Voice of M3GAN Talks Humanizing the Killer Doll in M3GAN 2.0, Threequel Hopes & More
Our favorite killer robot is evolving faster than ever, and it was Jenna Davis's job to capture that rapid growth.
**SPOILER WARNING!! The following contains spoilers for M3GAN 2.0!**
Jenna Davis is having quite the week.
In addition to the release of her debut album, (a pop-infused collection of country songs entitled Where Did That Girl Go?), the multifaceted entertainer and social media star is also celebrating this weekend's theatrical debut of M3GAN 2.0 (get tickets here!), the hotly-anticipated sequel to 2022's breakout sci-fi/horror hit, M3GAN.
In the sequel, Davis returns to voice the rampaging robot, while Amie Donald once again provides the character's physical movements. Granted, the filmmaking process was decidedly different the second time around, as Davis revealed in a Zoom interview with SYFY WIRE. Rather than come on to record her dialogue in post, as was the case on the original, the actress/musician began working before a single frame was shot.
"They were able to use my voice on set when they were filming, so [the actors] were able to hear how I was going to do it," Davis told SYFY WIRE. "But as you're filming, lines can change, scenes can change, edits and revisions can be done. So I was really [there] throughout the whole process. It was fun this time for me to be able to go in before they even started filming, so I had an even better idea of what was happening in this one."
Taking place two years after its predecessor, M3GAN 2.0 finds the titular doll brought back from the "dead" in order to face off with a new, mechanical threat dubbed AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), whose presence adds a Terminator 2 vibe to the proceedings. Upon meeting a being that's even more twisted than she is, M3GAN finds herself at an existential crossroads: spare humanity or assert her supremacy as a piece of sentient artificial intelligence? Whatever the case, she's evolving faster than ever, gradually becoming a strange new hybrid somewhere between human and machine. Davis was kind enough to take us behind-the-scenes of the character's growth in the following interview.
Jenna Davis, the voice of M3GAN, takes us inside M3GAN 2.0
When did you know the first movie had become a big hit?
Jenna Davis: We had an amazing opening weekend, so I think after the opening weekend, I had a lot of excitement and hope. But it was out of our control [and] in the hands of everybody who wanted to watch the film. As an actress, I'm always viewing it as, "You know what? I did my job. I love this film. I hope everybody else loves it." That’s the mindset I go into it with. But I think after the first opening weekend is when I noticed, "Oh, people are really loving it!" It was so… not unexpected, but I don't think any of us could have predicted the love that the film was going to receive.
How long after M3GAN's success did it take for sequel talk to come onto your radar?
I knew we got renewed very, very quickly. But I didn't want to make any assumptions or anything until I got the call myself, because I didn't know where the story was going to go. The first film ended [with] the little light turning on, so it could have gone in many different directions. I think they called me not too long after they announced it. So after that I felt comfort. [The sequel] is still similar to what we had in the first, but the story definitely took a different turn than I think a lot of people were expecting,
How did Gerard sell the sequel to you?
He sent me the script, so I was able to read through that first. After talking with him, he expressed to me that it was important to see M3GAN in a different light in this film. [He wanted] to make sure we kept the campiness that everybody loved about her so much in the first film, but [he also] wanted to see some empathy and some different layers to M3GAN, which was really fun, but also challenging, because she is a robot. A.I. is constantly evolving and in that way, M3GAN is also constantly evolving. I think we wanted to pay respect to A.I. in that sense, of seeing how A.I. evolves and showcasing that through M3GAN, [while] also keeping what people loved [and] playing around with her tones, her emotions, and how she interacts with the other characters, which is a little bit different than how she did in the first film. If you notice, there's a lot more action in this film. There's a bit more campiness, too, I would say, but we also see a more solemn side of M3GAN. A very sweet side that we didn't really get to see a lot of in the first film.
How would you describe Gerard's directing style?
I applaud Gerard tremendously because as a director, he always knows his vision and what he wants for the project. Sometimes other directors can maybe be a bit more like, ‘Hey, I want your take on this.’ Gerard definitely wants that, he's very collaborative, but he has such a vision for what he wants it to be. And as an actor, that is super-nice and also refreshing, because it allows me to give him what he wants, because he can vocalize that — and he vocalizes it very well. He’s just very collaborative and communicative about what he wants and what he wants for M3GAN, but also wants to make sure that it feels natural for me as well since it's coming out of me.
You mentioned that we get to see a softer side to M3GAN this time around. Can you expound on bringing a little more humanity to the character?
I think it's a fine line, because obviously she's a robot, and I still want people to know and believe that she's a robot. But similar to what I discussed in the prior question, A.I. is evolving and the more they evolve, the more they learn, the more they process. Their programming just keeps advancing. I wanted to humanize her a little bit more, because she's learning and just taking in so much information. With that, she can be a little bit more human-like and kind of have feelings of empathy. But at the same time, it's interesting, because she was programmed to protect Cady, so I'm curious if that empathy and love she has for Cady is only because she was programmed to [protect] her since she doesn't necessarily express that love to Gemma all the time.
Do you have a favorite line or scene from the sequel?
I think the scene with Gemma, where [M3GAN] bursts into song is probably my favorite, just because it shows the relationship and bond between her and Gemma that is almost a sweet side. I also do love the scene where she enters Cady’s bedroom that she made for her in the lair, where she comes in as this WALL-E-like robot-looking creature. I think that scene is very sentimental and sweet. I just love the sweet sides, because it shows a very different side of M3GAN. But then she goes back into her silliness and uncanniness and breaking into a song.
That singing scene got the biggest laugh at my screening. What went into the performance?
For the first film, we obviously did "Titanium" and "Tell Me Your Dreams." That was awesome, but her singing voice was a bit more cartoony and almost Sesame Street-sounding. For the second film ... they made M3GAN sound a bit more mature in her singing voice and a bit more like she was doing an actual cover of a song. She sounded better in this film. For the first film, they told me to purposefully sing not great, and then in this film, they're like, "Yeah, let's make M3GAN actually hit some of the notes and make her sound good." For me as a singer, that was like, "Oh my gosh! Yay! Thank goodness!"
But it was fun. It's just another part of M3GAN’s development, she’s improving in every facet in her character's journey. I also think this song was such a perfect way to tie into that moment. [Moreover], she got to sing a little bit longer in this film ... and I think my favorite part is how they matched her hand movements, like she was having her own little musical with her little grabs and pushes. It was quite comedic and fun. I'm glad it's getting the laughs. That was on purpose.
What song was it? I didn't catch it in the end credits...
"This Woman’s Work" by Kate Bush.
Between this and Stranger Things, Kate Bush is really having a moment...
She is having a moment. I think she's absolutely iconic. I would love to see a reaction video from her [watching the M3GAN 2.0 scene].
In addition to acting, you're also a country music artist. What's the latest on that front?
I decided to go big or go home. I'm from Texas originally, so [I just dropped] my first debut album. It’s called Where Did That Girl Go? I just turned 21 on May 5, and I'm in this weird, kind of entering adulthood, era. I guess I'm already adult. You become an adult when you're 18, but people are starting to say, "Oh, you're like, a woman now," and that really scares me. I’m like, "No, I’m still a girl! Where did that girl go?" The sentiment of the project is me coming-of-age, but also telling the stories that I've experienced. Each song on the album has a different emotion. As an actress, I wanted to pay [homage] to that and how different stories can provide different emotions. I believe when words fail, music speaks. Through that, I wanted each song, whether you're happy, sad, sassy — whatever emotion that you're feeling — each song in could relate to whatever emotion a human may be feeling. That's my entire goal with the project.
The movie ends with M3GAN revealing that she created a back-up of herself before the big showdown with AMELIA. She's never really dead. Where would you like to see the character go in a third movie?
As they're kind of switching up genres, we went from horror to a little bit more action-leaning, but still kind of a horror. I wonder if a third were to come to play, it would be fun to bring back some of that horror. But I would also love to see M3GAN experience a love interest, perhaps. I think that could be really funny and could also spur a new emotion for her that she has not experienced. That would be really enticing. Somebody asked me at the premiere, "Who would M3GAN’s celebrity crush be?" And I told him, "No robot is on her level yet," so I'd love to see another robot get on her level and maybe see how that would make her feel.
Any memorable interactions with the other cast members?
My work was mainly done in the vocal booth, so they would take my vocal recordings and bring them on set. I wasn't physically on set with them. That in itself is a bit challenging, because I'm not having that face-to-face interaction and have to imagine myself in the scene and make sure it sounds real and believable. There isn't any particular set memory since I wasn't there. But what I do have to say, is my favorite part about recording in the studio is when different sound engineers would come record. It would be me and Gerard on Zoom, or he would be in the room. It was very funny, because if we'd work with different ones, it would scare people how fast I could just go into her voice. Some people would be like, "Whoa! Okay, I just need to take a second. That was kind of scary." It's really fun to scare the sound engineers and also make people laugh. There were moments where I would say a line, and Gerard and [the engineer] would start laughing, but they couldn't laugh too loud, because the mic would pick it up.
The film taps into the current conversation regarding the meteoric rise of A.I. in everyday life, particularly when it comes to the entertainment space. As a creative yourself, what do you think the takeaway of the sequel is?
I believe that this film in particular touches on the pros and cons of A.I. The last film was more centered around, "Hey, this is what could happen if A.I. took over." And I think this film kind of shows, "Well, is there a way to collaborate with A.I. in a way that is healthy and normal and is not going to [result in] an A.I. takeover?" This film blends what's happening in our world, how it doesn't seem like A.I. is really going [away]. So how do we work with A.I. in a way that's a partnership, versus one trying to out-power or dominate the other?
M3GAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters everywhere. Pick up tickets here!
