The Haunting of Bly Manor Cast on Their Spooky Characters and Reuniting After Hill House

After the success of The Haunting Of the Hill House, the cast returns for the second installment with The Haunting of Bly Manor.

The scariest part of the second series is that it might force you to face your internal demons. The series is on Netflix and is focusing on family, grief, and the feeling that comes when the truth looks you right in the eye.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is the follow-up to Mike Flanagan’s 2018 hit Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House. The second installment, however, follows a new story inspired by The Turn of the Screw, the 1989 novella by Henry James.

As per the trailer, it is about an American governess (Victoria Pedretti) arrives in the English countryside to look after two creepy orphaned children (Amelie Bea Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) after the death of their former au pair. 

The story, however, progresses to elegant twists and turns which will have viewers confused about who is alive and who is not. It is a love story with the classic jump-scares which were a part of the first installment as well. In addition to Victoria, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, Katie Siegel, and Catherine Parker return alongside three actors who are entirely new to the anthology: Tahirah Sharif, T’Nia Miller, and Amelia Eve. 

Victoria, Oliver, and Henry come together and opened up about the chance of getting back together on the sets. The actors shared their favorite experiences from the series. Oliver said he had never experienced it before and actors rarely ever get to work together again and again. In the second installment, he plays the associate to the orphan’s uncle.

Victoria Says, Dani And Nell Are Different

Henry who plays the orphan’s uncle said, “It’s a pleasure. It’s great to feel like you’re continuing on with something and it’s a real repertory feel with Mike Flanagan because he brings a lot of the same people back again.”

Victoria also shared the sentiment and said she had an incredible time doing the first season. She added, “It was such a great experience for me especially being my first professional job that I was looking forward to coming back.”

Although there are a few repeated actors, Hill House and Bly Manor are very different. Victoria shared about a few differences between her Hill House’s Nell Crane and Bly Manor’s Dani Clayton. She said that both Dani and Nell are two very different people. The actress explained that Dani comes from a different world and places, exploring.

Victoria said, “Going on this adventure of putting herself in an environment where she is a fish out of water. I didn’t feel like I actively tried to differentiate the characters,” she said. “They’re very different and they appear very differently, too. If the quality isn’t enough, the physicality and the costume of the character are very different as well.”  

In the trailer, Dani appears worried and stressed. Victoria explains that the concern has nothing to do with her character. She said her character, Dani wants to make sure these children can heal from the trauma they have already experienced.

The actress further explains,  “That’s how I tapped into it. She carries around a lot of anxiety already and she’s fixated on trying to do whatever it takes to protect the children, which I think is appropriate for a caretaker.”

Meanwhile, Henry said his character has an alter ego that manifests itself. He said that it was one of the coolest things about his character. Talking about the opportunity to play the role, he said he was about to explore both sides of that character’s ego. The actor explained, “It was an acting challenge but it was also its own reward.”

For Flanagan fanatics, Bly Manor will absolutely raise one final question: is a third installment on the way?

The Haunting of Bly Manor is now streaming on Netflix.