A local face shows up throughout the horror movie Black Phone 2, which released in theatres on Friday, albeit disfigured by ghastly prosthetics
Local actor Chase B. Robertson, 12, celebrated the opening of the movie Black Phone 2 alongside friends and family in a cinema his uncle rented for them at Imagine Cinemas.
It was a big day; opening night for a major Hollywood movie in which Chase features throughout as the ghost of a murderer’s past victim.
“It was really fun, I had a lot of fun with my friends and family, it was a great experience,” Chase said of watching his feature film debut alongside such a supportive group.
The major feature film, which topped the North American box office during its opening weekend and received favourable reviews by critics and audience members alike, is Chase’s first major break. He plays a character named Spike.
The École secondaire Macdonald-Cartier Grade 8 student features throughout the movie as one of three ghosts — past victims of the movie’s villain, The Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke.
A screenshot featuring local actor Chase B. Robertson, 12, playing the character of Spike, in a white shirt and bloodied face, from the trailer to Black Phone 2. Screenshot
In real life, Hawke was far removed from his frightening character, Chase told Sudbury.com this weekend during a phone conversation alongside his mother, Chrystal.
“He was always super kind to us and very nice and just a great guy,” Chase said, adding that filming with him in the Greater Toronto Area and Huntsville was “a really great experience.”
Though Chase was humble about how much work the role took, Chrystal stepped in to clarify that it took two hours of hair and makeup every day Chase was on set to get ready.
“There was a lot of preparation just in terms of sitting in a chair for a couple of hours and not being able to eat properly when it was in place,” she said.
Chase noted that it’s at times difficult to recognize himself in the movie due to the prosthetics which obscure much of his face in gore, though his eyes and nose are still recognizable.
While Chase said the role didn’t take much preparation, Crystal stepped in to clarify, “For literally every scene he prepared with his acting teacher before we headed for Toronto.”
A screenshot from the trailer to Black Phone 2 features photographs of the Grabber’s three young victims, including Spike, played by local actor Chase B. Robertson, at the right. Screenshot
Similar to the 2021 movie Black Phone 2 is a sequel to, the young ghost victims of past murders appear throughout, often popping up out of nowhere.
This took some fancy camera work and concise positioning on the part of Chase and the other actors, Chrystal said, adding that her son undertook “A lot of blocking and preparing” for these scenes.
Chase took up acting a few years ago through That Creative Loft, a local creative studio founded by instructor and actress Kelly Lamb which offers acting, performance and media arts programming.
He took an interest after a friend started acting, got an agent and started earning himself acting credits, of which Black Phone 2 is his first feature film.
Black Phone 2 filmed in the Greater Toronto Area between November and January, and Chase spent 22 days on set, driven to set by supportive family members.
“There was a lot of travelling and a lot of juggling, and he really loves it, so between myself, my husband, my brother in law and my sister in law, there were a lot of taking turns in taking him to Toronto and on location in Huntsville,” Chrystal said.
An easy highlight from the filming process was the stunts, Chase said, including one where he and two other ghost boys were harnessed 30 feet in the air and lowered from the ceiling on wires.
“It’s super fun, cool, thrilling,” he said. “It’s just cool to do stunts.”
A bonus for family members driving him to set was witnessing the filming process, Chrystal said.
“They did some pretty gory scenes made with animatronics, it was not CGI so it was cool to see that process,” she said. “They did as much practical work as possible.”
Having notched a life-changing and positive experience on Black Phone 2, Chase said he remains focused on maintaining an acting career, and would like the opportunity to work on a sitcom some day.
Black Phone 2 is currently screening at Imagine Cinemas downtown and SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas off of The Kingsway.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.