There are a number of dramatic tension sources in writer/director Zu Quirke’s Nocturne – one of two features released this week as part of the second wave of Welcome To The Blumhouse movies – but there is none greater than the sibling rivalry between Sydney Sweeney’s Juliet and Madison Iseman’s Vivian a.k.a. Vi. While the two grew up as twin music prodigies and best friends, their teen years created distance between them, and when we meet them at the start of the film the division is already harsh.
Naturally, it all leads to some serious emotions, and there was one particular scene during the making of the film that left Iseman totally exhausted.
Late last month I participated in the Welcome To The Blumhouse press day, doing virtual interviews with the stars of the first four movies in the series, and while talking with Madison Iseman and Sydney Sweeney I asked if there was a particular scene that they found to be particularly challenging – either physically or emotionally. Avoiding spoilers, Iseman revealed that for her the hardest day was shooting what ends up being Vi’s final scene in the film, and you can watch her discuss it by clicking play on the video below:
In Nocturne, the tension between Juliet and Vi escalates up until the very end of the film, with the fraternal sisters winding up at each other’s throat while vying for a coveted seat during a student showcase and a possible career in the exceptionally competitive world of classical music. Without giving away what happens, the relationship hits a boiling point late in the third act with an absolute vicious verbal confrontation, and apparently filming the conflict took everything Madison Iseman had in her.
Discussing the hardest day on the Nocturne set, Iseman said,
For me it was probably the last scene where Vi has her last word with Juliet, just because it was a lot of a scene, and we had to do it a bunch, and it was just emotionally exhausting. So that was probably mine. Cause I think I went home at the end of the day and just crashed; I was so tired.
Again, we won’t be spoiling what happens at the end of the film here, but after you watch Nocturne we can promise you that you will entirely understand why it was so hard for Madison Iseman to shoot that scene.
Truth be told, it’s actually one of the best in the movie, and does a nice job further solidifying the young actress’ record in the horror genre. She previously did a great job in the underrated Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and likewise is excellent in the awesome Annabelle Comes Home.
If you haven’t seen Nocturne yet, the film is now available to stream for all Amazon Prime subscribers along with three other Welcome To The Blumhouse titles: The Lie, Evil Eye, and Black Box. Check out our reviews of the individual films, and be on the lookout for more of our interview coverage here on CinemaBlend.
