In conversation with Naomi Scott: star of psychological thriller ‘Smile 2’
Naomi Scott stars in Paramount Pictures Presents A Temple Hill Production A Parker Finn Film "SMILE 2"
Naomi Scott stars as Skye Riley in Smile 2, the psychological thriller follow-up to Smile which was the highest-grossing horror film during the pandemic era. In Smile 2, Naomi leads the film portraying a global pop star who’s about to embark on a new world tour when terrifying and inexplicable things force her to confront her dark past. If you loved the first installment, you’re likely to enjoy the horrors of the second. “The sequel goes bigger, it goes bolder,” Parker Finn, director, said. “It's way more off the rails, it's nastier, it's bloodier. Everything you loved about the first film, we do that ten times bigger.”
It all seems to be paying off as Smile 2 brought in $23M over its opening weekend, making it the top-grossing film in North America.
Naomi is widely known for her starring roles in Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels so her role in the horror genre is somewhat of a departure from her previous filmography. “When I met Naomi, I was familiar with her work, but she had never done anything quite like this before,” Parker said. “She had appeared in some big movies, but the characters she had played were the polar opposites of who Skye is. When we met, it was clear she had this other side to offer that nobody had had the opportunity or the fortune to put on screen yet.”
The cast of Smile 2 also includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo and Kyle Gallner.
Smile 2 is in theaters nationwide now.
I spoke with Naomi about the film, her musical career, and her South Asian heritage. Here are edited and condensed excerpts from our conversation.
How is this horror film different than those in the genre and is there a message or feeling that you hope people walk away with?
I don’t think I’m an expert on horror in general — I’m probably not the best person to speak in terms of comparison. What I can say about our movie is it gives you everything you loved about the first movie but just more — more because we are following a public figure. With that comes a feeling of more public stakes, and it’s infused with pop which I just love. It has this kind of humor to it which I really enjoyed.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
As you were preparing for this film, were there any pop stars you had in mind as you got into character, and does this make you want lean into your music career even more?
Quite honestly, there wasn’t a particular person. I think because I didn’t want to be too derivative of someone and start going into that place. Also, I think I just trusted the fact that I’ve consumed all of these amazing artists over the years. So they’re kind of there somewhere.
In terms of crafting the sound of Skye, I wanted to sing in character. What’s so interesting is that I’ve been working on music for forever, but when I showed my executive producer the songs, he didn’t even recognize my voice — and we’ve been working on music together for two years now. He literally was like, “Who’s this?” And that’s exactly what I wanted because I truly feel like I wanted to lean into, “What does Skye sound like?” And that is very much Skye — I’m singing in the accent, I’m singing in ways I wouldn’t usually, the vocal production is very different, and obviously just leaning full into pop which was also fun because I got to co-write two of the songs as well. That was really fun because you’re just letting loose a little bit in ways that you’re not putting the same parameters when you’re writing music for yourself.
How has your multi-racial identity and being South Asian helped shape or guide your career and life?
It’s who I am. It’s a hard one to break down when it’s just you existing. It’s a hard one to analyze. I would say there’s an element of feeling blessed for a somewhat otherness. That maybe you have to work so hard in the best way. I also feel very privileged to have other people who have opened doors for me. It usually is people who are also other in some way, and that to me is the best feeling. It’s like, “Here’s a seat at the table, or let me create one for you.” For example, Shelley Cohn, she played my mom in Terra Nova, and she’s a British South Asian actress and she’s so so talented. Probably more talented than she’s been given credit for. Just watching her and other people around me, people opening doors, and also just kicking a bit of game — talking to others, mentoring in some way, these things are really important when it comes to the specificity of what it means to be other in any industry. I think I feel very privileged, and therefore I want to be that for other people that I come in contact with in any way, shape, or form that I can.
