Why Actress Kate Siegel Brings Her Kids on Horror Movie Sets: 'It Creates Bravery. They Love It' (Exclusive)
The scream queen talks about how her kids with horror film director Mike Flanagan are already into scary movies
Scream queen Kate Siegel, who has starred in scary films like Hush and TV shows like Haunting of Hill House, is getting candid about her life revolving around the world of horror.
"It's a blast," she tells PEOPLE.
"In dramas, it seems like you sit around and stare wistfully. But in the work I get to do, I'm running, I'm screaming, I'm watching my boyfriend burn to death in front of me. My face is getting torn off by monkeys," she adds. "It's a ton of fun being a horror actress."
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Related: Kate Siegel on Starring in Netflix's 'The Haunting of Hill House' : 'I'm Haunted All the Time!'
Siegel, who recently starred in Grave Conversations with David Dastmalchian — a new talk show where the guests are interviewed while lying in caskets, has two kids and a stepson with her husband and often colleague, famed horror film director Mike Flanagan.
So do they try and shield their their kids, Cody, 8, and Theodoura, 5, from the work that they do? Not at all — in fact, she says they often come to the set of their films and shows.
"They love horror," Siegel tells PEOPLE. "My 5-year old has a ghost face doll. We also have a painting my son did of ghost face in the bathroom."
Siegel says she thinks the exposure is a good thing.
"It's such a great way for kids to create bravery, and understand that you can keep going even though you're afraid," she explains. "Obviously I'm not showing them things too dark, but my 13-year-old has also loved and watched horror since we introduced it to him around 10 or 11."
Siegel points out that horror films are usually decidedly feminist as well.
"You have strong, powerful women succeeding, and beating the men and monsters in the face of terrible odds. I'm proud to be a part of that," she says.
During her recent Grave Conversations interview, Siegel answered Dastmalchian's dark questions about death, like how she would like to be buried.
Related: Why Oppenheimer Star David Dastmalchian Wants to Normalize Talking About Death (Exclusive)
"I always wanted to be planted with a tree," she says. She added that she thinks there is joy in discussing the unknown. "The very existence of death is what makes life meaningful," she shares.
Siegel says this unusual talk show format is perfect for the Oppenheimer actor, who also starred with her in The Antiquariaum of Sinister Happenings.
"He's so unique and he's so perfectly equipped for this job," she says of Dastmalchian, who is the first-ever celebrity brand ambassador for Titan Caskets. "He makes it so easy and his questions are funny and thoughtful. He makes it very comfortable to be in a casket, frankly."
She adds that Dastmalchian's sense of humor is no surprise since horror and comedy usually go hand in hand.
"It's two sides of the same coin. I think horror and comedy are both about timing."
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