Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Abigail!

Summary

• Alisha Weir makes the leap from the whimsical Matilda the Musical into the horror genre as the titular centuries-old vampire Abigail, showcasing her versatility with a mesmerizing performance.
• Starring in a horror movie was on Weir's bucket list, taking real joy in getting to play the vampire while also preparing extensively for the ballerina nature of her character.
• Weir also formed a close bond with Melissa Barrera while filming the movie, expressing her hopes to continue that relationship into a potential sequel.

Alisha Weir is bringing her dancing talents to a whole new genre with Matilda the Musical garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with Weir's performance in particular singled out for praise.

Heading into Abigail, Weir brings over some of her theatrical experience, starring as the titular young ballerina who finds herself kidnapped by a group of six mercenaries who take her to a mysterious old mansion and held for a $50 million ransom from her father. Initially unbeknownst to the group is the fact that Abigail is a centuries-old vampire, with the young girl turning the tables on her captive and toying with them as she takes them out one by one. Despite her confidence and experience, the vampire will find herself encountering some formidable pushback from the group.

Alongside Weir, the ensemble Abigail cast includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito. Hailing from recent Scream duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the movie has garnered largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with particular praise pointed at Weir and Stevens' performance, as well as the unique mix of bloody horror and gut-busting comedy, something the directors had already shown success with on their Scream installments and Ready or Not.

Ahead of the movie's digital release, Screen Rant interviewed Alisha Weir to discuss Abigail, the unique challenges of making the jump from the more family-friendly Matilda the Musical to the horror-comedy, how she incorporated more dance into her performance, and bonding with Melissa Barrera on set.

Starring In A Horror Movie Was On Weir's Bucket List

While jumping between genres might sound like a troublesome task for some, for Weir, it was the ultimate dream when she was approached for Abigail, remarking that being in a horror film "has always been on my bucket list" and feeling there "was no question about it" when she learned the character would be a ballerina vampire:

Alisha Weir: They are definitely two very, very different characters, like you said, and two very, very different genres, as well. When I read the script, being in a horror film has always been on my bucket list, so when it came in, and also when I saw that it was a ballerina vampire, there was no question about it, I really, really wanted to do it. And getting to do acting, that's what I love so much about it, and it's what I want to keep doing, is doing characters and doing films that are so different from each other, and putting myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to play different characters like Matilda and Abigail.

They're so different, and for me, when I get to do that, I like to fully put myself into their shoes, so that I wasn't thinking about, when I was playing Abigail, that it was anything like Matilda, or that even that it was Alisha. I was fully in Abigail's shoes, so at times, it was challenging, but that's what I love. Playing such different characters in different genres.

With the movie requiring Weir to step outside of her comfort zone, the biggest creative challenge she found in tackling her role was playing the different sides of Abigail, viewing them as being "almost like two different characters" and even doing so when reviewing her script:

Alisha Weir: Abigail does stunts, and she also does ballet, but on the acting side of it, what was probably the most challenging for me was getting to play the different sides to Abigail. At the start, you see, it's almost like two different characters, but also still ing who she really is, and that it isn't just two completely different characters, and that it still is Abigail. So then it makes sense, as well, when you watch the film, and you understand that there are some emotions and some are true.

So, getting the two sides to Abigail at the start, you see the innocent sweet girl and then, as the movie goes on, you see her true self. So, I had an amazing coach, Nancy, who helped me with those two sides of her. And in my script, I used to write Abby and Abigail to help me, so I knew that that day, I was playing this side of Abigail, and the next day I was playing, Abigail's true vampire self. But I'd say the acting side of it, that was probably the most challenging for me, is playing the two sides of Abigail.

Weir Underwent "A Lot Of Preparation" For The Movie's Ballet

With ballet being such an integral part of her character, Weir found herself undergoing "a lot of preparation" in order to authentically portray the elegant side of Abigail for the movie, particularly its opening sequence in which she is dancing on a theatrical stage. Interestingly, though, early plans for the character didn't have much of this dance imbued in her, with Weir working closely with Radio Silence to expand on this in the movie:

Alisha Weir: There was a lot of preparation for the ballet side, and for the stunt side, there was lots of weeks of rehearsals. On the stunt side, we had that big huge stunt scene at the very end, the fight sequence, which had a good few weeks of rehearsals with me, Dan and Melissa. And then also, for the ballet, we had around two to three months preparing for that opening scene on point. So, it was so exciting to get to do so many different things in one movie, and I'm very, very determined. When they told me that I could do it, I wanted to do everything that I was allowed to do. I'd go home, and I'd practice it and make sure I got it perfect, so I could come into set the next day and be able to do it.

But yeah, we had an amazing stunt team, and an amazing choreographer, Belinda, that had so much patience with me and really helped me, and that's what made it so special. But I loved getting to do the stunts and getting to do ballet, getting to fly and go on wireworks was definitely a highlight for me. At the start, when we were talking about Abigail's character, the dancing of it wasn't a huge part of Abigail's character, but the more me, Matt and Tyler, the directors, and our choreographer, Belinda, talked about it, the more ideas and excitement built, and the next thing you knew, dance was such a huge part of Abigail, who she is and her character.

So, we tried to incorporate dance, so no matter what she was doing, she was always doing it in a balletic way. So, even when she was fighting, or she was chasing, she was always pirouetting and leaping. So, like you said, I definitely had a lot of freedom on that side of it, and a lot to experiment with and play with. They were very open, Matt and Tyler, to my ideas, and I was open to their ideas to help me find the best version of Abigail on that side. But yeah, I definitely had a lot of freedom and a lot to play with, which was really nice.

Abigail & Joey's "Special Relationship" Was Just As True Off-Camera As It Was On

Situated among the gruesome carnage of the movie is a unique bond that forms between Melissa Barrera's Joey and Abigail, with the former's pinkie promise to not let her get hurt proving difficult when the vampire begins feasting on her cohorts, only to then up in the movie's ending to take down the powerful Frank. When it came to building this dynamic off-camera with Barrera, Weir was overjoyed to get to work with the Scream star, itting to being a big fan of her costar's prior work and recalling how they "clicked straight away":

Alisha Weir: It was incredible getting to work with Melissa and, like you said, although Abigail and Joey have a strange relationship, I think what you find out in Abigail is that she's been doing this for a very, very long time. But, she's never ever come across a person like Joey, so they have such a special relationship. You see they build that relationship, so getting to build that with Melissa was incredible. We clicked straight away, it was amazing to get to work with her, I'm a big, big fan of her.

I've seen her in all her movies, and I love her so much, so, I was pinching myself most of the time, and I was in awe of her. But we got so close, we became like best friends on set, and she made me feel so comfortable. I could ask her any question, she always answered my questions, she always knew if anything was wrong. So, I had such an incredible experience working with Melissa, and we got super close, so it was amazing to get to share that relationship on screen and off-screen too.

Weir Is Keen To Explore Abigail's Past & Future In A New Movie

One of the biggest mysteries throughout Abigail's story is the identity of her crime lord father, with the character revealing she has acted as a hitman for him in the past and has centuries' worth of experience as a vampire. In a moment of vulnerability, though, Abigail also notes the poor relationship with her father, something reflected in the ending when he does finally show up, and Weir teases plenty of room to explore this in a future installment:

Alisha Weir: Well, I think you find out so much about Abigail's past, there's so much to unfold. And like we were talking about, Abigail and Joey's relationship at the start of the film, Abigail talks about her father and not wanting kids and how he treats her. And although you find out that Abigail is playing this act, and it's not really who she really is, that side of it that she was telling Joey, because she's found that person and that relationship that she's never had, she feels that she can tell Joey these things, and because she has a son of her own. I think that that side of it was the truth, and Abigail really was herself in that way.

So referring back to the two sides, and some of it was truth as well. But like you said, there's so much history to unfold about Abigail and her father, and him not showing up and him not being there for her, and Abigail having to do all this for him. So, there's so much history about it, and on how she feels about her father and that relationship with Joey. At the end, she sticks up for Joey when her father's there, and she protects Joey and make sure she's okay. So yeah, there's definitely a lot to unfold about their relationship, but I think she is a strong girl, but also she is doing this for her father.

When it comes to whether she would stay true to her promise to leave Joey alone after letting her go in Abigail's ending, Weir believes that she indeed would "never, ever hurt her", but does also think the "close bond" they formed could lead to a reunion in a potential sequel:

Alisha Weir: I would love to see Joey and Abigail together again. Although she wants to respect Joey and her son and that relationship, I think they made such a close bond that they can't stay away from each other. So, I'd really love to see them together again and just see what they do. But I know that Abigail would never, ever hurt her. So, no matter what, if she goes to see Joey again, I know that she wouldn't. Well, you don't know for sure, but I don't think she'd hurt Joey. She really truly likes her, and also with the relationship with her father, I'd like to see a little bit more of that in her past and her history. So yeah, I think there's a lot, it definitely leaves you on a cliffhanger and wanting to know a lot more.

About Abigail

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

Check out our previous Abigail interviews below:

• Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (WonderCon)
• Dan Stevens (WonderCon)
• Melissa Barrera & Alisha Weir (Pre-Release)
• Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (Pre-Release)
• Dan Stevens & Kathryn Newton (Pre-Release)
• Kevin Durand & Will Catlett (Pre-Release)
• Melissa Barrera (Post-Release)

Abigail is now available to rent or purchase on digital platforms and is in theaters.