Nightbooks Star Krysten Ritter on Mother-Son Halloween Costume

Hi, how are you?

I'm doing so good.

I like the red.

Thanks. I know, it's the first time I like got my hair blown out. I was like, this is fun. Remember this? Life is kind of normal today. I love it. It's like, yeah, I forgot, I forgot like, you know, doing the glam thing because I haven't really had to do it in a long time.

Speaking of the glam thing before we get into talking about Nightbooks, do you have any plans to do anything for Halloween, dress up or are you going to be low key?

Oh, for sure. I have a two-year-old, so we'll definitely do something. I don't know what we're going to be yet, but that's the fun, um, of the holidays is like doing it with your, with your kid. So, um, it's really like getting to be a kid again yourself and seeing the world through fresh eyes is just like beyond. Um, so we will definitely do something very fun and fabulous. I don't know what yet.

We love it. So for night books, it's about, you know, like they're scary stories incorporated. Was there ever a scary story when you were a kid that actually scared you?

Um, I mean, I, I, I don't know. I was definitely afraid of like some horror movie figures when I was little little. Um, I guess my mom must have shown me things pretty young, but I was definitely afraid of like Freddy Krueger. Yeah. And Jason. Like those were the big ones. Um, but then as I got older, I loved the genre. I loved Scream and The Craft and The Lost Boys. Like those are, I mean, still in my top 10 favorite movies, not even just horror. Um, but but yeah, those those I guess were would be my favorites.

Yeah. And in the movie was the blue hair your idea or were you told you were going to get blue hair?

No, I mean, I'm pretty, we're, I'm always very collaborative with the look because it's so, it's so part of creating a character. Um, the, the blue, I'm not sure whose idea that was. I think, so Autumn our amazing costume designer had like an idea, um, of this look that we haven't really seen before with witches and I was just so into it that we collaborated on it and we were like, oh, should it be blue hair? Maybe we do pink hair. And we kind of played around with that and then we decided to do blue with like the black roots. Um, uh, and I think that Natasha in her life probably changes her hair a lot. You're right. Um, I imagine if we see her again, maybe she would have a different color hair. Um, depending on the day. But it was super fun for us to do something fabulous and stylistic and over the top, um, that was true to who she was, right? So she's a, she's a stunted young girl who loved unicorns, grown up. Like what does she do when she has magical powers? Um, so that's that was the whole like vibe there, but we wanted to pay homage to the witches, um, but also do something we have not seen before.

Yeah. Well, the blue looks awesome. You killed that. Super fun.

Thank you.

And you've had so many different roles over the year. What was different about this one? Like when you read through the script, what were you like intrigued by and like excited to play this role compared to like other ones that you've had?

Yeah, well, I always kind of want to play characters who, um, are unexpected and unpredictable and have a lot of colors. And what I loved about Natasha was that she would go from being like funny and childlike herself to truly terrifying and traumatizing children and enjoying it. Um, so there was a lot of opportunities for me to like really go for it and and I and I loved that. I'd never played a witch before. It's very fun to play the big bad. I'm not going to lie. So, um, yeah, it was an opportunity for me to do something really fun that I have never done before.

That is interesting. And someone had commented on the trailer, they're like, she's the queen of Goth, but she is actually full of sunshine. So that it was so cute. So I was like, that's so accurate. Like that's actually a pretty good way to put it.

Yeah. Yep. That's, that's a great, that's a great description for for the character. And probably for me too.

And do you have any special, like, will you watch it when it drops on Netflix and like where everyone can watch it or you've not watched it?

I actually have already seen the movie two times. And, um, we'll be having a screening on Wednesday and I will for sure watch it and we'll get to see it on a big screen, which will be exciting. I love the movie and I think it's so fresh and imaginative and artistic that, um, I'm excited to see it again. I think it, I think the movie is fantastic.

Do you think one day when your two-year-old watches it, will do you think he'll enjoy it?

I do. Um, because he was such a big part of of me making this film and practicing my lines on him and um, him being a part of it, I can't wait for him to be old enough to see it and be like, you were with me. You were, we did this together. It's so cute.

Well, thank you so much and congratulations and I can't wait for the world to see it.

Thank you so much, Joy. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too. See you later.