Jake Manley. Photo Credit: Alex Evans.
Actors Francesca Reale of “Stranger Things” and Jake Manley discuss their new thriller “Do Not Enter,” which will be released on March 20th, 2026 in theaters, on digital and On Demand.
The synopsis is: The Creepers are thrill-seeking urban explorers who love pushing things to the edge, and their latest stunt – livestreaming from New Jersey’s abandoned Paragon Hotel – is their biggest yet.
With its mobster past, supposed ghosts, and rumored stash of $300 million, the Paragon is catnip to the Creepers, a surefire way to increase their fanbase.
Fear has other plans. Daring to enter the Paragon, not heeding the warnings, the Creepers fend off deadly rivals while supernatural creatures stalk them from the shadows, testing their endurance, sanity, and willingness to pay fame’s heavy price.
On being a part of “Do Not Enter,” the actors concurred, “It was great! We had a lot of fun.”
Playing Cora and Rick in the film
On playing her character, Cora, Francesca said, “I liked that my character could do some parkour.I also liked that she got to be extremely dry, witty and sarcastic, which is obviously always so fun to do in any film.”
“I love Rick,” Jake exclaimed about his character. “Rick was just so serious about what they were doing and his ethics about the urban exploring.”
“So, it was a fun departure. I love the group aspect and the story. It had some good adventure. So, I enjoyed a bunch of things about Rick,” he added.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from the screenplay, Jake responded, “I don’t know if I would be going in to explore one of those abandoned hotels to try and get some videos. That’s what Rick and the group want to do. So, it definitely exposed my fears in real life.”
“I think it taught me that I’m a collaborator,” Francesca admitted. “I think I really need to be… I like really thrive in group dynamics where there’s a lot of collaboration happening amongst a lot of people.”
“I don’t know if I’m necessarily like a lone island. I think I need community,” she noted.
Francesca on her experience in ‘Stranger Things’
On being a part of the global Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things,” she said, “That was a huge community here. That was one of the best collaborative processes ever!”
“What a joy to be in ‘Stranger Things,’ and to say that I’ve been on that,” she admitted.
Transition from ‘Stranger Things’ to ‘Do Not Enter’
Francesca discussed her transition from “Stranger Things” to “Do Not Enter.” “They were just two completely different beasts,” she admitted.
“‘Stranger Things’ is a global phenomenon and I stepped into it in Season 3. So there was obviously a bit of pressure. You want to make that yo make the fans happy and deliver a performance that feels within the realm of what the show has already created,” she said.
“I was fortunate enough to work with Dacre Montgomery, who is an incredible actor, and I got to work with Millie and Sadie in a few scenes. Also, the Duffers and Shawn Levy were incredible collaborators as well,” she elaborated.
“I was also in villain in that technically. I was the bimbo gone villain turned monster. So that was a different tone altogether. In ‘Do Not Enter,’ I am playing the victim, so it’s a completely different situation, but similar in a sense because I learned how to collaborate in that field,” she explained.
“I got to bring a lot of that collaboration here and I got to work with actors such as Jake Manley, Adeline Rudolph, Shane Paul McGhie, Nicholas Hamilton, and Laurence O’Fuarain,” she said.
“We were so blessed to work with the most incredible cast, consisting of a wonderful group of actors,” she added.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Francesca said, “I’m not a fan of social media at all… obviously there are pros and cons of every type of social media platform.”
“I think it’s very important that while we use those platforms for positive, we continue to try to remain as present as possible and engaging with people in real life and build a community outside of those platforms as well,” she elaborated.
Francesca’s superpower of choice
If Francesca were to have a superpower, it would be to “read people’s minds. “I think that would get me out of a lot of situations,” she admitted.
Stage of their lives
On the title of the current chapter of their lives, both actors said with a sweet laugh, “Do Not Enter.” “Do Not Enter/Allergy Season,” Francesca expanded.
Message for the fans
For the fans, Jake said, “I hope they go and watch ‘Do Not Enter.’ It’s fun and I hope they tell me what they think about it, what they love about it, what they don’t love about it and to just keep watching things.”
“I just want people to keep watching TV and film and not be on their phones or on TikTok all day, and to support filmmakers instead. So, I just want them to keep watching,” he said.
“I want the fans to have fun,” Francesca said. “We just want them to have an enjoyable time. I don’t know if that means they’re screaming at the screen or they’re laughing hysterically or they’re scared.”
“I would just love it if it could be a community experience where people are gathering with their friends. I hope they go to the theater, see it, and watch the movie with friends. I just want people to have an enjoyable time watching and have fun,” she concluded.