[Interview] Joey Harris Talks Playing Bully Margo in ‘Halloween Ends’

Halloween Ends is an epic and emotional finale to the recent Strode Trilogy that brings a good amount of new blood to the streets of Haddonfield, including Joey Harris, who makes her feature film debut in the role of Margo, one of the bullies who harass Corey Cunningham (played by Rohan Campbell), so we were excited to learn that Harris is a longtime Halloween fan herself in our exclusive video interview, which took place on the morning after she attended the Hollywood premiere of the film.

Harris reveals a few deleted scenes that were shot but not used in the theatrical cut of the film, as well as the original, less sympathetic version of her character. She tells HDN, “I can tell you that the character that you will see on screen is not the character that was originally written and actually originally filmed. So there’s four of us bullies, Terry, Stacey, Billy, and Margo, myself, and the lovely writer, Paul (Brad Logan; watch our interview here), he wrote us all based on real people. So I was one of the four bullies, and I was supposed to be an asshole, everything we filmed, Corey Cunningham, who we’re just bullying the life out of. 

“There was a scene that they did remove, because when they did the screenings, they realized that the audience responded better to me being the one character that felt guilty for treating him this way. So they were like, ‘We’re going to capitalize on this’. So when I did my ADR work, we found a way to hone my character into being the one character that everyone was like, ‘Oh, she didn’t deserve to die’, you know, redemption arc. So they did end up taking out one scene that I think would have also been an audience favorite, and it was actually Jamie’s idea. I moon her.

“So it was a hell of a day on set. It was just supposed to be two or three takes, but we were having so much fun with it, and at this point I was like, well everyone’s already seen my butt so it doesn’t really matter, so it’s probably like 35 takes later, and every single one just had everyone cackling, and it was so much fun. So it’s kind of like, awe shucks, they didn’t use it, but I think the character arc they created is something that the audience is really going to respond well to.” 

On working with Jamie Lee Curtis on what is her seventh and final film portraying the iconic character Laurie Strode, Joey said, “I watch her every Halloween and Christmas since I was a kid, so I was in my head about it, and as soon as I met her though, she’s one of those people that’s so warm to be around it just eases you. She’s not at all what I expected. I expected her just to be cordial, like, ‘How’s the weather? Where are your from?’, you know, but she would just come in karate chopping at you and saying all these crazy things, and then you just come back at her, and it was so funny. So it really loosens you up, and once you’re loose, I think it’s easy just to be around everyone and create.”

Harris also explains how working on such a massively anticipated production and having such positive experiences on set has helped her own personal growth and mental health. “I think it was very healing for my inner child,” she said. “It was very fulfilling. I think the coolest part about it is at this point every time I’m able to do something, I’m able to turn around and say to myself, wow, I have never been more proud of myself than I am right now. And I’ve been able to that over and over and over again this year. I think for personal growth and for personal love, it’s hard to not like yourself when you’re becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be. I’m very proud of where I started and where I’m headed.”

In addition to discussing her experiences on the set of Halloween Ends and what her audition process was like, we also of course talk about celebrating Halloween itself, watching horror movies, attending the L.A. premiere, and more, including her mean goth girl role in the upcoming  horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein in our conversation.

You can watch our full exclusive interview with Joey Harris on playing Margo in Halloween Ends below.

Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock.

Watch our interview with Paul Brad Logan on co-writing Halloween Ends here.

Read our Halloween Ends review here.

See all of our Halloween Ends coverage here!

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