‘Haunting Of Bly Manor’ Will Bring Back ‘Hill House’ Star Victoria Pedretti
The Haunting of Hill Houseseason 2,The Haunting of Bly Manor, will have at least one familiar face.Victoria Pedretti, who broke out in a big way in the first season as Nell, has landed the lead role in the second season of Netflix’s anthology series. WhereasHill Housedrew on Shirley Jackson’s iconic haunted house novel,Bly Manoris adapting Henry James’sTurn of the Screw.Deadlinebroke the news about Victoria Pedretti returning for theHill Houseseason 2 cast. In this new season, a governess caring for two orphans in a big mansion begins to suspect the house is haunted. In Henry James’s story, it’s never specified if there reallyareghosts in the house, or if it’s all in the mind of the governess. Pedretti will play that governess – named Dani here – which means she’s in for more mental anguish.
Pedretti turned in the best performance ofHill House, playing the sad, sweet, doomed Nell. Remarkably, this was Pedretti’s first real role in anything outside of two short films, and she knocked it out of the park, doing some heavy emotional lifting in the process. I’m excited to see her return in a whole new role forBly Manor. Pedretti will also star in the second season of Netflix’sYou, and has a role in Quentin Tarantino’s upcomingOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Hill Housecreator and directorMike Flanaganis returning for the second season as well, along with executive producerTrevor Macy, and there’s a chance moreHill Housefixtures might be back. Carla Gugino, who starred in the first season as Nell’s mother, recentlyrevealedshe’s been having conversations with Flanagan about returning. I personally hope Flanagan brings back as many of the original cast as possible, albeit in new roles – an approach similar to whatAmerican Horror Storydoes with its anthology format.
“Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are masterful at creating authentically frightening stories that leave audiences on the edge of their seats, but unable to look away,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content at Netflix, when news of the second season first broke. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with them on The Haunting series and future projects to come.”
Flanagan and Macy added: “Netflix has been an important part of our story, and we’re proud to have worked with them onThe Haunting of Hill House, not to mentionGerald’s Game,Hush, andBefore I Wake…They’ve enabled and supported a great deal of our work and we look forward to much more.”
