In The Last Temptation of Becky, the titular teenager played by Lulu Wilson has moved on from violently defending her home (in 2020’s Becky) and settling a personal score (in 2023’s The Wrath of Becky) to undertaking international missions for the CIA. Under the direction of agent Kate Montana (Kate Siegel), who recruited her at the end of Wrath, she’s now out to stop General Wilhelm Reuss (Neil Patrick Harris), who plans to raise a Fourth Reich with the help of the key that served as the MacGuffin in the first two Beckys.
As Last Temptation nears its world premiere this Saturday at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, to be followed by wider release from Quiver Distribution, Fango spoke with Jenn Wexler (The Sacrifice Game), who directed from a script by Matt Angel, and Wilson about this trilogy closer.
Jenn, how familiar were you with the previous Becky movies before you jumped into this one?
Jenn Wexler: I was a huge fan of them. I remember hearing about the first movie in 2020, that it was playing at drive-ins and getting an audience there while all the other theaters were closed because of COVID. When I finally got to see it—unfortunately, not at a drive-in, but just on TV—I was like, “This movie is amazing.” A spin on the home-invasion subgenre, but with a teenage girl at the center—love it. And then when I saw The Wrath of Becky, that was so much fun also.
Lulu, since you’ve been part of these movies from the beginning, are you involved in the scripting at this point?
Lulu Wilson: I’m not super-involved in the writing process, but Jenn especially was very collaborative. When the script for the first Becky came to me, I was 11. It was in very early development, and they asked for my opinion. I’ve gotten very lucky with many of the projects I’ve worked on, where it’s been like, “Is this where you want your character to go?” So I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily involved in the writing, but I am definitely being heard in a collaborative way. It’s been a positive experience on all the Beckys.
Last Temptation is the first time you’ve had a solo director, after two directors on each of the previous Becky movies…
LW: Honestly, I’ve worked with so many double directors that it’s really nice to get to work with a solo director. While it’s super-fun to have two people’s ideas bouncing off each other, sometimes one has an idea, and the other has a different idea, and it takes a bit longer. Jenn was so speedy; she always knew what she wanted and instilled so much confidence in me as a performer. It was a fun change of pace.
One trend in these movies has been to cast an actor better known for comedy as the villain. How did Neil Patrick Harris land that role here?
JW: He was attached before I got involved, but when I found out about it, I was like, “That’s amazing. That is perfect casting. Can’t wait.” And he’s incredible in it. He’s evil, but also charming. You can see how this gang of guys in their mid-20s, these Brownshirts, have all left their homes and followed him.
Simon Pegg was originally going to be the villain in the first Becky. Lulu, did you ever talk to him about the film before Kevin James stepped in?
LW: I don’t think I ever talked to him, but I remember when we were discussing the film, and they were like, “We might shoot in London and cast Simon Pegg.” That was so exciting. But now I can’t picture the first movie without Kevin James. He really kicked ass.
How was it working with Kate Siegel, and having a lot more to do with her in this film?
LW: It was exciting, because I’ve worked a few times with Mike Flanagan and she’s in a lot of the Flanaverse—but every one of those projects we’ve both been in, our characters have been separated. We never had scenes together, or if we did, they were very brief. So it was nice to actually work with her, because I’ve talked to her so many times, spent time with her, but now I got to see her in action. She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever worked with, just naturally.
JW: I feel like you guys’ relationship is the heart of the film. She’s a new mentor for you. Becky really wants a family, and Agent Montana is this kind of motherly figure in Becky’s life.
Lulu, have you encountered many Becky fans over the years?
LW: Yeah! My Instagram DMs are primarily about Becky—people asking questions like, “When’s Becky 3?” “What’s the key all about?” And I was just telling Jenn that the other day I was getting a coffee, and a guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “So, is Becky 3 coming out soon?” There are so many Becky fans, and I love encountering them in the wild.
So is this really the last temptation of Becky, or is there talk about a fourth one?
JW: We will not be answering this question!
LW: Yeah, there’s no answer to that question. Open-ended.
Well, let me ask this: Lulu, where would you like to see Becky go from here now that she’s becoming an adult and a little more empowered?
LW: Honestly, in my dreams for Becky as a person, she’s settled down on a farm somewhere. She’s got a horse that she rides, and has some chickens. But realistically, I’d like to see her in a Western setting: some gunslinging, cowboy boots, kicking a Nazi with the spurs. That sounds pretty good!
You can read more of our interview with Wexler and Wilson for The Last Temptation of Becky in FANGORIA #32, now on sale.
