who Skye was as an artist and in terms of Parker’s vision. So costume, and there were three songs that were already written. Two songs were written by a writer / producer called Ida Rose. Her name’s Alexis and she’s my age, and she’s so talented. The two songs which were ‘New Brain’ and ‘Blood on White Satin’ had her voice on the demo.
Two days after I was cast, I was in a studio cutting these songs, and we were just chatting and it felt like we got each other. We then were able to co-write two of the other songs together, which was really fun because it felt like by that point, ‘Just my Name’ – which is the song on the piano – we started writing that when we hadn’t even met, over zoom. Then the end credits song ‘Death of Me’, we wrote once the movie was already done. That was also fun because it meant we’d already solidified her sound and we could just have fun with it. But I’m really leaning into a character. Like it’s not how I sing really, I’m singing in the accent, I’m singing as Skye, so that was really fun.
Do you have a particular favourite Skye Riley song?
I mean, they’re all great. I’m obviously going to go with ‘Death of Me’ because me and Alexis had so much fun writing that song, and it was after the movie was made, so I feel like it was this really nice celebration of Skye and it was her pop anthem. It was just a really nice full circle moment.
On top of acting and singing, you had the additional challenge of choreography. The ‘New Brain’ rehearsal scene is especially great – how did that scene come together?
We had an incredible choreographer, Celia Rowlson-Hall, who was just so creative. Any great choreographer is really good at teaching. I think I had a handful of dance rehearsals, there wasn’t loads of time honestly, but I enjoy dance and that’s something that plays into some of my strength, so, I was able to delve into that head first. I was able to work in the time frame and was able to do it, that was fun for me because it wasn’t like I was learning a new skill, it was more just learning this particular type of choreography. So that was actually a lot of fun because there’s something about just the repetition of it, that’s just quite weirdly therapeutic. I’m quite a perfectionist so, I’m like, “No, let’s go again.” I want to get it really good and right.
Also, there’s actually a first part of ‘New Brain’ that’s not in the movie. There’s a whole verse that didn’t make it into the movie, that’s a part of the choreography. There was more choreography to be had, but it didn’t need to be a whole song.
This is one of your first major horror roles, would you return to the genre again?
For me, I don’t differentiate between genres. It’s interesting how we sometimes separate horror performance and then performance and I’m like, “it’s just a performance.” It’s all about who I’m working with. I just want to work with great people, and do interesting things. I’m just completely genre agnostic in that sense. I was just able to delve into Skye. It felt like I was in a drama, which is the horrors that I like, Then they just add this layer. I love the unhingedness and I love the genre and how it allows us to explore the darker parts of humanity. So yeah, I’m completely genre agnostic.
Smile 2 is in cinemas now.
