Teacupactors Scott Speedman and Yvonne Strahovski hint at the terrifying monster effects in the upcoming Peacock horror series.Speedman and Strahovski play James and Maggie Chenoweth, who live in rural Georgia with their family, and are threatened by a mysterious and monstrous threat.Teacuphas drawn early comparisons to thehorror TV showFrom, which features characters trapped in a rural town they cannot escape, and where savage monsters emerge every night.
While speaking withScreen Rant,Speedman and Strahovski discuss the impressive detail in the practical effects that bringTeacup’s monstrous threat to life. Speedman emphasizes that while little manages to impress him at this point in his career, he was stunned by the artistry behindTeacup’s monster. Strahovski was similarly impressed and highlighted how it helps build the immersive nature of the series. Check out Speedman and Strahovski’s comments below:
Speedman: I mean, for me, I was doing one of the first ones, I think, with a character in one of the earlier episodes. What was cool, and what was awesome was it wasn’t looking at a tennis ball on a tripod, or a green screen kind of thing. Most of it was practical effects that were, you know, detailed later, so we actually had something amazing to work with. At this point in my career, I’ve done so much that it doesn’t really do a lot to me.
But I thought the artistry of the whole thing was what was mind blowing to me. Whether it was grotesque or not, or scary or not, was not the most interesting part. I was more interested in, “Wow, the craftsmanship of what these people did was amazing.” And that we had this to look at was incredible. It’s always fun. At the end of the day, you sort of have to just jump off the cliff and go on that ride with the craziness that’s happening in front of you. And it was very easy to do with that prop.
Strahovski: Yeah, I think I came in a little bit late in seeing this amazing, I’m going to call it, sculpture, because it is a work of art. It’s an amazing sculpture, and my first reaction was, I was genuinely blown away. We’ve been around the block, we’ve seen so many of these kinds of things, and this one really took my breath away. I thought it was extraordinary, I can’t believe what they came up with.
Because I remember reading it, and the description of it in word form was, “Wow.” But my first thought was, “How on earth are they going to create this? What’s the visual going to look like?” It seemed like such a challenge because it’s hard to make it not look cheesy or just not kind of real, even though it’s a real fantastical element of the show. But they really pulled it off to the point where I was really blown away.
What This Means For Teacup
Teacup’s Monster Design Will Be One Of The Show’s Greatest Strengths
WhileFrom’s monsters are terrifying, they generally take on the guise of humans before attacking their prey, with much of what makes them scary being their ability to manipulate the characters. Meanwhile,Teacup’s monster is poised to be more visually horrifyingand will not be taking on the guise of a human. In addition to Speedman and Strahovski’s comments, theTeacuptrailer is creating anticipation around the monster’s form by intentionally not revealing it yet and only hinting at it.
Despite this anticipation, Speedman’s comments about seeing the monster effects while"doing one of the first ones"suggests thatthe monster’s form may be revealed in one of the earlier episodes inTeacupseason 1. This can work well, as it will provide a payoff after the initial buildup, and then pave the way for larger mysteries about the monster’s origins and endgame. Much likeFrom, answering one mystery will likely lead to more intriguing questions that further expand the scope of the series.
Our Take On Scott Speedman and Yvonne Strahovski’s Comments
Teacup Could Become A Breakout Horror Series
Scott Speedman and Yvonne Strahovski’s comments hint atTeacuphaving the potential to be abreakout horror series in 2024. The practical effects that left them floored can help distinguishTeacupfrom other horror series and make its monster feel genuinely frightening as it threatens the Chenoweth family. If the characters and the story are as compelling as the monster design that Speedman and Strahovsk have teased,Teacuphas the chance to be the most exciting new horror series sinceFromdebuted in 2022, which would be a major victory for Peacock and its steadily growing streaming library.
Teacup
Cast
Teacup is a horror thriller series that follows a group of people thrust into the middle of rural Georgia who must face off with an unknown threat to stay alive.
