This past weekend the editors of Her Campus LMU were given the opportunity to attend the PaleyFest LA 2016 panel for the hit FOX show Scream Queens with a spot on the red carpet to interview some of the stars of the show. BEWARE: There are spoilers below of what is to come for Season 2 – we’ll go out on a limb and say they are things you will probably want to know.
To say the red carpet was intimidating would be an understatement, sharing space with high-profile news outlets including The New York Times, Refinery 29 and E!. Fortunately for us, the actors were quick to make us feel right at home, Billie Lourd even joked of a possible foodie date at Jon & Vinny’s pizza.
The first star we spoke with was Nicey Nash, who plays the hilarious Officer Denise Hemphill on the show. She lauded her castmates for giving her character the ability to ad-lib: she makes up a majority of her lines as she goes, forcing Jamie Lee Curtis to resort to using a pushpin she squeezes outside the camera frame so she doesn’t laugh and ruin a take. She also told us that getting to know and bond with her castmates offset, especially Keke Palmer, Lea Michele, and Jamie Lee Curtis, made filming feel like being a member of a real life sorority. Ironic!
We also spoke with Jamie Lee Curtis. We asked her what her favorite horror film was, and learned that she does not like any. However, if she had to choose one, Halloween would be her choice. Her favorite episode to film in Season 1 was “Beware of Young Girls,” when Dean Munsch’s husband comes back. She commended the show’s writers, and said that writing makes or breaks a show.
We asked Billie Lourd where her favorite places to eat in LA/favorite foods in LA were, and her answers did not disappoint. Check out her Instagram for her foodie credibility, which her answer definitely supported. She likes the LA Woman pizza, fusilli pasta, and gem lettuce salad at Jon & Vinny’s, sushi from Sugarfish, In N Out, Apple Pan’s hickory burger, Urth Café’s bread pudding, and the Chinese chicken salad at Joan’s on Third. We were pretty hungry after our conversation with her, and also wanted to be her best friend. Still down for that foodie date, Billie!
Once the red carpet was over, we made our way into the seats of the famous Dolby Theatre (where the Academy Awards are held) to watch the cast answer questions about what to expect for Season 2, and what it was like behind the scenes filming Season 1. Brad Falchuk, the show’s co-creator and executive producer, quickly confirmed the rumors that Scream Queens would follow the path of its sister show, American Horror Story, by keeping the same cast throughout the seasons. He explained that it is more of a “horror movie sequel” way to treat a follow up season by having the same characters, as they are all so young they have room to grow.
The big reveal at the Scream Queens panel was the announcement that Season 2 will be set in a mental hospital. The premise behind the show is that Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) has purchased the hospital in order to do good in the world and reform healthcare, having conquered the Greek system. All of our favorite Kappa Sisters will be there, only they are now medical students or patients at the hospital. If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, we can also expect to see 3 hot doctors guest starring on the show with the girls.
It would not be Scream Queens without some crafty murders, so expect some funny business to go down in the hospital. From what we heard, Hester is involved again, but as to how we will just have to wait and see! As for Office Denise Hemphill (Nicey Nash), she has joined the FBI and risen up quickly in the ranks; when things start happening in the hospital, she will be the first one there to investigate. Some other exciting news that was announced is that filming is moving to LA, as opposed to New Orleans, and Chanel #3’s (Billie Lourd) infamous earmuffs are here to stay.
That wasn’t all we found out about Scream Queens from the panel! Here are 5 quick fun facts that we learned:
1. The show was written for Jamie Lee Curtis, the original Scream Queen
2. Brad started writing for Emma’s character (Chanel Oberlin) during the filming of American Horror Story: Coven.
3. The cast never knew what would happen next. They would get the script and it would be missing the last scene until the day they filmed to keep everything a surprise. They didn’t even know who the red devil killer was until the very end of filming!
4. Chad Radwell (Colin Powell) is coming back for Season 2.
5. Jamie Lee Curtis would love to see The Weeknd guest star next season!
PaleyFest is a dream come true for any TV junkie. Not only did we get to see our favorite cast in person, but they also shared secrets about the show and next season that no one had heard before us. Needless to say, we can’t wait for Season 2!