The supernatural and harsh realities of real life clash in the upcoming Hulu release, Stay. The film follows Kiara (Megalyn Echikunwoke), a PhD author, and Miles (Mo McRae), a former MMA fighter, as they face the end of their marriage. They encounter supernatural forces, shifting from fighting each other to fighting for their lives. To survive, they must conquer darkness with love.
Horror Geek Life spoke with stars Megalyn Echikunwoke and Mo McRae about filming Stay and the emotional challenges they faced during production.
HGL: What was it initially that attracted both of you to your characters and to the film in general?
Mo McRae: It was just so dynamic. It was an opportunity to play a character that showed a real depth of humanity and the strongest, most profound emotions we embody as humans. It’s rare to find one character who showcases every one of those emotions, joy, pain, fear, laughter, anger, and as an artist, you are always chasing those opportunities with immense human stories.
Megalyn Echikunwoke: Also, it was an opportunity for us to work together again. We had played husband and wife together once before in a television show before the pandemic, so we already had a rapport, we knew we had great chemistry and worked well together. It was like, oh, this is the kind of movie I can do with Mo. I’m not sure I could have done it with anyone else, but I knew we could do this one together. It’s a big swing, you know, so you want to feel safe and supported.
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HGL: You two do have excellent chemistry together in this film. There are some difficult scenes that are raw and emotional. Did you approach those scenes with some rehearsal ahead of time, or do you prefer going into those scenes cold and see where it takes you?
Megalyn Echikunwoke: We had workshopped the script for a while, but when it came to actually shooting the scenes, we didn’t really have time to rehearse, and sometimes with those scenes, you just have to see what happens. I can be a lot, too much, so you don’t really want to rehearse certain scenes because it kind of takes away from the moment. We did a lot of improv as well, taking advantage of the chemistry and shorthand we have with each other and just freeing ourselves on camera.
Mo McRae: I’ve been fortunate in my career to have been able to work with a lot of actors I respect. I’ve always found in those situations the greatest gift, like what Megalyn gave me, was I didn’t have to act most of the time, I just had to be present and react to what was happening. She was giving me the truth to just return, that’s all I had to do, like a rubber wall, actually, I’d return it, she’d give it right back.
HGL: As actors, is it hard to bounce back and forth between the difficult emotional moments between your characters and the supernatural aspect of the film, or do you treat it as another challenge in your profession?
Mo McRae: I can be very challenging, at least for me. I like a pretty immersive process, getting deep into different parts of the role. Even the MMA aspect, I had already trained beforehand, and now I’m trying to schedule a fight, so there’s definitely been stuff that has blurred together for me; it’s a Mo thing now, not just a Miles thing.
Megalyn Echikunwoke: Yeah, it does become real, it is real, and that’s what makes it good, and I think that’s what audiences respond to. On some level, there is always truth, like you are really going through the thing.
HGL: Now that you are finished with the film, how do you look back on the experience?
Megalyn Echikunwoke: I’m so proud of it, I think professionally it’s scary, but I do think we’ve made something that I’ve never seen before, so in that way it’s also exciting. I don’t mind being scared. I think if I’m not scared, I’m kind of bored in life, and professionally, I like to always be a little bit terrified. Personally, I’m proud of what I accomplished. I’ve never played a role like that, and I just tried to be brave and went with it, and whether people like it or not, I’m proud.
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Mo McRae: I’m so happy to hear you say that, Megalyn, because you saw the performance, it’s phenomenal. To do that type of performance, not in a big studio movie but an independent film with super limited resources and time constraints, all the challenges that come with making a film, it’s just a real marvel what she was able to accomplish with that role.
For me personally and professionally, I’m proud of the fact that I was able to help Jas Summers, an African American filmmaker, make his first movie. He came to me with just a script, and I was very fortunate to be able to make some phone calls to help facilitate an idea that was just on paper, and is now soon to be streaming on Hulu. I feel blessed I was able to be a link in the chain to make this all come together.
Megalyn Echikunwoke: Also, to be backed by a company like Andscape, to see what we were trying to do, and go, this is weird and different, and perhaps risky, but we’re going to support you and give you guys all the resources. This was a really small movie, so to get that type of backing is really meaningful professionally and culturally as well.
Stay is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
