Here’s How ‘Get Out’ Changed Everything for ‘M3GAN’ Star Allison Williams
The horror/comedy Get Out was a game-changer for many people, including its co-star Allison Williams. Jordan Peele’s 2017 film helped the actor change her mind about the genre. And it paved the way for Willliams’ new horror flick, M3GAN.
Allison Williams starred in ‘Girls’ and ‘Get Out’ before ‘M3GAN’
Williams is an American actor who began her career in the early 2000s with projects like American Dreams and Will & Kate: Before Happily Ever After. In 2012, she landed a recurring role as Marnie Michaels in Girls.
The HBO series was popular, but Get Out launched Williams’ movie career and allowed her to showcase her acting range. In the film, she plays a manipulative and ultimately evil character, a far cry from her role in Girls.
Get Out follows the story of Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black man who visits the family of his white girlfriend, Rose (Williams). But soon, he discovers they have a sinister plan for him. Williams’ performance in the Academy Award-winning film earned praise from critics and audiences alike.
After Get Out, Williams appeared in The Mindy Project and A Series of Unfortunate Events. She has also starred in two other thrillers: 2018’s The Perfection and 2020’s Horizon Line.
Allison Williams explains how ‘Get Out’ changed her idea of horror
In her new movie, M3GAN, Williams plays Gemma, a roboticist who designs an AI doll to be a loyal friend. When her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is orphaned, Gemma takes her in and gives her the android, M3GAN, as a companion. But programmed to protect, the robot becomes hostile toward anyone who gets between her and Cady.
M3GAN is Williams’ third horror movie. She’s making a niche for herself in the genre, but the actor revealed it didn’t appeal to her until after she filmed Get Out.
“I would say that Get Out certainly set me on the path of seeing this genre differently,” Williams told SyFy. “I am really scared when I watch horror movies, so I didn’t ever really consider this genre to be one that could feel like home to me because I can’t stomach most of the movies that exist under this banner.”
Williams noted she’s “having a blast” tackling thrilling roles. “I’m sort of putting one foot in front of the other,” she added. “But it does seem like I’m walking on a path that’s surrounded by thrillers.”
The actor says Jordan Peele taught her to ‘keep it real’ for ‘Get Out’
While Get Out changed Williams’ mind about horror, it also helped her learn to be a better actor. In her chat with Syfy, she revealed Peele taught her to be in the moment as a character and to stay true to what a real person would do.
“When you’re in a genre like this — and I learned this in Get Out, from Jordan — the key is you kind of keep it real as much as possible and try to forget the genre you’re in. Just try to play with what’s true at any given moment,” Williams said.
“Most people, when they’re scared, are trying to not be as scared,” she added. “It’s sort of like when someone’s crying. Most of the time, they’re trying to stop themselves from crying. Playing the truth of it all usually ends up being the winning tone.”
Williams’ next project after M3GAN is Fellow Travelers, co-starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey. Based on Thomas Malon’s 2007 novel, the miniseries takes place in the 1950s.
