EXCLUSIVE | 'NOS4A2' star Mattea Conforti says Millie's not a 'one-sided scary character', hints at darker Season 2
AMC's supernatural horror series titled 'NOS4A2' is based on a novel of the same name by Stephen King's son, author Joe Hill. Created by Jami O'Brien, the series chronicles the fight between Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a woman who has the ability to track an immortal called Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) who feeds off the souls of children and leaves what's left of them in Christmasland. This place is curated from Manx's twisted imagination where every day is Christmas and unhappiness is illegal. Vic's goal is to defeat the evil that is Manx, making sure that she does not fall victim to his nonsense. With Season 1 conjuring up a heavy fan base, the upcoming season two shows Wayne McQueen (Jason David), Vic's son as Manx's new victim.
Among the excellent cast is Mattea Conforti, who plays the role of Millie Manx, Manx's daughter and a child of Christmasland. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Conforti spoke of what she thinks of Millie as a character and what fans should expect in the series' upcoming Season 2.
Conforti revealed that she had auditioned for the role through a self-tape request and was drawn to the role of Millie because of "the challenge of playing such a dynamic character." The actress said, "She’s not just a one-sided scary character. She’s a fiercely devoted daughter to her father, Charlie Manx. She is also brave, curious, and very smart." With 'NOS4A2' being a horror series, we wondered if Conforti has had experience in the genre before to which Conforti revealed that her first experience with the horror genre was the movie, 'The Super' as she played the role of Rose Lodge, who the actress said, "in a lot of ways, was very similar to Millie Manx."
While most fans are set to see Manx's dead, we asked Conforti what she could tell us about the Season 2 plot and how her character Millie develops in the season. "Season 2 picks up 8 years after the first season ends. This season focuses on Charlie Manx’s desperation to get revenge on Vic McQueen and the best way he can do that is by going after Vic’s son, Wayne McQueen. Season 2 is definitely darker, scarier, and more daring than the first season! You can also expect to see a lot more Millie Manx in Season 2 and you will learn much more about the complexity of her relationship with her father," said Conforti. Millie is a dynamic character with a very sinister personality and loyal to the Manx name.
The series was well accepted due to its intense storytelling and excellent direction with actors that bring amazing three-dimensional characteristics to their character. While for some, King's character 'IT' seems to be at the back of their minds, Conforti said, "'NOS4A2' is not your typical horror show. Yes, there are elements of horror and some gore, but the plotlines are dynamic and the characters are complex. I guess I would say that this series is anything but typical and predictable."
When asked about memorable moments with her castmates, Conforti speaks highly of Quinto, her on-screen father. "I am extremely lucky to work with such a talented, professional, and caring cast. Zachary Quinto is a true professional. He’s serious when he needs to be and really gets into his character. You can learn a lot about acting just by watching him. He also has a silly side and can definitely joke around with all of us, both on and off the set," said Conforti. " I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with him when we're in between scenes. We would talk about what was going in my life, my school work, or a particular book I was reading. He gives great advice and he has read a lot of books."
The actress also explained how the scenes featuring Manx's twisted Christmasland were her favorite to film: "The actual set is incredible to see in person. Although some of Christmasland is enhanced with a green screen, there are a lot of creepy physical structures that we used to shoot and there’s fake snow everywhere! Shooting the 'Scissors for the Drifter' scenes in Christmasland are especially fun too!" said Conforti. While deciding to not completely reveal her hardest scene to film in the upcoming season to keep spoilers at bay, Conforti did say, "It’s definitely something I’ve never done before. I can best describe this scene as dangerous and thrilling!"
Who else is as excited as we are? With Wayne's, Vic's and Manx's storyline clearly shown in the trailer, we're interested in seeing what Millie brings to the season now that her father is back.
Conforti has had experience with Broadway, films and TV series, but couldn't choose which of those careers she'd like to go forward with and why. The actress found it hard to choose as she said, "I really do love all those mediums. They are all so different, yet uniquely challenging and rewarding. I could never choose to go forward working in just one genre, and I would love to continue to be lucky enough to work in them all."
While we love Conforti as Millie in AMC's 'NOS4A2,' we can expect to see her in a "film project" soon. "I cannot tell you about because it hasn’t been made public yet. We shot the majority of the movie already, and we were just about to shoot some additional scenes when everything got shut down. I’m hopeful that we can get back to work to finish this one up, and then I’ll be able to share the news," she shared.
'NOS4A2' Season 2 is set to release on June 21 at 10/9c on AMC.