Mild spoilers ahead for the Chucky Season 3 finale.
Chucky Season 3 has just had its season finale, and it brought plenty of surprises and wild moments, including long-awaited reunions and shocking scenes, even by Chucky standards.
It also sees Chucky voice actor Brad Dourif appear in the flesh alongside his daughter Fiona Dourif, with both playing serial killer Charles Lee Ray, whose soul has been inhabiting Good Guy dolls under the guise of Chucky for decades now.
ComingSoon’s Horror Editor Neil Bolt spoke to Brad and Fiona about playing the same character and who Chucky’s greatest foe is.
Neil Bolt: While Chucky hasn’t really strayed from being a sadistic killer, he’s had plenty of reinventions and character shifts over the years. Does adding such varied layers to the character keep it fresh for you, Brad?
Brad Dourif: Well, the most important thing is it keeps it fresh for the audience. Absolutely though. It’s always a little bit of a worry that Chucky has to kill, and he has to be serious about it, so as it gets more campy and comedic, I worry about that a little, but beyond that, it’s great, it’s fun!
Neil Bolt: Chucky’s now been around for over 35 years, and the Dourif (durr-if) name has always been there with him. Did you ever imagine you’d end up sharing the same character?
Brad: No!
Fiona Dourif: No way!
Neil Bolt: I suppose it is quite unusual for a character to go this long, let alone be played by one actor and pass it on to their own kin.
Brad: And Fiona playing Charles Lee Ray as well.
Neil Bolt: Exactly. I was going to ask you, Fiona, what does it take to get into playing those characters? Is it just from years of seeing your dad’s mannerisms and voice, or do you practice that together?
Fiona: Well, I think of Charles Lee Ray as the character more than as my dad. Especially as there’s so little footage of him as Charles Lee Ray, I tried watching everything he’s done as that character, and in totality, it’s three scenes in 30 years.
Neil Bolt: Slim pickings!
Fiona: Slim pickings, yeah. So I made it my own. We talked a lot about who he feels Chucky or Charles is and how that’s progressed through the years. I was playing a character from a very long time ago when he was 30. So, it was my own invention. It feels like a strange gift and having like four hours of prosthetics by Mind Warp in Toronto did most of the heavy lifting. Then to look in the mirror and see this version of my dad staring back at me was surreal to say the least.
Neil Bolt: I’ll bet! With the Nica side of the character, do you feel like she is the mirror of Chucky in some ways. she keep getting tormented, physically taken apart, and basically left for dead, but she keep on coming back.
Fiona: Nica’s having less fun than Chucky.
Neil Bolt: Yes, that’s for sure!
Fiona: Yeah. Chucky is so fun to play because he’s so utterly free and in control. That’s sort of how I look at him. It was a great relief to get to play that after years of playing, that person who is down and victimized. I don’t think of Nica as a victim personally, but she’s had a hard time in life.
So yeah. I liked the variety, I say. Also, getting to play possessed Nica, pretending to be Nica. Don really gives us layers to work with, which is wonderful.
Neil Bolt: Yes. Especially established characters who have been able to grow so much over the years, especially with a television show.
Brad: Yes! And actually, for a TV series, you need to do it.
Neil Bolt: Because otherwise, it’s a bit too much of a straight line?
Brad: Mhm hm.
Chucky has killed many people over the years, but Devon Sawa keeps on coming back for more. Is he secretly Chucky’s greatest foe?
Brad: No! But I think Nica and the kids are Chucky’s greatest foes. Andy is a great foe, anyone he can’t kill is his foe. It’s no problem killing that guy off.
Fiona: I also think Lara Jean Chorostecki, she keeps coming back season after season and is doing a killer job as the First Lady this season. She’s been quite formidable. And Michael Therriault is another that keeps repeating.
Neil Bolt: Fair to say there’s quite the roster of foes for Chucky.
Fiona: Yes!
Chucky Season 3 is on USA and SyFy.
