The 2026 BFI London Film Festival opened Wednesday evening with a passionate homecoming screening of Simon Stone’s buzzy awards season frontrunner Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott.

Stone was present at the screening with his cast, including Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, and Johnny Flynn. The film’s wider cast features Luke Thompson, David Dawson, Monica Dolan, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, Georgie Glen, Sadie Soverall, Adeel Akhtar, Dickie Beau, Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan.

SPOILERS: This post contains details about the Season 1 finale of Prime Video‘s Carrie

As Mike Flanagan leaves another mark on the Stephen King onscreen universe with Prime Video’s Carrie, Matthew Lillard and Amber Midthunder have joined his talented troupe of horror actors.

While speaking to Deadline, the actors who play Principal Grayle and Miss Desjardin in the series, all episodes now streaming, explained how Flanagan provides the “freedom” for his actors to “thrive” on screen.

“I think that we understand his capacity to tell stories. He’s a beautiful filmmaker, but he’s also an incredible man, and I think that combination—I will follow him into whatever he’s doing next because the way he leads, the way he directs, the way he tells stories, how human he is, it’s all you want to be a part of in this business,” said Lillard.

Midthunder explained, “I think especially with this, there’s no reason for any sort of hesitation or doubt or fear or concern about exactly what this is. I think that Mike has executed incredibly well, the things that people love about Carrie and also created a really beautiful show.”

With the latest adaptation of King’s 1974 debut horror novel getting an eight-episode run to get to know these characters, it makes their fate all the more “tragic” in the fiery prom conclusion of the finale episode “AP Physics”.

Lillard noted, “You’d have to ask Mike why he made this ultimate choice, but to me it really signifies how catastrophic the demise of Carrie is in that last moment, that if she was in control, she would have probably saved these two characters. She probably wouldn’t have destroyed the entire town, but I think it’s symbolic of when a kid is pushed too far, the things that could tragically happen.”

For Midthunder, their fate is “part of the tragedy,” even if it deviates from the book. “There’s a lot of questionable morality, in especially our iteration of this, and nobody is perfect, but I think that we have two characters who are quite consistent in sort of what they’re motivated by, consistent in their drive and their moral compasses, and so to see those people … who are consistently good, and yet they also fall, I think it just adds to the tragedy and then Carrie’s guilt.”

Read on about Matthew Lillard and Amber Midthunder’s experience on Prime Video’s Carrie, now available to stream.

DEADLINE: You’ve both been in such iconic horror franchises. I’m curious what was it about Carrie and Mike Flanagan that made you wanna be a part of this adaptation.

MATTHEW LILLARD: Honestly, if we’re being candid, it was Flanagan that brings you in, right? I think that we understand his capacity to tell stories. He’s a beautiful filmmaker, but he’s also an incredible man, and I think that combination—I will follow him into whatever he’s doing next because the way he leads, the way he directs, the way he tells stories, how human he is, it’s all you want to be a part of in this business.

AMBER MIDTHUNDER: Yeah, I think that he’s already proved that anything is safe in his hands, right? Any story you love, any adaptation, any original idea, but I think especially with this, there’s no reason for any sort of hesitation or doubt or fear or concern about exactly what this is. I think that Mike has executed incredibly well, the things that people love about Carrie and also created a really beautiful show.

LILLARD: Yeah, and I just want to jump on top. I think that one of the interesting things that … going into the project, he had all eight scripts written that you could sit down and talk about the first day. We had a month of rehearsal, and the first day of rehearsal, he could tell you every scene, how he was gonna shoot it, what angle he was gonna be at in the cut. He told you at what time he was gonna shoot it on what day. So, that sort of capacity to have a full understanding of where you are and where you’re going as an actor gives you a sense of, there’s freedom within form, and he is so built and ready to tell the story that there’s a freedom within that you know you’ll thrive.

DEADLINE: I think this is the first time we’ve seen Principal Grayle in an adaptation on screen because it’s always been Mr. Morton. What was that like for you getting to originate that role, and since it’s so many episodes, actually flesh him out?

LILLARD: Yeah, it’s great. Every time you step into something, you make it your own. I mean, even if there were three iterations of him beforehand, I wouldn’t have watched it. I would have tried to just hold on to what’s in front of me. And it’s great, you’re trying to create something that resonates, you’re trying to make something that you’re proud of, and I think that he’s sort of the moral compass, he’s the grounding element. He’s the one trying to move everyone through this horrific experience. … I do think that for me, the interesting about Grayle is that he’s the calm in the storm, and I’m an actor that likes to make big choices and use my energy and sort of sometimes chew scenery, and with Mike, he was like, “I really want him grounded and strong and resolute, but simple,” simpler than I usually am. And so for me, it allowed me to sort of turn in a performance that’s different than a lot of things I’ve done before, and I’m at the end of the day, really proud of it.

DEADLINE: And for you, Amber, Miss Desjardin has been played by Betty Buckley and Judy Greer, some pretty amazing actresses. What was it like for you taking over that torch, but also getting to show more of her personal life the twist with Mr. Peist [Rahul Kohli] plays in all of it?

MIDTHUNDER: Getting to show this character as a fully rounded person is what I really liked about this. I think, all the adaptations of Carrie as a whole, it’s been done in the past beautifully, and so I think that’s why I think this lives in its own lane. It is a departure and sort of an independent thing that Mike has gone in depth to create. You spend so much time with so many of these characters, and you know them in a much more complicated and human sort of way, and I really liked getting to know this character and seeing her in a three-dimensional [way]. You see what she’s like outside of work, you see what she’s like at home, and how much she really earnestly cares for these students. And she’s new to this town, she’s new to this job, and I think she really is lonely, and she ends up in a relationship that she probably wouldn’t have been in otherwise. It’s often just comfort and sort of ease of circumstance. She wants to really protect these kids and be a resource for them and doesn’t know how. And I think this is a story of many tragedies, and one of them is her story with Peist and the fact that she so deeply and dearly wants to protect these kids. And ultimately, one of the biggest threats to them is right in front of her. And I think that really is a huge part of her story of kind of questioning herself and her worth and her credibility, and the journey of sort of re-finding that as well. That was something that I think is intimidating, but what I felt very comfortable sort of tackling with Mike.

DEADLINE: Yeah, I enjoyed that plot line, seeing her really fleshed out as well. I’m curious, was there a discussion about whether or not to kill your characters in the end? I think they survive in the book.

MIDTHUNDER: I like that people think that we were like, “Yes, do it.”

LILLARD: I mean, the reality is that you’re reading all eight scripts, you find out you die in the end, and you’re like, “Wow.” You would hope that these characters who are at the center of trying to save Carrie, they’re really concerned about trying to protect her at all costs. But you’d have to ask Mike why he made this ultimate choice, but to me it really signifies how catastrophic the demise of Carrie is in that last moment, that if she was in control, she would have probably saved these two characters. She probably wouldn’t have destroyed the entire town, but I think it’s symbolic of when a kid is pushed too far, the things that could tragically happen.

MIDTHUNDER: And it’s part of the tragedy of it, right? There’s a lot of questionable morality, in especially our iteration of this, and nobody is perfect, but I think that we have two characters who are quite consistent in sort of what they’re motivated by, consistent in their drive and their moral compasses, and so to see those people, or Tommy [Joel Oulette] is included in that as well, people who are consistently good, and yet they also fall, I think it just adds to the tragedy and then Carrie’s guilt.

DEADLINE: Well, I’m curious to see how that maybe impacts her if there’s a season two, fingers crossed. But I also saw that both of you are reuniting with Mike Flanagan on Rot. Can you tell me anything about that? Have you guys started working on that at all?

MIDTHUNDER: I’m so surprised this is the first time we’ve been asked about this.

LILLARD: Yeah, so am I. I thought we’d get it all day. We’re really excited. Mike is executive producer. It’s being directed by Alex [Magistro], who’s Mike’s right-hand woman.

MIDTHUNDER: Yeah, I don’t think that there’s much that we can say. What I can say for my character is that it’s very different for me and it’s a little scary and definitely challenging, but I think in all the right ways. And I’m really excited for Alex. I think that she deserves this moment. I think that she knows the genre well. She’s an intelligent filmmaker and obviously has an incredible support behind her in Mike and in QWGmire, who also did Carrie.

LILLARD: We’re both very excited.