Haunted Mansion Star LaKeith Stanfield Talks Movie’s Emotional Moments (Exclusive)

Haunted Mansion is now playing in theaters, and the Justin Simien-directed film follows a doctor (Rosario Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon) who move into a mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that it’s haunted. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Owen Wilson), who also enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned-failed-paranormal expert (LaKeith Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Tiffany Haddish), and a crotchety historian (Danny DeVito). While there are plenty of spooky moments and laughs to be had in the film, the newest Disney flick also has a surprising amount of heart. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to speak with Stanfield, and we asked him if the film’s emotional beats are what drew him to the script. 

“Wow. I’m glad that you felt moved by it,” Stanfield replied. “I mean, it was real for me, so I’m glad it could be real for you, too. Yeah, there’s a story that’s at the heart of this already fun, fantastical, interesting, scary kind of movie and story, but there’s something there that has sustenance. And I feel that always speaks to me when I read scripts.”

He continued, “I like to, if I’m going to put something out in the world, hopefully, put something out there that makes people reflect. You’re going to have a good time, but hopefully you can also, too, reflect your own life and see how what you’re ingesting might help you navigate that. Or maybe there are things you’re being shown that you want to avoid or whatever. So, I’m glad that there was that central story there, that was big for me.”

You can watch our interview with LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson at the top of the page.

LaKeith Stanfield On Working With Disney:

There are a few actors in Haunted Mansion who have worked with Disney multiple times before, but it marks Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield’s first time playing in the House of Mouse. During ComicBook.com‘s interview with Stanfield, we asked about his first Disney experience. 

“It was cool. Just the scale was really big,” Stanfield explained. “And that’s what I realized at first, walking onto the set, it was just so intricate. And it’s like Rosario pointed out in a conversation that we were having about the level of detail and how many people are involved, it’s like a small city. You walk on set, you’re like, ‘Wow, there’s so many people who specialize in their particular aspects.’ And it was just nice to have that. And to be involved with this ensemble of just so many different people from different backgrounds that are helping us do this one thing together. It really felt communal and cool.”

He continued, “And it made me think about how this is life. It’s us, as living beings, working together for a common goal. And it kind of is interesting to think about mortality and all of that and how the generation sort of come in and out tides, and what we’re doing while we’re here and how we help each other. And I don’t know, there’s something like metaphorical about that. While we were on set, I was like, ‘Wow, we’re all here right now. We all won’t always be, but we’re all here right now and we’re enjoying this moment and that matters.’ So, it was cool.”

Haunted Mansion is now playing in theaters. 

Editors note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG actors’ strike.