Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Season 2 of Based on a True Story!Sara Paxton is showcasing a new side to her acting skills in Based on a true story season 2. Paxton first achieved success as a teenager with the teen fantasy romantic comedy Aquamarine which, although initially not a box office success, became a cult favorite, propelling her to stardom with subsequent roles in Return to HalloweentownAmanda Bynes' co-star Sydney White and Wes Craven remake The last house on the left. More recently, Paxton has been seen in everything from the Hugh Jackman-led film Bad education for Ana de Armas' Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde and Twin Peaks: The Return.
Paxton joins the Based on a true story Season 2 cast as Paige, sister of Natalia Dyer's Chloe, one of the main victims of Tom Bateman's Westside Ripper in Season 1. Initially introduced as Matt tries to move on from his serial killer ways, it is eventually revealed that Paige is also the killer copycat Ava Kaley Cuoco has been stalking, motivated by her sister's death and wanting to bring Matt out of the shadows. After torturing Ava and Chris Messina's Nathan for a while, Matt stabs her and apparently kills her, only to be held captive by him in the final moments.
Alongside Paxton, Cuoco, Bateman and Messina, the group Based on a true story The Season 2 cast features old and new faces, including Liana Liberato and Melissa Fumero as Drew, a mother who befriends Ava, although she is later revealed to be Matt's ex-wife. With an 82% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has raised the bar even higher since its well-received first season and left the door open for exciting new stories.
In the wake of the show's bloody finale, TelaRant interviewed Sara Paxton to discuss Based on a true story Season 2, how she was a big fan of the previous series and thought she was only getting a small supporting role, filming her killer identity revealed, what the future holds for her after the season finale, and her upcoming reunion with Zach Cregger on Weapons.
Paston was a big fan of Based on a true story Before entering season 2
She also had no idea what her role actually entailed.
ScreenRant: I'm so happy to talk to you, Sara. I'm a long time fan of yours, I admit, but also a big fan of Based on a true story. I just love this show so much. So, did this show and your character really make you want to be part of this weird and wild world?
Sara Paxton: Well, I love the show and I was excited about the entire first season, so I was really excited to be a part of the second season. I'm a true crime addict. I love mystery, I love suspense and I also love dark and witty humor. So the fact that the show merges all these genres, the show is tailor-made for me to be a fan. I didn't know anything about my character when I auditioned, and they just gave me a page of dialogue. It was very basic dialogue, nothing too crazy. And I thought, “Well, I like this show, so I'm happy to be a part of it in any way I can,” when I auditioned. And of course it became so much more, but I didn't know anything about it.
So when talking about this big reveal, as you alluded to on the big reveal page, it's an incredible reveal, first of all. It was something I didn't expect. I'd love to know what it was like for you filming that reveal, especially since you just literally murdered two people in the other room.
Sara Paxton: That first moment of revelation was so much fun. Filming that whole episode was so much fun, because I had just watched it – I admit, it's not me, it's my stunt double, doing cartwheels and stabbing and blood splashing on the window. And I was like, “Wow, I'm tough, that's so cool.” [Laughs] So that kind of contributed to my revelation, and it was very exciting. I've never played a character that is – maybe again – a villain like that, so I just wanted to really go for it and have a lot of fun, because I feel like a lot of the roles I've played in the past are either the victim of a murder or I'm the bad girl. That's a villain, but not like this, so it was really fun.
As a big fan of The innkeepersIt felt like a complete twist, which I loved. Obviously, you being the copycat killer isn't revealed until later in the season, and we see you in other episodes with a more reserved personality. What is it like to follow this line in performance? Did you know going into these scenes that you would eventually reveal yourself as a big scenery-chewing killer, or did you approach these scenes without knowing that?
Sara Paxton: I think the producers and directors of my episodes really handled it perfectly, because, like I said, when I auditioned, I only had one page of dialogue, and it had nothing to do with who the character would become. And I thought, “Oh, it's a small episode, small character, okay.” And then when I got on set and finished shooting those scenes, everyone got together and Jaclyn and Anu [Valia]and I think Alex Buono, the other director of the other episodes, and Annie. They said, 'Okay, we can tell you, there's more to your character.' I was like, “Oh, okay, what's going on?”
Inside, my fingers were crossed and I thought, “Please let me be a killer. Please let me be a killer.” And then they told me, “You’re the serial killer of the season.” I freaked out, I was so excited. So initially, to answer your question, I didn't even think about it, because I filmed those scenes without even knowing where my character was going to go. But then, moving forward, I think they helped me find that balance that is there but not too revealing. My character is really distraught over her sister's murder, so you could attribute any emotion or anger to that, and nothing else. So they helped me follow that line.
Paxton doesn't know what his fate will be after the end of season 2
She has ideas about where Paige's story goes next
We also see you confronted by Matt in the Based on a true story season 2 ends when he comes to save Ava and Nathan. We don't necessarily know his character's fate, as we saw Matt holding Paige captive somewhere. I'd love to hear not only what you think is going through Paige's mind when she's confronted by Matt, but also what you may or may not know about where your character ends up after this ending.
Sara Paxton: I think in that moment that's what she's been waiting for all these months since her sister's murder, and when she realized, in that first episode, you see my character, she realized who Matt is and why he was there. I think once she knows, she is filled with serial killer joy that he is right in front of her. He fell into her trap, and now is the moment she's probably been imagining for a long time. And I won't say – well, seriously, I don't know where my character will go. I'm just as excited as the audience to find out.
Is there anything you'd like to see, especially if we get the green light for season three?
Sara Paxton: I've thought of a million things, but I feel like it would be interesting if they teamed up. But I don't know, the audience will have to watch the show and form their own hypotheses about what's to come.
It would be really interesting to see her and Matt come together and find a way to forgive each other. It would be interesting character development.
Sara Paxton: I think so too. It kind of gives me Pulp Fiction in restaurant vibes.
Paxton will have another”Sneaky Cameo“In Zach Cregger's book Weapons
She also has a rave advance review for the Barbarian Director's next film
I wanted to ask you quickly, as a huge fan of Zach, I loved that you made a sneaky cameo Barbarian. We can expect something similar in Weapons? Or do you at least have any idea how he will compare to the Barbarian?
Sara Paxton: Yes, I also have a cameo in Armas. And I saw that, and it's really, really good. So I think people will be thrilled to finally see it when it comes out.
On Based on a true story Season 2
Season 2 finds new parents Ava and Nathan Bartlett three months into parenthood. Focused on taking care of her family, Ava is determined to resist her true crime obsession and return to work as a real estate agent while Nathan coaches private tennis clients. But a series of new murders draws her back – is Matt behind the murders? Is Tory, now involved in a relationship with Matt, in danger? For a while, life is good – Ava's TikTok habit and her new friend Drew provide a welcome distraction, and Nathan is committed to reigniting his tennis career as well as his friendship with Matt – until danger strikes. at your doorstep, literally.
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