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I’ve probably interviewed over 100 actors, writers and directors since I began working at BroBible in 2019, and I can honestly say I’ve never interviewed anyone like Danny and Michael Philippou before. And I felt this way BEFORE I found out they have an entire history of YouTube lore with adult film star Riley Reid and a deranged Ronald McDonald.
Filmmakers and twins Danny and Michael Philippou — a.k.a the YouTubers formerly known as RackaRacka and directors of A24’s highest–grossing horror film of all-time, Talk To Me — joined BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast to break down everything you need to know about their second feature film, Bring Her Back, which stars Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins.
Casting an actress with actual visual impairments for the lead role in Bring Her Back
Eric Italiano, BroBible: Folks, today I am thrilled to be joined by Danny and Michael Philippou, directors of Talk to Me and their new film Bring Her Back, which hits theaters in the United States on May 30th.
First question — I want to big up Sora Wong. This is her first film role, so I want you guys to talk to me about how you found her, and what it was like directing someone with impairments. How did you work that into how you shot the film?
Danny and Michael: “We knew we wanted someone who was actually vision-impaired because it would bring an authenticity to the screen that’s so rarely seen. We put out a call to communities with vision-impaired people, reached out to schools, and got a bunch of self-tapes from girls interested in acting.”
“Sora was one of them. She came in and did an improv scene — instantly blew us away. She’s so natural. With acting, you either have it or you don’t — and she had it. We surrounded her with amazing acting coaches, like Bri and Miranda. We scheduled the film so that the lighter scenes came first, to help her ease into the role, and then shot the heavier scenes later.”
“She had full freedom — she could change dialogue, pick her outfits, whatever helped her feel authentic. Her parents were on set. We had an access coordinator to help her navigate the space. But she never wanted to be babied — she was all in, even doing her own stunts. She’s so physical and brave.
“There’s a perception that people with impairments need to be handled delicately — and sure, sometimes that’s true. But Sora and the girl who inspired the film — our friend’s little sister — they’re hyper-aware, super physical, play sports like goalball. They’re tough. It was amazing.”
They say ‘all humor is rooted in pain’ — is that true for horror, too?
EI: Congrats to her — she was awesome. I think it’s really cool you guys cast that role that way. I’m going to say something to you that I bet you’ve never heard before — while watching your film, I started thinking about comedy. They say all humor is rooted in pain, and it seems like you apply that to horror. What is it about horror that appeals to you as artists?
Danny and Michael: “Horror’s a fun way to express dark themes. Through possession or psycho-thriller genres, we can explore serious stuff in ways that feel fun and not overwhelming. We can lean into absurdity or camp — that was intentional in parts of this film. You can really go dark but still have levity. There are moments of comedy in horror that help balance things. That tonal mix lets us express a wider range of ideas and feelings.”
Directing child actors through emotionally and physically intense scenes
EI: Another thing I thought of was Spielberg — the way he directs child actors. Talk to me about working with Jonah and Sora through traumatic or physically intense scenes.
Danny and Michael: “Jonah is a Muay Thai fighter, a musician, and an actor — and he’s 10. He’s already super physical. He nailed the gore scenes — they were the most fun to shoot. For emotional scenes, it’s about helping them enter that headspace and then breaking out of it afterward with a joke take or something silly. Sally was great at this — she’d sing or dance between takes to lighten the mood. It’s about keeping the set light even when the material is dark. We even had a shaman bless the set!”
Turning Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, the mom from Paddington 1 & 2, into someone terrifying
EI: You brought up Sally. Did it hit you that you were taking Paddington’s mom and turning her into something terrifying?
Danny and Michael: “That’s what excited us. Sally Hawkins can embody totally different people. She has amazing range. She naturally feels warm and maternal, but twisting that with her character’s loss — turning her skills as a child psychologist into something darker — that was the hook. She’s quirky, loving, but also broken. She brought such humanity. It’s like a sequel to Paddington 2 — but emotionally brutal.”
EI: She’s a two-time Oscar nominee. How did working with someone like that affect your process?
Danny and Michael: “We were scared at first. We sent her the script, not expecting a yes — but she loved it. When we met her over Zoom, she was lovely and down-to-earth. She doubted herself, which made us even more comfortable. She was collaborative, playful, obsessed with her character. She bought props herself, dressed the set in character. After every take she’d ask, ‘What can I do better?’ Even for scenes she wasn’t on screen for — like knocking on a door — she insisted on being there. Total pro.”
The subversive way they use music in their two films so far, Talk to Me and Bring Her Back
EI: Something you guys do that I love is the subversive use of music — upbeat pop and rap in horror scenes. Explain your approach.
Danny and Michael: “When I was 16, I was in a bad car crash. My eye split open, back possibly broken. As I lay bleeding, a car pulled up blasting the Black Eyed Peas — [sings] ‘Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday!’ — that weird juxtaposition stuck with me. We love creating tonal dissonance — moments that feel fun but are also terrifying. For Laura, happy music is a mask. As she unravels, we use a Yoko Ono song called ‘Why’ — just raw screaming — to show she’s lost the mask entirely.
Why they love messing with the color of characters’ eyes so much?
EI: In both films, you mess with eyes — black in Talk to Me, red in Bring Her Back. Why are you so drawn to that imagery?
Danny and Michael: “Eyes are windows to the soul. Custom lenses help create visual unease. If you cover someone’s eyes, you can’t read them — it’s scary. Like in Psycho, the cop with blacked-out glasses is so unsettling. We design all those lenses to be practical. They need to feel real — not VFX. The eyes immediately draw you in.”
Any legacy horror franchise they’d like to tackle?
EI: You’re working on Talk to Me sequel, cleverly titled Talk 2 Me. Legacy horror sequels are everywhere now — is there a classic you’d love to take on?
Danny and Michael: “Honestly, I’d love to do Friday the 13th. A camp counselor slasher? That sounds amazing. But A24 is doing a TV series, so I stepped back. Don’t want to compete with that. I’d be terrified to mess it up. Those are someone else’s stories. I respect them too much to risk screwing them up.”
EI: Does seeing someone like Robert Eggers pull off Nosferatu help at all?
Danny and Michael: [laughs] “No — it makes us feel inferior! He’s a real director! We wouldn’t trust ourselves to do that… yet.”
EI: You guys are on your way. The way you imbue horror with emotion is incredible. The knife-chewing kid will haunt me, but so will the humanity in your work. Congrats on the film. I can’t wait for Talk 3 Me, Talk 4 Me…
Danny & Michael: “Talk To Me 5: Stop Talking To Me!” Cheers — thank you so much!”
Bring Her Back will be released in movie theaters in the United States on Friday, May 30. In addition to Sally Hawkins and Sora Wong, the film also stars Billy Barratt, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Mischa Heywood, Liam Damons, Olga Miller, and more. You can check out the official synopsis and trailer for Bring Her Back below.