Warning: SPOILERS for M3GAN 2.0, now playing in theaters.M3GAN 2.0 is the genre-bending sequel to the 2023 Blumhouse hit, which itself combined horror and comedy in a cautionary tale about AI tailormade for Gen Z. Beyond filmmaker Gerard Johnstone’s innovative take on the killer robot narrative, much of the movie’s charm came from M3GAN herself. The companion doll, portrayed physically by Amie Donald (Sweet Tooth) and voiced by Jenna Davis (Lisa Frankenstein), is a perfect blend of sinister presence, snarky wit, and surprising dance moves that keep audiences coming back for more.
In the sequel, M3GAN’s code has been manipulated by the U.S. government to create an ᴀssᴀssin robot named AMELIA (Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android, played by Ivanna Sakhno). When they lose control of her, they have no choice but to come to Gemma (Allison Williams) to put a stop to her. And so, Gemma reboots her niece Cady’s (Violet McGraw) old robot, now having sat in time out for untold hours without a physical form. The two robots go head-to-head, with M3GAN now serving as a true ally rather than a poorly programmed babysitter — eventually sacrificing herself (however temporarily) to save the humans.
ScreenRant interviewed Donald to discuss how she steps into her robotic role in M3GAN 2.0. The actor showed how different her training was the second time around, how she and Ivanna Sakhno worked together on the final showdown, and what she personally thinks of M3GAN’s redemptive arc. Finally, the actor shared where she’d like to see the franchise go next.
M3GAN 2.0’s Extensive Training Allowed For Exciting Fight Improv
“Gerard Decided That He Wanted To Change A Little Bit Of The Fight Scene…”
One of the biggest surprises in M3GAN 2.0 is the sheer number and scale of the fight scenes. The first movie leaned into more of a domestic horror, but the killer robot’s slasher moments involved a quick dance sequence followed by a killing (or more often a maiming). Donald had to train much harder and longer the second time around. “Before the movie even started, I trained in martial arts. I did Wing Chun training, I did kickboxing training, and rig wire training to prepare for all of the big fight scenes,” the young actor explained.
Some things were last-minute and just throw in there, but others we’ve been training for since the start.
The biggest fight scene is naturally the final climactic showdown between M3GAN and her nemesis AMELIA. Donald had nothing but praise for her costar when describing the filming experience. “I loved working with Ivanna. She’s just the sweetest person.” Their opposite-of-adversarial relationship offscreen came from the extensive training. “I grew quite close with her on this film, and we did a lot of training with the stunt team to see where we wanted the fight choreography to go.”
But perhaps the most shocking part of that final fight scene is that, even though “Gerard [Johnstone] had a very particular way that he wanted the fight scene to go in his head,” it nearly turned out very differently. “A couple of days before wrap, Gerard decided that he wanted to change a little bit of the fight scene,” the actor revealed. “Some things were last-minute and just throw in there, but others we’ve been training for since the start.” The end result is a brutal back-and-forth that nearly shreds M3GAN before she can get the better of her opponent.
Dancing To The Beat Of M3GAN’s Killer Robot Drum
“Going Into The Second Movie, We Had To Have A Dance”
Going mano a mano with AMELIA was especially tricky because, as Donald pointed out, “They’re both robots, so they can almost see what the other robot is going to do.” Both actors, alongside the director and stunt team, made an effort to stylize the steps. “Obviously, it’s not two humans fighting, which would be a lot different. Because two robots are fighting, you have to have that in your mind that they would have a slight awareness of what the other person’s going to do.”
M3GAN 2.0 may be more action-oriented than its predecessor, but it hasn’t forgotten its roots – namely the viral dance sequence that got all of TikTok talking. Donald expressed her amazement at the popularity of her moves. “In the first film, the dance went really viral, which was insane because it wasn’t in the script.” Naturally, that meant that, “going into the second movie, we had to have a dance.” But they didn’t just copy and paste the last iteration, seeing as the dance had to evolve with the doll.
“We did a lot of different styles and played with how we wanted the dance to go,” Donald explained. “At some point in the dance, obviously, M3GAN spins and her head stays still, so that was really fun to do because they had a little turning platform, and they spun you.” But motivation had as much to do with the new style as virality did. “In the first movie, she was trying to distract someone to get the weapon, but this time she just got stuck and then just got into the groove a little bit more.”
Getting To The Heart Of M3GAN 2.0 With Amie Donald
“Gemma Is Figuring Out If M3GAN’s Acting Out Of The Kindness Of Her Little Robot Heart”
AI evolution is the name of the game in M3GAN 2.0, but while the plot of the movie goes from domestic to insтιтutional misuses of AI, M3GAN herself grows in a more internal way. “[Gerard and I] were having conversations before the movie started about how we wanted M3GAN to be this time,” Donald said. “We wanted her to be more sᴀssy and have her own personality. This time around, she’s not programmed to protect only Cady, so she’s got a little bit of her own personality.”
While snarky and arrogant, M3GAN is also contrite about her past behavior to some degree. Naturally, the movie needs Gemma to forgive her in order to move forward, but Donald isn’t so sure she would have done the same. “If I were Gemma, I wouldn’t rebuild her. I think that would’ve been way too risky,” the actor admitted. Cady, however, is a different story. “From Cady’s perspective, she was a friend to her. If it was up to Cady, she’d build her again.”
The M3GAN and Cady dynamic is heartwarming, but Gemma’s change of heart is the engine that powers the story. It also meant Donald and Williams (who serves as a producer on the project and is deeply invested in the franchise) worked together even more in the second film. “I grew really close to Allison, so it was fun to play around with her as Aunt Gemma.” In the movie, “Gemma is still trying to figure out if M3GAN’s acting out of the kindness of her little robot heart, or if she’s trying to just do something evil.”
Where Does M3GAN Go From Here?
If M3GAN 2.0 Is Action, Can M3GAN 3.0 Be A Romcom?
Johnstone revels in the genre-jumping, having done from horror-comedy in M3GAN to action-thriller in the sequel, but Donald feels like she’s found her niche. “I really enjoy the action, so I reckon we should stay with that,” she offered shyly. But more importantly, she loves seeing the doll as an ally to humans. “Now that M3GAN has proven that she helped out of the kindness of her own heart, I feel like I would like to see Cady and M3GAN become friends again. I would like to see more of them together in the next one.”
Whether or not there is another M3GAN movie, we’re sure to be seeing a lot of Donald on our screens in the future. Despite not voicing the character herself, she infused everybody’s favorite killer robot doll with spark and personality through her movements. Where, then, can we find her next? “I would love to do a lot of action or stick with horror,” the actor mused. “I do have a couple of things coming up, but I would also like to continue doing conventions because I love meeting everyone. Everyone is really sweet. So I’d love to keep doing that.”
M3GAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters.
Check out our other interviews here:
- Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, and Gerard Johnstone
- Ivanna Sakhno
