Zombies, aliens and werewolves may have distinct personality traits. But what about daywalkers and vampires?
In the world of “Zombies,†they’re given specific quirks, too.
“It was very clear from the very beginning,†says Freya Skye, one of the stars of the new Disney+ film, “Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.†Casting directors gave her instructions about the daywalker she would be playing and what differentiated her kind from other monsters. “It was helpful, too, because you wanted to do something different from the others.â€
In "Zombies 4," Malachi Barton, far left, and Freya Skye, far right, join Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim at summer camp.Â
Malachi Barton, who plays a vampire in the film, says he had to learn new tricks to pull off a Disney version of a vampire.
“They’re normally portrayed as the scary, blood-sucking horror creatures that are out to get people and turn them into vampires,†he says. “I’m scary, but I’m not gonna give kids nightmares. Normal vampires are straight up biting people. But here, it’s blood fruit — which I think was an amazing play on sucking blood. It’s a perfect little family friendly way of saying, ‘Hey, I’m sucking blood but I’m doing it with fruit.’â€
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The two new “teams†come into play when Zed and Addison (played by Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly) get jobs as camp counselors and must figure out a way to unite the rival daywalkers and vampires.
Naturally: Dance-off.
Dancing in sand is more difficult than you think, says Malachi Barton, front.Â
The two sides, however, square off in the sand, which isn’t easy.
“We all underestimated how difficult it would be,†says Skye. “I struggled to walk on the beach and run into the ocean.â€
Barton, meanwhile, had to content with wind. “Your hair is flying around, so that means a lot of hairspray and there’s a lot of slicking your hair back,†he says. “It’s just wild. But when you’ve got all the elements coming at you, it’s harder.â€
Freya Skye, left, and Malachi Barton are new to the "Zombies" franchise.Â
The key, Skye adds, is to just go full out “and give everything more momentum than you would usually.â€
The two — newcomers to the franchise — get to fly, too, and that’s also difficult. “It’s all hard,†Barton says.
Sometimes, the 15-year-old Skye says, she’d have to decide character traits for a daywalker on the spot. “There’s not a preconceived perception in pop culture like there is with zombies and vampires and werewolves. But I could go into it with a fresh slate and play how it felt right to me, so that was fun.â€
Daywalkers have their own quirks, says Freya Skye, center, in "Zombies 4."Â
Barton, a veteran of such shows as “Stuck in the Middle†and “The Villains of Valley View,†just had to tone down the darker side of someone with a little bite. In the fourth film, both get plenty of opportunity to sing, dance and act.
This summer, the two will also headline an arena tour designed to give them and the film more exposure.
“On and off the set we hung out constantly,†the 18-year-old Barton says of the cast. “I got so close with the dancers and my other fellow vampires it felt like we were all kind of a tight-knit family. By the time we got on set, it was like everyday life and we were already friends.â€
“Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires†will air July 10 on the Disney Channel, then stream on Disney+.
