Posted in: Peacock, TV | Tagged: Hysteria, NYCC

Hysteria! Anthony, Aurelia & Curtis on Band Practice, Co-Stars & More

Hysteria! stars Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis spoke with us about finding a rhythm as a band, their co-stars, and more.

Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis are young up-and-coming actors in Hollywood. Anthony had memorable roles in AppleTV+'s Physical, STX's Bad Moms (2016), and Universal's Krampus (2015). Aurelia appeared in Netflix's Gerald's Game (2017), Prime Video's Tell Me Your Secrets and Hulu's Cruel Summer. Curtis has been in the Paramount+ film Secret Headquarters (2022), Prime Video's Modern Love, and the Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name (2019). The three play Dylan Campbell, Jordy, and Spud in the Peacock series Hysteria!, which is set during the 1980s and focuses on the three high school outcasts who decide to take advantage of a town's sudden interest in the occult via "Satanic Panic," triggered by the disappearance of a beloved varsity quarterback, by transitioning their band from heavy metal to death metal as Dethkrunch. Anthony, Aurelia, and Curtis spoke to Bleeding Cool about creator Matthew Scott Kane and his interpretation of the period, what research they conducted since none of them were around in the '80s, filming, and learning from their veteran co-stars like Julie Bowen, Bruce Campbell, and Garrett Dillahunt.

Hysteria! Stars Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Kurtis on Band Camp, Matthew Scott Kane, and More

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Hysteria!' and how Matthew Scott Kane ran his set?

Anthony: He's an amazing writer. He has such a unique writing style that I appreciate it a lot. One of the things that drew me into 'Hysteria!' was the period; there was so much cool stuff going on in the 80s, which was exciting.

Aurelia: Working with Matt was honestly such an inspiring story and truly an honor. This is his first time showrunning, and the way he handled his set, the environment, and his writing. He is one of the most professional, kindest, and wonderful guys. Knowing he started as a P.A. on productions shows anything is possible. He came up with this amazing story that he could not necessarily relate to but understood in many ways and was able to pull us into this immersive and complex world. It came to life when reading the script, and it was something I wanted to be a part of.

Curtis: I knew the story, but after meeting Matt and seeing how much of a passion project this was for him, I was like, "I have to do right by this man." He poured so much of himself into that show to make it great. Every day, there are scenes. I'm like, "I'll go to Video Village," and I'm like, "Is that cool? Does that work?" then I go about my day. The sets were great, and as I understood the story and wanted to do my best, I ensured Matt's work wasn't off.

Aside from the script, was there anything that helped you guys prepare for the roles of Dillon, Jordy, and Spud? Did you practice as a band before filming?

Anthony: We did a band camp and flew out to Atlanta three weeks before we started filming. Kezii already played the drums, but Chiara and I had to learn our instruments. That was fun, we got a lot of time to spend together as a band, and that helped build our bond.

What was the most difficult scene or part of filming?

Anthony: I don't want to spoil it, but one of the difficult filming parts was playing the guitar. During my first three weeks, I was nervous because I had never played guitar. After a while, it clicked, and now I enjoy playing.

Aurelia: There were a lot of different challenges in this production we're dealing with a lot of detail. We want to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. There's a lot of horror, twists, turns, ups, and downs. Some days were more difficult than others but being able to rely on the amazing cast and crew we were working with and having them support us through all the challenges and never feeling too hard. Going to work was more like hanging out with your friends than anything.

Curtis: To piggyback what Chiara said, it was trying to balance the act overall, understanding each part of the story, and doing your best to bring that to life. That was it for me. I was trying to keep everything in front of me so I could see it, understand it, and tag if they needed me.

Can you talk about some of your co-stars and what it's like to play around with them on set, like Julie, Bruce, and Nikki [Hahn]?

Anthony: They were all awesome, especially Nolan North, who plays my dad. Funniest human I've ever met in my life. He's so awesome, and he's in a lot of video games, too. I fangirled him hard, and then, you have Anna [Camp], Julie, and Bruce, all legends. It was an honor to be able to work alongside them.

Aurelia: We had an amazing cast of incredible, talented, experienced individuals. Having my name listed next to all these amazing people was such an honor, and then getting to go to set, talk to them, and learn from them, it's the best education you can get in an industry like this.

Curtis: Everyone was dope. I have the same for Bruce. I say "Bruce the Truth" though it was cool to get to know these people I've seen like on a television or movie and get to know them as people. It was also cool to learn a lot about our other cast mates, like Jessica [Treska], Milly [Shapiro], and Elijah [Richardson]. It was cool to learn about each other and how we act with each other in scenes. It was like going to school.

Season one of Hysteria! is available on October 18th on Peacock.

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