She might be inducing nightmares as the demon nun Valak in The Conjuring Universe, but according to The Nun II director Michael Chaves, actress Bonnie Aarons is an absolute delight on set, even if her appearance is off-putting in full costume and makeup.
Chavez discussed Aarons’ dedication with People, saying she “always brings it.”
“Bonnie is such a horror icon and she’s been in so many great horror films. This is obviously her defining role; this is the one everyone knows her for.”
Aarons made her debut as Valak in The Conjuring 2, wherein the demon posing as a nun torments Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose characters are themselves based on the real-life paranormal investigators. She’s featured in other Conjuring entries, most notably in the spin-off The Nun, which focuses more on Valak primarily as opposed to other demonic entities.
In The Nun, Valak terrorizes a nun in her noviciate, Sister Irene, and Father Burke, summoned by The Vatican to investigate the sudden suicide of a nun in Saint Cartha’s cloister. Valak is seemingly defeated and banished back to the depths of Hell, but even the blood of Jesus Christ himself couldn’t keep evil at bay for long, as Aarons returns as Valak in The Nun II.
And Chaves can’t stop gushing about her.
“She’s got a great scary energy on set. When she gets into makeup and steps on set, it is really chilling. She’s really in it and it brings an energy, and I think everybody responds to it. The crew responds to it and the actors respond to it.
There were actors that were fans of the original film, and there was this kind of terrifying, almost celebrity quality to it where they’re so excited to see The Nun and be in a Nun movie — but they’re also really scared of her. I know I got that feeling the first time she came on set.”
Chaves, 38, also directed the third installment in The Conjuring trilogy, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which itself is severely lacking in the Valak department.
About transforming into her characters, Aarons told We Got This Covered in 2018, “I love all of the characters that I play and I so much enjoy releasing myself into the character.”
And Chaves also spills the beans on Aarons’ acting style, too. Apparently, she doesn’t go full method when the cameras are off. When she’s in, she’s all in, but when she’s out, she’s totally normal. And that’s a technique that only few actors can master — including the Farmiga sisters, according to Chaves.
In the sequel, which is set in 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, which prompts Sister Irene to investigate and once again come face-to-face with Valak.
The Nun II arrives in theaters September 8.