{"id":255298,"date":"2024-04-11T15:30:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/meet-alisha-weir-the-young-ballerina-vampire-in-abigail-hits-cinemas-april-17\/"},"modified":"2024-04-11T15:30:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:30:22","slug":"meet-alisha-weir-the-young-ballerina-vampire-in-abigail-hits-cinemas-april-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/?p=255298","title":{"rendered":"Meet Alisha Weir: The Young Ballerina Vampire In &#8220;Abigail,&#8221; Hits Cinemas April 17"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nicknaming the different personas of her character really helped Alisha Weir channel the innocent little girl \/ centuries-old vampire that is the center of the blood-drenched horror movie \u201cAbigail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calling the frightened, kidnapped child version of her character \u201cAbby,\u201d and the alpha predator \u201cAbigail,\u201d helped Weir approach the character as two entirely separate people. For scenes where she plays Abigail, she even altered her voice to sound \u201cnot so much like an innocent little kid, but more like a confident adult,\u201d she shares. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JjIJLbt1KBI?si=lthrRJX9L0cmVt_X\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Weir plays the titular character in \u201cAbigail,\u201d a blood-thirsty gore-fest that begins with a high-stakes heist, a dangerous mission that, if all goes according to plan, could net six strangers a staggering $50 million. Recruited for the job by a mysterious fixer, the team comprises the driver, the sniper, the medic, the muscle, the hacker, and the thin man, aka head of ops. Their real identities are kept secret from each other as a kind of insurance \u2013 should one of them be caught, that person would be unable to implicate her or his co-conspirators. Together, they must infiltrate the well-appointed home of a reclusive kingpin who presides over a vast criminal empire. After sedating and abducting his pre-teen ballerina daughter, Abigail, they must safely transport the girl back to a remote mansion, then settle in to wait for the sun to rise and the cash to turn up. But once inside the isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they\u2019re locked inside with no normal little girl. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_250808\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250808\" style=\"width: 2160px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1422\" class=\"size-full wp-image-250808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2.jpg 2160w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-1024x674.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-1536x1011.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-2048x1348.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-100x66.jpg 100w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-696x458.jpg 696w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-1392x916.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-1068x703.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-2-1920x1264.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2160px) 100vw, 2160px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-250808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alisha Weir and Kathryn Newton in \u201cAbigail\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (\u201cScream\u201d 2022, \u201cScream VI\u201d), Weir, most familiar to movie audiences for playing one of author Roald Dahl\u2019s most beloved characters in \u201cMatilda the Musical,\u201d was a godsend. From the outset, the team had worried whether they\u2019d be able to find a young actress who could believably be both earnest and sympathetic in the early scenes and terrifying and sadistic as the marauding vampire. An exhaustive search conducted with casting director Rich Delia led them to Weir, and after the filmmakers saw her audition opposite Melissa Barrera (the medic) over Zoom, they knew they\u2019d found their girl. \u201cShe\u2019s remarkable,\u201d producer William Sherak says. \u201cShe\u2019s talented and professional and engaged and excited, but still a kid. She just delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d never done a character like this, and I\u2019ve always loved horror films,\u201d says the now 14-year-old Weir. \u201cEveryone\u2019s going to feel bad for her because she\u2019s this sweet little girl who\u2019s been kidnapped. Then she turns out to be so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Movement coach and choreographer Belinda Murphy (\u201cThe Last Duel,\u201d \u201cVikings\u201d) worked with Weir to develop vampire Abigail\u2019s graceful physicality and to teach the actress how to perform the ballet sequence that opens the film. Murphy began by focusing on exercises that would build strength and stamina, which were critical, as Weir wanted to perform as many of her own stunts as possible. \u201cI love trying new things,\u201d Weir says. \u201cAnything that I can do, I will do it. I\u2019m determined. If I can\u2019t do it, I\u2019ll try again until I can.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_250809\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250809\" style=\"width: 2160px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1422\" class=\"size-full wp-image-250809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1.jpg 2160w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-1024x674.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-1536x1011.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-2048x1348.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-100x66.jpg 100w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-696x458.jpg 696w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-1392x916.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-1068x703.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/pageone.zyndk8.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Abigail-Movie-1-1920x1264.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2160px) 100vw, 2160px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-250809\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alisha Weir in \u201cAbigail\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Murphy developed a particular style of movement for the film\u2019s first half, before Abigail is revealed to be a vampire. \u201cThat movement is very beautiful and very soft, as she appears to be just a little girl who simply loves to dance,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cThen when she\u2019s vamped out, the movement became sharper and faster with more purpose and with a maturity beyond that of a little girl her size\u2026 An energy fueled by a vampire\u2019s thirst.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Even then, vampire Abigail moves lithely, with a feline grace. \u201cWhen she\u2019s running, she has elegance even when it\u2019s fierce,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cIt has a feeling of a performance which is full of calculated mischief. She\u2019s playing with them and loving every moment! She constantly has a lovely line. Because, as Alisha is a dancer, it was just natural for her to do that. So even when she was running, jumping and attacking, she always maintained that elegance. This was Abigail\u2019s biggest recital, if you like.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbigail\u201d also stars Kathryn Newton (\u201cLisa Frankenstein,\u201d \u201cAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania\u201d), Dan Stevens (\u201cGaslit,\u201d \u201cLegion\u201d), Melissa Barrera (\u201cScream\u201d franchise, \u201cIn the Heights\u201d), William Catlett (\u201cBlack Lightning,\u201d \u201cTrue Story\u201d), Kevin Durand (\u201cResident Evil: Retribution,\u201d \u201cX-Men Origins: Wolverine\u201d) and Angus Cloud (\u201cEuphoria,\u201d \u201cNorth Hollywood\u201d) as the kidnappers and Giancarlo Esposito (\u201cBreaking Bad,\u201d \u201dBetter Call Saul,\u201d \u201cThe Mandalorian\u201d) as the mastermind. <\/p>\n<p>Fangs out and get ready for a bloody time at the cinemas when \u201cAbigail\u201d opens April 17 only in cinemas. #AbigailMoviePH<\/p>\n<p>Follow Universal Pictures PH (FB), UniversalPicturesPH (IG) and UniversalPicsPH (TikTok) for the latest updates on Abigail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WATCH: Prepare for a chilling thrill! Get acquainted with Alisha Weir, portraying the vengeful young ballerina vampire in the hair-raising horror flick &#8220;Abigail,&#8221; hitting theaters on April 17th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":255299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19569],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies"],"zyndk8_nxtgen_metadata":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=255298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/255299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=255298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=255298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatic-fuchsia-armadillo.46-250-226-234.cpanel.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=255298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}