In What We Hide, after their mother’s fatal overdose, sisters Spider (Mckenna Grace) & Jessie (Jojo Regina) hide her body to avoid being separated by the strained foster care system. But with the local sheriff (Jesse Williams) asking questions and their mom’s drug dealer (Dacre Montgomery) lurking, their future becomes uncertain. How far will they go to keep their secret?
We recently caught up with Mckenna and Jojo to discuss their roles in this powerful new movie from filmmaker Dan Kay, learning more about their collaboration in What We Hide's heavy-hitting and lighter moments.
In 2019, Mckenna spoke to us about her role as the young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. She was roughly Jojo's age at the time, but has since taken on lead roles in huge projects like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid's Tale, and the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
We wondered how those experiences helped prepare her to mentor Jojo on What We Hide's set, but as useful as her previous experiences were for what proves to be another phenomenal performance, it turns out Mckenna's co-star did plenty of the heavy lifting.
You can check out the full interview with the What We Hide stars in the player below.
Watching the movie, I loved Spider and Jesse's sisterhood and the journey they went on. What did you learn from each other while making this movie?
Jojo: From Mckenna, I learned how to be more open and how to listen. Me, as a littler kid, I talked a lot, but I didn't really know how to listen [Laughs]. So, Mckenna, she taught me that and also how to play ukulele, which I'm now working on.
Mckenna: Aww. I mean, Jojo is so in tune with her emotions and her emotional side, I think it was always so cool to watch her perform. I feel like just getting to watch Jojo perform, I was always picking up on little things and I loved getting to watch her. Her dad is so, so amazing, and I loved getting to watch them interact. It reminded me of being on set with my parents. Even though my mom was there, it reminded me of being her age. Jojo reminds me so much of myself being on set, so I loved watching Jojo interact with people. She's so sweet and fun and kind.
This film does go to some very dark places, but there's a really fun scene early on with Jesse and Spider sharing some candy they've raided from a convenience store. How much fun was that day on set?
Mckenna: That was a fun scene. I'd say that was probably one of my favourite scenes to shoot with Jojo because we just got to have a good time. Instead of having a good time between takes, we were just sat there giggling and chatting and eating candy and junk food. C'mon, that's a blast. It's every kid and teenager's dream.
Jojo: Yeah, it wasn't even acting! We got to hang out and I got to steal candy from her, and it was a lot of fun. That was, for sure, one of my favourite scenes.
Emotionally, you both have to go to some pretty dark places. Does it help to have each other, and is it helpful to have each other to fall back on in those moments?
Mckenna: I found it was helpful to work off Jojo in our scenes. I remember, at the end of the film, I had a scene where there's a fight and all these wild things happen. I just remember holding Jojo, petting her hair and crying [Laughs] as I said, 'It's going to be okay.' I was thinking, 'What am I so upset about right now?' I didn't know why I was crying so hard! It really did help to have Joho there. She's brilliant.
Jojo: It's really easy to work off Mckenna because she's so talented. She is really great at controlling her emotions, and it's so amazing to see somebody do their work so well. When you're in a scene like that with someone so talented, you don't even have to try. It just happens!
Mckenna, I spoke to you about Captain Marvel in 2019 and I think you must have been the same age as Jojo at the time. Since then, you've done Ghostbusters, The Handmaid's Tale, and some big projects like Hunger Games and Scream on the way. With that experience, did you find yourself taking Jojo under your wing in some ways, having been a young actor on set?
Mckenna: We don't talk as much as I would love to, because I feel like Jojo will always be my little sister. No matter how long we go without talking, she'll always be my little sister, I'll always have her back, and I'll always be here for advice and anything she ever needs. She has so much figured out. Just meeting her on set, I was like, 'Oh, she's going to be fine. She's going to be great.' From the minute I met her, she's so intelligent and so good at what she does. I feel like I'm always here for advice, but what does she have to learn from me? Look at her go!
Jojo: Thank you!
Finally, this is such a fantastic story, but what are you both proudest of after being part of telling it?
Jojo: Well, it's a very important story that has to be told because, even though it's not a true story, it happens to a lot of people. These kids, when their parents are absent, they'll go into foster care and foster care usually doesn't take two sisters. They don't take the siblings together and usually only take one. Thinking about being separated from Mckenna [Laughs] if she was my actual sister, that would be terrible. That would be horrible. It was so great to work with her. She's such a kind soul, and even if we did have hard scenes, she always made it feel so light and amazing.
Mckenna: I think it's cool to make such an important film together and there's nobody else I could imagine doing it with than Jojo.
What We Hide is available on VOD and Digital starting today, August 29, 2025.