'Smile 2' director Parker Finn and star Naomi Scott on the challenges of making a worthy sequel

The film picks up where Smile We left off, but this time our protagonist is Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop sensation who is about to embark on a major tour when she witnesses a suicide.

“(Naomi) sings all the songs in the film and she does all the choreography. She’s a force of nature, a fivefold threat,” Finn says. “But the most important thing for me was the harrowing, dramatic journey the character takes.”

Scott, best known for his role as Princess Jasmine in Disney's live-action film AladdinShe says she felt like she truly understood Skye's character when she read the script – the trauma of her past and her fractured relationship with her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt). “It really feels like a character piece where I can run the gamut of emotions, and it’s rooted in something that requires a grounded performance,” she says. “But then I can go to all these unhinged places and really give it my all.”

Then there are the big song-and-dance numbers, which Scott performed in collaboration with choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall. “It feels like the role that I probably needed the most preparation for, but got the least because of how quickly this film came together,” Scott says. “It has advantages and disadvantages. Honestly, there's a lot to be said for just falling into something and just being like that, right? Do it. Don’t think about it too much.”

Watch the film's trailers and you'll see Scott commanding the stage in elaborate costumes while being stalked by strangers with disturbing grimaces. Expressions, Finn explains, that weren't enhanced by CGI.

“There are certain things we do with the positioning of the head and how we make sure they separate the smile itself from the top half of their face, so they almost have this stare,” he explains. “Then that doesn’t go with that smile that’s too big.” We exchange “smile” faces with Finn over Zoom. Finn's is better. The last few years have been quite a ride for Finn and his short films Laura didn't sleep (which was the genesis of Smile) played SXSW in 2020. Then, after Smile 2he will be working on a remake of Andrzej Zulawski's possessionwhich he promises will “honor the original.”