The story for Lorraine and Ed Warren will come to a close with “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” in theaters on September 5. As the ninth entry in “The Conjuring” universe, this movie sets the couple (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) on the path of an evil entity that they encounter on their first case as paranormal investigators. “We were young, we were scared, we ran away. And after all these years, it wasn’t done with our family.” Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren says in the official trailer.
The flashback shows young Ed and Lorraine, played by Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor, as they drive away from the scene. The Movie Couple had the pleasure of speaking with the actors about being a part of “The Conjuring” universe, their process of portraying young Ed and Lorraine, and working with director Michael Chaves.
Being A Part of “The Conjuring” Universe
The Conjuring universe spans over nine movies, including “The Conjuring” (2013), “The Conjuring 2” (2016), “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021), “Annabelle” (2014), “Annabelle: Creation” (2017), “Annabelle Comes Home” (2019), “The Nun” (2018), The Nun 2″ (2023), and the upcoming “The Conjuring: Last Rites” (2025).
The Movie Couple: How does it feel to be a part of “The Conjuring” universe?
Madison Lawlor: It’s incredibly exciting. I mean, it’s such an amazing world that they’ve built, and the franchise is incredible, and I think being a part of it is just so cool and fun and exciting.
Orion Smith: I think being a part of any movie is always so fortunate, but being a part of something so big and so connected and so internationally loved that it’s just such an honor.
On Taking On the Role of Young Ed and Lorraine
MC: What did it feel like to know that you’re about to take on the role of these iconic characters as the younger version of them?
ML: Definitely felt some pressure. You know, they’re big shoes to fill, and audiences love these characters. They love Ed Lorraine so much. So I think we wanted to do justice to the real Ed Lorraine and justice to Vera and Patrick’s performances. I think there was definitely some pressure there.
OS: Again, getting to be a part of such a huge universe that it was like the pressure to step in there. But fortunately, I think the um for both of us, we kind of had the experience that Patrick and Vera were just so warm and welcoming and not like super protective of it or anything, and they were really just like you got it.
Lawlor and Smith talked about their meeting with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, how supportive the actors were, and gained perspective and insights from them.
ML: Vera is so incredible and so cool and so warm and amazing, and has such an incredible wealth of knowledge about Lorraine. And she was like, “Any questions you have, feel free to ask.” And she gave me her input and her advice and her perspective, but she also was really empowering, and she’s like, “You should bring in this younger perspective. That’s something that I don’t have that you can have.” So, yeah, she was super supportive, but also just incredibly grounding. She taught me how she did her rosary wrap and everything. Yeah, she was amazing.
OS: The first time I ever met Patrick, we like sat down for a full hour together and I was like, “I know you’ve got better things to do,” but he was so generous with his time and we just went through the characters and went through who Ed was, the mannerisms, the voice, just these different things that create this this character and yeah, it was just amazing to hear his perspective.
On Deep Diving Into Character
Lawlor and Smith talked about diving into character study, including watching all of “The Conjuring” films and researching footage of the real Ed and Lorraine.
OS: I love exploring the world that the character would be in, so like I got a little rosary and I started doing my, you know, Hail Marys and then you know I would like go and walk past – we were in England shooting – and there was this really old church and I was like, “This place is definitely haunted.” So, I would walk around there, go through. They had these really quaint graveyards in this town that we were in. So just really becoming immersed in that world was kind of how I approached it.
ML: I think for me it was a multi-tiered process. I think researching Lorraine and watching a bunch. There are so many videos online of them speaking and talking, but then also really studying Vera’s performance and trying to kind of match her energy that she brings as much as I can, and the mannerisms and the little things that make her her in the films. So, sort of studying the two and then merging them together and trying to find that balance was kind of the process.
A Specific Moment That Helped Madison Find Her Voice
MC: As you were watching through basically the Conjuring universe, were there any specific moments that stuck out to you that helped you in your process of creating these characters?
ML: I feel like something that really kind of stood out to me that I would use to get back into my voice is the way that she says “Ed,” and she says Ed’s name so much. So, I would be like “Ed.” I would sing it to myself, and it would sort of get me back in the voice.
Working With Director Michael Chaves
The actors gushed about their experience on set working with director Michael Chaves (“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”, “The Nun II”), and the creative freedom and support they felt from him.
OS: He’s so sweet. He’s such a horror movie fan, that being on set with him, you could feel his excitement about being on set. And his vision is so clear, which is amazing for an actor because he’s like, “All right, this is what we want. This is how we’re going to do it.” I remember being in a scene, and we were like working through it, and he said, “All right, so we’re going to do this, and then this is where the audience is going to be scared.” And I was like, “Oh, he knows.” He has such a clear vision that this is already going to happen. So it was just a pleasure to work with him. He was great.
ML: Yeah, he was incredible. I think he has so much excitement about horror and about the film and about the world, but also he’s got this confidence. You just trust him and he trusts you, too. He’s like, “You’re here for a reason. I trust you. You got this.” He created an incredible environment on set where everyone felt really supported, and amongst the madness, there was this calm, and yeah, it was just an absolute joy working with him.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” arrives in theaters on September 5.
Watch the full interview:
Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith star as young Ed and Lorraine Warren in Warner Bros. ’ The Conjuring: Last Rites, out September 15th. Madison was recently seen on the big screen in Green and Gold, playing Brandon Sklenar’s love interest and Craig T. Nelson’s daughter. Her eclectic television and film resume includes memorable turns in Dear White People and The Kids Are Alright, while also headlining Michael Patrick King’s Juicy Stories, inspired by the founders of Juicy Couture, and drawing acclaim as a series regular in ABC’s Casa Grande. Madison is also a director. Orion is one of Hollywood’s rising stars. A Denver native and BFA graduate of Samford University, Orion has already headlined the award-winning Tubi Original On the Run and the festival hit Into the Wild. Madison and Orion are ones to watch and both reside in Los Angeles.
About “The Conjuring: Last Rites”
The Conjuring: Last Rites delivers another thrilling chapter of the iconic Conjuring cinematic universe, based on real events. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reunite for one last case as renowned, real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in a powerful and spine-chilling addition to the global box office-breaking franchise.
Farmiga and Wilson star alongside Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy, who portray Ed and Lorraine’s daughter Judy Warren and her boyfriend, Tony Spera, as well as Steve Coulter returning as Father Gordon, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon, John Brotherton and Shannon Kook.
