Beginning her career at a very young age, Jade Pettyjohn already has a wealth of experience to move forward with. Known for her early roles in 2012’s An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars, as well as Nickelodeon’s School of Rock series, she has continued to expand her repertoire with roles in Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, as well as ABC’s Big Sky. Up for any challenge put in front of her, now Pettyjohn takes on the Horror genre with her leading role in the new film #AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead. A film which finds her reunited with JoJo Siwa, #AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead takes a look at the darker side of social media while intertwining the classic elements of a Slasher. Something different and exciting, Jade Petttyjohn took some time to chat about the film, her prior works, some of her favorite Horror films, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – You have been involved in acting professionally since a young age. In that time, you have done some really cool projects through the years in television, as well as in film. Before moving on, how would you describe your journey in film and television to this point?
Jade Pettyjohn – I would say wild, unexpected, and satisfying. I’m really lucky that I’ve been able to make a living off of my art. That in itself is the dream. I’ve been able to tell stories with some of my favorite artists around. That’s really what has always mattered to me; taking on characters and stories that I think are interesting, pose certain challenges for me as an artist, and represent a real pocket of humanity in some way… no matter what the genre is. I have been able to do that with other actors and other filmmakers that I really admire. Luckily, I’ve been able to do that for a good amount of time, which I’m really grateful for.
Cryptic Rock – It sounds like it has been a very special experience for you. You still have a whole career ahead of you. You mentioned working in different genres, and you have; from Comedy, Thrillers, to Dramas. Do you enjoy working in different genres like that?
Jade Pettyjohn – I do. I think it’s really interesting as an actor to just take on many different sides of your instrument, and to play some sort of heightened experience or something that’s really quite grounded and small. There’s a science to each genre that I find interesting.
The thing that I look for is just chasing good storytelling with filmmakers that I am inspired by. That can exist in a Comedy, or a Horror, or a Drama. I tend to fall back into Drama. That’s sort of the thing that made me fall in love with acting. I love every genre though. It’s really just about finding good stories that resonate with me and scare me just a little bit, and the idea of taking them on.
Cryptic Rock – Right, it is all about the story. You mentioned working in Horror. This new film, #AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead, is one of your first Horror features. How did you get involved with this project?
Jade Pettyjohn – Yeah. This is my first Horror film, which I’m really excited about… because I love this genre! To enter it, particularly with Marcus Dunstan, who I’m a huge fan of, was really incredible. I loved his work in the Saw films and everything else he has done.
I remember when I read this script, I felt I couldn’t predict what was going to happen next… which isn’t always normal for me. I feel I do a pretty good job of being able to foresee where the story is going to go. There were a lot of plot twists in this one though, particularly with my character.
That was something that really excited me. To be able to take a Slasher film that plays homage to the great Slashers of the ’80s and ’90s, but putting a modern spin on it through the theme of social media and what my generation is experiencing, was really intriguing to me.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, that is compelling. As you said, there certainly are a lot of twists in this film, so much so that you really have to stick with it through the end to see what happens. It keeps you guessing, and that is refreshing, because as you said, a lot of things are predictable.
You also mentioned how #AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead pays homage to older Slashers, but with a modern twist. It is kind of a wild time to be alive with all the social media. It seems a little excessive and dangerous, to be honest. That said, #AMFAD shows you how it can be dangerous and bad. Something a very big part of your generation, what are your thoughts on that?
Jade Pettyjohn – Yeah. I think when you’re not tied to it or fixated to it in the sense that you feel like you can’t live without it, social media can be good. It can unite people. You can communicate with people all around the world. There are good things about social media. I think the pendulum has swung into a total extreme of the use of social media, particularly now. You’re seeing it at really young ages where they don’t know what it’s like to not have social media. What that does to you mentally and how that changes the way that you go off in life and live, can be bad. The way that you treat other people and yourself… it warps reality because it’s not actually real, which can be really damaging.
I think that’s something that #AMFAD explores is the excessiveness of that particular world. It’s a cautionary tale of where we’re going as a society if we continue with that. Not to mention it makes an interesting plot for a Horror film when you’re exploring the concept of voyeurism and then social media. It’s like you’re inviting a killer into your world; because you’re just exposing yourself naturally, which also makes for a great film.
Cryptic Rock – Most certainly. You raise some very good points. Marcus Dustan said it best. Paraphrasing it, he said – we look at the phone like it’s feeding us, but it’s not really giving us any nutrition.
Jade Pettyjohn – It is a great way of putting it!
Cryptic Rock – In this film, you get to work with JoJo Siwa again. What was it like coming back together all these years later and working together once more?
Jade Pettyjohn – It’s like everything and nothing changed at the same time. It was really quite beautiful. We worked together when we were kids on the Nickelodeon shows, and it was a lot of fun. She was incredibly bright and a go-getter from the start, even when she was 13. She was very dedicated and fun to be around.
Years later, we’re both adults, and both of us have lived so much life since then. We’re doing a project that is much darker and demands a lot more from us emotionally. Yet, she’s still the same happy go-getter, incredibly generous, incredibly dedicated, and we were able to have moments of catching up. It really felt like School of Rock happened last week. It was an incredible experience, and I have nothing but love and respect for her and all that she’s doing.
Cryptic Rock – It is great that you were able to reconnect and work on a project again at this point in your lives. So, you said that you actually enjoy the Horror genre. This had to be exciting then.
Jade Pettyjohn – It was super exciting. I’m a big fan and big nerd of the Horror world. To be able to make one was so much fun. Again, to be able to make one with Marcus, who’s such a legend in that world, is a really fun feeling.
Cryptic Rock – That’s fantastic. It is difficult to predict what is going to happen next, especially as an actor. You never know when your next job’s going to come a lot of times. However, do you think that you would like to work in Horror again after this experience?
Jade Pettyjohn – I would like to, yes. It’s always dependent on the script for me and making sure that it’s a story that I want to tell. I would want to make sure that it’s not the story of All My Friends Are Dead. It would be something else in the genre that has a completely new thing. That would be really fun to explore. It’s always dependent on the film and the filmmaker. I had such a great experience making this film. Horror can do quite a bit for the movie-going experience. That’s the reason why I love Horror films; it just reminds me why making movies is so fun. I would totally love to do more Horror.
Cryptic Rock – That’s great. Horror is a wonderful genre. As you said, you can explore real-life situations, such as the darkness of social media in a more spectacular way. You suspend disbelief, because it’s a Horror movie, but you can get into some really heavy stuff in there.
Jade Pettyjohn – Exactly. Yeah.
Cryptic Rock – You said you would like to be scared just a little bit. What type of Horror movies are you a fan of?
Jade Pettyjohn – When I said scared just a little bit, just so you know, I meant scared as an actor, meaning something out of my comfort zone. With Horror movies, I like getting scared as much as possible. That’s the point, right?
I’m very scared by really anything Ari Aster puts out; his work is terrifying to me. My favorite Horror film is Suspiria (1977). That’s my favorite because it was so haunting and eerie. The soundtrack is incredible. What I love about it is it really shows that Horror films can also be beautiful, just as much as it is haunting and terrifying. That really sealed the deal for me as far as my entrance into loving Horror movies.
Cryptic Rock – It is wonderful to hear you appreciate Suspiria. There is something very beautiful about the film. If you enjoyed that, you should also check out Dario Argento’s other films, such as 1975’s Deep Red and 1980’s Inferno. Argento has a very unique style. It is more about imagery than storytelling. The image, through color and light, tells the story, opposed to the dialogue.
Jade Pettyjohn – Exactly. I’m going to check them out! I haven’t seen Deep Red, so I’m going to put that on my list.
Cryptic Rock – With #AMFAD, do you have any other projects you would like to mention?
Jade Pettyjohn – Yeah. I can’t talk about it in too much detail, but I can say I just finished filming the Netflix’s Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story, which is the second season to the Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story with Ryan Murphy. That was such an incredible experience. I’m really excited for people to see this story. Also, just to see Ryan Murphy’s take on such an iconic crime is great. That should be coming out this year, which I’m really looking forward to.
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