Last Updated on June 1, 2025 by Angel Melanson
Sitting down with Danny and Michael Philippou always feels like catching up with old friends. Their passion and enthusiasm for filmmaking is intoxicating and contagious. Listening to them speak or having a conversation with them is a marked stark contrast to the deeply dark tone of their movies.
The brothers are light and fun, I guarantee you that nobody is going to accuse these guys of making light or fun movies anytime soon. It’s heavy material, this one in particular, maybe because it was partially inspired by a real-life tragedy. I mention this strictly to illustrate the vast difference between the vibe they bring to the screen vs the energy they bring to their lives (and interviews).
Undoubtedly, that energy serves the cast and crew on set in between tackling the heavy material in Bring Her Back. This interview is a perfect example of that, and it’s something star Billy Barratt specifically calls out in the conversation below. Danny and Michael Philippou joined us along with Bring Her Back cast Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, and Jonah Wren Phillips to chat about their new horror movie.
The conversation is full of inside jokes, pranks between the cast and directors, and it’s clear that Danny and Michael, first and foremost aim to create a comfortable atmosphere for their young actors. Judging by what they collectively managed to put forth on the screen, it’s a technique that paid off. Immerse the actors in a dark world, with the directors ready to pull them right back out of it.
This marks Sora Wong’s acting debut, “Just meeting all these really big people and wondering if I could compare to any of them. Secondly, horror. To do the genre, play the character and just try to get it right.” Newcomer Wong is playing opposite industry veterans, Sally Hawkins as a foster mother with questionable intentions and Billy Barratt as her older brother. No small task, but Wong more than rises to the occasion, delivering an impressive debut performance.
Barratt explains his relationship with Wong as “We got on really well,” after some very sibling-like teasing from Wong about being forced to hang out. Barratt gestures to Danny and Michael seated behind him before adding, “These guys make the set so fun, but if it’s a very dark day and a really heavy scene, I don’t know how but you just see the vibe, all of the crew, everyone’s just quiet. It really makes you feel like you’re in it together, which on a lot of films it doesn’t feel like that.”
Between their first two features, the Philippous have proven they do not shy away from absolutely wreaking havoc on their young characters. Michael is quick to point out, “Yeah, I’ll just start with saying Danny’s the writer!”
“The prosthetics were amazing, I had a great prosthetic team. It was really fun getting into character. In terms of reactions, there were a few side looks. Where we were filming, we had some joggers running past the set. They got a bit scared.”
Jonah shared that he didn’t wave or engage with the joggers. What he did is actually maybe even worse. “I kind of walked past them and gave them the Ollie look,” before making his face completely blank and going into a thousand-yard stare. If you’ve seen the posters or the trailers, you’ve caught a glimpse of Jonah in prosthetics, and once you’ve seen the movie, you’ll understand that the Ollie look full force in full prosthetics is probably the last thing you’d ever want to encounter.
As for whether or not Bring Her Back is in the same universe as Talk To Me, Michael confirms, “There is going to be something that hints at it.” Danny adds, “In my head, they exist in the same universe for sure.”
We also get a brief serenade courtesy of Billy Barratt here, but you’ll have to watch the interview below to find out what the hell is going on there. Bring Her Back is in theaters May 30. Watch our full interview below.
