Stars Sydney Sweeney, Celeste OConnor, and Isabela Merced chat with EW about Sonys latest superhero movie.
But all three agree thatMadame Webpresented a different kind of challenge one that literally turned their lives upside down.
Here, Sweeney, OConnor, and Merced talk suiting up forMadame Web.
Celeste O’Connor, Dakota Johnson, Isabela Merced, and Sydney Sweeney in ‘Madame Web’.Columbia Pictures
Sydney, is yours on?
I really just wanted to take a selfie!
SYDNEY SWEENEY:We took alotof photos.
Celeste O’Connor, Sydney Sweeney, and Isabela Merced at Los Angeles premiere of ‘Madame Web’.Stewart Cook/Getty Images
ISABELA MERCED:I think they told us we couldnt, but we did anyway.
You guys looked amazing.
Did you do any superhero training together?
SWEENEY:We did.
We had a boot camp.
We woke up very early, every morning.
We also trained outside of that, too.
I brought them to some workouts.
OCONNOR:Sydney was our trainingoutsideof stunt rehearsal.
This is what were doing!
I have her to thank for this bod.
MERCED:Me too.
Because now I havent stopped!
Ive kept going with the Pilates.
SWEENEY:Im so proud of you girls.
[Laughs]
MERCED:I liked the spider movements.
It felt like I was really focusing on isolating my body parts.
And then Celeste got into boxing.
OCONNOR:I was practicing for punching Ezekiel.
MERCED:Who were you picturing when you were practicing punching him?
Who were you mad about?
OCONNOR:Well bleep that out.
[Laughs]
How was working with Dakota Johnson?
What was the vibe like on set when it was just the four of you?
MERCED:It worked really well.
We really do have that sort of dynamic amongst us in real life, so it wasnt hard translating.
You also see us actually in real-time getting to know each other throughout the movie.
We were filming somewhat in chronological order, so youre literally watching our relationship grow.
Thats why I cant wait for a sequel because were already so much closer now.
OCONNOR:We didnt mean to!
[Laughs] We werent like, Youreso old.
MERCED:It didnt help when we were running around making TikToks.
SWEENEY:We did make a bunch.
I dont think we ever posted them though?
MERCED:Yeah, and I dont think we ever will.
OCONNOR:Those are staying in the drafts.
Stewart Cook/Getty Images
Tell me about working with SJ Clarkson as your director.
SWEENEY:We had just such an amazing group of females.
OCONNOR:SJ is my girl.
I was so annoying to her.
[Laughs] From the beginning, I was like, SJ, I have this idea for Mattie.
I made a little journal and a diary as Mattie.
Do you think this would happen in her backstory?
And she was so collaborative and so open.
SWEENEY:We really felt having all these women on set.
And it helped that we had each other.
MERCED:I think having each other was another important part.
But I loved actually being friends with you guys.
Those were my favorite parts of the day, when we would just debrief about everything we felt.
How are we feeling?
SWEENEY:We still debrief!
Theres a great scene where the three of you are in a diner, dancing to Britney Spears Toxic.
What do you remember most about filming that scene together?
SWEENEY:We had a whole dance choreographed.
OCONNOR:Do you guys remember the boys?
The boys at the table were very confused on what we were doing.
They were like, What movie is this?
They had no idea what they were doing.
We were like, I have no idea either!
SWEENEY:Its a short film.
Was there anything about joining the superhero world that surprised you or that you werent expecting?
MERCED:I think how grounded it feels.
SWEENEY:Yeah, this ones different.
OCONNOR:I wasnt expecting the process to be so character-based.
And while that was true, it was also really character-driven and based off of our relationships.
Each of us had a really rich backstory that was really fun to dive into as an actor.
SWEENEY:I think we have to thank SJ for that.
She really wanted to ground the origin stories of these amazing superheroes.
They do rise to the occasion and discover their power.
That arc was so satisfying to me.
SWEENEY:It was also really beautiful to see that theyre just girls.
They didnt need to become superheroes to find themselves and empower themselves.
For each of you, what was your biggest challenge on this movie?
These fan bases arehuge.
And Im representing my community as well.
That was not necessarily a huge challenge, but something I was concerned about for sure.
And once I did that, I was really happy.
Were there any particular things you wanted to advocate for?
OCONNOR:I think the costume.
So, I made a mood board of references.
I wanted to represent her rebelliousness and her personality and perspective.
SWEENEY:I remember you doing that, too.
I remember you were texting us, and you were like, This is what I want.
And we were like, Go for it.
OCONNOR:This is what Sydney always does.
Ill say that Im unsure, or I dont know if I should say something.
And her response is always: Advocate for yourself.
Speak up, and do it now.
And I love you for that.
SWEENEY:Im so proud of you because all those details really brought out who your character is.
No one else could have come up with your ideas.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
