Jumanji's Madison Iseman Is More Than Meets The Eye

Madison Iseman seems destined for Hollywood. All blonde locks and bright white smile, the 23-year-old actress fits right into sunny Southern California. You probably wouldn't have guessed that she's a bona fide horror buff who spent her childhood making slasher flicks on a camcorder. “My friends and I were having a sleepover and I burned a copy of the scary part of The Ring and put it into the DVD we were going to watch,” she laughs.   

Iseman’s breakout role came in the 2017 blockbuster film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, where she portrayed a teenager trapped in the body of Jack Black. She has since starred in the sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, indulged in her penchant for horror films in Annabel Comes Home, and played a gutsy high school senior in The F**k-It List, which released on Netflix over the summer.

Now, the actress has two more films coming to streamers next month, one being Clouds, the Disney+ teen drama that follows the true story of Zach Sobiech, a teenager with rare bone cancer whose song went viral prior to his death in 2013. She will also star opposite Sydney Sweeney in Nocturne, a Blumhouse Television thriller about a talented pianist whose competition with her sister takes a turn for the sinister. Below, L'Officiel speaks to the actress about horror films, being stereotyped, and her upcoming projects. 

You’ve had roles across many genres. Is that a conscious choice? Is there a particular genre you enjoy more than others?

It was a little intentional, because after Jumanji came out, there was a time when I would only get auditions to play the blonde bimbo with a phone in her hand. I’m much more than that, so it was important for me to stretch myself so I wouldn’t be typecast. I love horror movies because they’re a lot of fun, but I definitely like to switch it up and try different characters.

You moved to LA at a young age — what was that like?

I grew up in South Carolina, and my dream was always to make it to LA. I struggled in high school back home; I never really fit in and I didn't have a ton of friends, so I was eager to find a way out. I found a school in California and then I just packed my bags and left halfway through my sophomore year. That was pretty scary, but I’m glad I did it!

You have two films coming out this month, Clouds and Nocturne, both of which are about music, although with very different tones. Do you have a musical background?

I actually played violin in high school, so when I read the script for Nocturne I was all for it, because it’s about the competitiveness of classical music, and I'm very familiar with that world.

Clouds is based on Zach Sobiech’s story. What drew you to this project and did you know about Zach as his song went viral in 2012?

I never followed the story closely, but when I played the song I definitely remembered it from somewhere. I’ve always wanted to be a part of something a little bigger than myself, and to be able to play a real person. It was really cool to get to know [Zach's friends and family] and tell their story the way they wanted it to be told. They were very involved from the beginning and were on set the whole time. It was a really unique experience. 

What was it like to be portraying real people? What sort of prep did you do for that?

I talked to Amy [Adamle] a ton. She gave Fin [Argus] and I the letters that she and Zach used to write  to each other. We also took a trip to their hometown and to the house that Zach grew up in and to his grave. It was overwhelming, but in a special way, and I don’t think the movie would be what it is if we didn’t have those experiences.

They've all seen the film a couple of times now, but the first time we were all nervous!

Your other film, Nocturne, is a bit darker. Can you tell us about the film and your character?

Nocturne is about a young pianist, Juliette (played by Sydney Sweeney), who discovers a dead girl’s mysterious journal containing demonic diagrams that, over time, push her to do the worst and overtake her sister at their prestigious school. I play her sister Vivian, the girl who has it all. She’s super talented and confident, she has a spot waiting for her at Juilliard, and she has everything going for her. Juliette tries to affect her artistic future, and that’s where the conflict arises.

Do we get to see any of your musical chops?

In a way! Obviously, we’re playing Juilliard pianists, which I cannot do, but we did spend hours mock-playing these pieces. It was a really interesting experience, and I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was. We learned it like a dance — you put your hands exactly where they need to be at the exact time.

You and Sydney Sweeney were already friends before the film. What was it like to work together?

It was awesome! Honestly, it’s something we never get to do, being blonde women of the same age. We typically go out against each other, so this was a really fun opportunity. I remember during our chemistry read — I didn’t know she was going to be there at the time — we were like, "Oh my gosh, no way!" It was so much fun, but it was an exhausting chemistry read. Our director [Zu Quirke] is very, very in-depth.