[Interview] Carmela McNeal on Playing Vanessa in ‘Halloween Kills’
After debuting in a brief but memorable scene in the 2018 Halloween film, Carmela McNeal was shocked when she was asked to reprise the role, initially credited as “Sexy Nurse” and now developed into the character “Vanessa,” in the highly anticipated sequel Halloween Kills, and we recently talked to her about how meaningful both films are to her in her personal life, becoming part of the Halloween franchise family, and reuniting with Michael Myers on screen.
In our exclusive new video interview, we talked to Carmela about her experiences on both sets, working with James Jude Courtney and returning 1978 legacy cast members Nancy Stephens and Kyle Richards, and much more in a fun, honest conversation.
Describing her character Vanessa and what we can expect from her in Halloween Kills, , McNeal tells HDN, “Vanessa is bad. She’s a bad chick. She’s very loyal. She is a badass to me, but she’s a normal person that’s put in a situation where it just doesn’t happen all the time, so even the toughest badass when confronted with Michael Myers, it’s like a moth to an elephant. She’s a pretty cool chick. She’s a little sassy. She’s got a little sassy mouth on her… I can’t wait for you all to meet her. I can’t wait for you to see Vanessa.
“And she’s a bad chick because she’s running around in those heels the whole time too. Actually she’s running around in that whole little outfit with her behind out, so that’s a tough chick right there. And she loves Marcus (Vanessa’s husband, played by Michael Smallwood), even though he gets on her nerves. You’ll see a whole lot of Vanessa, …cussing probably (laughs).”
Carmela also told us about a heartwarming moment from the set of HK involving her kids and Blumhouse producer Ryan Turek, as she expressed how much it means to her to not only be invited back to Haddonfield for a sequel, but to be elevated to playing a much more fully-developed character this time. She also provides some fun insight into director and co-writer David Gordon Green’s working process during these productions.
Of course we also discussed NcNeal’s own memories of celebrating Halloween itself growing up in Philadelphia, and her feelings on now being a part of the Halloween franchise legacy.
You can watch our full exclusive interview with Carmela McNeal on her experiences playing Vanessa and reuniting with Michael Myers in Halloween Kills below.
See all of our Halloween Kills coverage here!
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