Interview: NOS4A2’s Mattea Conforti

Mattea Conforti has made a name for herself within the last few years appearing in major television shows and movies such as Power, Gotham, The Olie and Moon show, and most recently, Frozen II as Young Elsa. Her acting career is really shining at an early age and Mattea has a bright future. Mattea also stars as Millie Manx, the daughter of Charlie Manx on NOS4A2 and here to talk about season 2 of NOS4A2 is Mattea Conforti in this exclusive interview.

Before we begin, how have you been doing since the pandemic started?

Mattea: “Well, things have been definitely kind of shaky from the beginning You know, figuring out what you’re going to do in your free time now that most of the world has been shut down. But, you know, me and my family, we’ve been working on making the best of what we have and we’re pretty grateful for all that we have considering our options right now.

What do you miss the most before your area shut down?

Mattea: “I really miss acting and doing big shows. Now I think I never really realized how much I loved to do it until now because, once you realize that you have something and it’s gone for a little bit, you miss it a lot.”

You played as the younger version of Elsa on Frozen II and you were also part of the Broadway Play of Frozen as well. Since everyone knew that you were part of the broadway, how often did you have to hide that you were also part of the second film from your friends and classmates?

Mattea: “I wouldn’t say that long, but definitely quite some time just because it was so confidential. It was going to be a very big Disney film. So probably like about like a year, which isn’t really that bad. But it’s still hard to keep such a big secret from everybody. And I don’t really think anybody figured it out. If they did, they probably didn’t tell me just because, they weren’t allowed to say anything because they knew that they respected that. But I think we did a pretty good job of hiding it from everybody.”

From being on Frozen II and the Frozen Broadway Play which was targeted towards children, to being Millie Manx on NOS4A2 which is targeted for the older demographic, was it a hard transition for you to go from this character on Frozen, to being Millie Manx on NOS4A2?

Mattea: “It’s definitely a hard transition going from cutesy, innocent young princess, to Millie Manx who is hardcore, mature, and tough. But the emotions for both of them are definitely the same, in my opinion. They’re both very loyal and loving and they’re caring characters. When I usually talk to my friends about Millie Manx, they would be like ‘I would never see you as that kind of person’ just because I know in my life, people don’t really associate me with like like gory, danger, and hardcore. But they wouldn’t really expect me to be doing all that stuff.”

So far from what I am seeing, I like the second season of NOS4A2. What can fans expect for the rest of the season?

Mattea: “There’s definitely some moments in the show that I never really had to do before, especially in season two. The horror intensity level goes up so much and even to not just emotionally, but also physically for all the characters including Millie Manx. But without giving too much away, there’s definitely more dangerous adventures and crazy experiences that I get to do the season.”

The first time you seen Christmas Land, did you think for a second that this could actually be a real place to visit for a second? 

Mattea: It’s different to see it in the warehouse where we were filming and from the big screen because, you see a couple of blocks with letters on them and some fake snow. And then you look on TV and it looks like a huge village of all these demon children. So I never expected that all of that NOS4A2 magic can make it look so real.

Who did you like to work with the most on NOS4A2?

Mattea: “I was working with all of the people that played all the characters on the show because they all have such different acting approaches and they all have different experiences in acting and they all have done different shows. So just see how all of them work well with each other and see how they can bring their own elements to the table. It’s I think that’s the best part of being part of the show. So I love working with everyone! Also, I remember when I used to do school on set and we had a tutor, I would always dread going from scene to scene, then go to school right after because I wanted to do was just film and do my scenes. But I remember Zachary Quinto would kind of like help me with my schoolwork. We would talk out the books I was reading in English or he would kind of motivate me to go do my homework.”

The dynamic between Millie and Charlie are some of my favorite parts of the season so far, because Millie misses her dad and it is very relatable. How much how much input did you had when it came to the development of your scenes with Zachary?

Mattea: “Well, it’s hard to use my own input to play Mallie Manx just because my life and her life is just so different. But the relationship between her and her father I would say, is definitely the same and differing between me and my father just because we both love them so much. And Millie loved her father so much. And we both do anything just to, like, make them happy or to make them proud. But it’s different just because Millie Manx and her father connect on like a gory and a dangerous level. But me and my father, we can connect, you know, realistically like a loving way. You can definitely see that the relationship between them gets more emotionally intense. And Millie is going to discover a lot more about Charlie’s past and where she came from. So there’s definitely going to be a lot more intense moments between them. 

Before you got your role as Millie Manx, have you read the NOS4A2 novel to study the character and the source material?

Mattea: “I have not read it. I think I definitely would have been more scared to read it and it is a severally, very big book. My mom actually read it and she said it was a little bit similar to that. So it’s a lot similar to the show. So I could kind of go back and forth on that.”

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I’ve Watched The First Five Episodes of Season 2 of NOS4A2 and Here is my Non Spoiler Preview

Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen, Jonathan Langdon as Lou Carmody, Jason David as Wayne McQueen – NOS4A2 _ Season 2 – Photo Credit: Zach Dilgard/AMC

NOS4A2 returns for a second season on June 21st as the second season takes place 8 years after the death of Charlie Manx. But what will come to Vic and her family and friends after his death is another story within itself. I do not want to give all of my thoughts on the first few episodes on this introduction as I shall begin giving you my thoughts on the first few episodes right now!

The first episode titled “Bad Mother” showcases how Vic, Maggie, Lou and the rest in her circle are coping with the aftermath of the death of Charlie Manx. They were really convinced that he was dead, but Vic is the only one that does not think that he is dead after she killed him on the season one finale. Vic and Lou are now in a relationship and they have a son named Bruce Wayne. Wayne also likes basketball too and I think basketball fans will get a good laugh on what Lou bought Wayne when he returned home. Maggie is now in a relationship with Tabitha, and Bing has moved on from the previous season, but is still on Charlie’s side. Over at Christmasland, Millie is waiting for her father to return. But at that time, she is with the rest of the other children. In fact, you will see her at the opening of the episode. There is also a few Star Wars references that are brought up by one of the couples as this person wanted to compare themselves too. There are also nice moments involving Vic and Wayne not only on this episode, but on episode 3 and 4 as well. The only other thing I can say about episode 1, is that it is a solid opener and it will keep you engaged to watch the second episode.

Now about Charlie, his scenes on the second episode are gory for most of the episode. I cannot give too much away, but it goes back and forth on the younger version of Charlie, and the current Charlie. You will learn more about Charlie in these flashbacks than you did in the first season as it will give context and answers that everyone has had about him. You will like this episode, I promise you that.

I will place episodes three and four here together because I believe that they needed to be watched back to back as one episode. There are a few minor changes from the book on these episodes that might split the fanbase. But my favorite parts of this episode is everything with Millie and Charlie. Vic also had a good conversation with her mom on one of these episodes about parenting and everything that comes with it. I will also not say which episode that this happens, but Vic and Charlie will encounter eachother for the first time in years. Also to note, Charlie is also trying to capture Wayne and the way he is trying to do it, is quite clever. Also on episode four, there is a good fight scene that happens in the basement, and another that happens on episode three. Wayne is also fed up with Vic’s obsession of Charlie too and that moment will be worth paying attention too. Another good moment between Lou, Vic, and Wayne is the three of them swimming after Lou and Vic’s dad teach Wayne how to fish.

The first second of episode five might want you turn away for a split second if you are not into gore. But this episode is centered around Wayne and it felt more like a mission when I watched this. This episode also has a lot of action as I was on the edge of my seat during those sequences. I also will not say who, but someone gets a half joker smile as a wound during a fight! I think I can say that episodes two and five are my favorites so far of the season and the cast is pretty great in this season too. That is all I can say about episode five as that episode is too spoiler heavy.

I also would like to say that the pacing here is better structured on this season than the last season even though there are a few changes from the novel. There are also a lot of easter eggs from the novel that you will enjoy too and there are a lot of moments that will make you laugh and feel a bit emotional towards the characters.

The second season of NOS4A2 premieres on AMC Network on June 21st, 2020.

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