Scott said she was immediately drawn to Finn's statement that the film was more of a character piece than a classic horror film, and while filming it was just a matter of, “Do I sing or dance today or cry and scream?” the actress added , she made sure to shed the role at the end of the day, noting, “I actually think I'd go crazy if I stuck with it.”

Finn also explained how he helps his actors achieve the film's signature smile, joking: “Sometimes the actors come across as very prepared, I can see they've studied at home in the mirror, and sometimes it takes a little bit more coaching.” .”

“I find that you actually want to smile in a friendly way; You don't want to overdo it, you don't want to strain your face, but it's just a matter of separating the eyes from the smile and then how you position the head,” he continued. “There is a slight tilt of the head; There's the famous “Kubrick Stare”, we kind of borrowed from that idea, and then it's all about the tools of filmmaking – framing and sound design.

Jack Nicholson is perhaps best known for that stare, and his son Ray has a supporting role in the film, appearing on promotional posters with the creepy smile. Nicholson said he did the smiling scenes in one take, joking: “Going into it, Naomi kind of prepared me for it: '(Finn) is very specific, he'll work with anyone, I don't think you do that.' .' That's wrong, he's just very specific.' And we did it and Naomi was like, 'It's just one take, it's done.'”

And as for the future of the franchise, Finn is optimistic, saying: “There are so many exciting avenues Smile could go under. We'll have to see how the audience reacts to it Smile 2but I think that's the great thing about it Smile Is it possible to tell very different stories and transport ourselves to different worlds? Smile then he comes in and invades.”

Smile 2 hits theaters on Friday.