Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Michael Johnston joins Perri Nemiroff for a Collider Forces interview to dive deep into the making of Obsession! He reflects on the audition process, discovering his brother-sister chemistry with co-star Inde Navarette, and how director Curry Barker gave the cast a jolt of energy early in production.
Johnston breaks down Bear's avoidant attachment style, the internet-culture mindset behind his character, and how reacting to Navarette's extreme performance levels shaped the film’s biggest scares. He also shares behind-the-scenes stories about shooting without line-readers for clean audio, the technical challenges of key set pieces, doing that "No, No, No" scene with Navarette, and his favorite viral meme moments. Plus, Johnston discusses why Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) taking on The Mummy is such an exciting prospect.
#obsession #michaeljohnston #horror #interview #indenavarrette
00:00 Michael Johnston Interview for Obsession
00:37 His Favorite Horror Movie
03:24 Why Location as an Actor Is So Important
04:59 Easter Eggs in Bear’s House + Baby Curry
06:05 His Love-Hate Relationship with Learning Lines
07:32 How Michael Takes the Pressure Off on Set
08:19 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Inspired Michael to Act
09:35 How Michael Got His Start as a Voice Actor
12:03 Reconnecting with His Dad & Studying Improv at Second City
14:43 Passing on a Scholarship to Move to LA
15:14 The Reality of Movie to LA
16:52 The Shock of Getting Live Action Acting Opportunities
18:40 Teen Wolf Made Him Feel Like He Was Soaring
20:25 What Happened After Teen Wolf Wrapped Up
22:43 Michael’s Range as a Voice Actor
25:45 He Does the Wubble Bubble Ball Commercial Perfectly!
28:16 Who’s in His Corner During All This Success?
31:02 How He’s Choosing New Projects
33:20 The Mummy with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
35:13 Obsession Talk Begins!
35:39 Doing Obsession Callbacks with Actresses for Nikki
38:09 The Moment They Knew Obsession Would Work
39:19 They Recorded Bear’s Wish Many Times
40:42 Bear’s Backstory & Attachment Style
42:31 Working on the Bear & Ian Friendship with Cooper Tomlinson
43:58 Megan Lawless as Sarah
44:49 Going “Off the Rails” with Inde Navarrette
46:36 Hearing Inde Scream on Set
47:19 The Most Surprising Obsession Meme
48:52 Can Michael Do the Inde Frown?
50:01 Michael’s No, No, No Impression
51:36 Is Bear Evil?
55:17 Nikki’s Reverse Walk and Bear’s Reaction
57:12 Michael Did All of His Phone & Doorway Scenes Without a Scene Partner!
59:00 “I’ll Rip My Eyes Out of My Fucking Skull and …”
01:01:13 Michael’s Toughest Scene Might Surprise You
01:03:55 How Michael Approached Playing “Wish Bear” at the End
01:06:18 What Is Michael Proud Of?
BREAKING NEWS, REVIEWS & MORE: collider.com
SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/collider
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twitter.com/collider
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Michael Johnston joins Perri Nemiroff for a Collider Forces interview to dive deep into the making of Obsession! He reflects on the audition process, discovering his brother-sister chemistry with co-star Inde Navarette, and how director Curry Barker gave the cast a jolt of energy early in production.
Johnston breaks down Bear's avoidant attachment style, the internet-culture mindset behind his character, and how reacting to Navarette's extreme performance levels shaped the film’s biggest scares. He also shares behind-the-scenes stories about shooting without line-readers for clean audio, the technical challenges of key set pieces, doing that "No, No, No" scene with Navarette, and his favorite viral meme moments. Plus, Johnston discusses why Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) taking on The Mummy is such an exciting prospect.
#obsession #michaeljohnston #horror #interview #indenavarrette
00:00 Michael Johnston Interview for Obsession
00:37 His Favorite Horror Movie
03:24 Why Location as an Actor Is So Important
04:59 Easter Eggs in Bear’s House + Baby Curry
06:05 His Love-Hate Relationship with Learning Lines
07:32 How Michael Takes the Pressure Off on Set
08:19 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Inspired Michael to Act
09:35 How Michael Got His Start as a Voice Actor
12:03 Reconnecting with His Dad & Studying Improv at Second City
14:43 Passing on a Scholarship to Move to LA
15:14 The Reality of Movie to LA
16:52 The Shock of Getting Live Action Acting Opportunities
18:40 Teen Wolf Made Him Feel Like He Was Soaring
20:25 What Happened After Teen Wolf Wrapped Up
22:43 Michael’s Range as a Voice Actor
25:45 He Does the Wubble Bubble Ball Commercial Perfectly!
28:16 Who’s in His Corner During All This Success?
31:02 How He’s Choosing New Projects
33:20 The Mummy with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
35:13 Obsession Talk Begins!
35:39 Doing Obsession Callbacks with Actresses for Nikki
38:09 The Moment They Knew Obsession Would Work
39:19 They Recorded Bear’s Wish Many Times
40:42 Bear’s Backstory & Attachment Style
42:31 Working on the Bear & Ian Friendship with Cooper Tomlinson
43:58 Megan Lawless as Sarah
44:49 Going “Off the Rails” with Inde Navarrette
46:36 Hearing Inde Scream on Set
47:19 The Most Surprising Obsession Meme
48:52 Can Michael Do the Inde Frown?
50:01 Michael’s No, No, No Impression
51:36 Is Bear Evil?
55:17 Nikki’s Reverse Walk and Bear’s Reaction
57:12 Michael Did All of His Phone & Doorway Scenes Without a Scene Partner!
59:00 “I’ll Rip My Eyes Out of My Fucking Skull and …”
01:01:13 Michael’s Toughest Scene Might Surprise You
01:03:55 How Michael Approached Playing “Wish Bear” at the End
01:06:18 What Is Michael Proud Of?
BREAKING NEWS, REVIEWS & MORE: collider.com
SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/collider
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
twitter.com/collider
instagram.com/collider
facebook.com/collider
