Chuck on SALTO: Zakari Arthur says knowing how the doll was animated did not make it any less scary

You join the Chucky franchise as Jake Wheeler, a teenager who stumbles upon selling a doll garage. What was your reaction when you found out about the horror franchise serial revival plans?

Zakari Arthur: It was wonderful to find the name “Chuck” in one of the scripts I was going to listen to because I had heard about movies forever. When I was little, my parents never let me watch them because I was too small. And obviously, I do not think eight-year-olds can watch such horror movies! But at last, when I saw it, I thought I should definitely go to the audition and do everything I could to pass it. I had this role at any cost!

Did you have to catch all seven films to better understand the script of the series, which was also written by Don Mancini?

As soon as I heard I was going to audition for the role of Jake, I watched all the movies with my family one weekend. (Laughs) It was intense, but I liked it.

Jake is a troubled teenager at school. A victim of verse harassment, one of her classmates, she is also destabilized by her feelings for Devon, which makes her aware of her attraction towards boys. How did you work on this for Jake’s interpretation? How would you define it?

The main thing in the series is that he solves the current issues in a way that does not throw them in the face. There are just some things. And it is really sad to see that such things are still happening and that harassment and homophobia still exist. For these reasons, I wanted to make sure I represented this community really well and ensure that Do not be proud of me, Because I know that the role of Jake Wheeler is a kind of representation of level childhood. I really wanted to be proud of the result and I am very happy to have been able to represent this community.

How would you describe Jake’s relationship with Chuck? As if he was attracted by the desire to kill … at least from the beginning.

Without the desire to spoil … an interesting relationship. (Laughs) Sure, Chuck solves problems, but I do not think killing people is a good solution … Well, I mean, it’s not really a good solution. (Laughs) It really is a love-hate relationship between these two. But they are still attractive!

The series has many cult guests in reserve, such as Alex Vincent and Jennifer Tilly (who play Andy Barkley and Tiffany, reprise roles in the franchise films, Editor’s Note), who have been announced for casting for recent episodes. How were the shootings with them? Whether or not it helped you in their deeper knowledge Chuck- verse ?

The first time I saw Jennifer Tilly and Alex Vincent, I had a sense of their fear. It’s really cool to work with the “old ones”. (Laughs) I was talking about him with Alex Vincent because he was in the same place as I was a long time ago, he was the main character with Chuck. We talked a lot and he gave me a lot of advice.

I want to ask you a few questions about Chuck himself. Was this a real doll on the set? How were the scenes filmed with him? Have you had many rehearsals before? What was it like playing with him?

The most interesting thing is that there was no computer graphics, everything was done with dolls and animatronics. I did not have to look at the stick hanging in the air while playing, you know? But knowing how the doll worked, how it moved, understanding all the mechanics, did not make it any less scary.

There really was something in his eyes … I do not know. But it was really stylish! We had a lot of rehearsals, yes, especially with Chuck’s voice, which the producer pre-recorded before we shot the scenes with Brad Durif’s voice. (Chuck’s historical voice actor, editor’s note)And we had a speaker on the set who was playing his lines. So even though we were taking a simple doll, we could hear Brady’s horrible voice coming out of nowhere like a divine voice when we were playing scenes … it was really horrible.

Sometimes the doll also malfunctioned and we had to start all over again. There was this scene, for example, when Chuck had to look at my diary and he constantly dropped it on the floor! But, fortunately, the puppets had a lot of fun doing improvisations between the scenes, which made it possible to give the shooting a lighter atmosphere.

Was there a particular scene you liked to do or, conversely, found it particularly difficult?

My favorite scene is in the fourth episode when Jake goes with him to the verse house after he is completely burned. It really was my favorite scene to shoot as Alivia Alin Lind and I had a lot of tricks to do and rehearsals. The whole part under Chuck, the scene where I got caught while dropping a verse … This trick scene, this is really my favorite thing to do.

The series has been airing on Syfy and USA Network in the United States for several months now. What was your response to Jake’s character and this revival of Chuck in general?

It was only positive. It’s really awesome, I’ve achieved great recognition on Chucky’s online fan accounts, it’s a lot of fun.

You are about to shoot Season 2 in Canada. In what direction would you like Jake to be in future episodes?

I can not say anything because I do not want to spoil anything, but I expect great things next season. I read the first scripts and it’s really good. So get ready.

Two new episodes of Chucky’s first season come out every Friday exclusively on the SALTO streaming platform