Nightbooks' Young Stars Talk Friendship, Scares, and CGI Cats

While Krysten Ritter is the most recognizable face on the poster of Netflix's newest family horror film, Nightbooks, it's the movies two young stars that provide its beating heart. Winslow Fegley and Lidya Jewett play Alex and Yasmin, respectively, two kids who are held captive by an evil witch. Their characters couldn't be more different, but of course, they form an inseparable bond over the course of the film and their differences become their strengths. As it turns out, a similar sentiment goes for the two young actors portraying the characters, who formed a fast friendship while filming Nightbooks.

"Since we didn't know each other beforehand it was really quick," Jewett told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview. "It was a really quick way to build a friendship. So it was basically just whenever we had time during lunch of during school or even on set between takes, we just asked questions about each other, got to know each other. Winslow's a huge horror buff and I'm afraid of everything. So I think it's definitely great to see how we're so different, but we also were able to find some commonalities in each other that really brought us together."

"I think it was really easy, to be honest, because we just kind of clicked as friends from the get-go and it wasn't very hard," added Fegley. "It just worked out and it turned out great."

In addition to school at work, the duo were able to bond over their adoration of the two cats who played the mischievous Lenore in the film.

"There were real two cats and then some stuff with CGI," Fegley said. "Like I don't actually throw the cat. There were these two adorable, amazing cats, Trixie and Cleo. So we got to hang out with them on set. It was really fun and they were amazing, shout out to Trixie and Cleo."

As Jewett mentioned, Fegley isn't scared of much (a lot like his character), but she's much more easily frightened. The first time the duo encountered the model for the film's Shredder creature (a giant spider with a human-like skull) is a memory that will stick with her for quite a while.

"Definitely when we saw the prototype of the Shredder because they had it in person at one point when we were in the Night Nursery. It was crazy," Jewett told us. "It was CGI of course, there's no animal that looks like that, thank goodness. But I was just imagining this kind of spider with a huge head but it was so much more than that so I think that was one of the scariest moments."

Being the horror buff that he is, Fegley wasn't put off by the creature. "It was really awesome," Fegley said, causing a laugh from both actors. "I love scary stuff, I don't get scared super easily."

You can watch the full interview with Fegley and Jewett in the video at the top of the page. Nightbooks is currently streaming on Netflix.

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