Isabelle Fuhrman, star of Orphan: First Kill – the prequel to the 2009 horror movie Orphan – has shared how she has been left “thoroughly disturbed” by the de-ageing process in the upcoming film. Fuhrman, now 24-years-old, told The Hollywood Reporter how “creepy” it was to see herself reprise the role she first played as a child.
Orphan is a cult classic that tells the story of a mysterious child named Esther(Fuhrman) who, after appearing as a lonely nine-year-old and getting adopted by an unsuspecting family, is later revealed to be a 30-year old killer. Fuhrman was just 12-years-old when filming for the original spooky movie took place, and now decades later, she will be playing the part of Esther once again in a new prequel flick directed by William Brent Bell (The Boy).
Considering Fuhrman’s current age, there has been speculation on how the star will manage to reprise the role she originally played in 2009. However, Fuhrman has assured fans that she has recaptured her child-like self in Orphan: First Kill, so much so that she has managed even to scare herself.
“We didn’t use special effects; we didn’t use any crazy makeup tricks. And I think that’s what makes the movie work,” the actor said. “Because you really can’t figure out how I look like a [9-year-old], but I do. And it’s really creepy.”
“I was there every day. I know all the tricks, and I’m so thoroughly disturbed right now, because I somehow am nine years old again, and it doesn’t make any sense… I was like, how do I revisit this part and then also convincingly play a kid?” Fuhrman continued. “Because that was the easy part last time, the hard part was trying to be an adult. Now the hard part is I have to be a kid.”
In 2021, Fuhrman’s co-star Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You), also attested to how, despite the thriller movie’s lack of CGI and use of animation, Fuhrman as a young kid is shockingly believable, saying: “her performance is stunning, because she embodies a child too in the way that she talks and the way she walks.”
Currently, there is no release date for Orphan: First Kill, so it looks like we’ll have to wait a while before we get a chance to see if Fuhrman meets our creepy “child expectations” for. However, we know that the film will be as tense and gory as its predecessor as it has now received an R-rating.
For more chills and thrills here is our list of the best horror movies on Netflix right now.