Isa Briones talks all things ‘Goosebumps’ season 1, hopes for the series, and more.

Photo credit: Disney/David Astorga

Written by: Gracie Lowes

Get ready because Goosebumps is back and ready to give you a fresh new mix of horror and comedy.

The new series follows “a group of five high schoolers embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle, while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents' past.”

I had the chance to sit down (virtually) with actress Isa Briones who plays “Margot Stokes” in the show, to talk about her time on set, her hopes for the future of the franchise, and more.

You can read the full interview below.

Gracie Lowes: First off, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today! I want to start off by saying a big congratulations on your latest project “Goosebumps”, it’s done super well on Disney+ and I’ve loved watching it.

Isa Briones: “Thank you so much!”

Gracie: These characters go through a lot in this show. Could you talk about what it was like stepping into this fictional world and how you’ve seen “Margot” grow from the pilot to the finale?

Isa: “When I first auditioned, I remember I got the script for what the first episode was at the time, it ended up being very different though. But I remember reading the character and I feel like sometimes when you’re an actor either auditioning for something or starting a new role it can take time to figure out who a character is and find their voice, but for me, the cool thing about this was that I read it and was immediately like ‘I hear her voice, I know who she is’. Margot kind of feels like a version of me, and I think the cool thing about it is that the only other TV show that I did was Star Trek Picard which was really amazing but it’s a specific kind of job to always be doing something that is like ‘we’re in space and aliens are coming after us’ and all that stuff. And then obviously with Goosebumps, it’s ghouls and goblins and such, but the thing that was really exciting about this was at its core Margot and these new teenagers are just kids going through normal high school stuff, and you get to see a good amount of that before the spooky stuff starts happening and I think that’s really cool to be able to see the arcs of these characters and how they progress through it. Margot has this arc where she's always been intelligent, smart, and a leader in the group in the way of trying to figure out what’s happening, but I think throughout the show she gains a lot of confidence in herself.”

Gracie: I love the fact that this is such a beloved series and franchise, with that being said, were you a fan before you booked this role?

Isa: “When I was a kid I definitely read quite a few of the books, there are so many though that I don’t think I read all of them. But I remember in elementary school that was the classic thing to read, we always had it in our classroom library, and I think for a lot of kids it was the entryway into something scarier and spookier that for the first time your parents were not reading to you. I remember reading it so clearly but I didn’t watch the TV show as much, but the books were always a big part of my childhood and I think the cool thing about it is seeing how this show knows that a lot of the original Goosebumps fans are in their 30’s now and they don’t just want to see stories that are just tailored towards kids. I think a big worry for die-hard Goosebumps fans was that we were going to make this show super kiddie, but this show really made it relatable for both old and new fans, it really bridges the gap while keeping the nostalgia and staying current.”

Gracie: Definitely, and I love that teenagers can now connect with shows like this one that they might love over social media. Talking about social media, I’ve seen the cast posting all the fun behind-the-scenes photos and videos and this honestly seems like a great cast. I’m wondering do you have a favourite moment or memory from your time on this set?

Isa: “Now that we can post behind-the-scenes content since the strike is over, thank you to our amazing union leaders! I had to go through almost a year full of just content that I’ve been holding onto, and as you can see in the posts we’re all very close and we have been from the first moment we all met. We filmed in Vancouver and it was foreign to us since we had never been there before and didn’t know anyone so we really had to band together, and we spent all of our days together even if we weren’t filming. So with that being said, there are too many hilarious memories to count on set, we’re all kind of unhinged when the five of us get together, we’re still professional but we definitely push the limits a bit. But the memory that’s popping into my mind right now is my birthday, which is in January, we had just come back from holiday break and I was going through a rough time and I just remember everyone saying ‘We’re gonna make your birthday the best birthday you’ve ever had’! I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t get super excited about my birthday, in theory, it’s fun but on the actual day you’re crying and eating crackers, so I just remember this moment and thinking ‘These are four people who are going to be best friends that I have for the rest of my life’.”

Photo credit: Disney/David Astorga

Gracie: This show is action-packed and has viewers binge-watching the series. Have you and the cast talked about a possible season 2 and what you would want to see for it?

Isa: “Oh yeah, we let our imagination run! Of course, we have no idea though, fingers crossed that there will be a second season but since we were filming in Vancouver and it was beautiful, we were filming in December and it was cold. So we would joke on set that next season if there is one, would take place at summer camp. It's gotta be summer because we can’t film in the snow again. Besides that, we just really want to work together again and I think now that the group has come together and the characters are closer in the show I think that opens the door for such rich plot lines and character development between all of them. And one thing that Ana and I always talk about is that we really want Isabella and Margot to become best friends because it’s criminal that we spend so little screen time together.”

Gracie: If you could describe this show in three words what would they be?

Isa: “I would say hilarious because we have some incredible comedic actors in the adult cast and I think they brought it out of us as well. I would also say friendship and the last word is kind of a hyphen but family-ties because it’s all about what you inherit.”

Gracie: My last question for you is, do you have any future projects that you can hint at or talk about?

Isa: “Nothing that I can talk about! But just keep streaming Goosebumps so we can hopefully get a season 2 please!”