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When you look at what Victoria Pedretti managed to accomplish in just three years, hopes for what she’ll achieve in the years to come are through the roof. Pedretti burst onto the scene in a big way with the release of The Haunting of Hill House back in 2018. After that, she joined another red hot Netflix series, playing Love on Season 2 of You. On top of that, she starred opposite Dylan O’Brien in an episode of Amazing Stories and now she’s back on Netflix with yet another stellar show, the sequel season to Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor.

This time around, Pedretti plays Dani Clayton, a young woman who leaves home to spend some time in the UK where she’s hired to be the au pair for two young children who recently lost their parents. Those kids live on the Bly estate, a place with quite the history and the potential to change the lives of everyone on the property.

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Image via Netflix

With The Haunting of Bly Manor now available on Netflix, Pedretti joined us for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to discuss her journey to the show, beginning with what convinced her that she had to be an actor.

“I can’t really pin down the moment exactly, but I remember being in high school, not getting into the musical, being like, ‘Okay, well I guess I’ll do theater then.’ Boring, you know? There’s no song and dance! Where’s all the fun? Anyway, ended up loving it and having the opportunity to do things where people came up to me afterwards and they were like, ‘That affected me.’ And I was like, ‘Shit, really?’ And that’s a really great feeling, you know? Being able to make that kind of impact, so it’s kind of addictive at that point.”  

While Pedretti did have the all-too-familiar experience of going out for auditions and not booking roles, that period of time was mighty short for her. Plus, even those auditions didn't pan out, they still made her feel like something was working well:

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Photo by Eike Schroter/Netflix

“About three months after I graduated college, I had moved to New York and I was just auditioning all the time. And I was getting close already, pretty early on to roles that I ultimately didn’t get but I was like, ‘Damn, this is feeling good. Something’s working. People are responding.’ Again, I’m getting feedback. People are responding to it. Then, I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s just keep it going.’”

Sure enough, Pedretti kept going and the big break soon arrived.

“I had a Zoom-type call with Mike Flanagan. I was living in a walled-off section of a living room, and I took my meeting in that little room. And after that, I think he was trying to figure out how to get me cast.”

For anyone who’s seen The Haunting of Hill House, this is stating the obvious, but Pedretti is downright phenomenal in it, and she certainly continued to prove that in Bly Manor. To hear more about where all of this began for Pedretti and what her experience in the industry has been like thus far, check out our full Collider Ladies Night conversation at the top of this article in video form or using the podcast embed below.

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Victoria Pedretti:

  • 00:36 - Pedretti shares some early favorite shows.
  • 01:22 - Pedretti doesn’t handle horror especially well as a viewer; the films and concepts that scare her the most.
  • 04:02 - When Pedretti realized that she needed to be an actor.
  • 05:10 - How did Pedretti keep her chin up when the faculty in her acting program suggested she pursue a different path?
  • 06:32 - Pedretti fields Geraldine Viswanathan’s Ladies Night question: What’s the first thing she does when she gets a new project?
  • 09:25 - How quick was the jump from college to The Haunting of Hill House?
  • 11:00 - One of the most surprising things she learned about the production process while on her first big set.
  • 13:31 - What was it like for Pedretti after Hill House debuted and amassed such a significant fanbase?
  • 14:40 - How Hill House paved the way to You Season 2.
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  • 15:17 - What did Love require from Pedretti as far as prep goes that Nell did not?
  • 16:22 - Pedretti teases You Season 3.
  • 17:28 - How did Pedretti score her role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?
  • 18:23 - Was booking a role in Shirley just a big coincidence after Hill House?
  • 18:59 - Did making Bly Manor feel like a Season 2 or a completely different show?
  • 19:28 - Of the entire Bly ensemble, who took what was on the page initially and did something totally unexpected with their role?
  • 20:55 - Pedretti talks about Oliver Jackson-Cohen once being considered to play the groundskeeper.
  • 22:40 - Bly Manor spoilers start here! The difference between the ghosts of Hill House and the ghosts of Bly.
  • 24:35 - What did Pedretti discuss with E.L. Katz to determine what it feels like for Dani to have Viola inside her?
  • 25:15 - Is there any specific thing that triggers Viola’s return?
  • 25:55 - What would have happened had Dani not returned to Bly when she did
  • 27:22 - If Dani knew what he fate would be, would she still have taken the job?
  • 27:46 - How Pedretti interprets the final shot of the show.
  • 28:17 - Random questions begin! Find out if Pedretti has any pets, if she collects anything, if she’s kept anything from set, the meal she’d eat over and over again, and her biggest fear overcome.