Warning: Smile 2 spoilers and descriptions of body horror.

The Smile Curse strikes again in much of Smile 2's narrative, serving as Scott's most successful project since her breakout hit Aladdin, but Gage's Lewis remains one of the most memorable characters in the movie.

Before his grotesque smile was plastered all over billboards, Gage had already racked up a loyal fan following thanks to his roles in high-profile television series such as Euphoria, The White Lotus, and most recently The Sandman spinoff Dead Boy Detectives. His self-effacing charm lends itself to his Smile 2 backstory, in which he is a drug dealer and enabler of Skye's addiction, while at the same time remaining one of her last links to adolescence before her impossible-to-handle fame. Furthermore, his death scene — in which the Entity curses Skye as Lewis bashes himself in the head with an iron weight — sets the tone for the body horror throughout the movie.

ScreenRant interviewed Gage about his preparation for the role of Lewis in Smile 2, how the original movie affected him, and which of his iconic TV roles he most hopes to return to in future seasons.

Lukas Gage Reveals The Physical Work That Went Into His Terrifying Smile 2 Role

“What are some of the subtle micro-movements in your face you can do to really instill fear in people?”

Screen Rant: Did you watch the first Smile in theaters? How aware were you of the phenomenon, and where did it rank on your Frito meter?

Lukas Gage: I would definitely rank it high. I did watch in theaters. I was obsessed with it, and I wrote Parker an email right when I saw it. I said, "You're incredible. You're an amazing filmmaker. You're doing stuff in the horror genre I have not seen before, so congratulations." And then about a year and a half later, he reached out about this movie.

Screen Rant: Just watching it makes me feel like I'm inviting evil into my life, which makes me wonder if you ever have a "Scottish play" moment being in it. Did you have to hype yourself up in any way to work on the sequel? Especially because the scares are leveled up in this one.

Lukas Gage: Yeah, the scares are bigger. They're bolder, they're a bit crazier, and they're a bit more expensive. They definitely had money for the sequel. [Laughs]

But I think that I did a lot of preparation, mostly in movement work, which I haven't done before. I worked with this lady named Julia Crockett, who does a lot of movement work, and we worked on the micro-movements. It's about having the little movements in the face, having the nuances in them, and the difference of doing something in the wide where you can go big and be absolutely unhinged versus tight and closed up, when you have that smile to do. What are some of the subtle micro-movements in your face you can do to really instill fear in people?

Screen Rant: Speaking of the smile, Parker said that your smile was the one that he really wanted to make sure was perfect because it is the smile of the movie. What goes into making that smile perfect? How many takes did you have to do?

Lukas Gage: Not too many takes, but I think the trick to the smile is stillness and taking your time. And like I said, those micro-movements and little expressions in the eye and the mouth help — having isolation in your face; the separation between having this big grin but being dead behind your eyes is the trick to doing it just right.

Breaking Down Smile 2’s Most Gruesome Death Scene

“It is one of the things I've done that is legitimately the hardest for me to watch.”

Screen Rant: Your death scene was absolutely gruesome. What does that look like on the day? Hopefully, you're not actually beating yourself in the face with workout equipment, so what is it that you're having to do, and how do you go through that?

Lukas Gage: Yeah, the prosthetics on this were incredible. The guys who did them made a mold of my face, and they did a lot of different layering of how much impact this object was, and what this weight on my face would do to my face. Then [it's about] accurately displaying it.

Man, look. It was a plastic weight, but we were really going for it. We were going all out with it. And I'm very surprised about how jarring it is to watch, because I was there on the day. I was the actor, and I was aware that there was a whole camera crew. But it is one of the things I've done that is legitimately the hardest for me to watch. It's disturbing.

Screen Rant: That scene between Skye and Lewis is tense on many levels, but there's also the psychological aspects going on there of them being old friends and also him potentially enabling her vices. Did you and Naomi or Parker discuss the backstory there and how often they've crossed paths in the intervening years?

Lukas Gage: Yeah, there was a little bit [of discussion] between me and Naomi, just having a clear history of their friendship and what kind of friendship they had. What was it like growing up, what was their friendship like before fame was in the picture, and what did fame do to that friendship? Why is he enabling her instead of being a more ive friend to someone who's clearly trying to get help and be clean? And how much of that is impacted by her being famous?

Screen Rant: You obviously emailed Parker, but did you know that you were going to be one of the big faces for the marketing? Your face is everywhere all over LA right now. How do you prepare for that emotionally?

Lukas Gage: I had no idea! I just wanted to be a part of this project in any way, and so when he asked me to audition for it, I immediately [jumped]. I the second I got the email, just printing it out and going to the mirror and practicing my smile face.

You never know though if it's going to hit, but I had so much faith in Parker. I just think he's one of the best filmmakers, and he knows this genre better than anybody. So, I just knew I was in good hands, but I'm honored to be in the promo.

Lukas Gage Campaigns For The Return Of Dead Boy Detectives’ Cat King

“I know there's something in my heart that's hoping for that on Sandman.”

Screen Rant: Are you looking to now take this skillset and branch outside of the horror world, or are you looking for more horror projects?

Lukas Gage: I love the horror genre. I'm not just saying this, but a big reason that I became an actor was watching Nightmare on Elm Street with my mom as a kid; watching Hellraiser and all those Leprechaun movies. I don't know what my mom was doing. [Laughs] I was six or seven, and she would put every horror franchise on, and I would just beg her to keep watching more and more. I love them so much.

There is a sense of mental value that I have for horror films as gruesome, as they are. There's a nostalgia that comes from growing up and being a little boy watching these movies with my mom and getting scared. I think it's just fun, so I would love to be a Scream King.

Screen Rant: Aside from Smile 2, you've been racking up some fan-favorite roles in iconic projects, like Euphoria, The White Lotus, and Dead Boy Detectives — which breaks my heart that it was canceled. But is there any chance you'd be interested in resurrecting either Dylan or Tyler for the other shows?

Lukas Gage: Look, there's always a chance. There's always an opportunity to do a combination of different characters from different seasons in one show, or for a character to come back after a long period of time to get some revenge. So, I will say never say never. Fingers crossed.

And I just think that maybe Cat King might come back. I know there's something in my heart that's hoping for that on Sandman. I'm just saying, I'm going to have Cat King call.

More About Smile 2 (2024)

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Check out our previous Smile 2 interviews with:

• Parker Finn
• Naomi Scott
• Peter Jacobson

Smile 2 is currently playing in theaters.