With Curse of Chucky being released in the US on Blu-ray and DVD this week, I had the opportunity to talk with Fiona Dourif about her part in the movie. Not only does she tell me about preparing for the role and filming fight scenes, but I also learned about her first memory of Chucky and spending time on set with her father, and the voice of Chucky, Brad Dourif:
What was your first experience with Chucky growing up?
Fiona Dourif: One of my first memories is walking into the ADR [dubbing]session when my father is being burned alive. Not knowing what was going on, I didn’t respond well to my father screaming bloody murder. I went and hid and people couldn’t find me. I’m pretty sure he took me to the premiere too.
Did you have a tough time watching Child’s Play and other horror films when you were young? Is that something you’ve gotten over?
Fiona Dourif: I’ve always been really scared watching horror films. My sister can watch them without blinking an eye and I wanted to be like my older sister. I remember going to see Candyman with my sister and her older friends, and having to hide in the bathroom because I couldn’t handle it.
I just started to rewatch all of the classic horror movies and I really love them now. I just needed to wait ten years [laughs]. I feel like the moment where Chucky comes alive in the mom’s hands is one of the scariest moments in horror.
Your character in Curse of Chucky was confined to a wheelchair, but I thought that you played one of the stronger female characters in a horror film in recent memory. Can you tell me what you did to prepare for the role?
Fiona Dourif: I went to a rehabilitation center for people with spinal cord injuries and I spent the day with them. I did the workout exercises and tried to experience what it’s like to not really move your legs. It’s really one of my biggest fears because I’m such a physical person. I’ve taken a wheelchair to public places and I was really conscious of being treated differently, but after an hour, you just live your life. I tried to play it as an aspect of her personality and she’s fighting to be thought of as normal.
Speaking of fighting, you have plenty of screen time going back and forth with the Chucky doll. What was that experience like, when a team of people are required to make him move?
Fiona Dourif: It’s very choreographed. We shot the movie in 31 days and had to move really fast. I’d maybe get two or three takes and Chucky would get twenty five because there are people controlling his eyes, mouth, and everything else. A slight variation on his forehead will make him look constipated and we’d need another take [laughs]. I’m screaming and fighting for my life and there’s a lot of energy with that. The challenge is keeping the intensity up for that long. But it was also really, really fun.
You didn’t get to share screen time with your father, but was he able to see you work on set?
Fiona Dourif: I flew up there a day after he did. Universal actually paid for him to stay an extra full week to see me work the first day, because my first day was a week after his scenes. It was the coolest thing in the world and a dream come true. I got to be on set with my dad and he got to see me film the garage scene. It was fun and moving. He was so proud of me and I was just over the moon to be a part of this whole thing.
Do you have interest in coming back for a sequel? Is it something you’ve talked to Don Mancini about?
Fiona Dourif: Yeah, I’d do anything with Don Mancini again. I really, really loved working with him. He’s an incredible director and writer, and we’ve talked about a sequel. I think there are a lot of things that have to fit together for that to happen and hopefully they will.
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Catch up on our recent Chucky coverage by visiting the following links:
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