In the universe of Chucky, you just never know who you’ll find. From Katherine Heigl to John Ritter and even Redman, the huge names who’ve gotten in on the decades-long running franchise are sure to impress. And, the soon-to-be second season of the USA Network and SYFY series is no different. With in-universe regulars like Brad Dourif, Fiona Dourif, and Alex Vincent returning for more murderous shenanigans, it’s Jennifer Tilly who’s bringing in the big guns this time around.
While we don’t know specifics, at least one episode will feature several of Tilly’s close friends as well as her sister and fellow actress, Meg Tilly. Of her pals making appearances, we can expect to see Sutton Stracke of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame, as well as the actress’ Bound co-stars, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano. Recently Pantoliano, who fans will also recognize from his multitude of roles in projects including The Sopranos, Risky Business, and Momento, sat down with Pop Horror to talk about his reunion with Tilly and Gershon as well as stepping into a franchise that he knew nothing about.
As to how his guest spot on Chucky came about, Pantoliano revealed that he got a call from both Tilly and the franchise’s creator, Don Mancini, gauging if the actor would be into the idea of coming on the show. Not wanting to get the ball rolling without a “yes” from Pantoliano, as soon as he was in, the team began dreaming up ways to involve the entire group of friends and family in the next installment. The Sense8 star also revealed how much he enjoyed the reunion with both Gershon and Tilly, as well as getting to better know Tilly’s sister, Meg. “I’m an enormous fan of Meg,” Pantoliano gushed, “I don’t know Meg as well as I know Jen, and I only know her through Jen - and [working with her] was a blast. The Tilly girls, they’re amazingly talented.”
As for his time co-starring with Tilly, who plays both herself and Chucky’s paramour Tiffany Valentine, Pantoliano admitted that keeping the two straight was difficult. “They had to explain it and remind me throughout,” he said, adding that his time on The Sopranos helped him “not give anybody anything” when it came to spoilers or reactions to this season’s plot.
Billed as a neo-noir crime thriller, Bound was the directorial debut of Lana and Lily Wachowski, better known as the Wachowskis. In it, Tilly plays Violet, the girlfriend of rough and tough money launderer and mafia member, Caesar (Pantoliano). When Violet finds herself swept up in a romance with a brooding ex-con turned handy woman, Corky (Gershon), the two begin to plan a heist that will see them stealing $2 million from the Mafia. A true piece of classic queer film, Pantoliano referred to the feature as “ahead of its time” and said he was excited for Chucky fans to be drawn to it after tuning into the upcoming season. “I think that’s great,” he said in regard to more folks watching Bound for the first time, “It’s such a good movie.”
You can check out the trailer for Bound below and tune in for Season 2 of Chucky when it hits SYFY and the USA Network beginning October 5.