Interview: Co-Star Tyler Posey on TRUTH OR DARE and His Excitement for Season 3 of the SCREAM TV Series

This weekend, Truth or Dare is looking to play a wicked game of survival with audiences everywhere. Directed and co-written by Jeff Wadlow, the story follows a group of twenty-somethings who end up playing the eponymous contest while on spring break in Mexico, only to find out that what should have been a harmless square-off between best buds is really a demonic competition that will challenge all their friendships in unimaginable ways.

Daily Dead recently spoke to one of Truth or Dare’s co-stars, Tyler Posey, who is no stranger to the genre world. From his long-running portrayal as Scott McCall on Teen Wolf to his previous appearances in films like Scary Movie 5 and Yoga Hosers, as well as his upcoming role in the third season of Scream: The TV Series, Posey is primed to continue his solid run as an actor working in the realm of horror. During the recent press day for Truth or Dare, we chatted with Posey about his latest theatrical role, and he talked about working alongside his fellow co-stars and how much he enjoyed taking on his character in the film, Lucas. And because this writer couldn’t resist asking, Posey also discussed the appeal of coming home to MTV for the newest season of Scream, which he had been a fan of back when the show started in 2015.

I know you're no stranger to the genre world, but I'm curious, what was it about this film that piqued your interest? I must admit when I first heard the title, I was like, "How the heck is this going to work?" But I think you guys really did a fun job with the concept.

Tyler Posey: Well, thank you very much for saying that, that's very cool. I agree, I honestly had the same initial reaction as you did. I was like, "How the hell are they gonna make this a scary, real, believable movie?" But I got the offer, and as soon I heard it was from Blumhouse, I was all on top of it. I'm a huge fan of Blumhouse, Paranormal Activity, and pretty much anything that they've come out with. I've got friends that have worked with them too, in movies like Ouija and Unfriended. I just love their model and how they do things and their movies are executed really, really, really well.

And then I read the script, and saw how cool the script was, and I saw how cool my character was. I really fell in love with Lucas, I thought he was such an interesting guy. He really plays a big part in this movie and I was super excited. Like you said, I love this genre and I just finished with Teen Wolf, so I was missing it in a way. This was a perfect transition from Teen Wolf. The atmosphere was similar—it's high intensity, people were dying around me, and then there was blood, so I was pretty comfortable [laughs].

It felt like there was a really well-established connection between all of these characters in Truth or Dare, and I bought into their relationships. Did Jeff give you guys a lot of time to come together as a group, or was that instantaneous, once you guys got to the set and just started diving into production?

Tyler Posey: It was a little bit of both, honestly. Jeff did come up with the idea to send us all to Mexico for a cast bonding trip for one night, which we did. We went to Mexico for one night, and we filmed the opening title sequence with our own phones. We pretended we were in character, so it was like having a rehearsal. Then, right before we started filming, we did a bunch of rehearsals and got closer as a cast, and then we fell in love with each other, and we'd go out to dinner on the weekends and I would have parties at my house. We really, really, really hit it off and just respected one another a lot. In that short amount of time, it's almost hard to kind of build a relationship with people, but we really did a good job with it.

From your perspective, because you have a little experience with this already because of Teen Wolf, and with this film and probably coming up with the Scream TV series, it seems like there are a lot of folks who turn their noses up at the idea of PG-13 horror or horror directed at teens. As somebody who grew up on the genre, I am glad to see younger folks being given stories they can connect with and enjoy. Is it cool for you to be part of these stories that can help mold audiences into genre fans?

Tyler Posey: Yes, definitely. I think for Teen Wolf and this movie specifically, we put a different spin on this, where you can go watch this movie expecting it to be R, and still be completely satisfied with it having a PG-13 rating. It's not like we're a little kid movie, but we also cater to that audience, too. We have a perfect line of these somewhat adult scenarios, but also through a teen's eyes in a way. That's what helps introduce these kids to this genre. A lot of reasons why movies are rated R sometimes is because they can go over the top and show things that are unnecessary to the story because they want to shock a certain subsection of the audience. But movies like Truth or Dare just show that you can have a PG-13 horror movie and still have it be as impactful as it would be if it had an R rating.

Looking at these experiences and being able to make this film, it sounds like you guys had a total blast with this. What did you take away from your experiences being able to be a part of this film? Whether it was something that had to do with your character, maybe a favorite scene, or just coming together and making this great film with all these fun folks?

Tyler Posey: Something that is really cool about this whole thing, is that it just was this passion project for everybody involved, because Blumhouse's model was that we only get paid so much. It just becomes all about the work and teamwork and trying to create this scary movie while just being completely invested into it, and everyone works harder when you’re working under those circumstances. That was something that was really fun to take away from it. It felt like everybody just got together and created a passion project.

I also took away a girlfriend. I'm dating Sophia [Ali], who plays Penelope. That is the wildest life-changing thing that's ever happened to me, in a while at least, so I'm really just grateful and thankful for this whole movie and Blumhouse and Jeff for casting us.

I know we're almost out of time, but the third season of the Scream TV series is coming up later this year. Obviously, there's probably not a lot you can say, which is cool because I don't want anything ruined, but I'm curious what was the draw to that show? I’m guessing because you’ve been part of the MTV family for so long, that didn’t hurt, either.

Tyler Posey: When I watched the first season of Scream, I fell in love the cast. I saw them start their careers on Scream and promote the show and go to Comic-Con, and do all that stuff. Teen Wolf was considered a veteran show at that point, so it was like we were passing the torch in a way. Then when they rebooted the entire thing for season three, and I got a call from one of my friends who was the director of photography on Teen Wolf, and he was also hired to come and do Scream. He called me, and he was like, "Hey, man. There's this role that we would love to have you play. Would you want to come down and play with us?"

I didn't have to read the role or really know anything about the script to immediately be on board because one, I was excited to work with my friend again. Two, it was in Atlanta and that's where we filmed Teen Wolf for the first two seasons, so I was excited to go back there. Three, I'm a huge fan of the Scream movies, and Ghostface is such an iconic character, so I thought it would cool to be in the same show as that universe. That's one of the things about acting that I just love, where you can get these weird and cool experiences that you can put under your belt. For me, being on screen with a classic character like Ghostface is just really cool. I had a really good time. It was a super humbling experience. It was great. I really had a great shoot, and I loved being in Atlanta. I had the greatest time.

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In case you missed it, check here to read Heather Wixson's interview with Truth or Dare director/co-writer Jeff Wadlow.