Actors Josh Hutcherson and Piper Rubio reprise their characters from Five Nights at Freddy's in the film's sequel, which releases tomorrow in theatres. Hutcherson plays Mike in Universal Pictures' Five Nights at Freddy's 2, a character who still carries a sense of trauma from the horrific events that unfold at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in the first film. A year after the traumatic events, he is attempting to get his and his sister Abby's (Rubio) lives back to normal, although the ghosts of the past cease to leave his present. Rubio comes back to director Emma Tammi's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 as an older and wiser Abby, although she still misses her animatronic pals. What drives the Five Nights at Freddy's sequel is Mike's struggle with his growing responsibility even as Abby becomes more independent and grapples with change, an incomplete past, and a sense of loss.
Speaking on his character's evolving relationship with Abby, Hutcherson says, "Everything that happened in the first film has deepened their connection. It is tough when a brother has to step into the role of a father. Mike is doing his best, but he is still figuring it out. He is not ready for that responsibility, but he loves his sister so much that he tries anyway. That is where a lot of his strength comes from, and a lot of his pain, too."
Reflecting on her character's emotional arc in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, Rubio says, "Abby has grown a lot since the first movie. In the first film, she was shy, but now she is more open. She has also been through a lot since then. She has lost her friends, Freddy and the others, and is adjusting to a new house. She really misses her friends and wants to see them again, but Mike will not let her. So, she gets into robotics and decides to create something for the school science fair as a tribute to them. It is her way of filling that hole and of keeping them close when they are gone."
Meanwhile, Hutcherson is full of praise for Rubio's understanding of the mythology of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. "Every time Piper and I hung out on set, I got a two- or three-hour breakdown of the Five Nights at Freddy’s lore,” he says. “She can explain every character, their backstory and how it all connects in detail. She is so deep in it that she was my best resource on set. Whenever I needed any clarity, I just said, ‘Hey Piper, explain that thing again.’ Then I got a rundown from her, and we rolled."
