Amie Donald Has the Moves as the Killer Robot in ‘M3gan 2.0'
But, in real life, Donald, 15, spends a majority of her days in the idyllic, sun-soaked setting of lushly forested New Zealand, where kiwi roam and she's apt to take a bush walk outside her parents' home in Papakura, a suburb in South Auckland.
'I really enjoy all the nature here,' she said on a video call from the house on a recent morning. Her long red hair fell in beachy waves as sunlight danced on her white sweater. Framed photos of her and her parents and older brother filled the walls behind her.
Donald is about the furthest you could get from the cutthroat killer robot returning in the new sequel, 'M3gan 2.0.' For one thing, she smiles far too much. Other people, she said, would describe her as 'very caring.' She wasn't a fan of horror films until landing 'M3gan' — though she's since started watching them with her father, and now counts 'It' and 'The Purge' among her favorites. 'I love them so much,' she said.
M3gan, the robot that becomes frighteningly protective of a young girl named Cady, was Donald's first role in a film, following her TV debut as Maya Monkey, an acrobatic girl with simian features, in Netflix's postapocalyptic series 'Sweet Tooth.'
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
TIME debuts first-ever Girls of the Year List
Credit - A celebration of creativity and possibility, TIME debuts first-ever Girls of the Year List recognizing 10 young leaders inspiring communities around the world The list, made possible by the LEGO Group, aligns with their She Built That campaign, which challenges stereotypes and empowers girls to see themselves as builders Today, TIME reveals its first-ever Girls of the Year list, recognizing 10 young leaders who are inspiring communities around the world. The list, curated by TIME's award-winning editorial team, has been made possible by the LEGO Group and aims to celebrate and empower girls. The 2025 TIME Girls of the Year list features 10 honorees, including: Rutendo Shadaya, 17, an advocate for young authors in New Zealand; Coco Yoshizawa, 15, an Olympic gold-medalist in Japan; Valerie Chiu, 15, a global science educator in China; Zoé Clauzure, 15, an anti-bullying crusader in France; Clara Proksch, 12, a scientist prioritizing child safety in Germany; Ivanna Richards, 17, a racing driver shattering stereotypes in Mexico; Kornelia Wieczorek, 17, a biotech innovator in Poland; Defne Özcan, 17, a trailblazing pilot in Turkey; Rebecca Young, 12, an engineer tackling homelessness in the United Kingdom; and Naomi S. DeBerry, 12, an organ donation advocate and children's book author in the United States. – See the complete list and read the TIME Girls of the Year profiles: here 'At TIME, we've long believed that leadership has no age requirement. This belief is reflected in the inspiring young women named to our first-ever TIME Girls of the Year list, who are shaping their communities with courage and purpose,' said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley. 'Thanks to our partnership with the LEGO Group, we are proud to spotlight those who are turning imagination into real-world impact.' Of the new list, TIME's Senior Editor Dayana Sarkisova writes: 'These girls are part of a generation that's reshaping what leadership looks like today…Their generation understands that change doesn't require waiting for adulthood—it starts with seeing problems and refusing to accept them as permanent. …TIME's Girls of the Year—who are all between the ages of 12 and 17—prove that changing your community and inspiring those around you can send ripple effects around the globe.' Read more here. Additionally, the LEGO Group and TIME Studios, the award-winning branded content studio, created a limited-edition animated TIME cover, reimagining this year's Girls of the Year as LEGO Minifigures. Each character captures the spirit of their achievements, with the animation set to the empowering new LEGO anthem, She Built That. See the TIME Girls of the Year cover: here In a recent study by the LEGO Group, it found that the term 'Building' has a perception problem. It doesn't resonate with girls. The majority of (70%) young women globally struggle to see themselves as someone who is good at building things. Equally, most parents (72%) feel girls lack visible female role models who build the world. Women's achievements remain largely invisible to children, according to a survey of 32,605 parents and children across 21 countries. Kids are twice as likely to credit major inventions to men - with most believing that Wi-Fi (69%), fridges (63%) and even the moon landing software (68%) were invented by men, when in fact, all were pioneered by women. Julia Goldin, LEGO Group Chief Product & Marketing Officer, said: 'When girls don't see it, they don't believe it - the world risks missing out on the next big breakthrough. There's no stopping what girls can build. TIME's Girls of the Year is a step in giving the next generation the role models they deserve, recognising young women globally who are not just imagining a better world but actively creating it. Together with TIME we hope these stories will inspire a future generation of unstoppable female builders to dream big and continue making their mark on the world.' It's a sentiment that ties into the LEGO Group's wider mission: to build confidence, imagination and creativity through play and to unlock the potential of every child. The collaboration is an extension of the LEGO Group's She Built That campaign, which aims to challenge outdated societal stereotypes that can limit the potential of girls, and to empower them to see themselves as builders in every sense of the word. In collaboration with TIME's Girls of the Year, the initiative honors young females who are building the future, turning imagination into impact. It's a celebration of creativity, confidence, and possibility, recognizing girls not just as future builders, but as the architects of change today. The TIME Girls of the Year list builds on the foundation of TIME Women of the Year, which recognizes extraordinary leaders working toward a more equal future. Consistent with TIME's mission to spotlight the people and ideas that shape and improve the world, TIME has long highlighted women and girls making an impact across climate, science, sports, entertainment, and more—including scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao, named TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year. ### Contact us at letters@
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
‘Witchboard' Summons a Fun but Uneven Remake of a Cult Classic
Released in 1986, the original Witchboard's cultural impact lingers mostly because it stars Tawny Kitaen—known more for being a music-video vixen than an actor. But the stunt casting works: her character's Ouija board curiosity turns tragic when an evil spirit takes a shine to her, possibly lured in by her perfectly teased hair. The movie delivers more cheese than frights, but you can easily see why it became a cult classic. Less clear is why Witchboard needed a remake, especially one that only very lightly lifts material from the original, but you can't overlook that catchy title. This new version, which comes from genre favorite Chuck Russell (director of fan-favorite Freddy sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, as well as The Mask and The Scorpion King), crams many more layers into its story, something that ultimately works against it. But it also unleashes some very fun, surprisingly macabre flourishes that help offset its shortcomings. Any time a horror movie begins with a wild historical flashback, you can be certain it will impact whatever's about to happen in the present day. Especially if the movie is called Witchboard, and the flashback involves a witch vs. hunter face-off and features a highly distinctive spirit board capable of summoning dark magic. Also, if one of the characters in the main story makes an offhand remark about being an orphan, not knowing anything about her real family, etc., you can start immediate speculation as to which 17th-century character is related to her. Most of Witchboard takes place in New Orleans, a city that lends itself to eerie mischief as well as restaurant culture. That intersection is where we find Emily (Annabelle Comes Home's Madison Iseman) cheering on her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez) as he and his friends prepare to open a new cafe. Emily's finally feeling optimistic about the future following a stint in rehab, and she's so confident in her relationship she only recoils a tiny bit when Christian's glamorous ex, Brooke (Melanie Jarnson), shows up to the launch party. And in fact, Brooke—who's conveniently an expert on 'shamanistic traditions'—proves immediately useful once Emily shows her the (highly distinctive) spirit board she found while gathering mushrooms for the restaurant. We know, of course, that the board was recently stolen from a local museum at the behest of the sinister Dr. Alexander Babtiste (Stranger Things' Jamie Campbell Bower). But the women don't, and on the off chance that any horror fan who's settled in to watch Witchboard doesn't know how a spirit board works, Brooke's there with a quick overview. With context and exposition out of the way, Witchboard can dive into the goopy stuff that ends up justifying its existence. Once Emily starts experimenting with the board, bad things happen, starting with a fantastically grim kitchen scene that evokes the same tension the Final Destination movies tap into when setting up their elaborate deadly set pieces. A later restaurant sequence is such an over-the-top screamer you wish Witchboard had fully leaned into that outrageous tone. It certainly seems willing; some of its best moments come courtesy of a charismatic stray cat that starts following Emily around. And Bower's performance is so campy it gets in the way of him being a villain. This is a guy who lives in an antiques-filled mansion where he's attended to by triplet witches styled like Daenerys Targaryen and throws Eyes Wide Shut-style solstice parties. He's pals with Brooke, so he worms his way into 'helping' an increasingly freaked-out Emily and Christian with his witchy expertise and an ulterior motive that's made clear at the film's climax. Only, his plan doesn't make a lot of sense. We won't spoil the finer points here—not that we could explain them if we wanted to—but it ties back to that 17th-century clash and, much like the original Witchboard, threatens the soul of its supernaturally curious leading lady. Witchboard also presents a confusing approach to Wicca, drawing a careful line between 'I use healing herbs' and 'I worship Satan' and then proceeding to completely muddy it. But maybe that's overthinking it. This is Witchboard, after all. Though the remake won't be knocking the original out of its place in the cult-movie pantheon, at least it keeps things gruesomely entertaining along the way. Witchboard hits theaters August 15. If you need a little more hairspray with your spooks, the 1986 Witchboard is also streaming on Amazon Prime. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
3 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
Snoop Dogg and Eli Roth Drop Bonkers Fake Grindhouse Horror Trailer DON'T GO IN THAT HOUSE, B*TCH! — GeekTyrant
Eli Roth's production company The Horror Section is back at it with another wild, grindhouse-style fake horror trailer, and this time it comes with a Snoop Dogg twist, and it's pretty damn funny! Titled Don't Go in That House, Bi tch!, the new fake trailer is packed with over-the-top horror movie clichés, jump scares, screaming final girls, and some ridiculous haunted house chaos. It's also got a new theme song and voiceover from Snoop Dogg. This is the second fake trailer from The Horror Section, following The Piano Killer , and both are being shown in front of Joe Begos' new sci-fi horror film Jimmy and Stiggs , hitting theaters August 15th. The trailer doesn't really bother with a plot, but that's part of the fun. It throws everything at the wall and lets the horror tropes fly. The cast includes Jenna Warren, Charlie Storey, Karen Cliche, Torianna Lee, Jordan Poole, Hayley O'Brien, Milly Brooke, Gabriel Davenport, and Dorian Giordano. While The Piano Killer might have had more of a structured story, Don't Go in That House, Bitch! makes up for it with pure chaotic energy and laughs. It's loud, absurd, and exactly the kind of WTF trailer that brings back that vintage grindhouse vibe. ''Would you go in that house?' Eli Roth is back with another outrageous grindhouse horror trailer from The Horror Section — and this time, he's bringing his friend Snoop Dogg along with him. Don't Go In That House, Bitch! is an over the top trailer that skewers all the horror movie tropes you've ever yelled at your screen. 'With Snoop Dogg lending his iconic voice and original music, this a haunted house movie idea only this duo could deliver.' Enjoy the trailer!
