Ahead of the theatrical debut of M. Night Shyamalan's Glass last week, I was granted an exclusive opportunity to sit down with stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Spencer Treat Clark at the global press junket and chat about their respective returns as Casey Cooke and Joseph Dunn in the long-awaited conclusion to Shyamalan's Eastrail 177 trilogy.
In this second segment of our very fun conversation, Taylor-Joy and Clark discuss the film's game-changing and devastating conclusion and their initial reactions to filming those critical scenes with their senior castmates. Plus, I also get their thoughts on a possible sequel and whether they'd be open to reprising their roles.
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ROHAN PATEL: For the last twenty years, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) have been these huge fan-favorite characters, and then, people really fell in love with James McAvoy's performance as Kevin, so these were three characters fans were really invested in.
After Glass, we now know how all of their stories end and it's honestly a tough pill to swallow. What was your initial reaction to the finale and their fates?
ANYA TAYLOR JOY: I think I speak for the both of us in saying that shooting those scenes was as real as can be, for us as people and for us as characters. It felt like it mirrored our own emotions toward them.
SPENCER TREAT CLARK: I'm still a little wary of spoilers, but yeah, we've both had such wild experiences with these movies, just like life experience-
ANYA: Life-changing experiences.
SPENCER: Yeah, exactly. You know, we've had relationships with these people, so in some ways the arc of these characters has mirrored our experiences.
ANYA: As people.
SPENCER: Yeah, as people, and loose ends are tied.
ANYA: We used like a tapestry.
SPENCER: Yeah, exactly. So, I think - it's weird that some of those emotions give into real life.
ANYA: They were real! *laughs*
ROHAN: Awesome. I think Sam Jackson has mentioned an alternate ending to the film, that they scrapped in favor of the current one. Do you know anything about it?
ANYA: I've never heard that.
SPENCER: I'm super curious though because now, I'm going to ask him.
ANYA: Yeah, now it's like "Sam, what do you know that we don't know?"
Because, as part of the Shyamalan tribe, he's not going to tell us anything, so we have to share all information with each other. *laughs*
SPENCER: You got me really curious now.
ROHAN: While Elijah, David & Kevin may have lost their battles, you guys did get a victory over Ellie (Sarah Paulson) in the end when you helped realize Mr. Glass' dream and exposed the truth about the existence of super-powered people and about what Ellie's been doing.
I know Night's said this is the end of his trilogy, but have you heard anything about a potential sequel? Would you be open to doing another one and returning to this world?
ANYA: We would both be so happy to come back, for Night, for anything. I think we'd both read shopping lists for him, but we know nothing (about what comes next) and that is actually part of the beauty of Mr. Shyamalan is that he actually respects us as an audience, and he wants us to have the experience.
So, trust me when - if - we come back for another movie, we will be the last to know. *laughs*
SPENCER: Yeah, Anya said it all.
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Check back in later this week for my full interview with Anya Taylor-Joy and Spencer Treat Clark as they tell me all the juicy and spoiler-y details about M. Night Shyamalan's latest blockbuster, Glass!
M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Glass features:
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass
Bruce Willis as David Dunn
James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde
Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke
Sarah Paulson as Dr. Ellie Staple
Spencer Treat Clark as Joseph Dunn
Charlayne Woodard as Mrs. Price
Glass hits theaters January 18