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Interview: Naomi Scott Talks ‘Smile 2’ and Playing the Dual Role of Pop Music Superstar and Scream Queen

October 18, 2024Ben MK




Best known for her roles in Power Rangers, Aladdin and Charlie's Angels, Naomi Scott has played everything from a superhero wielding alien powers to a Disney princess. With Smile 2, however, she's making her horror debut, joining the ranks of such iconic female genre leads as Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell and Sigourney Weaver. As Skye Riley, Scott plays a globally admired pop music star out to overcome the traumatic demons of her past by embarking on a world tour that would make or break her career. Unfortunately for Skye, fate has other plans in mind for her. And when she runs afoul of a mysterious and parasitic supernatural entity that feeds off of the terror it induces into the minds of its hosts, she'll find herself fighting a new battle — one that will ultimately not just put her life on the line, but also the lives of her millions of fans.

I caught up with Naomi Scott to chat about Smile 2, the complexities of playing a character such as Skye, and the authenticity that went into the singer-songwriter aspects on her performance.

Smile 2 marks your first foray into the horror genre, and it's safe to say that your performance in the movie is hands down one of the most intense I've seen all year. What was it about the story and the Skye Riley character that made you want to be a part of this film?

Scott: I was a fan of Parker [Finn]. I had seen his short film in 2020, Laura Hasn't Slept, and then of course went to the theater to watch the first movie. And I really loved, aside from his visual storytelling, how his movies hinge on the character. I thought Sosie Bacon was so incredible in that first movie, so I was already really excited to meet him and knew that he would have something interesting for the second movie. But then when he spoke about Skye, it just double downed that excitement in terms of this [being] someone who's very complex and going through it. [It] really runs the gambit of internal quietness at the beginning and then [peeling] back those layers of what is really going on inside. And in a very, of course, unhinged way, which is just fun for any actor.

Skye is such a complex character. She's dealing with the trauma that happened to her a year before the events of the film, and she's putting on this facade for her friends and family and all her fans. And then on top of all of this, she has to now deal with this entity that wants to ultimately destroy her by driving her insane. How did you wrap your head around all of that in approaching the role?

Scott: Just a lot of conversations. This is Parker's story. I think he put a lot of himself into it. And so we would just talk for hours and hours about this character. Also, she's dealing with a lot of things that a lot of people deal with, but just in a very unrelatable context — times a hundred in terms of the amount of eyes that are on her. But yeah, it was just many conversations, not just with Parker but with friends and people who I think understand her experience a little bit more. And then just went from there.

Of course, you perform all of the songs in the film yourself, and I understand that you also co-wrote some of them. Can you talk about that aspect of the role?

Scott: It was really fun to be a part of kind of crafting that side of Skye, but I will say that when I was cast there was already a lot of that in motion. There was already three songs that were written, there was costume and choreography that had already been created. So we had a great team that were already helping to craft Parker's vision of Skye. But there was a writer-producer called Idarose; she wrote and produced four of the songs — two of which we co-wrote together — and "Blood on White Satin" and "New Brain" had her voice on the demos. So she was the blueprint for me. I leaned into what she was doing on those demos. And also "Grieved You" as well, which was produced by a duo called Take a Daytrip, who are brilliant, and some other incredible songwriters. Tate McRae was also a songwriter on that. So all of those things went into making it specific to Skye.

Was there a scene in the movie that's a personal favorite for you, or that was most memorable?

Scott: Ooh, there's so many that are favorites. But I do feel like there's something about the accomplishment of the one-take — that really were simultaneously very difficult but also rewarding, because it was such a team effort. One was in the clinic with [Skye and her] mum, and there's that whole one-take — I don't want to give away any spoilers for something crazy that happens. Put it this way, during the take there's things happening with our props department, and things are happening mid-take. I love not relying on effects or post or CGI. There's something so fun about the theater of it. And so I really enjoyed that, although it was very intense.

Last but not least, since Halloween is coming up, for those looking to dress up as Skye Riley for Halloween, what look of hers from the film do you think would make for the best costume?

Scott: Instantly, I feel like the look at the clinic when she puts on the hoodie, and she puts her hood up, and she's actually wearing merch of herself — I think it's so funny. She's got blood in her hair and she's got the hospital gown, and she's barefoot and holding a gun. That, to me, is the perfect depiction of where Skye ends up. There's something very funny about her having her face [on what she's wearing] in that moment.
Smile 2 is in theaters October 18th.




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