Madeleine McGraw on Black Phone 2 being Gwen’s story.
Four years after the shocking events of The Black Phone, evil returns in Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ Black Phone 2. This time, the focus shifts from Finn’s fight for survival to his sister Gwen’s haunting connection to the other side. In a conversation with Nerdtropolis, Madeleine McGraw, who reprises her role as Gwen, shared her excitement when she first learned she would take the lead.
“Scott [Derrickson] texted me and said, ‘Maddie, the focus is more on Gwen this time around,’” McGraw recalled. “I was the second person to read the script after Ethan [Hawke]. I was in love with it instantly. It was such a page-turner. Scott and Cargill are just so talented, and this one really dives deeper into Gwen’s layers. It’s more emotional, and she deals with so much.”
She continued, “What’s so special about these movies is that they’re not just about the horror — they’re about Gwen and Finn’s relationship. That bond is what grounds everything. The first movie focused on Finn’s trauma, so it only felt right that this one would focus on Gwen.”
Reuniting With Mason Thames
McGraw said reuniting with co-star Mason Thames, who plays Finn, brought a new energy to the story. “In the first movie, Gwen was trying to save Finn,” she said. “Now it’s flipped — he’s the one trying to help her. We got to actually be on set together a lot more this time, which didn’t happen much in the first film. We love these characters so much, and I think that really shows on screen.”
The sequel explores how the siblings have matured after their trauma. “You really get to see how what they went through has changed them,” McGraw explained. “They’re older now, but those scars don’t just go away.”
The Mask Is “Even Creepier in Person”
One of the defining symbols of the Black Phone series is The Grabber’s chilling mask — and McGraw confirmed it’s just as disturbing off-screen. “It’s creepier in person than it is on screen,” she laughed. “There’s something about seeing it up close that makes your skin crawl.”
Working with Ethan Hawke, who returns as The Grabber, was both terrifying and inspiring for the young actress. “I didn’t work with Ethan at all in the first movie,” McGraw said. “So I was definitely scared going into it. He’s such an incredible actor — so talented and wise. He loves what he does, and you can tell. That kind of passion is really inspiring as a young actress.”
Even off camera, Hawke’s presence was intense. “He couldn’t take off the mask a lot of the time because he had prosthetics underneath,” McGraw said. “So he’d just be standing there, talking to Scott or humming a tune, and it looked absolutely terrifying. You forget for a second that it’s Ethan Hawke — he’s just The Grabber. But he’s so kind in real life, which makes it even funnier.”
The Feisty Side of Gwen
Fans loved Gwen’s tough and fearless attitude in The Black Phone, and McGraw says that energy is still alive in the sequel. “She’s got that feisty side — that’s what makes Gwen, Gwen,” McGraw said. “I had to say some pretty wild insults in this one. My dad even asked if they were improvised,” she laughed. “They weren’t! Those words weren’t really in my vocabulary, so it was definitely funny saying them while my mom was right there on set.”
Gwen’s edge, however, is matched by her heart. “She’s tough, but she’s also deeply emotional,” McGraw said. “She’s carrying the weight of what happened. That combination of anger, love, and grief makes her really complex.”
Dreams, Nightmares, and the Supernatural
In Black Phone 2, Gwen begins having visions through her dreams — and McGraw approached those sequences with careful thought.
“I did a lot of research before filming,” she said. “I watched movies where characters experience nightmares or visions, but I realized everyone reacts differently. So Scott and I decided every dream should feel different, and each reaction should build and get more intense. It’s about escalation — the deeper she goes, the more it affects her.”
Her character’s gift connects the living with the dead, and McGraw says that’s part of what makes Black Phone 2 so unique. “It mixes paranormal elements with real, grounded trauma,” she said. “It’s that blend that makes it fascinating — you never know what’s going to happen next.”
Behind the Blood and Smoke
McGraw revealed that most of the movie’s eerie visuals were done practically on set, not digitally. “Almost everything was practical,” she said. “There’s a moment where one of the ghost kids’ jackets fogs up — that was a smoke machine hidden inside his jacket. In another scene, they attached a tube to my arm so blood could squirt out in real time. The effects team worked overtime to make sure everything looked real.”
The realism, she said, helped her stay grounded in the moment. “When it’s all actually happening around you, it’s easier to react naturally. It’s so different than just acting in front of a green screen.”
Could There Be a Black Phone 3?
When asked whether she thinks there’s more story left to tell, McGraw said she trusts the filmmakers to decide when to stop. “I think there’s always more story for Gwen and Finn,” she said. “But I love how Black Phone 2 ends. Sometimes, franchises should go out on a high note. Still, Scott and Cargill are brilliant — you never know what they could come up with next.”
About Black Phone 2
Now playing in theaters, Black Phone 2 continues the story of Finn (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) as they confront The Grabber’s vengeful spirit. The film also stars Ethan Hawke, Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Arianna Rivas, Maev Beaty, and Graham Abbey.
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Drew Munhausen
Media and Movie Mastermind who co-hosts the Moviegoers Society Podcast and Fresh out the Pod.
