Exclusive Interview: Actress Lauren McKnight Talks the Evolution of Skye Rotter and More for My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 3
Steve Barton
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For director Jacob Gentry’s My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 3, franchise ‘final girl’ Skye Rotter (played by Lauren McKnight) is back for one last deadly party before she heads off to art school and to start a new life.
The third film in MTV’s widely popular series is set to premiere on the network this coming Tuesday, March 13th, at 10 pm EDT. Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to chat with McKnight about returning for the third installment in the My Super Psycho Sweet 16 series as well as some of the changes her character Skye has undergone throughout the films and whether or not she thinks Skye’s story is over now that the trilogy is wrapping up next week.
Check out the highlights from our interview with McKnight below, and make sure to tune in to MTV on Tuesday, March 13th, at 10 pm EDT for the premiere of My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 3.
Dread Central: Congrats on wrapping up the trilogy! Had you guys always envisioned that Skye’s story would be played out over three films?
Lauren McKnight: I think Jacob always hoped we’d get a trilogy, but we never knew from the start we’d ever get to do anything more than just one movie. It feels incredible that we’ve now made three of these movies and that everyone seems to really enjoy these stories, too; I’ve also survived to make it to the third movie, too, which is unusual because in slasher movies, usually by the second movie, I’d be gone. That longevity and getting to be a part of Skye’s journey has been amazing to be a part of.
DC: Let’s talk about that more because Skye has gone through some major changes since the beginning of the first film?
Lauren McKnight: Oh yeah! Skye has been an incredible character to play because she has so many levels to her; she’s not just a victim and she’s not just a hero either. She’s a normal girl who has had to deal with a lot of extraordinary circumstances over the years, and in this movie she finally has her shot to leave it all behind and begin a new life. Of course, that doesn’t go exactly to plan or we wouldn’t have a movie.
But since the first movie, Skye has really changed so much- she’s not the sensitive girl she was originally. Now she definitely doesn’t take any shit and doesn’t want to be the victim anymore. All she wants is to go to art school and live her life, and she’s not letting a killer or anyone else get in the way of that.
DC: Your performance as Skye has always felt pretty natural to me- I suspect there’s a bit of Skye in you and vice versa.
Lauren McKnight: Definitely! There is a lot of me in the character of Skye because I ‘was’ that girl- the alternative girl who only had like one or two close friends and didn’t really socialize much, and I think Jacob recognized how much I was like Skye when I was first signed on to the original movie. Actually, Skye was supposed to be way more Goth than she was, but I talked Jacob out of it- I mean, I already had the long black hair with straight bangs but I wanted her in normal clothes; putting her in all black and making her a caricature just didn’t feel right, and thankfully he agreed.
DC: How much fun was it reuniting with Kirsten (who plays her sister, Alex) again for Part Three?
Lauren McKnight: So much fun! Kirsten is absolutely amazing and we have such great energy when working together; we feed off of each other and I think that’s why there’s that chemistry that you see in these movies between us. And I love that this time around her character has some interesting turns- you know something isn’t right with Alex, but you just can’t put your finger on it; Kirsten’s subtlety is what sells that so well.
DC: Absolutely. You guys have such great chemistry together; actually, the whole cast really were great together during all the party scenes. Did that chemistry come from a lot of prep and rehearsal time before production?
Lauren McKnight: You know, I think you can really tell when you’re watching Part Three just how close we all were in real life because of the onscreen chemistry throughout the party scenes; Jacob had us rehearse ahead of time and we all spent a lot of time together off the set. We’d all go to dinner and hang out and stuff, and we really all bonded as a group. I will say that on the first two movies that didn’t really happen but with Part Three, something really clicked between all of us.
DC: I know the marketing for this one has been ‘The Party Ends Here’, which signals the end of the series? Do you feel like that’s how this will play out, or can fans hope for maybe another My Super Psycho Sweet 16 movie down the line?
Lauren McKnight: Well, no one has said anything to me either way about a Part Four, but honestly, I think My Super Psycho Sweet 16 Part 67 sounds just as great as Part Four does (laughs). But yeah, these movies have been so much fun and I know that I would always be game to play Skye again if they wanted me to. I’d love to see where her story goes now that she’s made that transition to adulthood, and I think that there is definitely some unresolved issues between her and Alex that would make great material for another movie. For sure.
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