GOOSEBUMPS: THE VANISHING Stars Discuss Trendy Slang, the Horrors of Growing Up, and Working with TV Icons

Following a thrilling debut starring Justin Long, Chris Geere, and an excellent ensemble of young talent including Zack Morris, Isa Briones, Miles McKenna, Ana Yi Puig, and Will Price, Disney+ and Hulu are bringing Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller’s Goosebumps back for a whole new chapter. This time around, as if the start of a new and uncertain year wasn’t spooky enough, the second season of the serialized anthology series based on the works of R.L. Stine will be known as “Goosebumps: The Vanishing.”

The next installment follows siblings Cece and Devin Brewer as they head to Gravesend, Brooklyn to spend the summer with their dad (played by the legendary David Schwimmer). But they soon discover a threat in their own home that triggers mysterious events that pull the twins and their friends into the inexplicable case of four missing teens from 1994.

Ahead of the season premiere, Daily Dead had a chance to speak with the cast about their relationship with the original gateway horror novels, and the various things they took away from their experience creating the show. But first, we get to the bottom of the latest in popular vernacular. In other words, what the kids are saying these days. Because let’s be honest: Sometimes all it takes to be a little scary is outdated lingo. 

After watching the season premiere, like Sam’s character Devin, we also didn't get the memo that “bussin” was uncool now. What slang terms have taken its place? And since the show partially takes place in the 90s, are there any 90s terms that you wish would take its place? 

Jayden Bartels: Oh my goodness, that's so funny. 

Sam McCarthy: To be honest, I would say I hadn't really thought that, but I have stopped using it. I feel a little silly saying this now, but I feel like just the word “fire” was like around before, like in my time, you know, I was saying "fire" before I said “bussin” and I'm saying “fire” after I've said “bussin".

Galilea La Salvia: Slay. 

Stony Blyden: Slay is pretty hot, right? 

Elijah M. Cooper: I would just say, “That's hard.” 

Stony Blyden: “Hard?” I like “hard.” 

Francesca Noel: Um… Lit? I feel old, I don't know. 

Ana Ortiz: Lit ain't new! 

Francesca Noel: Stop! I don't know. We don't know. Sorry!

Ana Ortiz: I always think anything from the 90s should come back. It was so cool. 

Something that clearly hasn't gone out of style, though, is Goosebumps. What was your introduction to the franchise? 

Elijah M. Cooper: We were Scholastic Book Fair kids, so that was the first little introduction to it. Always got the books. Also, got the erasers and whatever toys they had there because you got to do that too. But, yeah, that kicked off my love for the series. 

Jayden Bartels: I didn't really properly get a full introduction to [Goosebumps] until this show. I had read some of the books when I was younger and I watched some of the movies, but I never really fully saw the Goosebumps world until this project came along. But I always knew about it and its iconic legacy. 

Sam McCarthy: Like Jaden said, Goosebumps was something that definitely has its own little cultural corner that you're always kind of aware of. It wasn't really introduced to me till I saw season one of this series. Then this opportunity came along and [I was] diving into it with this show. 

Francesca Noel: I grew up reading “Goosebumps.” I was a big library kid. I was the kid in the corner, reading the little alien books or whatever. So obviously, coming into this and hearing that I get to play this cool action figure in this horror thing… And I love horror, so that was a big deal for me.

Ana Ortiz: I have kids. So for me, I was trying to raise library kids and it was very difficult. They're just always on their tablet. Goosebumps was truthfully one of the things that really got them to read and there were so many of them! I owe a debt of gratitude to to Goosebumps has turned them into horror freaks, which is… 

Francesca Noel: Such a bonus! 

Ana Ortiz: Well, it's not for me! I don't like it. It scares me. I'm terrified, but my kids always want to go see horror movies now. 

Francesca Noel: She's a wimp. She can't handle it. 

Ana Ortiz: But I like acting in it, though!

The first season did such an excellent job of updating Goosebumps stories for a modern and slightly more mature audience. Which episode in the second season were you most surprised by in terms of how it plays with the source material?

Sam McCarthy: I can tell you, Jaden and Francesca do a scene in a car that, if you've read “The Haunted Car,” might ring some bells. I'm excited for people to see it.

Jayden Bartels: I will agree with that. That was a pretty good adaptation and I think people will really enjoy it. It was really cool to shoot as well. 

Francesca Noel: Physically, I did not expect that. I needed a gym membership. I was eating so much protein and I have never eaten protein in my life. That was crazy.

Ana Ortiz: “The Haunted Car” was really it. And shooting in New York was so cool. I saw parts of New York that I've never seen in my life. 

Galilea La Salvia: The writers really did a really great job at including as many references as they could without it feeling like they're just throwing just a bunch of Easter eggs at you. But we have so many cool references and Easter eggs in the series. We reference books like “Welcome to Camp Nightmare," “Monster Blood,” We have “The Haunted Car,” “Ghost Next Door”… We have just so many to choose from and it's really, really fun for fans of the original series to check out and spot.

Were there any classic Goosebumps stories that you wish had gotten adapted in your season? 

Jayden Bartels: It's hard because the one I would always want to do, there was just no way it could have been in our season. It wouldn't have made any sense. I always say I would want Cece to take on Slappy. I think that would be hilarious. Not fun for Cece. Our season has a very distinct vibe of what we're fighting and what we're dealing with, so a puppet wouldn't probably fit in there, but that's who I'd want to fight. 

Francesca Noel: It would be fun to kind of have a little Slappy moment.

In addition to all the spookiness of the world of Goosebumps, your characters still have to deal with regular teenage stuff. What piece of advice do you think your character needs to hear the most? 

Jayden Bartels: What an amazing question! Wow, my character probably needs to hear that your success and self-worth are not defined by your success. CeCe is in a place where she thinks that if she succeeds and makes everyone happy, it'll all be good and there will be no problems and she'll be happy. But that's not how it works!

Stony Blyden: Just relax, man. Yeah, just chill out, [Trey]. It's not that serious. 

Elijah M. Cooper: Our characters take some really interesting arcs across the season. I would say, in the beginning for CJ, just trust yourself. Lean into you. 

Galilea La Salvia: Frankie's dealing with a lot this season. If I was face-to-face with that girl, I'd just be like, "It's okay to not have everything figured out and it's okay to not know." Throughout the season, we see her realize that lesson as well.

Francesca Noel: I would say, "You are loved!" [Alex is] queer and closeted. She's been to prison, she's so young, and she cannot relate to her mother, a cop. I needed to hear that when I was younger. A lot of girls who look like us need to hear that and this show does a really good job of portraying that message by the end.

Sam McCarthy: That's an interesting question. I'm not sure I have a piece of advice for Devin. We find Devin in a particular spot in his life where he's going through a sense of not belonging and a sense of not knowing where his place is. I could give him an affirmation to shout in the mirror about “I belong, I belong.” But, really, what Devin needed was to go out in the world and find something to prove himself to himself. So, the advice I'd give to Devin is to go live with your dad for the summer in Gravesend and see what happens.

On the flip side, what are some elements of your characters that you really admire and would like to bring back to your regular life? 

Stony Blyden: You see it in the first or second episode. Trey works with his dad as a mechanic. He tells him that he wants to get this degree and get all this money so he can start to franchise his dad's business. I definitely can relate to that. The reason that I try to work as hard as I can is because I want to take care of like my family.

Elijah M. Cooper: C.J. is a very authentic person to himself and so I would say that's the main thing I took away from the character. Just be authentic to yourself, love yourself, do what makes you happy, and enjoy life. 

Galilea La Salvia: Frankie is very hardworking. She's very ambitious. She works at the coffee shop, she's trying to make it to fashion school, and is just trying to maybe get out of the city and do what's best for her. She really cares about her relationships to other people. Those are all really positive qualities about her.

The cast is made up of so many talented young people, but you have some incredible veterans like Ana Ortiz and David Schwimmer. Considering that they’ve accumulated a wealth of knowledge over their amazing careers, was there anything that you learned from them that you hope to take with you going forward? And for Ana, what are some of the things that the younger cast members taught you? 

Sam McCarthy: The way a show is filmed, we shoot the scene and it might be really intense. And then you sit down, they adjust the cameras, and you do that over and over again. There’s this stop and start. Sometimes it's very high energy and then I have to sit. I was having a hard time with that.

It's a wonderful job, but it takes endurance and a willingness to continue to bring a lot of yourself. And [then David and I] had a conversation about it. The biggest thing I learned is that developing that endurance and that discipline to continue diving back in is a real part of the craft.

Elijah M. Cooper: We see the deep connection that CJ believes he has with David's character in the series. Because of that, I was able to work with him a lot and really just pick up on his professionalism, his techniques, and what it means to be a good person. He's this TV legend and he's a great guy as well. He prioritizes helping others and helping us with whatever notes we need or whatever questions we have. I took a lot away from the filming experience with him and Ana, too. I didn't get to interact with her as much in the series, but just seeing her swag approach to the character really is incredible.

Galilea La Salvia: It's crazy because you're working with these giants, but they're both just so welcoming and they're both incredibly easy to talk to. They're just both really kind people. I feel like every time I’m approaching the makeup trailer, I hear laughter and I'm like, “Oh, Ana's in there.” This energy about them... it's beautiful. 

Francesca Noel: I gotta say, Ana’s so poised and gentle. She has so much knowledge. And as me, you know, growing up, being Latina, coming into this industry, I looked up to her. I watched “Ugly Betty.” So then to come here and to learn what she's been through and she would tell me things and give me advice. That was huge! You know, she's a warrior to me. It's like working with Wonder Woman.

Ana Ortiz: That is so nice! Well, I have to tell you, we sat for a lot of hours out there in the dark. And really, honestly, we talked about music. Francesca’s a big music head. She loves it and she knows all of this new stuff that I was able to take home and play for my daughter. That was just an interesting opening for me and my kid to have a little bit of that vibe. I just think music is one of the most beautiful things in my life. And so to be for her to share that with me and then for me to share that with my kid was really, really amazing.

Francesca Noel: And she brought me Nas. That changed my life. 

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The entire eight-episode season of “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” premieres on Friday, January 10, 2025 on Disney+ and Hulu.