Barbara Alyn Woods plays Mayor Michelle Cross on the Chucky TV series, which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Syfy and USA Network.
TV Fanatic got the chance to chat with the actress about working on the hit TV series, working with her daughter Alyvia Alyn Lind, and more.
Check out the interview below.
TV Fanatic: What attracted you to Chucky?
Barbara: I have to say Don Mancini attracted both my daughter and me to the show. We spoke to him after we had seen the script, and he was so passionate about not just Chucky in general, but the whole series and how he was going to elaborate on everybody’s backstory and create this new world with Chucky.
He was so excited and so eager to welcome us to this universe that we just had to jump in. It was just so exciting. We had no idea that Chucky had such a following, but we had seen all of the movies because our family is big horror fanatics.
When we actually stepped in, we couldn’t believe the following and the loyalty of these fans. I mean, it’s just so incredible, and we’re really happy to be a part of it all.
And you got to work with your daughter, Alyvia Alyn Lind. What was that like?
Well, it’s funny because our characters are pretty horrible to each other, but I think that has made it even more fun for us.
I’ve worked with all of my daughters a few times, but this was a full series, and to work with her as a coworker, I mean, she’s an amazing actress, and I think I’ve always known that, but to be on set with her and for her to be my scene partner was absolutely amazing.
And now I know more than ever how talented she is. I thank Don for giving us this opportunity. It’s enhanced our relationship on a whole new level.
At the end of Chucky Season 1 Episode 3, Lexy threw a party that resulted in one of the teenagers dead and a part of the house on fire. Can you tease where we pick up?
I can’t say much because I guess you’ll find out on episode four, but I can say that for Michelle, it’s all about how her family is perceived in her community, in her little empire. And when Lexy strays, Michelle is pissed at her because she’s not coming through for her family.
It’s all about how her family is perceived, and Lexy is sort of throwing that off. That was a horrible answer, but I’m afraid to tell you something I shouldn’t!
Oh, no, it was great!
We haven’t seen a lot of Michelle yet, but is that fair to assume that she’ll become more prominent now that a teenager has been murdered?
Well, Michelle is the mayor of Hackensack, and when all of these murders start to pile up, we can see Michelle’s little empire beginning to crumble as these kids scramble to save their town. So yes, we will see a little more Michelle in the future.
What I love about the show is that it perfectly blends the humor with the horror. What is it like to film the series?
When I first dove into Michelle, I spoke to Don about making her a little wackier than I saw her on the page. I wanted people to actually love to hate her. Along with Jennifer Tilly, we were able to incorporate some of the humor into the show.
I’ve spent many years on YA shows, you know, nine years on One Tree Hill, and now this, and I feel like if I can kind of incorporate some humor into the character, young adults won’t want to fast forward through my scenes.
There’s nothing worse than a boring parent, and so the fact that Don gave me the freedom to make her a little funnier made all the difference to me, and I had so much fun playing her.
The response to the series has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Do you think it could be an ongoing series, or is it viewed as a limited series?
Hopefully, it’s an ongoing series. I feel like everyone is feeling very positive about season two. You never count your chickens definitely, but the reviews are so overwhelmingly good, and all of us are just feeling optimistic that there will be a season two, and everyone is sort of throwing their ideas out of what could happen with each character.
Hopefully, this will go on and on. Chucky has had a pretty long life as it is, and hopefully, he’ll continue to survive as we come into this universe.
Chucky continues Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Syfy and USA Network.
This interview was edited for clarity.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.