By Shannon McGrew
In Chucky's unending thirst for power, season 3 now sees Chucky ensconced with the most powerful family in the world - America's First Family, inside the infamous walls of the White House. How did Chucky wind up here? What in God's name does he want? And how can Jake, Devon, and Lexy possibly get to Chucky inside the world's most secure building, all while balancing the pressures of romantic relationships and growing up? Meanwhile, Tiffany faces a looming crisis of her own as the police close in on her for "Jennifer Tilly's" murderous rampage last season.
For CHUCKY S3 Part Two, Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew spoke with horror family royalty Brad and Fiona Dourif. During their chat, they discussed everything from Brad's return as Charles Lee Ray to family bonding on set and Fiona's transformation into a young version of her father's character.
Thank you both so much for speaking with me today! Brad, how was it returning to Charles Lee Ray's human form?
Brad Dourif: Chucky's evolved, so he's not the same as Charles Lee Ray before he became the doll. That could have been a lot of pressure, but at the beginning, he's very relieved. There's some residual: Why did you forsake me, Damballa? [Laughs]. It's really like he's a baby, and it's a complete blank slate. He's trying to figure out who he is.
Chucky has been a significant part of your career, and now it's a shared experience with your daughter, Fiona. What has it been like for both of you to be on this show together? Has it brought you closer?
Brad Dourif: Absolutely. Fiona has been worried about me...as you get older, you gain weight, and I gained a little bit too much weight. Fiona was horrified at how I ate, so during our time in Toronto, she cooked for me every night, and I now cook her dinner.
Fiona Dourif: [Laughs] It's so cool to step into this franchise that I grew up around. I had no idea how zeitgeisty it was until I stepped into a bigger role in 2013. CHUCKY is fun to make, which isn't always the case with stuff, but everybody likes each other, and Don is an incredible collaborator. It's really fun; it feels like a working vacation, and then you get paid for it. In the end, you get to meet these fans who have tattoos, and they really dig it. It feels like winning some crazy lottery to me; it's felt like that for over a decade.
But in this series, specifically, my dad and I have never shared a screen, and we do in a scene in the finale. It was the first time that he was physically in it. We were both in Toronto and had two apartments next to each other that shared a corridor. We hung out daily, and you don't get to do that often as an adult with parents. Especially for a month. We listened to a podcast about the history of labor wars, I cooked, we went to the aquarium, we talked about CHUCKY, we watched movies. At the end of it, I wrote Don this letter that said, thank you, the Dourif family really appreciates this.
Fiona, in CHUCKY, we've seen you transform into a younger version of your father as Charles Lee Ray. For you, Brad, how was it seeing Fiona turn into a younger version of you? I can only imagine how uncanny that must have been.
Brad Dourif: It's nothing but pride. Fiona's work in this and her version of me as a young Charles Lee Ray was wonderful. I had to loop her in the first time she did it, and I felt really bad and embarrassed because I thought her readings were so much better.
Fiona Dourif: It felt like nepotism on steroids [Laughs]. It was scary in some ways but then also quite fun. In the first season, when I was doing these Charles Lee Ray flashbacks, I was being sexual with women. I remember I had this therapist at the time, and he was like, "I don't know what to say [to all of that]..." [Laughs].
At the end of the day, I think everybody is handed what their parents give you, and then you make the best of your life, and that's basically what I've done. Child's Play is one part of my career for which I'm grateful. It's never a drag; it's fun, and people are excited about it. It feels like I get to go on an adventure with my friends, and sometimes my dad comes along [Laughs].
You can catch up on previous episodes of CHUCKY on Peacock before the season finale on May 1st.