Jeff Heller
Peacock is getting into the holiday spirit with their new pop horror series, HYSTERIA!. When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts (Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis) realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.
We spoke with Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis about what drew them to their characters, the tone of the series, and what frightens them the most.
I’d like to talk about your characters a little bit. Can you just each talk about what drew you to your characters? We can start with MJ.
Emjay Anthony: Oh yeah, one of the main things that drew me to Dylan was his love for the same music as I do. We both are huge metal heads, so that was definitely something cool that I could relate to him on.
Chiarra, how about yourself?
Chiara Aurelia: I think that there’s a lot going on with Jordy underneath the surface, and there’s so many different layers to her as a human, so being able to explore that, definitely surrounded by this kind of external layer that’s a little bit tougher and a little bit harder to grasp and reach. There’s just a lot of dimensions to explore, and also the way that we ended up putting Jordy together with the costumes and hair and makeup, it’s really exciting.
Kezii, how about yourself?
Kezii Curtis: For me, it was just showing the psyche of an innocent child. It was really cool to see how different perspectives can affect that. It was really cool and imperative to me that I answer that question of what that does to kids who aren’t exactly like brick and mortar to the T, listening to everything that’s being told to them, so that was what it was for me.
Is horror something you’re each naturally drawn to?
Emjay Anthony: I love horror. Definitely.
Chiara Aurelia: I find horror. Horror finds me. I end up working on a lot of horror stuff, and I love it. It’s a really fun genre. It’s really fun to play in, and you also get to do a lot of things that you wouldn’t normally get to do in the rest of your life, so I think that’s really cool.
For most of the series, by and large, this is kind of a teenage drama for the three of you. I’m just wondering if that’s something you’re able to draw from personal experience for?
Emjay Anthony: Well, I actually haven’t been a Satanist in my personal life, so…
Kezii Curtis: I think it was really cool to see this age represented. It was really cool to see such a young, rebellious age, and their frontal lobes aren’t developed, so they’re not making the best decisions. It was really cool to put them in such a strange environment and just let chaos ensue.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I think it’s safe to say, your characters make some questionable decisions for personal gain. I’m just curious if any of you have ever done anything that may be considered questionable for your own gain?
No, I don’t think necessarily. I mean, I would hope not, but I think that part of the human experience is making mistakes and hopefully learning from them, so I think we all make mistakes and hopefully are, you know, picking up the pieces afterwards and moving forward. And what wouldn’t you do for love? That being said, I do think Jordi knew all along that it was a terrible idea, so however this goes, I’m holding my ground on that.
Emjay, how about yourself? Anything that you may have done in the past that you may regret?
Emjay Anthony: None that my mom would like me to share. No, I can’t.
That’s a smart answer right there. I’d like to talk about the tone of the series, because there is some humor in it, and a lot of the comic relief falls on your shoulders, Kezii. But it is still a pretty heavy series. I’m curious how you manage that balance.
Kezii Curtis: Ah, it’s a fine balance, if you will. It’s really cool to see these dark and gloomy stories and try and find the joy in it. What drew me to Spud is once I got the second episode, I was like,”Oh, he’s not like this the whole season. He takes things, he learns, he adapts.” So, it was really just finding the moments that are funny and making them hilarious, if that makes any sense.
Emjay Anthony: And Kazii did such a great job at that. It feels so real. It’s not like anything ridiculous. It’s all just real good comedy.
Chiara Aurelia: Working with both of these boys, Emjay and Kazai, there’s so much banter, and you develop a true band camaraderie and friendship, so being able to play off of them in all of the scenes makes working so much more enjoyable. And also life has a lot of different tones and a lot of different layers, and I think it can be scary and dramatic and also kind of funny sometimes, and that’s what makes our show unique and fun to watch.
Where does everyone stand on musical talent?
Emjay Anthony: Well, Kazii already knew how to play the drums, and then Chiara and I had to learn our instruments.
How much of that did you take with you? Could you sit down right now and play?
Kezii Curtis: Emjay will sit and play random songs, and every time I get a video, I’m like, “This is amazing.”
Emjay Anthony: Thank you. That’s awesome.
So what frightens you the most?
Emjay Anthony: Spooky ghosts. Spooky ghosts.
Chiara Aurelia I’m not a huge spider girl. I don’t love spiders, but you know something really weird? The other night, I had a dream that I got bit by a black widow, and I woke up with a spider bite on my arm. Isn’t that crazy? Isn’t that a little spooky and terrifying? My spider bite is 100 million percent not a black widow, but it was a crazy dream to wake up to a spider bite.
Kezii Curtis: I’m genuinely scared of elevators. Yeah, I’m not the biggest fan of elevators. I also have a really weird thing with open bed cars or trucks. I saw Final Destination a little too early. If I’m driving behind one, I will get in the opposite lane just to save myself the trouble.
You can watch our interview with Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis below.
All episodes of Peacock’s pop-horror series HYSTERIA!, which also stars Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) and Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), premiere on October 18, 2024.
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