Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Mike Flanagan made sure Summer H. Howell didn’t watch the original Carrie before filming his new series.
The Haunting of Hill House director is helming Prime Video’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel, and after chatting with Summer, they decided it was best if she wasn’t trying to copy Sissy Spacek from the 1976 horror classic.
Summer told Entertainment Weekly: “I didn’t know about the telekinesis or the bullying or anything.
“It was just a new story to me. It is for a lot of people my age. So it was just about connecting with the words on the page, how she feels.
“A big part of my Carrie is that she’s open and curious about the world and wants to experience things.”
The 22-year-old actress praised her acting coach in Winnipeg for helping her feel free to try and “do something a little different” and bring her own to each role.
She added: “With Carrie, it was easy to do that.”
Mike told the outlet that Summer stood out among over 1,400 actors auditioning for the role of Carrie White because she took such a unique approach to the role.
She was still aware of the movie’s memorable pig’s blood moment at prom night, which became something of “a fever dream” on set.
She recalled: “Mike took some time just to get everyone to appreciate the moment and remember where we are right now: ‘We’re in Carrie White’s prom’.
“I was happy to see them slow down for a bit and not rush everything too much. Although, we had a lot to do with only so much time.”
The filmmaker has also worked on adaptations of King’s work before, including Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck and upcoming movie The Mist.
For Carrie, Mike noted that the story has “been told now several times” on the big and small screen, so he’s made sure his version stands out.
He explained: “The thing that’s never been delved into is Carrie’s a part of this larger community of women and she never gets to know that.
“We have a book that fits perfectly into a 90-minute format. We’re talking about a series. Expansion’s essential. So if that’s the mission, how can we earn it? And that was the crux of it.
“Let’s understand that this is the story about gifted women. Let’s understand that this is a story about young women, in particular, learning their place in the world and coming into their power — and all the pitfalls that come with that.”
