Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Five Nights at Freddy's 2!Vanessa and Mike have been through a lot together, but Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has seemingly delivered the last straw for their dynamic. Played by You alum Elizabeth Lail and The Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson, respectively, Vanessa was introduced as a local police officer in the 2023 film adaptation of Scott Cawthon's horror franchise, while Mike was a security guard hired to keep an eye on the eponymous rundown family pizzeria. After indicating knowledge of its history, the first movie ended with the reveal that Vanessa was the daughter of Matthew Lillard's William Afton, the restaurant's founder and serial killer whose victims possess its animatronic mascots.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 picks up about two years after the events of its predecessor, with Mike and Vanessa initially trying to move on from surviving their ordeal in the first film and maintaining a complicated relationship. As the latter also deals with the trauma of nearly being killed by her father, and her father's villainous actions when she was younger, the malevolent Marionette animatronic manipulates Piper Rubio's Abby into releasing Toy variants of the others onto the world for violent new terrors.
This all culminates in the Five Nights at Freddy's 2 ending, in which Mike and Vanessa, after successfully clearing Abby of the Marionette's possession, are surrounded by the Toy animatronics and confronted by Freddy Carter's Michael, who reveals himself to be Vanessa's long-lost brother that awoke the Marionette to continue their father's legacy. After narrowly surviving with the help of the original movie's animatronics, Mike sharply criticizes Vanessa for her secret-keeping and tells her to leave him and Abby alone, to which she becomes possessed by the Marionette in the final moments.
In honor of the movie's digital release, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Emma Tammi and Piper Rubio to discuss Five Nights at Freddy's 2. When asked about why the reveal of her brother is what led to Mike and Vanessa's emotional ending in the sequel, the director begins by pointing out that the pair are "still just trying to get over it all and really trying to figure out where their relationship is at" come the start of the film. Feeling that "they're clearly drawn to each other" and "want to have a stronger connection," Tammi clarified that they have a "trauma bond" and don't know yet if they have a "deeper friendship or something that turns into a romance":
Emma Tammi: I think that was really, especially for Elizabeth Lail and Josh Hutcherson who played these characters, a huge thing that they felt like was the truth of the scenario, right? How do you start trusting each other again? How do you start rebuilding? And the fact that they were the only people that could talk to each other about this huge thing that had happened to them, this huge dramatic thing was absolutely something that bonded those characters together big time.
Tammi went on to share that much of the sequel finds Mike thinking he can "maybe align himself to her a little bit" given she was "a victim too" of Afton's torments, while also feeling that "there's so much that he's still holding her accountable for." Even with Vanessa's "horrible plight" of childhood that evolved into her adulthood, though, the director says that the reactivation of The Marionette and the other animatronics, be it on their own or with her long-lost brother's influence, has Mike thinking "he just can't handle it anymore."
The fact that Vanessa had a brother, in particular — which the film doesn't fully make clear whether she knew of his existence prior — that was "about to wreak havoc on this town" is what Tammi calls a "bridge really too far" for Mike to embrace and accept come Five Nights at Freddy's 2's ending:
Emma Tammi: [He can't] just be like, “Okay, let’s just keep on keeping on.” So for me, I think at the end of the movie, after he’s had a beat to kind of get over the shock of getting out of an incredibly dangerous situation, he says he can’t handle it anymore. Yeah, sort of stay away.
Tammi Will Keep Looking To Fans For What To Bring Into Future FNAF Movies
ScreenRant: There are a lot of nods throughout the movies, with gamers and streamers making cameos. Is there a dream person you haven’t gotten yet that you’d love to bring in for a third movie — or beyond?
Emma Tammi: I think we would just still love to keep incorporating as many of the YouTubers and super fans that are so important within the FNAF universe. I think we would just keep trying to make an effort to incorporate as many as possible and as cleverly as possible. I think one of the things that’s really fun is if you’re not familiar with them, you don’t even realize that you’re watching a cameo. And if you do, you’re screaming your head off. And if you’re watching it in a theater with other fans, you realize that something very special is happening even if you don’t know what it is. Yeah. But they kind of seamlessly integrate into this to the extent actually that I read one review that said that we hadn’t put any cameos in the second movie at all. And I was like, “There are quite a few.” And this person was just obviously not familiar with those people and that’s totally fine. But it also felt like, oh, that’s great. They’re not sticking out and obvious. They’re integrated into the film. So I think that’d continue to be our goal.
ScreenRant: Now, I would say this movie, notably, went for more jump scares this time around, which I got to say that Marionette scared the s**t out of me.
Emma Tammi: Excellent!
ScreenRant: Mckenna Grace was amazing. So I’m just curious for you as a filmmaker, what was different for you in this process in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, particularly for the scenes involving the Marionette?
Emma Tammi: I mean, there were so many more animatronics in this film, including the Marionette. And I think just by default, we were going to end up with more jump scares, but in addition to that, just the numbers increasing with the animatronics and, therefore, with the scares, we were also really making an effort, I think, to get in some more, escalate the jump scares from the first movie, escalate the action, the whole thing scaled up in a different way. And the coolest thing about the Marionette is not only is that character a part of the scares and a part of heightening the stakes, but it’s such a story driver, both within the lore and within our film. And it ends up having the most interaction and significance with Abby, not to mention, of course, its significance in regards to controlling all the other animatronics, and its backstory. I mean, it’s the only new character in this film that is still being controlled and possessed by the spirit of a kid, which, of course, is the backbone of the first movie. So it was just a great, great thing to build so much around and to find these wonderful possession moments with, as you say, Mckenna Grace, who plays Lisa, and then Abby, and then eventually, at the end, Vanessa. So it was an incredible character to take inspiration and cues from the lore in the game, but then also build it out even more for the movie.
Piper Rubio Has Relished In Bringing One Of Her Favorite Franchises To Life On Screen
ScreenRant: I know you're a huge fan of the franchise, so when you stepped onto the set for the second film, what was the thing you gravitated towards the most that you were so excited to see adapted on the set?
Piper Rubio: The office. I ran to the office, and it looked like I was playing the game. It was crazy.
ScreenRant: Was there a favorite little object or something that you — do you take anything? Did you keep anything?
Piper Rubio: Well, they gave me a bunch of pins, but I didn't steal anything.
ScreenRant: No, I'm not asking you to confess to a crime.
Piper Rubio: Oh, I'm going to steal this paper pal. [Laughs]
ScreenRant: How would you say Abby has changed since the first film?
Piper Rubio: Well, she's gotten a lot older, and she's facing trouble in school, but she misses her friends, because they were the first friends she actually had, and they're gone. She hasn't seen them in a year or something, and her and Mike are a lot closer. They were pretty disconnected in the first one, and it is nice to see that, because Josh and I are really close in real life.
ScreenRant: Now, I know you're a huge fan of the franchise in general, and we have some new cast members coming in. I believe Mckenna Grace is also a big fan, so what was it like having her on set with you? Were you guys able to kind of break down theories together?
Piper Rubio: Me and Mckenna were talking about the lore the whole time. We were talking about theories, we were talking about the lore drops in the movie. We were freaking out, and it's really nice to have someone on set that knows, has been a big fan for a while and knows the lore because not a lot of people on set do. I've tried explaining it to them. It doesn't always work, but she's been a part of the fan base, so she knows things like the hoaxes, like Sparky and the purple guy in Medtronic, and it's nice to talk to someone that gets it, and it's so fun talking to her big fans, and we were freaking out about this one specific character.
ScreenRant: Yep. I have a guess. Do you go deep into the fan theories? Do you have a favorite one that you've heard about the sequel or maybe even a future movie?
Piper Rubio: I watch a lot of theories on Planet. I don't know if I have a favorite one, but I saw one video where it was a very jokey video. It wasn't really about the movies, but it was like Security Breach actually was the first one to ever happen. Security Breach is the ninth game, or something. So I think it was posted on April Fools or something because it was like the timeline almost just completely out of order kind of thing. And that was fun.
ScreenRant: You have Matthew Lillard in this movie and Skeet Ulrich, and I am the biggest Scream fan, so seeing them reunite in a film is so exciting to me. Being in this kind of horror space, have you gone to many horror conventions since the first film yet?
Piper Rubio: No, in terms of horror movies, I've only seen Five Nights at Freddy's, and Five Nights at Freddy's 2, but they're a nice introduction into horror. It's something I'm pretty familiar with, because I grew up with [the games], so I do think I'll start watching other horror movies soon.
ScreenRant: Have you had many fan interactions of people coming up to you and being like, "I love this franchise"? I know people really adore you [and your character].
Piper Rubio's Abby looking sad while sitting on the restaurant's floor in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Piper Rubio: I remember the very first one I ever had. I went in on the last day that the first movie was filming, and we stood up and then people in the row in front of us. Two of them turned around, and they realized it was me and that I was in the movie. That was a big moment for me. That was the first time anyone was a fan of me, and they were like, "Oh my gosh, can we take a picture with you?" I'll always remember that. And then it was crazy at the premiere. I've never experienced this before. I'm sure Josh and the rest of my co-stars have, but people were like, "Oh my gosh, it's Piper!" And I'm like, "You're a fan of me? I'm just a fan of this franchise. I don't even know how I got here." And then there were a few people that were fangirling over me, and I was fangirling over them, because they were FNAF YouTubers, like Andiematronic, John “FuhNaff”. Both of them, I was fangirling over them, and it was weird because they were fans of me, so we were fangirling over each other. The fan base is a wonderful fan base to be a part of.
ScreenRant: Can you imagine even a few years back telling yourself these people you're watching are going to come up to you and be like, "I'm such a huge fan of yours."
Piper Rubio: No, seriously. I don't think I would believe myself. But literally, with Andiematronic, she is an FNAF YouTuber, she makes cosplays and reviews some of the Five Nights at Freddy's merch. She asked me to take a photo with her, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, it's you. Oh my gosh."
ScreenRant: What other fandoms do you consider yourself to be a part of? Is there anything you would love to join in the future if you could?
Piper Rubio: There's no other fandom that I'm as strongly participating in, especially since most of them are things that have stopped airing or have ended, or really niche things that no one knows about. Other than maybe Sailor Moon, because I like Sailor Moon and that's something that there are lots of Sailor Moon fans. But I've never experienced being in a fandom as much as Five Nights at Freddy's. I'm actively participating, I'm watching the fan animations, the theories, the trailer reactions and the gameplay and playing the games, and drawing fan art, and animating, as well.
ScreenRant: I heard you talking about it in another interview, where you talked about how you were animating. Can you break down just what that is and what you do?
Piper Rubio: So, I animate on Procreate 2D animation, and I animate FNAF characters mostly. There's one animation that I'm currently working on with Toy Bonnie as MattPat, but it's going to be very, like, Toy Bonnie IS MattPat, how he was on Game Theory before he retired.
ScreenRant: Do you have an account, so that if I wanted to go watch these, I could?
Piper Rubio: No, I don't. I've been talking to my mom about starting a YouTube channel to have my FNAF theories and also putting my animations out. I also want to make my own animated TV shows and a movie, potentially. There's one concept, a sci-fi concept right now that I'm working on.
ScreenRant: So, how did you get into acting in the first place? I don't know if I fully know your backstory there.
Piper Rubio: So I've been doing a bunch of things, and then we started these improv classes and that immediately clicked. And then I started doing real acting, and now I'm here, and that's crazy. I started improv classes when I was four, and started acting probably when I was like five. If I were to tell my past self, "You are going to be in this movie with this large of a fan base," I don't think I'd be able to grasp that concept even. I'd be like, "Wow," because I wouldn't understand what that means as me being five.
ScreenRant: Obviously, you've grown up since then, but Josh and Mckenna both have both been acting since they were really young. Do you guys talk about that? Is there any kind of wisdom that they've bestowed on you?
Piper Rubio: Josh is always giving me random wisdom whenever I see it. I won't even realize it until later, but he's just always gifting me wisdom. But yeah, it's nice to meet other people that started acting when they were a child, because I am a child, so we kind of share experiences, and it is a very niche thing to be an actor, and especially to start acting when you're a child. So it is nice having people that get it.
ScreenRant: There's an obvious setup for another film. What is something that maybe hasn't happened yet that you would just love to see and why?
Piper Rubio: I'm not sure, but I trust in Scott that he'll just make it incredible. The second one, I had no idea what to expect, really. But he took it, and he made it so well done. So much lore, and much more impactful as well, and more accurate to the games, which I think is something that the fans are going to be like.
ScreenRant: The look of the Marionette alone, and Mckenna in that, is instantly iconic to me. It freaked me out in my soul just seeing her, and I just thought it was incredible.
The Marionette coming out of a vent in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Piper Rubio: Yeah, the Marionette, I had been watching a bunch of fan theories before filming Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and I never thought of the Marionette being scary until I saw it in person. It was huge, it was scary. It had these wiggly limbs. I wasn't expecting it to just terrify me. I wasn't scared of any of the other ones. I grew up with them, and they're lifelong friends, but the thing is, I saw it one time. It was on the sound stage, and it was dark, and I see this cart. And inside, slumped over, is the Marionette, and I am like, "My gosh, it's just lifeless in there," and then it will spring to life when the puppeteers are moving it around. It's really scary, Scott did a really good job making it more scary.
ScreenRant: I feel like one of the cliché questions is are there pranks on set? But I feel like on this one, particularly, there has to be.
Piper Rubio: I was the one making pranks, ever since the first one. I did this thing, I had taken my sweatshirt and I put the collar around my head, and it made me look like an egg. So we took a picture, we cut 'em out, and we stuck 'em on these plastic eggs with the person that did my hair, and they said, "You've been Abdy-d" on it. The origin of that name is because on the fridge with the magnets in Mike and Abby's house, there are not two Bs. So it says, "Abdy." And that's how I came up with the name. I'm like, "This is Abdy, my twin egg sister." So, I'd place them all around the set, and it'd be like, "You've been Abdy-d." [Chuckles] We didn't get to do that for the second one. There was so much going on, and we didn't have much time, but I was scaring people on set when I first reunited with Josh. Not the first time, because I had seen him before filming while still in Louisiana, and I came up from behind him and I scared him. I even scared Scott one time.
Be sure to dive into some of our other Five Nights at Freddy's 2 coverage with:
- Emma Tammi addressing Five Nights at Freddy's 2's box office success in spite of critical reviews
- Tammi offering a cautious update on Five Nights at Freddy's 3's development status
- Tammi teasing Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich's bigger roles in the next film
- Tammi confirming Five Nights at Freddy's 2's Shadow animatronic Easter eggs
