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Blu Hunt on Becoming Dani Moonstar in ‘The New Mutants’

Published

4 years ago

August 26, 2020

Blu Hunt does not know how she really feels about The New Mutants finally opening after years of anticipation, but if she’s honest, “overwhelmed” probably sums it up best.

“I’m just like pacing around my apartment, walking in and out of my bedroom, lying down, getting up,” the actress told iHorror in a recent interview. “Like, I don’t know what to do with myself. And I can’t go do anything because I’m living in LA and I’m quarantined. I can’t go do things. I think I’m just really anxious. I’m anxious for it to come out. I’ve never had a movie I was in come out like this before.”

That feeling has been a part of her life since she was first cast in the role of Dani Moonstar, a young mutant with incredible reality-altering powers locked away in an asylum with other teenagers like herself. It was the role of a lifetime for a young actor who had never really been in a film.

The fact that it was a Marvel film had her pinching herself right up until the moment they were filming.

“I’m a realist to a fault,” Hunt explained. “The way that it happened. I didn’t let myself believe that it was happening for a long time. I mean even when I was there I was like this cannot be real. Wake me up. Just having this huge role in the movie, too. It wasn’t just like a background role. It was like, she comes in and she’s becoming a leader. It was a really intense role to take on but I mean it’s an incredible opportunity that I’m still grateful for it.”

It wasn’t just the fact that it was a Marvel movie, however, that challenged her. Co-writer and director Josh Boone had created a character with a lot of layers that Hunt had to navigate while playing the role many of which brought their own forms of pressure.

What she had not anticipated was the immediate social media reaction to her casting.

Blu Hunt had no idea, really, the way that social media would react to her casting as Danielle Moonstar.

“The pressure of Dani being like the first leading, female, indigenous superhero in a film like this was really intense for me, especially because I am mixed race,” she pointed out. “I remember waiting to go make the movie, sitting in my bedroom, on my phone, looking at Twitter with everyone arguing about my heritage and my race and whether I’m dark enough skinned to play the role and really feeling the pressure come down on me, then. I really had to have that conversation with myself. Am I the right person to play this role? I am the right person to play this role. Some people don’t think I am, but I know I am.”

In the midst of that doubt, she reached out to other indigenous actors and members of her community for reassurance and was pleased when they seemed to just be happy for her for taking on this role. They also reminded her that she was representing something really important for other indigenous young people and to take that responsibility seriously.

It wasn’t only pressure from the online indigenous community, however. When it was revealed that Hunt’s character would be involved in a romantic relationship with Rahne Wolfsbane played by Maisie Williams, another corner of social media seemed to rise up as well.

Some were upset that the characters were a part of the LGBTQ community, labeling it political. Others were upset that the wrong characters were being put into a same-sex relationship. And others were upset in general with seemingly no reason at all.

Hunt was again overwhelmed and she credits Williams–who had plenty of experience dealing with social media rage during her time on Game of Thrones–with helping her through that.

“After talking to Maisie, she was like, you just can’t care,” she said. “I think that was one of my favorite parts of Dani’s character is that she got to be gay. I loved that. I loved that this was my first romantic role in a movie. Getting to have that with another woman was just really was an honor. It was really cool to represent both the Indigenous community and the LGBTQ community.”

Hunt eventually left social media behind, and has been able to focus more on what this role meant to her and the kind of character that Dani Moonstar ultimately became.

“When I read the comic books, like the way she moves through the world to me was really strong and tough,” she said. “She’s like a complicated leader. She’s incredibly intelligent and strong but she’s also kind of introverted. She likes to be alone. In the comic books she kind of sits in the woods and thinks about things. She’s really deep. Playing her this young, as a 16 year old, I just really wanted to play her more, not sad, but a little more shy but finding out that she’s strong. She doesn’t know she’s a strong person yet. She’s just tough. She doesn’t take anybody’s shit but she’s really insecure and a teenager.”

The New Mutants is out this week in theaters across the country with openings in drive-ins, as well, on August 28, 2020. Take a look at Blu Hunt in the introduction video for her character that released earlier today below.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

6 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

2 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

^{28 Days Later}

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

20 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.