Goosebumps star says cast were kept in the dark on where The Vanishing would go

It’s slightly more rare, though, for the cast themselves to be kept in the dark.

Yet that’s exactly what happened to Jayden Bartels and Sam McCarthy, who play the teenagers at the heart of this intriguing young-adult horror.

Bartels explained: "I didn't really know much about how the story was going to go, going into it.

"You know, every project is done differently, and sometimes you know years in advance. Sometimes you don't know until the night before, you know?

"So obviously I knew where the characters were going to go in general, but I was buckled in for the ride.

"Just like the viewers are going to be, I was going along with the story while shooting it."

For Bartels, who plays type-A high-schooler Cece, this added element of mystery aided the filming process, as her character is arguably the most in the dark about what is going on – particularly in the early episodes.

"I think that it helped me with Cece," Bartels explained, "because it really was genuinely me growing with her, and me changing with her and learning with her. So it was a great journey."

Bartels’s Cece and McCarthy’s Devin are siblings, whose father is played by none other than Friends legend David Schwimmer.

For many who grew up watching the sitcom on repeat every night, the thought of sharing a set with Schwimmer may have been slightly intimidating.

McCarthy, though, felt relieved that he wasn’t quite as obsessed with the show as others his age.

"If I had been, you know, a big fan of Friends, I think it would have been much more difficult to relax and just build a relationship," McCarthy admitted.

"Obviously, I knew all about David Schwimmer, and I had seen Friends on that TV or that TV, but I had never really dived into that.

"And so then working with him, I got to just work with the guy and the professional and the actor, and that was just wonderful, because he's really down-to-earth, and he's always very generous.

"And you can tell he's been doing this for decades – he goes to work, and he really does a wonderful job."

The Vanishing is a follow-up to season 1 of Goosebumps, which aired in 2023, but tells a brand new story with brand new characters.

The synopsis reads: "Goosebumps: The Vanishing begins when twins Cece and Devin Brewer are sent to spend a summer in Gravesend, Brooklyn, with their divorced dad.

"A threat is stirring, and they quickly realise that dark secrets are among them, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery.

"As they delve into the unknown, Cece, Devin and their friends – Alex, CJ and Frankie – find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994."

Goosebumps: The Vanishing is streaming on Disney Plus from Friday 10th January.

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