{"id":29973,"date":"2021-07-19T18:16:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T18:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=29973"},"modified":"2021-07-19T18:16:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T18:16:49","slug":"kiana-madeira-talks-horror-films-representation-and-fighting-the-undead-on-fear-street","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/kiana-madeira-talks-horror-films-representation-and-fighting-the-undead-on-fear-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Kiana Madeira Talks Horror Films, Representation, and Fighting the Undead on ‘Fear Street’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When watching Kiana Madeira battle undead serial killers onscreen, it’s hard to believe the actress hasn’t been a horror movie heroine for years. In fact, her first lead role in the genre is Deena, a headstrong high school student who serves as the protagonist for Netflix’s new Fear Street<\/em> trilogy.<\/p>\n

Based on R.L. Stine’s chilling novels of the same name, Fear Street<\/em> follows a group of teens in 1994 as they battle evil forces plaguing their hometown of Shadyside. When Deena’s love interest Sam falls under a centuries-old curse, the group must retrace Shadyside’s past in 1978 and 1666 to find a cure. Of course, they do this while fighting the town’s undead legions of mass murderers. Originally filmed in 2019, the trilogy has finally been released on Netflix over the last three weeks\u2014and contains numerous references to terrifying flicks like Halloween<\/em>, Friday the 13th<\/em>, and Scream\u00a0<\/em>(fans of the genre will instantly recognize 1994<\/em>‘s opening with Maya Hawke as an homage to Drew Barrymore’s iconic Scream<\/em> performance).<\/p>\n

\"Kiana
Kiana Madeira. (Photo by Brendan Wixted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unlike the “final girls” of those movies, Madeira is in a league of her own when it comes to\u00a0Fear Street<\/em>. Not only does the Canadian star take on two different roles for the series, but her primary character, Deena, is both queer and a woman of color. Add a love story as the central force of the trilogy’s plot, and you’ve got three films that are both humane and deeply emotional\u2014with plenty of slasher elements like gory deaths and\u00a0spine-tingling jump scares.<\/p>\n

As the trilogy wraps this weekend with Fear Street Part Three: 1666<\/em>, GRAZIA sat down with Madeira to discuss her lead performance, the importance of representation in the horror genre, and what scares her the most.<\/p>\n

GRAZIA: Congratulations on your leading role in\u00a0Fear Street<\/em>! The trilogy is already hyped to be one of the biggest releases this summer. How does it feel for them to finally be out, two years after filming?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kiana Madeira:<\/strong> Honestly, I feel like it\u2019s such a blessing, because there was so much excitement in 2019 when we were filming the movies. And so, to have that excitement in 2019, and then just have a total revamp of energy and excitement in 2021\u2026I feel like it\u2019s been such a rollercoaster, and it just feels so nice. I\u2019m so grateful that the movies are out now, and in the last two years there\u2019s been a lot of anticipation\u2014so it\u2019s been so beautiful to see how the audience has responded, and getting to engage with them online has been really nice.<\/p>\n

G: What\u2019s the reception to\u00a0Fear Street<\/em>\u00a0been like so far, and how do you feel audiences are responding to the two films that have already come out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:<\/strong> I think the audiences have been responding really well, in my opinion. I mean, it seems like everyone is really excited about the cast, and about seeing new actors. I think a fair amount of the actors in the trilogy are not well-known yet, so this is a really good breakout project for all of us. I think the audience is really excited to see some fresh faces. It\u2019s been really cool because I can see people\u2019s responses to, first of all, Part One<\/em>, and then Part Two<\/em> coming out. It\u2019s funny, because I know how the trilogy ends, but based off of everyone\u2019s reactions and theories and everything, I\u2019m just thinking to myself, \u201cYou guys have no idea what\u2019s to come.\u201d So, it\u2019s been pretty funny having a week in between each movie, and just reading everyone\u2019s responses to each film, and just thinking to myself, \u201cThere\u2019s still so much to be revealed.\u201d So, I\u2019m so excited for everyone to see them.<\/p>\n

G: We know you\u2019ve been in a few horror productions before, but this was your first role as a protagonist in an entire film series. What was your experience like playing Deena?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s been so rewarding, in so many ways. Deena\u2019s such a dynamic character. I mean, she\u2019s strong, and resilient, and determined, and at the same time she\u2019s vulnerable. She feels so many emotions, and as an actor that\u2019s just a dream character to play. Not to mention the fact that I play a different character in Fear Street Part Three: 1666<\/em>, so that\u2019s another reason why this project has been so rewarding for me as an artist\u2014because I get to tell this story of Deena, and then travel back in time and tell a different side of the story. I think everything kind of came full-circle for me as a creative, and for the project as a whole, so I just felt so fulfilled when we wrapped the project, and now it\u2019s just a different kind of fulfillment, seeing everyone get to absorb all the heart that went into making these movies. It was such a blessing. I love both characters that I play.<\/p>\n

\"Kiana
Kiana Madeira. (Photo by Brendan Wixted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G: These films have a lot of intense scenes\u2014you\u2019re constantly on the run from, and fighting, undead serial killers. Were those moments as nail-biting as they looked onscreen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, they were! [Laughs] The killers in the films, they were performed by stunt performers who are absolutely amazing at what they do. So, they just brought their physicality, their performances were so creepy, and when we were filming them on the day, there were so many moments where I was genuinely scared because everything about being on set really added to everything making it feel real. So, in those moments where\u2026especially in Part One: 1994<\/em>, where we\u2019re in the hallway and we\u2019re trapping the killers in the bathroom. In that scene where the killers are approaching us and they have to walk right past us to go into the bathroom, I remember when we were filming that I was like, \u201cThis is genuinely scary.\u201d So, because the stunt performers were so amazing, it really helped us as actors\u2014it made our job so much easier, because we have Nightwing with the axe, and he\u2019s just huge with the lumberjack jacket, and he\u2019s so fast. And then, Skull Mask is really stealthy in the way that he moves, and then Ruby Lane, who\u2019s smaller but she\u2019s so stealthy and smooth, and kind of lures you in. So, I think everyone did such a good job at portraying those killers that it was pretty scary to film those scenes.<\/p>\n

G: Let\u2019s talk horror!\u00a0Fear Street<\/em>\u00a0is based on R.L. Stine\u2019s series of books by the same name. Were you familiar with the books before filming as Deena, or did you read them to prepare for the role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>Before diving into Deena, I wasn\u2019t familiar with the Fear Street<\/em> books, but I did grow up reading the Goosebumps<\/em> books. So, I was familiar with R.L. Stine and his amazing ability to tell stories \u2014 especially in the horror genre\u2014which really helps, I think. It really gave us permission to use our imagination, just like R.L. Stine does. I think these movies are cool because although they\u2019re based in Shadyside \u2014 which is a town that is found in the Fear Street<\/em> books\u2014they\u2019re not actually based on any specific books. So, I didn\u2019t read any books to prepare for Deena, but I did find that being familiar with R.L. Stine\u2019s work helped.<\/p>\n

G: You said you grew up reading\u00a0Goosebumps<\/em>, and now you\u2019re acting in a movie series based on another horror series written by R.L. Stine. Was that a full-circle moment for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>Oh, definitely. R.L. Stine actually came to set when we were filming Part Three: 1666<\/em>, so I got to meet him, and it was so amazing. Even now, we\u2019ve done some press with him as well, and every time we see him we\u2019re just like, \u201cYou are iconic! You\u2019re just incredible.\u201d And he\u2019s still writing books, and they\u2019re still so good\u2014so, he\u2019s pretty legendary in the horror genre.<\/p>\n

\"Kiana
Kiana Madeira. (Photo by Brendan Wixted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G: We\u2019d love to hear about your relationship with horror films. Are you a horror fan, and do you have any favorite movies in the genre?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>I do love horror! I love being scared. I love the feel, in general, but there\u2019s something about horror that\u2026those jump scares, they really just take you out of your body\u2014which is terrifying, but at the same time oddly enjoyable. My favorite horror film is Get Out<\/em>. I really love what Jordan Peele did with that, and how it\u2019s layered with social commentary, very similar to the Fear Street<\/em> trilogy. Other than Get Out<\/em>, I would say in terms of classics, I really love the original Scream<\/em>, the 1996 one. I love that it was so self-aware, and it was really funny and clever\u2014and I think that there\u2019s also so many things about Fear Street<\/em> that kind of pay homage to the original Scream<\/em>. So, those two are probably my top two.<\/p>\n

G: Deena is similar to \u201cscream queen\u201d characters as a female protagonist battling darker forces, but she\u2019s not your traditional horror protagonist. How do you think she differs from the stereotype of that historical role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>I think Deena has similarities to \u201cfinal girls\u201d in horror films that we\u2019ve seen traditionally, because she\u2019s strong, and she\u2019s determined, and she\u2019s passionate. Although, like you said, I do think there\u2019s so many ways that she\u2019s different, and it\u2019s really refreshing to see\u2014the top two being that she\u2019s a woman of color, and that she\u2019s a queer woman. The combination of those two are so rare to see onscreen in general, and especially in genre films such as horror. She\u2019s so different, and that\u2019s what\u2019s so beautiful about these films. They really shine a light on people who have been considered to be misfits. They shine a light on those characters, and put them at the front and center, and make them the heroes of the story. So, I think that\u2019s really refreshing, and I hope that the genre and the industry continues to move in that direction.<\/p>\n

G: Fear Street<\/em>\u00a0is a horror trilogy, of course, but it has a really emotional love story that\u2019s central to the plot\u2014which isn\u2019t common in that genre. And it\u2019s LGBTQ+, no less! What does it mean to you to be a part of this new type of horror dynamic, and what\u2019s the response been like from viewers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>Honestly, I\u2019m so grateful to be a part of a film trilogy that\u2019s so groundbreaking in that way. The response from viewers has been so encouraging, which we expected because I think that these movies really reflect the world that we\u2019re living in today\u2014and I think that audiences today can really see themselves onscreen in every character that\u2019s in the Fear Street<\/em> trilogy. So, the response has been so encouraging. People have said things like, \u201cIt\u2019s about time,\u201d and it\u2019s been really positive. I\u2019m really happy about that.<\/p>\n

G: Did filming\u00a0Fear Street<\/em>\u00a0make you want to do more horror projects in the future\u2014and when can we expect to see you on our TV or movie theater screens next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>I love horror [films]. They are very physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding. But, as an actor, I really do love being challenged. The one thing about horror that I will say is I lose my voice really easily, so I don\u2019t know if it\u2019d be a great idea for me to just continue only doing horror. I think I would like to do something a little different for my next project, but don\u2019t get me wrong; I would definitely still love to do horror in the future. As for my next project, you can see me in After We Fell<\/em>, which is hitting theaters in the fall. I play a character named Nora, and it\u2019s a part of the After<\/em> franchise, so I\u2019m excited for people to see that movie.<\/p>\n

G: Finally, we have to ask\u2014what scares you the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

KM:\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s a great question. What scares me the most? It\u2019s funny, this was never a fear of mine before, but lately I\u2019m finding escalators are really scary\u2014especially really tall escalators. There\u2019s one specific escalator that comes to mind in New York, at 76th Street, at the subway, and it\u2019s just so scary. I feel anxiety stepping on, stepping off, as it gets to the top I get scared looking down. So, I don\u2019t know if that means I\u2019m afraid of heights. I\u2019ll have to see and test it out in different scenarios\u2014but I think I\u2019m developing a fear of escalators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29186,"featured_media":29978,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[3324,16],"yoast_head":"\nKiana Madeira Talks Horror Films, Representation, and Fighting the Undead on 'Fear Street' - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/kiana-madeira-talks-horror-films-representation-and-fighting-the-undead-on-fear-street\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kiana Madeira Talks Horror Films, Representation, and Fighting the Undead on 'Fear Street'\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When watching Kiana Madeira battle undead serial killers onscreen, it’s hard to believe the actress hasn’t been a horror movie heroine for years. 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