PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Mike Flanagan’s new series, a reimagining of the Stephen King book, Carrie, brings the tortured title character into the 21st century and I, for one, am here for it. All of it. I am a big fan of modernizing these beloved stories and making them relevant for today. Lots of people are angry at Flanagan (Hush) for giving Carrie a different spin, but I think this new show accomplishes a few things. One, more people will be able to relate with the cruelty that social media can be. I know I’ll be forever thankful that camera phones did not exist when I was in high school. Two, those who give it a chance might find a kinship in the quiet Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) who is not only battling severe bullying at the hands of her classmates but also an overbearing, religious zealot of a mother (Samantha Soylen), all while dealing with the grief over losing her father – although I’m sure there are more than enough who will connect more with the savage Chris Hargenson (Alison Thornton). And three, because it’s set in today’s world, hopefully it will attract those who prefer a more modern story and get them to watch some horror. I mean, come on. King’s book was released over 50 years ago and the best version of the movie – the one starring Sissy Spacek – came out in 1976. We were due for an update. Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad. Plus, a “revenge on the bullies” tale never gets old.
After her father’s sudden death, sheltered teenager Carrie White, raised by her overprotective mother, enters public high school, where she faces a viral bullying scandal and discovers mysterious telekinetic powers.
To celebrate the release of the show, I chatted with star Tim Bagley (Will & Grace), who plays the kind guidance counselor Mr. Morton, about auditioning for the role, my favorite scene, queer representation, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: I loved Carrie and it reminded me that I’m very happy to not be in high school anymore, but also that camera phones did not exist when I was in high school.
Tim Bagley: Right! My thought about it all is that there’s this casual cruelty that happens on Instagram and on social media, and it’s just kind of permeated our culture. I feel like what Mike Flanagan has done has brought this classic Stephen King novel, his first novel which I think came out in 1974, and I remember reading it and seeing the movie, and it was really scary. He’s reimagined it in this television series and it really does focus on this kindness versus cruelty that we see in social media.
PopHorror: I love the updates that he has made and I am all for bringing these classic stories to modern times. I am here for it.
Tim Bagley: Oh, good. Good, good. So many people are afraid that it’s too scary to watch. I didn’t think it was too scary to watch but I love that genre. I love horror. There’s that thing of telekinesis where you can just… If someone is picking on you and bullying you, you can just look at them and send them flying across the room up against a wall. Who of us has not wished that?
PopHorror: Exactly! When the project was first presented to you, how was the character of Peter Morton described and what made you say, “I have to do this?”
Tim Bagley: It was an audition and I loved the sides. The scene I auditioned with is in the second episode and it’s where Mr. Morton and Carrie connect through literature. I just read that scene and I really understood the importance of having somebody that sees her and gets her, so that you can see what her story could have been without all the mean girls, the bullying and all that. For me, when I read that scene, I really went after it. I really wanted to do it and then I found out just a few days before I went that it was being offered to me and they sent me all the scripts, and I had a couple days to read them all before the table read where we would read all the scripts. I read them and I just thought it was so brilliant, the way that he wrote it all and modernized it. Even the Margaret character, Carrie’s mother, she’s horrifying in a different way. The way that Piper Laurie did her was kind of a caricature, like a monstrous kind of religious woman, but what’s really frightening about the way that Sam Sloyen is doing it is it feels like somebody that we see on TV, a person that says that they know God and that they believe in God, but there’s this kind of evil element. I see that all the time on TV with these interviews with a lot of these religious people.
PopHorror: I really loved what he did with the Margaret character. I liked the different take on it. I’m glad that you brought up that scene in the second episode because that brings us to my next question. That episode actually moved me to tears a little bit. I love when horror has a heart.
Tim Bagley: Yeah!
PopHorror: It’s very emotional because Carrie is dealing with grief and loss, bullying. I feel like this scene was very important to show her that she’s not alone. Was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to this scene?
Tim Bagley: Yes. I just knew how to play it and to be honest with you, we just did it a few times. Mike Flanagan, the way that he works is he’s very organized. He knows exactly what he wants to do and he just said, “On this shot, I’m going to be doing a slow zoom up to you,” and then he turned it around and did the same thing for Summer. He kind of moved through it quickly. I didn’t get a lot of notes on that scene. I felt like he knew what he wanted; he made it clear beforehand. The only thing that I really wanted to do, my goal in that scene was just to make sure that she felt that she was normal and that she felt safe with me and that she knows that she’s got a friend here at this school. I wanted to make sure that she knew that… I think there’s even a line that school is more than just the other kids and so I was trying to… I just remember feeling like when I was a kid, I was bullied and I remember thinking I have an opportunity to be the kind of adult that I wish I had had at that time in my life. That’s really what it was.
PopHorror: I love that. Tim, you’re known really for your comedy work. Will & Grace was just so fantastic to me. What is the biggest surprise for fans who are used to seeing you in lighthearted, funny roles?
Tim Bagley: Well, I don’t know because usually when I do comedy, unless it’s just a really broad, over-the-top kind of thing, I’m usually drawn to more quiet… Somebody Somewhere, to me, was a show that I did that was a comedy but it was very heartfelt and I really enjoy that kind of work. To me, it’s not a big leap into drama because a lot of times comedy comes from pain or sadness or whatever. I know that I’ve done some really goofy things so it sounds silly to even say that. Grace and Frankie, I was just an awful, awful person, but it was really fun to play that, but yeah, he was kind of over-to-top. I think that if people know me only from comedy, they will enjoy seeing that I take this very seriously and that I think that it comes off believable. I think; I hope.
PopHorror: Yes, it does! Now that you’ve dipped your toes into a major horror project, do you want to keep doing more of these types of projects or are you eager to get back to comedy?
Tim Bagley: Yes, I want to do more of these kinds of projects. I love drama. The horror genre is really fun. There’s humor in all of that too. I saw the episode, we were kind of drunk, the three of us were kind of drunk and boozy sitting at a bar and there’s comedy in it because in our lives, there is comedy. I love this genre though. I want to work more in this genre. I like the idea of where my career’s going right now, doing more drama and horror.
PopHorror: I love it when someone who’s known for a certain genre like you are with comedy, and then they branch out and do horror and they cross that line. Jordan Peele is the perfect example.
Tim Bagley: Oh, yeah!
PopHorror: Being known for comedy and then blowing people away with his horror work. I love that so much so I love that you’re wanting to do more.
Tim Bagley: Also, Matthew Lillard, who’s in Carrie with me, he’s very funny and has done a lot of comedies. He’s hilarious, so we played a lot together and we were very serious, but we would play around too. It was a very lighthearted set when the two of us were there because it was very playful.
PopHorror: I think the scene you were talking about where you guys were drinking was in episode two because that’s when your character talks about being the queer kid.
Tim Bagley: Yes.
PopHorror: I really love how the queer students and characters were portrayed in this show. Her awe of them. With her being sheltered, I’m sure she’d never seen anything like that before, but she handled it better than people who have seen it all their lives. How do you feel about queer representation in entertainment?
Tim Bagley: That’s a big question. I like queer representation in entertainment. I think it’s important and I’ve consciously from the beginning really tried to represent my community well. I’ve consciously made choices so that people can see the normalcy of us. In Carrie, there’s something where they show my desk and you see that I’ve got a male partner and the Pride flag is next to it, and she kind of clocks it and sees it, and thinks, huh. In one of the scenes she sees two women kissing in the hall and she kind of clocks it and sees it, but you know, most kids are like that. Most kids don’t really care when they see two moms or two dads. They just don’t care. A lot of times, it’s the adults that have issues with a lot of that.
PopHorror: Like her mom, probably.
Tim Bagley: Yeah, yeah. So I think that it kind of represents younger people a little more realistically that way. But then there’s bullying and all that still, of course. The bigger question, how do I feel about queer representation in entertainment, I think it’s important. I remember making the decision when I was asked to audition for a role in Wings – it was that long ago – to play Abe Benrubi’s partner. Abe is a straight man and I was advised that this might not be good for my career, and I just remember thinking, I’m not going to let fear dictate what I choose to do. If not me, it’s going to be some straight guy doing it over-the-top and not getting it accurate. I thought if I’m in there doing it, I can represent my community with dignity and grace and show that there’s a normalcy to us, and you don’t need to be afraid of us.
PopHorror: Yes! I love that so much. As a member of the community, I appreciate that.
Tim Bagley: I think that it’s really changed a lot since I was younger, when there was really no representation. I remember when Ellen came out and then they tried to show the normalcy of her just dating, and the network didn’t want it and people didn’t seem to want to see that. It was very disappointing to me that the show was cancelled, but I always have great appreciation for her because she really was one of the first people to just come out and it was a big deal for her, and it affected her for a while.
PopHorror: This past weekend I was at a convention where I hosted a panel where we talked about Buffy the Vampire Slayer because that was the first prime time show to feature a lesbian couple kissing between two series regulars. That was a big deal at the time. We’ve come a long way since then. Look at where we are now; that’s fantastic to me.
Tim Bagley: I want to say, when I did Will & Grace, I remember at the time that I was hired, they weren’t really showing Will dating, or Sean dating. They weren’t able to really do that yet, so they wanted to bring on a couple to show the normalcy and so we were two men who had adopted a baby and then we got married. It was the first gay wedding on a sitcom. All those things, I was really happy and so proud to be a part of it but I remember watching the news one time and Joe Biden came on and said something about all the work Will & Grace did normalizing it and the clip they showed was the wedding – our wedding ceremony – and I remember thinking, wow, I didn’t realize it was the first one. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been a part of some really interesting, groundbreaking shows that have made changes. But then again, I feel like I’ve put gay people back a good 20 years with Peter from Grace and Frankie. He was awful!
PopHorror: We forgive you! I have just one last question for you today. What’s your favorite scary movie?
Tim Bagley: Ooohh. There’s so many really good ones. Gosh, the two that just jump out of my head… I love The Exorcist. And also I have to say, Jaws. To me, that’s a horror movie. It really affected me when I was young.
Thank you so much to Tim for taking the time to chat with us! Carrie is available now exclusively on Prime!
