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What’s scarier: A killer doll or having big shoes to fill?
Fiona Dourif was in for the experience of a lifetime when she was cast to star as a younger version of the titular Charles Lee Ray in the 2021 horror comedy series Chucky. The role had been originated by her father Brad Dourif over 30 years ago, in 1988.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Fiona, 43, looks back on her “long journey” with the franchise, which all began when she was cast as Nica Pierce in 2013’s Curse of Chucky. The actress reprised her role in all three seasons of the television series, while also playing her version of Charles in flashback sequences.
“I didn’t even have to think about it,” she says of being cast in the same role as her dad. “I was told that I have the same laugh as my father and Chucky, by the way. I have this cackle.”
Fiona Dourif/Instagram
However, Fiona was not prepared for what all the role would entail. The actress says she underwent four and a half hours of prosthetics to make her look like her dad at a younger age. When it was all done, she found herself having an unexpected emotional reaction.
“They showed me a mirror and I kind of freaked out,” Fiona remembers. “Actually, I don’t even know. I haven’t begun to unpack all of the feelings I had. There was a lot of them. I remember I smoked a cigarette for the first time in six months. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t get this off my face.’ ”
PEOPLE previously spoke with Brad for the 35th anniversary of Child’s Play in November 2023, during which he shared his own reaction to Fiona’s transformation into his legendary character.
“The first time I saw what she looked like … I was looking at some footage and I go, ‘I don’t remember doing that.’ I mean, she was weird, and she was exactly like me. Her accent was a little different, but she was exactly like me,” Brad said.
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The proud dad also noted that her transformation require more than just prosthetics. “She wanted to come and watch me,” he said. “Stay at the house and observe me. And I said, ‘Fiona, Charles Lee Ray moves differently than I do. And where you’re going to get an adequate idea of how Charles Lee Ray moves is by watching the movies.’ ”
In the end, Brad felt she had nailed one specific aspect of his character. “She could see the way I moved and she got that perfectly,” he shared.
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Fiona continued to play Nica, who eventually became possessed by Chucky, and Charles for all three seasons of the cult-favorite show. As the series was nearing its finish, she had an awakening.
“By the end of the third season, when it was going to be me and my dad, both as [Charles] talking to each other in this fight scene, I had gotten so used to it and sort of had felt like I owned it,” she says, noting that filming the specific scene was her favorite memory of her time in the franchise.
Fiona, who recently reunited with her dad on an episode of The Pitt, explains, “I felt a string of confidence, which I often don’t have, and utter pride with him. It was a wonderful moment. It was just a long journey. It was terrifying at first, and then it became this kind of beautiful ownership.”
Along with the pressure of her new role came the passion of the franchise’s fervent fans, of whom she has nothing but kind things to say about.
“I’ll tell you, Chucky fans are like no other,” Fiona says with a laugh. “They’re totally dedicated. I love them with my whole heart. It is this fixture in the zeitgeist that’s really fun to be a part of. I adore it.”
