How Shay Mitchell Prepped For Creepy Role In The Possession of Hannah Grace

Welcome in friends. We're in the Young Hollywood studio today with Shay Mitchell. Hello. Welcome.

Thank you. It's good to be back.

It's so good to see you. I have to compliment you on your boots first.

Oh.

I don't know if we can get a close-up on these boots, but I think

A little see-through, they're like also double as good rain boots, you know.

Love it. Well, and the last time I saw you was for the Pretty Little Liars finale event. If you could give us like three fun spontaneous things you've done since the finale of Pretty Little Liars to now.

I mean, spontaneous, it's usually kind of planned because it sort of has to be, but I mean, I actually shot um, Possession of Hannah Grace like two days after wrapping on PLL. So I was on an airplane like the next day after a wrap party. Yeah. So that was kind of crazy. Um, and I didn't expect it to happen so soon after. I thought there was gonna be a little bit of a break, but

Yeah, I thought you were gonna go to the beach and

Yeah, no. No. Take a break. If I go to the beach then we're shooting shaycations so there's that. Um, so I've shot a couple shaycations in between um, from when we last wrapped on PLL. But, yeah, just kind of I'm like same stuff, just super busy, but I love it.

So you've been in work mode.

Yes.

All right, well then we have to talk about your filming for The Possession of Hannah Grace. Oh my God. Because I can't even watch the trailer.

No, it's terrifying.

It's terrifying. Okay, I'll I'll confess. I was watching the trailer like two or three nights ago and I was I had my hands like this and the volume was down. I couldn't watch it.

Oh, really?

I really couldn't. It was so scary. That's true. I don't know how you filmed this movie.

Honestly, it was a little terrifying, especially because Kirby Johnson who is Hannah Grace in the movie, she is an amazing actress, contortionist, dancer. So truly all of those movements that you saw in the trailer, like she was doing that in real life.

Okay, so I have so many questions for you about this because I can't believe you were able to successfully film this kind of movie and be sane. How do you read a script that's scary and process it and then prepare?

Yeah, I mean, I'm not like the biggest fan of horror because I get scared very easily. But there was a really great story in this movie as well. So I kind of like oversaw the scary parts and I'm like, okay, I'll just deal with that when I'm on set. But I really did love the story behind it. So, that's probably what got me through it.

So then when you're on set and you're filming, I'm sure some of the filming was done at night.

Yes, a lot of it.

Did you get freaked out? Did you have to stop filming at any point?

No. I mean, I wish I could be like, hey guys, I want to take a break. But they, um, we were shooting on set and so most of the time regardless of what it looked like outside, it was super dark on set. Um, and it was a lot of time with just me, myself and I.

Yeah.

On the set of a morgue. Right. So that was a little creepy. Um, I think more so than I went more like mentally. I was like more unstable mentally than I was just about like being scared on the set. It was

Right. The mental state that you were in.

Yeah, for, you know, trying to play this character who was going through major anxiety and going down a spiral of like depression, to then having anxiety myself. It was, it was really intense. This was my first project coming out of PLL. So

Right.

It was a lot of pressure and, you know, that plus the fact that I hadn't really had a break in between. I was running on like my reserves.

Right.

Tank, exactly. And, uh, but I think it, it was perfect for this character.

Wow. So it kind of helped out, yeah.

Yeah, and then I'm sure you see the the finished product of the film and then you're like, okay, this is what I did this for.

Yes, and I was still actually so terrified in the screening 'cause I hadn't seen the movie for like it was two years since I was shooting it.

Right.

So then to watch in the screening with like my whole team first, I think I was screaming the loudest, even though I knew like I was the one that was on set, I knew or I should have known when these jumps were gonna come up.

It's almost creepier 'cause you know what's coming so you're prepared for it.

Exactly. So I was waiting for and then I would scream the loudest.

On a lighter note, switching up to be not so spooky.

Yeah.

I know you have a beauty box with Revolve right now. With winter being here, what's your beauty tip for winter and then a a beauty item you like can't live without right now?

I mean, to be honest with you, I say hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. So I feel like a lot of serums, I'm super adamant about always putting on coconut oil whenever I get out of the shower or just like religiously before I go to bed, all of that. So I load on coconut oil. So I've always done that from a young age. And then yeah, the beauty box with Revolve. It's pretty awesome to see products that I've worked so hard on now come to life. And BÉIS which is my travel accessory line has always been something that I've wanted to do and literally

And that's new too. That's happened in the last few months.

Yeah. So they're using the cosmetic bag from my line and truly these were all like designs that I would draw up on napkins like flying when I was in the air. So I'm just trying to make, you know, functionable, chic, affordable items. It's expensive to travel so you don't want the the bags that you're carrying to be expensive too.

Well, and you're the travel expert so who better than you to go ahead and and make it happen. Thank you for being here today right before the holidays. Congratulations on the film and we'll see you next time after the holidays, you have to come back and

Thank you. I'm gonna be right here, right smack center of this pillow next time.

Yeah, we'll we'll reserve right here. Right here.