IN CONVERSATION WITH MADELEINE AND VIOLET MCGRAW

interview by JANA LETONJA

Madeleine and Violet McGraw, two of Hollywood's brightest young stars, star in the supernatural thriller ‘Curse of the Necklace’, which they also executive produced. The film released in theaters on 27th September. Next up, Madeleine will reprise her role in ‘The Black Phone’ sequel in 2025, and Violet in Blumhouse’s sequel of ‘M3GAN’.

You’re starring in the supernatural thriller ‘Curse of the Necklace’. Tell us more about the story of the film and about your characters.

Madeleine: ‘Curse of The Necklace’ is a horror movie that takes place in the 1960s. It is about the Davis family. I play Judith Davis and  Violet plays Ellen Davis, whose parents Laura and Frank Davis are currently going through a divorce. In an attempt to win my mom back, Frank decides to bring home this necklace and everything goes downhill from there.

What was it like working as an executive producer on the film, and how did you balance this role with your acting responsibilities?

Madeleine: Working as an executive producer was an incredible experience. I already knew how hard everyone worked and always respected everyone on set, but wow. Being on this side of things was so interesting. There were lots of meetings and I thought the meetings about the vision of what the void should look like was super cool. Hearing the vision of JP, our director, at the start and then the collaboration with Connor, our brilliant VFX supervisor, and then seeing it all brought to life was so cool to me. The amount of hours the producing team put in was crazy and they always did it with love. Violet and I would have lots of questions because we really wanted to learn, and everyone was so nice and so willing to answer our questions, especially Christina Moore. She is an extra special person and I am so grateful to call her a friend. I also want to shout out Treadwell/Kelly Casting. They worked so tirelessly and really helped make our job casting for the movie such an amazing experience.  

Balancing producing with acting was definitely different. Normally, I would just show up to set, lines memorized and really open emotionally, but this time I would do all of that, but now I was more aware of my surroundings and set decorations, and if I noticed a book that didn’t seem right or something out of place, I would speak up and try to solve the problem. It was very different.  

Violet: Being an EP was very cool.  Having adults really listen to my opinion on things in a business atmosphere was definitely an awesome experience. I loved talking to John Ducey, one of my most favorite writers and that has nothing to do with the fact he writes things for me to star in. Being able to say “I think we need more gory scenes”, or Maddy would say “I think Judith needs a boyfriend”, and just being able to have some input felt great. 

With acting and producing, I definitely felt a bigger responsibility to be even more prepared  and ready.

Curse of the Necklace’ is set in the 1960s. What challenges did you face in portraying characters from this era, and how did you prepare for it?

Madeleine: JP, our director, sent me a playlist of his favorite songs, videos and interviews of teens from that time, so that helped me pick up the vibe right away. But it was our amazing customer, Elizabeth Jett, who really helped set the tone. The biggest challenge for me were my fake bangs.  Manny, who did my hair on set every day, had a love and hate relationship with my bangs. 

Violet: I listened to my sister’s playlist a lot, but once I was in costume, I felt like I sat differently and did things a little more properly than kids today do things. 

How did your personal dynamics as sisters influence your performances and your work as on ‘Curse of the Necklace’?

Madeleine: Having Violet on set with me was amazing. There was a scene where she is on a swing and something happens to her. She drew me in so deeply. I wasn’t required to cry in that scene, but I couldn’t help it because she was so believable. I wanted to protect her so badly. It was really incredible to watch her work. She is amazing, truly. 

Violet: It really helped a lot to have my sister on set. We would run lines at the hotel and would discuss our scenes together. Having her there made the sad scenes even easier because a lot of times I would be thinking about what if we weren’t that close or what if we really did fight a lot. It also made me extra grateful that we are so close.

What was the most rewarding aspect of working on this film together, and what did you learn from each other throughout the process?

Madeleine: I think the most rewarding part for me was the fact that we were all like family. Violet had already filmed with The ESX team multiple times. She told me how special they all were, but she undersold. The ESX team is beyond special. Literally, each and every one of them are so loving and supportive. Filming a movie on a low budget in 17 days in most cases could cause stress or tension. I never once felt any of those things. I feel like we all worked together as a team and it was actually one of the smoother shoots I have done. 

Violet: I still can’t believe what we accomplished in 17 days of shooting and then only a couple of months of post production. I am really proud of this movie. One of the things that I learned by working with Maddy was how to be over-prepared. She runs lines so much it’s funny. But I get it. We don’t like to mess up and we don’t like to be unprepared. She is an amazing example and role model to me and she is unbelievably kind to everybody. She and I both love so openly,  so our hearts were super heavy when we wrapped this one. I cried for a week I’m pretty sure. 

Madeleine, given your success in both live-action and voice roles, how do you approach preparing for different types of performances?

Madeleine: Actually, I feel they are both so much alike. I still work on character development and I still give 1000 percent. I think the only difference is I get to go to work in sweats if I want and no hair and makeup is required. One aspect of VO that I love so much is how you get to really put your body into it to convey certain emotions and actions. That part is really fun. 

With your upcoming role in ‘The Black Phone’ sequel, how do you see your character evolving, and what can fans expect from the sequel?

Madeleine: I really can’t say much about the sequel, but what I will say is that I love this next chapter so much and I am so excited to start filming. 

Violet, you’ll be reprising your role in the sequel of hit film ‘M3GAN’. What can the viewers expect, and what can you tease about your character’s story in the sequel?

Violet: Oh gosh, this next one is 2.0 all the way. It’s so much fun. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. 

Looking ahead, are there any particular genres or types of roles you are eager to explore in your career?

Madeleine: I would love to do an action movie or a romantic comedy. I have been watching a lot of 90s rom-coms lately.  I love ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. Seriously one of my favs. 

Violet: I would love to do something funny or like a murder mystery. I think both would be really fun. 

Besides ‘The Black Phone’ and ‘M3GAN’ sequels, what can you both share on your upcoming projects

Madeleine: Well, I have several things we are working on and definitely more producing in the future. 

Violet: I have a few things coming out next year, besides ‘M3GAN 2.0’.’ The Life of Chuck’ and another project I am not allowed to talk about, and I have a few things I will be heading out to film in 2025 that I am super excited about. 

photographers
VERONICA GRAYE
DOUGLAS J MENGERT
ROBERT BRYAN NUÑEZ