There will likely be many fans going out to seeM3GANin theaters after the film’s popular dance scene first caught their attention, and for who knows how many, they may not have otherwise if the scene hadn’t gone viral. In the trailers leading up to the release ofM3GAN, there was a featured scene of the killer doll pausing to do a bizarre dance before pursuing its next victim. The scene went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, with many fans reacting and reenacting the dance. It’s a moment that makes it clear there will be some dark humor in the film in addition to its horror elements.
Perhaps there wouldn’t have been quite so much hype forM3GANif the dance scene wasn’t revealed in trailers to subsequently go viral. However, that’s something that nearly happened, according to one of the film’s stars,Allison Williams. Speaking about the movie in a new interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Williams touched on the dance, sharing the story of the first time she saw it personally. As Williams explains, she realized the scene was “iconic” when she saw the finished cut, though she also revealed that there was an internal debate over whether to highlight the moment in the trailer.
“The first time I saw it was when Amie [Donald] was practicing the dance, and then I watched her film it. I wasn’t in the scene that day, but I went to set because I knew she was filming it and I wanted to be there. And it was just extraordinary. Watching the performance of it, in and of itself, was unbelievable, and by then, we were all very, very familiar with Amie’s brilliance as a performer. But it wasn’t until I saw it fully edited into the movie, in its context, with the song, with everything, that I was like, ‘Oh, this is iconic.’ And then, when we saw the first cut of the trailer, we were all hemming and hawing about whether or not to let the dance be out in the trailer or attempt to keep it as a surprise in the movie.”
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Williams went on to note how much she appreciates the dancing scene getting kept in the trailer, recognizing that it helped immensely with bringing awareness toM3GAN. She also suggests that it was important to leave the scene as it lets viewers know right away what M3GAN is all about, showcasing both sides of the killer doll’s artificially-created personality.
“And boy, the forces of marketing at Universal were right to keep it in the trailer, because it just helped, honestly. I don’t think there’s anything else in our trailer that helps convey who she is more quickly than knowing that she’s a doll who’s going to stop and do a choreographed dance and then pick up a murder weapon and go on her way. That bizarre, off-kilter, hilarious freakishness is exactly what we were going for, and so it really was a perfect illustration of where we wanted to be.”
M3GAN, which is directed by Gerard Johnstone and written by Akela Cooper, is now playing in movie theaters. You can check out the full trailer for the movie below.
