Exclusive: Madison Iseman Talks Blumhouse Film ‘Nocturne’

Now playing on Amazon Prime Video is the supernatural thriller Nocturne, which is one of first four of eight films in the Welcome to the Blumhouse series. Written and directed by filmmaker Zu Quirke (Zugzwang, Ghosting), in her breakout feature debut, the film stars Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The Handmaid’s Tale, Player’s Table), Madison Iseman (Jumanji: The Next Level, Annabelle Comes Home), Jacques Colimon (The Society) and Ivan Shaw (Insecure, Casual).

Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, a timid music student begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate.

Iseman was recently seen reprising her role of Bethany in Jumanji: The Next Level and has appeared in Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and in Annabelle Comes Home. She will next be seen in Disney+ teen drama Clouds.

BlackFilmandTV.com spoke with Iseman about her role, working with Zu Quirke on her first film and working with Blumhouse.

What led you to say yes to the, to the film?

Madison Iseman: I loved the script, I actually I listened to the music that the characters are playing throughout the movie. That was probably one of the main things that that drew me in because the music was just so menacing, terrifying and added this whole other layer. I also played orchestra in high school. I was played violin. I was already a little familiar with the classical world, so I was really into it from the very beginning.

Can you describe your character?

Madison Iseman: I play Vivian, who her own agenda, and no one's really allowed to get in between. She's the kind of girl who has had her life planned out when she was five years old. She's extremely talented, she's confident, she has a spot waiting for her at Juilliard. She's definitely the girl that everyone wants to be.

What did you pick up from from Zu Quirke that you can take on to your next project that you haven't picked up from something you've done before?

Madison Iseman: That's a great question. Zu is she's extremely precise with everything that she wants. I think she has a great direction and just ideas already made up in her head. She's very specific. She really wanted the audience to feel that tug of war going on through every character's mind, and just all the conflict. She's extremely peculiar with our words, actually and how they're said. It's her work doing her writing. That was definitely something I'll take from this; just paying more attention to the writing and how deep you can go into it, and what you can take from it, and change it up and make it different.

How long has it been since you used any musical instrument?

Madison Iseman: I stopped playing violin in high school. One of the reasons I did quit violin was because of how hard that world was, and the competition of the classical music world. I played piano in middle school when I was younger, and I can still play a little bit, but not amazingly. In this movie, we're playing pianos as if we've been playing it literally forever. We’re playing these extremely hard classical pieces. We actually worked with a coach, one on one for hours and hours. Basically, learning how to mock play these pieces like hand choreography as if we've literally played them forever. It was really interesting because it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. That was a lot of fun.

Are you fan of this genre and of Blumhouse films?

Madison Iseman: Oh yeah, absolutely. I remember sneaking out of my window, when I was younger, to go watch Paranormal Activity in theaters. I've always been a fan of Blumhouse. Get Out was so monumental itself. They've always never been afraid to push boundaries, and really go with super original new ideas that no one's seen before. That's always kept me a fan and super engaged and excited. I was super pumped to be a part of one of their movies.

How was working with Sydney and Jacques?

Madison Iseman: It was a lot of fun. We really had to be there for each other because the material was so dark. I was really thankful to be working with such positive, awesome people where we could just goof off behind scenes, especially when Sydney and I are at each other's throats in the whole movie. We actually went to high school together so we already had some sort of a friendship and chemistry from the start, which is really nice. It was interesting because Sydney and I are very similar type cast. We're often in casting rooms together and going out for the same part. When you get to actually work with your friends, it's such a rare treat that you never get to do. It was it was a lot of fun.

You’ve done other projects, but when you take on a role like this where you’re on a lot of page, what does this do for you as an actress?

Madison Iseman: I think it's exciting. I think that's what all of us actors really love. We love more screen time. But I think it's more fun, it's more room to play and you have more room to to give your character more of an arc and more time to do it. You get more time to put in the work and make your characters super special. So for me, it's really exciting. It does get a little overwhelming when you start to lose sleep, but it's just part of it.

Because it’s October, there are a good number of spooky films coming out. What’s a good reason for folks to see this film?

Madison Iseman: It's a different story. I think it's a story we haven't heard that often as far as the arts go, and from the perspective of young women; and also just with what Blumhouse and Amazon are doing. You can binge it. It’s the binge season where you can just go in and have one giant movie night. That’s what I love to do. So I think that's just really attractive in itself and all of the films together. They're all very different, but they all have similar themes, as far as family, psychological weirdness, and thrillers. They all complement each other very well.

Where do we see you next in?

Madison Iseman: Next after Nocturne, three days after I have a movie called Clouds coming out on Disney+, which is also about music. But the complete opposite. It's about Zack Sobiech, who passed away in 2013 from a cancer called osteosarcoma, and in the last year of his life, he wrote music to tell all of his friends and family goodbye. Basically his songs went viral. So a much happier, happier story. Not so dark.

What is it that makes you say yes to the projects you take?

Madison Iseman: I've always loved doing different projects. I think more than anything, it's what have I not done yet. I just have always wanted to do so many different things. There's so many different genres that I love so much. I've been really lucky. I feel like I have to do so many different things. That's still what I look for when I read the scripts and take on new new roles.