Joining Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey in Universal Pictures’ terrifying new supernatural thriller Truth or Dare are five young actors on the cusp of stardom — Violett Beane, Nolan Gerard Funk, Sophia Taylor Ali, Hayden Szeto and Landon Liboiron.
In Truth or Dare, a group of college friends heads to Mexico for one last getaway before they begin their post-grad lives and head their separate ways. As with any core crew, long-brewing romances and allegedly buried conflicts begin to emerge as they prepare to say goodbye. When a handsome stranger cons Olivia (Lucy Hale) into getting her friends to play a supposedly silly game of “Truth or Dare,” they awaken a trickster demon that is hell-bent on getting them to share their darkest secrets or confront their deepest fear…and if they don’t, they’ll pay the ultimate price.
Markie (Violettt Beane). Although Markie appears from the outside as if she’s got her life together…inside she’s a bit of a hot mess. She’s dealt with real tragedy in her life. Not only is she barely holding it together in her relationship, she lost her father after his suicide years ago. Her bestfriend Oliva’s been her rock, and their bond will become the central relationship that is tested.
Tyson (Nolan Gerard Funk) is morally questionable charmer who’s getting ready to go to medical school. As much as he feels that he’s God’s gift to the world, Tyson’s friends give him a pass because of his witty ways.
Tyson is dating Penelope (Sophia Taylor Ali of Grey’s Anatomy), who is the life of the party—sweet, fun, beautiful, and down for anything. Still, the fact that she parties a bit too much might just be her downfall.
Last, but not least, is Brad (Hayden Szeto, The Age of Seventeen), who is the heart of the group. Struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, he hasn’t come out to his parents yet. His dad is a no-nonsense police officer, which has created a lot of tension in Brad’s life. Ultimately, it’s an issue he’s going to have to work out throughout the course of the story.
Carter (Landon Liboiron of the Netflix series Hemlock Grove) deceptively brings Olivia and her friends into the game. Wadlow explains how the character was supposed to be a new beginning for our heroine. “For Olivia, this feels like a sign that it is time to move on from Lucas and stop pining for him. She thinks, ‘I’m going to take a risk.’ When the night is winding down and she meets this charismatic, friendly, considerate guy at the bar—and the group is pondering what to on their last night in Mexico—Carter says, ‘I know someplace we can go…’”
Cast set, the performers fulfilled director Jeff Wadlow’s objective of providing the audience with fully rounded characters to care about. The director offers his logic: “If you push someone who is already morally questionable into a compromising situation, you don’t care as much about the outcome. We wanted to portray multidimensional characters you connect with and like. These aren’t placeholders waiting to die, like they often are in horror movies. What makes very human, real moments all the more heartbreaking is that the game is using them against our characters, and there’s very little they can do to stop it…other than play.”
Now playing in Philippine cinemas, Truth or Dare is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.