Jessica Rothe is most known for her role in La La Land and Happy Death Day. She returns as Tree ready to die over and over again in Happy Death Day 2U. Along for the ride is Israel Broussard who has been seen previously in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and the first Happy Death Day. They discuss with us the emotional elements into the new film and the choices they would make it in the same situations as their characters.

Screen Rant: First of all, congratulations. I was shocked at how good this was mainly because it’s like, where do you go after the first one? It was a shock to me. The first film was a horror comedy which small bit of sci-fi and this one dives deeper into the sci-fi element of this with a lot of comedy. So what surprised you the most about the script and how does this expand the world of Happy Death Day?

Screen Rant: I mean there’s definitely a lot of hints and Easter eggs. We explored Tree’s kind of trauma and her family a little bit more in this movie. Talk to me about what excited you about that.

Jessica Rothe: Well, I still remember the day that Chris called me because we didn’t think there was going to be a sequel at all. In the original film on the Blu-ray extras for the, if you get the DVD I died originally in the movie and we ended up rewriting the ending and changing the whole thing. And so Chris called, I think both of us about a month before the first one came out and was like, I have a crazy idea for a sequel. And when he told me about it, I was like, you’re the only person insane enough to try it, but if you’re game I’m game, I’m there, and I was just so impressed and amazed at how he completely turned the plot on its head and you think you know what’s going on and what’s coming, but you’re kept on your toes at every single moment and it’s just bigger and better and funnier and more heartbreaking and scarier than the first one.

Israel Broussard: And he kept the integrity of the first one to all the subtle things that you see in the first one. He kind of brought to light in the second and really kind of built a storyline around the little things that you missed in the first one. So I mean you kinda gotta pay attention to the first one to understand some things about the second.

Screen Rant: It does make sense. So this one’s for both of you. Tree is faced with quite the dilemma whether, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but whether to stay in an alternate reality or go back to her own. If you had the same choice, what would you do? Because I think honestly, I think I would’ve stayed.

Jessica Rothe: I am incredibly close with my mom in line with both of my parents, but my mom, especially in real life and I think it’s such an incredible opportunity to get to say, to have the opportunity to explore that relationship onscreen. And Chris said to me when we were filming those more intense, more emotional scenes, he was like, you have the opportunity now to say things that other people don’t get to say and to express things that you one day will look back and feel a different way about this when your own mother has passed on. And I think that that’s such a unique opportunity and one of the things I love about our job is you get to step outside of your own life and in doing so, understand your relationships better, if that makes sense.

Screen Rant: Yeah. In the alternate. Yeah. If I was faced with that decision I would have stayed.

Jessica Rothe: Really.

More: Watch the Happy Death Day 2U Trailer

Israel Broussard: It tugs at your heartstrings a little bit there. I probably would have gone back really just, you know, got gotta. I don’t know. It just seems right.

Jessica Rothe: And I agree with you because I think the big lesson is if she had stayed, she would have always been living a life that wasn’t hers and not that your choice is wrong. I do think that there is. We talked about it a lot and I think there is something to seize the day and move forward with passion and with love in the world, even if it means leaving things that you don’t want to behind.

  • Happy Death Day 2U Release Date: 2019-02-14