Exclusive: Abigail Breslin Talks Maggie and Scream Queens
Staci Layne Wilson
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In the upcoming zom-dram Maggie (review), Abigail Breslin plays the terminally ill, virus-vexed teenaged daughter of simple country guy Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger). He’s doing his best to cope with this terrible truth, all while still grappling with the death of his beloved wife.
In an act of mercy, young Maggie is taken to live out the precious few rest of her days on her Aunt Caroline’s (Joely Richardson) isolated farm. Once there, she continues to deteriorate, and the scent of her decay attracts the local zombies like bees to honey. When Caroline flies the coop, it’s up to Wade alone to do everything in his power to protect his precious daughter from falling prey to an even more untimely death than the one she already faces.
When Breslin first read the script for Maggie, Schwarzenegger was not yet involved. She immediately connected to the character, but she knew that Maggie herself was so strong only because of the father figure in the film. The two actors had to stand together united; otherwise, the story wouldn’t work. When the action hero signed on, and after their first moments on set, she was convinced Schwarzenegger was the “perfect” choice. “You really see him as vulnerable,” Breslin says because his weakness is his sorrow over his daughter’s illness, but he can also “carry off the fight scenes.”
Another thing she thought when first presented with this project is how very different it is from Zombieland. While Breslin hopes fans of that outrageous zom-com will come along for the more serious, somber journey with her on Maggie – and both films are “very scary” – this one couldn’t be more different. Maggie is a whole other undead animal. For one thing, “It’s heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s about how disease destroys, and the isolation one feels when they’re really sick (not to mention contagious). Of course, Zombieland will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.
Even though the tone of the film is somber, “We were always having a lot of fun on set.” Breslin laughs at the memory of how they’d have to wait until the last second to insert her zombie contact lenses because otherwise, she’d trip over her own feet on the way to the set. “This is definitely not my most glamorous role,” she says, “but I loved getting to wear the zombie makeup and be so gross-looking.”
The next big thing in Breslin’s bag of scary tricks is “Scream Queens,” the upcoming television series. Described by her costar Emma Roberts as “Mean Girls meets Friday the 13th,” this show is a horror-comedy anthology created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The tagline is “Pretty Evil,” and it will be broadcast on Fox (it premieres in September 2015). Among Breslin’s other costars are Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Jonas, and Oliver Hudson. “I just finished filming the first two episodes in New Orleans, and it was a blast!”
She’s on a short break now but can’t wait to get to get back to “Scream Queens.” She also can’t wait for everyone to see it so she can talk about it. “I’ll be texting my friends, saying – Omigawd! You won’t believe what just happened! Are we even allowed to do this on Fox? – but I can’t tell them what exactly just happened.” She says working with Ryan Murphy (“a genius”) has been the experience of a lifetime.
Maggie premiered at the big Tribeca film festival recently, but Breslin couldn’t go because she’s been so busy with “Scream Queens.” “I haven’t seen it with any audiences, except managers and industry people,” who don’t really count as audiences. She’s eager to see how the fans of zombie movies like it.
You can all chime in when the movie hits the big screen on May 8 (aw, just in time for Mother’s Day!).
Categorized:News
