Haunted Mansion: Rosario Dawson Talks Working With Young Co-Star Chase Dillon (Exclusive)

Haunted Mansion is being released in the theaters this week, and it 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). ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Stanfield and Dawson, and we brought up Dillon and his talents. Dawson spoke about working with the young actor and praised his professionalism. 

"Yeah, I think that the challenging stuff with potentially for the idea around why it can be so challenging to work with kids is because they also have such shortened hours and they've got to be going to school and they've got to do all this different kind of stuff. So, it can hinder the process," Dawson explained.

She continued, "But Chase is so brilliant, so talented, so present, and giving. His improv levels, his confidence, his assuredness, and his preparedness is something I haven't seen from grown adults who've been in this industry forever. He shows up and we maximize that time on set, except for when we get caught in storytelling. But that would happen with all of the actors on set. Storytime between us, [director] Justin Simien would be like, 'Let's go.' But it was remarkable."

Dawson added, "I played so much of Gabbie and who she is makes sense because of our dynamic, and that was just really cool to flesh out and discover and to build. They're a team, they're a bonafide team. And I think their commitment to each other and how the dynamic between them makes them both feel very real."

Does Owen Wilson Believe in Ghosts?

Haunted Mansion takes place in New Orleans, so the cast spent a lot of time in the city, which many believe to be haunted. During our interview with Owen Wilson, we asked about his time in New Orleans and whether or not he believes in ghosts.

"Well you know, I'd been to New Orleans I think twice, always for just kind of a day at a time, where I never really understood why people kind of love it so much," Wilson explained. "And this time, being there for a while, I was like, 'Okay, this is a great city.' There's always the food and the music, but just walking around and the sense of history. And it does feel like you're kind of walking in ancient footprints and you can see why that sort of lends itself to kind of a place where ghosts would like to gather. " 

"I do," Wilson replied when asked if he believes in ghosts. "I do. I've kind of been changing my answer, because earlier on it was, 'I'd like to. I've never experienced it.' But I think that there is more going on than meets the eye." He added, "And I like the idea that there's something supernatural. Just that word, 'supernatural.'" 

Haunted Mansion lands in theaters on July 28th.

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