By Shannon McGrew
In NEVER LET GO, the latest film from visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) as an Evil takes over the world beyond their front doorsteps, the only protection for a mother (Halle Berry), and her twin sons is their house and their family's protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times - even tethering themselves with ropes - they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.
For the release of NEVER LET GO, Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew spoke with young actors Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV, who play twin sons Samuel and Nolan, respectively. During our chat, we discussed everything from the excitement of performing stunts to bonding with Koda the Dog.
Thank you both so much for speaking with me today. What was the most enjoyable part of filming NEVER LET GO?
Anthony B. Jenkins: I'd say the stunt scenes, especially going to the stunt people's house, because they had a lot of cool stuff. We had s'mores because they had a campfire. They had this little trampoline place where we could put on a harness and jump super high up.
Percy Daggs IV: It was super duper cool. I'd say the stunts were my favorite part, too. It was super awesome to be able to do all that stuff and see how it actually works. You see it in the movies, and you're like, oh, that's so cool. But then, when you get to do it in real life, it's super, super cool!
What was it like working with director Alexandre Aja and the legendary Halle Berry?
Anthony B. Jenkins: Mr. Alex, he's such an awesome guy. He's literally like an acting coach. Whenever our acting coaches were practicing with Percy and me, he would come up and help sometimes. He's such a nice person. Ms. Halle is so kind and an amazing actress. She taught me a lot of things, like staying focused and that my superpower is my eyes. I'll always remember that.
Percy Daggs IV: Working with Mr. Alex and Ms. Halle was an honor. I loved working with them and would love to work with them again. Since Ms. Halle was a producer and Mr. Alex was the director, I spent a lot of time with them behind the camera, seeing how things work. It was so cool to do that. Ms. Halle is such a wonderful person; she has taught me so much. She was always there for me, always helping me out, and I'm so thankful for that.
Working not just with Halle Berry but also having the opportunity to collaborate with the lovable scene partner, Koda the Dog, must have been quite an experience. What was that like?
Percy Daggs IV: It was so cool! His real name is Brass, and I would definitely do it again. I don't have a dog myself, so working with Brass was like having a true dog of my own.
Anthony B. Jenkins: It was so amazing working with Brass because he's one of the most trained dogs ever. Brass learned something that's so cool that I don't even know if other dogs learned it, but he knows how to close his mouth [on command]. A six-year-old wouldn't even do that! [Laughs].
Lastly, could you share any fun or spooky moments from being on set with us?
Anthony B. Jenkins: Being in the woods at night. I had one scene I had to do in the woods at night and I didn't really like it because it was dark. I had to go inside this room by myself and nope [Laughs]. There were no lights. It was scary.
Percy Daggs IV: Being in the dark at night was really, really scary. Sometimes I felt like I would see people outside in the dark and it was super creepy. During the day, we would see bears sometimes which was also very scary! We were safe and a great distance away from them, so it was really cool to see.
NEVER LET GO arrives in theaters on September 20, 2024.