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RadioFree.com: Why do you suppose audiences have been fascinated with witches as characters for so long?
GIDEON: I think that women--or just people in general--that are extremely confident in themselves and who they are, and are very grounded with the universe, and have spiritual, secret practices...I think people just find that interesting. And scary. Witches are always portrayed as women, but anyone can be a witch. [coyly] I know a lot of male witches, too!
Who were some characters that impacted you, genre-related and otherwise? I'm sort of assuming you grew up as a fan of film and television...
Definitely. Growing up, I loved Lily from The Munsters. That was a big one for me. And then also Ann-Margret [as] Kim in Bye Bye Birdie. And then the thing that really opened my eyes to the world of acting and all that was Wicked, the Broadway show. That show really is what made me want to do this.
Even though the stories of Witch Hunt and The Craft: Legacy address different issues, were you concerned about having two films with broad similarities being released in a relatively short amount of time?
Actually, not at all, because they're so different. I don't think I'll do another witch project...But it was The Craft, you know? I had to do that. I wasn't going to say no! [laughs]
 
What were some scenes from Witch Hunt that were the most fun for you?
I wasn't part of this scene, but watching the sink test was pretty cool. I was there for that, and it was so anxiety-inducing. I mean, all of them were trained professionals...I think a few of them were in Cirque du Soleil, actually...But I was like, [puts hand over face] "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!" Like, I didn't even want to watch. And also the ending scene I liked, that was fun. [laughs]
Claire and Fiona are both teenagers, but seem to have no problem getting served alcohol in a bar. Given that this story is set in a bizarro alternate reality America, do you think they have a lower legal drinking age in this universe?
I don't know! I was like, "Oh, they're just drinkin' a Coke." [laughs] That's funny. Maybe it's a bit more of like the wild Wild West out there. You know, it seems like a universe I would not want to live in. It seems like a universe where the Salem witch trials did happen, and they still don't accept powerful women or witchcraft, which is scary. But yes...They clearly hate women in that universe, let them have a f***in' beer! [laughs]
Your mother Pamela Adlon has had such a prolific career in voiceover. How was your experience of diving into that world as one of the leads for the animated series Pacific Rim: The Black?
You know, I loved it. It was such a rewarding experience to work with Guillermo del Toro, and all the writers on that project, and Calum Worthy and Victoria Grace. Great people. I love doing voiceover. I grew up in that world, so I feel very comfortable there. And doing two seasons of that (season two comes out in the next year, I think) [has] been amazing. And I have another Netflix show coming out soon that I've been working on for almost three years that no one knows about yet. (Shhh!) And I'm doing another animation show that I can't [talk about]. But I love it, and I've been doing some good stuff, and I don't want to stop. It's so fun to create different characters.
Did your mom give you a pretty good glimpse behind the scenes of how that whole industry operates?
Yeah! She was pregnant with me when she started King of the Hill, and that went on till I was 13. So I [grew] up going to the table reads and going to the recording studios with her--not just for King of the Hill, but for Nickelodeon shows, Recess, everything. She never really brought us around the on-camera world. She did not want us to be a part of that. But the animation world was like a big family, you know? I grew up around all those people.
Obviously, you've known your mom all your life, you grew up with her voice, and you share her DNA. As a performer, are you able to do an impression of her or any of her characters?
[laughs] Oh God! This is so funny. No I can't! Not how she can! She's the OG. Someone asked me this earlier, and I tried to do Spinelli, and I was like, "I should just leave it to the queen!" Like, I can't! [laughs]
I understand you have a pandemic-themed film called Sick on the horizon. How did you feel about shooting such a topical movie at a time when actual COVID restrictions were in place?
It was crazy, we did not have an outbreak and it was a month-long shoot...You know, it's about the pandemic, but not really...It has to do with, let's just say, quarantine during COVID...It's like living in [your] worst nightmare on top of what happens in this movie...It was really fun to do, and that comes out beginning of next year, I believe.
Did that experience on an outbreak-free set for an entire month give you confidence about returning for more live productions in the near future?
Definitely...Everybody has their own opinions, but I think being vaccinated is very important, and I think that's going to help all of us get back to work, hopefully help some of these variants calm down...And I think everybody was very respectful and took it really seriously, and we still had a good time. It gave me immense confidence, yeah!
Looking forward to your upcoming projects. Continued good fortune, and thanks for your time today!
Thanks, Michael, nice to meet you!
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