Escape Room: Tournament of Champions Stars Talk the Terror of the Twisted Traps

When Escape Room landed in theaters in 2019, it introduced audiences to the world of Minos, a nefarious organization that put victims’ problem-solving skills to the test with deadly escape-room puzzles. For the sequel, Minos has brought back some of its former contestants to go head to head in hopes of surviving even more unsettling contraptions, which pushes both their minds and bodies to the limit if they hope to make it out alive. This means that audiences get to see more of Ben (Logan Miller) from the first film, but also sees us meeting other champions, like Rachel (Holland Roden). Escape Room: Tournament of Champions hits theaters on July 16th.

“I saw the first film in preparation for this audition and then I think it was divine intervention because I really enjoyed the film, I thought it was a really great balance between getting to know these characters and letting that narrative breathe as well as the pacing that a movie like this obviously has to keep up,” Roden shared with ComicBook.com about her excitement to join the sequel. “I thought that was a great challenge. I really was just a fan of the first, so I was honored when they cast me in the second one.”

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is the sequel to the box office hit psychological thriller that terrified audiences around the world. In this installment, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive…and discovering they’ve all played the game before.

Despite the disturbing premises and situations the cast found themselves in, experiencing a world where it’s hard to trust the reality presented to you, it was seemingly easier than expected to leave that perspective behind when filming would wrap.

“The thing is, us, as actors, always have to jump into really crazy experiences, whether it be a romantic situation or an escape room, torturing yourselves for three months on end,” Miller admitted. “I think I’ve grown numb to the fact that I’m having to do very crazy experiences on set so I’m able to, thankfully, separate myself from the art and reality. I think that’s a super power I’ve gained over the years, where I can be crying and being tortured for hours on end and get off set and then just ask everybody how their loved ones are.”

Roden continued, “To add on what Logan said, I have really normalized being in like nipple covers and a thong in front of 60 people, that just feels normal to me. Thankfully, this movie, I didn’t have to do that. But when you call ‘cut,’ I’m definitely an actor who leaves it at work. Even when I watch the movie back and I see a scene, I think, ‘Oh, that’s the day I got my dog back from the vet,’ that’s how I watch the movie sometimes. I’ve always said, first and foremost, my life is the most important thing for me, and I like to enjoy making films.”

The traps in the film might be intimidating to audiences, but there ended up being a lot of similarities between how films are brought to life and the requirements of the characters.

“Filmmaking is problem-solving, so every day, you’re met with challenges and so I think that, in a way, this will be helpful in challenging situations throughout all of life,” Miller remarked. He joked, “And the fact that I’ve had to fake being tortured in basically any other element, like, bring it on, baby. If somebody wants to try to torture me in real life, good luck.”

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions hits theaters on July 16th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!