Opening in theaters on October 9th is the new action comedy ‘Double Trouble‘, which was directed by Shaun Piccinino and stars real life siblings Violet McGraw (‘M3GAN‘) and Madeleine McGraw (‘The Black Phone‘).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Violet McGraw about her work on ‘Double Trouble’, her first reaction to the screenplay, working with her sister, their characters, making a Christmas movie, preparing for the action sequences, shooting in Las Vegas, and working director Shaun Piccinino, as well as an update on the possibility of a ‘M3GAN 3’.
Related Article: Ivanna Sakhno Talks ‘M3GAN 2.0’, Fight Choreography, and Finding AMELIA
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and did you always intend to make this movie with your sister, Madeleine?
Violet McGraw: When John Ducey, the writer, brought up the whole concept to me and my sister, I was just like immediately, “Yes, please. Anything to work with my sister again.” It was just such a fun idea and I wanted to be a part of it. Then me and my sister, we sat down, we read the script together, and we were reading it as our own characters. We were just like, “This is going to be so fun.” Just reading the script alone, it felt very nostalgic, because it kind of reminded me of the ’90s Christmas movies we grew up watching, which was really cool and fun to be a part of that.
MF: How would you describe the relationship between Willow and Charlotte, and did you take inspiration from your own sister dynamic with Madeleine?
VM: I think the sister relationship is definitely the heart of the story, because even though Willow and Charlotte are completely different and they might not always agree to things, they’re always going to have each other’s backs no matter what because they’re sisters. Because me and Maddy are siblings in real life, we were just able to bring this natural chemistry that you could feel on screen, which made it really fun and super important to have that as well.
MF: Is it fun making a movie with your sister?
VM: Totally. I mean, it’s our second time working together and it’s just funny because in 2024, we were talking about it all the time. We were like, “Oh my gosh, it’s our dream and goal to work with each other.” Now it’s happened twice. That’s so surreal and crazy to think about. I definitely want to continue to work with her again in the future.
MF: How was this experience different than the last one?
VM: The last one me and Maddy did together was ‘The Curse of the Necklace’. That’s a horror movie. Then this one’s a Christmas action comedy. I think what makes it different is just the environments. You kind of get a different feel for the horror movie environment, and then a Christmas movie environment, which is fun. You learn a little bit of everything on each set and just bring it on to the next.
MF: How would you describe Willow in your own words and could you relate to her as a character?
VM: I think my approach was just to really understand her, try to just really be in her shoes, live in the moment and think about how my character would be thinking in this moment because Willow is smart, techie, and a little bit dorky. She has an older sister named Charlotte and a younger sister, Jackie. Willow reminds me of Cady from ‘M3GAN’. They have similarities. Cady is really good with tech, and so is Willow. I feel like I kind of brought a little bit of Cady into Willow as well, which made it a bit easier. But I just always try to understand the character and really read as much as I can about the character to truly understand her. I’m reading the script and just watching a bunch of movies. Willow’s a 12-year-old young girl and I was 12 years old once, so I kind of just put that into Willow as well.
MF: Can you talk about how your work on ‘Black Widow’, ‘Thunderbolts*’ and the ‘M3GAN’ movies prepared you for the action scenes in ‘Double Trouble’?
VM: Oh, easily. Yeah. I mean, in movies I’ve kind of always done different types of stunts, but they still have the same preparation. We need to make sure everyone’s safe, and we still want it to look very real. For example, Cady in ‘M3GAN 2.0‘ does a lot of Akido, and she’s good at fighting overall. Then in ‘Double Trouble’, I’m sliding on olive oil. Those are the differences between those, but it’s the same mindset and preparation.
MF: What was it like shooting on location in Las Vegas?
VM: It was super fun actually. I mean, definitely different to what I’ve done before. Typically, I’m on a sound stage, but we were filming in a real Las Vegas casino hotel, which was insane. We were at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. We were working in the hotel we were staying at, so we could go downstairs five minutes before our call time and didn’t have to worry about being late or anything like that. Then Las Vegas overall, we went to this one show, I don’t remember what it was called, but it was very cool and we saw it all as a cast and crew, which was really fun. We actually have a lot of family friends there, so we got to hang out with them when we were there as well, which was awesome.
MF: You’ve been working professionally since you were 5 years-old and basically have grown up on movie sets. Do you feel comfortable on a movie set now or is it still an adjustment every new project you work on?
VM: I mean, it truly is my comfort place. When I’m on set, I’m truly just beyond grateful and having the best life experiences ever. Because I’ve kind of grown up on these sets, I just feel like that’s where I need to be all the time. I’m like, “I have to be there. I don’t know what I will do if I’m not there.” But being on set, there’s absolutely nothing like being on a set. It’s always awesome. No matter what I’m filming or what I’m doing, I’m always extremely grateful and just happy to be there.
MF: What was your experience like working with director Shaun Piccinino?
VM: Amazing. He’s so sweet. Such a fun guy. I mean, he just created such a fun, healthy environment on set. Something I love about him is in between every take he would do a little dance. Anytime I see someone dance, it’s contagious and I feel like I have to do a little dance move. So then I would do a dance move, and then Maddy would do a dance move and it would just go down the line. But Shaun’s awesome and the film would not be the same without him at all.
MF: Finally, what have you heard about a possible ‘M3GAN 3’?
VM: I mean, a lot of people have come up to me, especially at conventions and are like, “Violet, when are we getting that ‘M3GAN 3’?” I’m like, “Guys, I’m down for whatever. but even if I knew, I probably couldn’t tell you anyways.” I miss Cady. I would love to return to her. We shall see what happens.
What is the plot of ‘Double Trouble’?
Two sisters (Violet and Madeleine McGraw) are caught in the middle of a high-stakes heist in Las Vegas, when they must team up with a former MI6 agent, to outsmart a cunning thief and save a diamond gauntlet, before Christmas time.
Who is in the cast of ‘Double Trouble’?
