Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Victoria Pedretti is a Certified Scream Queen

Victoria Pedretti is a Certified Scream Queen

From hauntings to murders Victoria Pedretti-seen here in Fendi’s Winter capsule collection-is a modern horror darling whose on-screen roles are the perfect fright night companions.

Based on her work in horror hits like The Haunting anthology and psychological thriller series You, you may think Victoria Pedretti enjoys the genre. The 26-year-old actress, however, is a self-described “scaredy cat.” A fact she admits over a video call from her Los Angeles home, while her actual pet cat, Cayenne, crawls into her lap. At the time of our conversation, the third season of You is just about to be released, and Pedretti still has Love on the brain—that is, her character, Love Quinn, the now-wife and co-conspirator to Penn Badgley's obsessive serial-killing stalker Joe Goldberg. In Season 3, the couple move to the suburbs toget a fresh start for their growing family, but their murderous impulses inevitably catch up to them. “I love this character so much,” Pedretti says. “She’s just interesting, complex, fun,and relatable.”

Pedretti’s performance as the confident, cunning, andsarcastic Love does indeed prove that a murderess can feel relatable to the audience. It’s her ability to capture that complexity that’s made Pedretti a rising scream queen. After making her TV debut as Nell in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House miniseries, she was tapped toplay Dani in the follow-up Bly Manor. While both shows follow independent stories and new characters, Pedretti’s roles share a thematic framework: that of a young woman grappling with trauma from her past, while dealing with imminent paranormal activity.



Bra and tights FENDI

Even in her foray into film, Pedretti has leaned into themacabre. Landing her very first movie role in 2019’s Tarantino flick Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, the actress appears as Leslie Van Houten, a real-life Manson Family member and convicted murderer known as Lulu. A year later, she had asupporting role in Shirley, a fictionalized drama based on the life of gothic novelist Shirley Jackson, played by Elizabeth Moss. Pedretti has also been cast as the lead in the upcoming film adaptation of Lucky, the memoir of writer Alice Sebold (author of The Lovely Bones).

While Pedretti admits that the darker themes of her work can weigh heavily at times, at the end of the day, they’re meant to entertain. And the collective desire for escapism during the pandemic led many to the fictional horrors found in film and TV. Even for scaredy cats like Pedretti, there’s comfort in losing yourself in the thrill of jump scares and fake blood. Here, the actress delves deeper into her role as Love, and how she separates herself from playing a murderer.



Jacket, pants, and bag FEND

L'OFFICIEL: In Season 3 of You, we learn that Love is just as good at playing the part, covering up her own violent impulses, as Joe. Was that part of her evolution a surprise to you?

VICTORIA PEDRETTI: I think that we all do that. We all have darker impulses that we’re uncomfortable with sharing with people. It kind of feels universal-it’s not that difficult to tap into. A lot of us are pretending that we’re someone that we’re not. That was pretty evident from the beginning. I don’tthink anybody’s naturally as confident and secure as she presents herself.


L'O: That’s a theme that is carried through to the other new characters in Madre Linda, the fictional suburb where Love and Joe settle down and start their family.

VP: I grew up in the suburbs, but that does not feel like what this is-this, like, uber-wealthy, private facade. I know nothing about that, so it was fun to delve into this very bougie, lots of money, lots of sex, lots of drugs drama that I guess super wealthy people find themselves in. Everybody’s got problems, but some people can put a lot of money towards their problems in a way that creates these very strange dynamics. For me, watching it, it’s so removed from my life and I feel like that’s part of the joy of it. Pointing your fingerat it and being like, “Fuck these people."



L’O: Are you the type of person who takes their work home and keeps thinking about it, even when you’re not on set?

VP: That always happens a little bit, but I always try to do things to combat that because I like who I am and I don’t want to take on the shit that isn't mine. I've got enough shit, you know what I mean? I don’t want to distract myself from my shit. You’ve got to stay focused and remember what’s yours. Ultimately, the story is written—and it’s not real! I think that’s a really important thing to remind yourself. When you take it too seriously, you can take it on. And I do take my work very seriously, which is OK, but there has to be an active reminder that it’s not real, that it’s work for the sake of entertainment and storytelling. I think my job should be enjoyable at the end of the day, and there are obviously elements of it that are uncomfortable or challenging, but it’s something I'm passionate about, so I dont want to be a burden.



L'O: What are some of those challenging aspects?

VP: Certain days, certain scenes. Every so often something really terrible happens, and then you have to go into work and play a scene where you’re happy and healthy. That’s the hardest-when you’re actually physically ill or sick and you have to pretend you’re healthy. But there areways to get there. It can be so empowering when you’re going through something really stressful-this happened somewhat recently, not on this project, but I was really stressed out, and then I meditated and I was able to focus on where I was and the work I was doing. I knew that the struggles weren’t going away, but I’m at work right now,so I gotta do this.


L’O: You’re pretty quiet on social media. Do you find the need to unplug?

VP: I just don’t think I have that much interesting stuff to say, to be honest. I feel like when I have something to share, I share it, but I’d much rather have a conversation like this. That’s how I like to communicate, get to know people, and connect. Instagram doesn’t seem conducive to that. And I don’t like that-I love the complicated, nuanced, messy aspects of pretty much every facet of life. I prefer to live in three dimensions, which is kind of ironic given the fact that we’re talking about a TV show.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×