Night Teeth’s Lucy Fry Explains Why She Switched Roles With Debby Ryan

Lucy Fry is no stranger to baring her fangs. The 29-year-old Australian actor is best known for playing Lissa Dragomir, a kind, straight-laced teen vampire in the 2014 film Vampire Academy. Now, seven years later, Fry is back onscreen in Netflix’s Night Teeth, once again playing a bloodsucker. But her wild new character, Zoe, couldn’t be more different from any of her past roles — and that was by design.

The film, which debuted on Netflix on Oct. 20, follows a college kid named Benny (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) who fills in for his brother’s chauffeuring shift one night. While out and about, he picks up Zoe and Blaire (Debby Ryan), two mysterious women who plan to spend the evening party-hopping around Los Angeles. It’s quickly revealed, however, Blaire and Zoe have a thirst for more than just a good time.

Throughout the film, viewers learn Zoe is an ancient vampire who turned Blaire back in the ‘70s, and now the two best friends are trying to make a name for themselves and gain power among the gangs of vampires in L.A. It’s no easy feat, but Zoe and Blaire give it their best shot, taking Benny along for the ride. Below, Fry tells Elite Daily why she almost didn’t play Night Teeth’s bad guy and shares her insightful reasoning for not wanting to become a vampire if she had the option.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Elite Daily: What initially drew you to Night Teeth?

Lucy Fry: The thrill of reading the script and the friendship between Zoe and Blaire. It's like a Bonnie and Clyde female friendship — badass women trying to take over L.A. together. I think it's fun and it's funny and it's fast.

ED: You were originally in talks to play Blaire, and Debby Ryan would play Zoe. What was the reason for the switch?

LF: I auditioned for Blaire and Debbie was being considered for Zoe. She had played that kind of role before, essentially the bad guy, and I hadn't played the bad guy before. So when [director] Adam [Randall] said, “Debby is more interested in playing Blaire,” for me, it was exciting as an artist to play something I hadn't done before. Reading Zoe, I saw a lot of potential for how wild [and] untethered she can be, and I was really excited about it.

ED: What's your relationship like with Debby behind the scenes?

LF: We're really good friends, and we bonded amazingly fast. [It] was such a gift that we felt safe with each other. She's a brilliant actress and we learned a lot from each other. I kind of gave her some permission to focus on her performance and not worry about the technical aspects, and she taught me how to focus on more technical aspects. Then, aside from that beautiful relationship filming together, we just bonded. She makes me laugh so, so much, and we're always able to talk to each other about what's going on in our lives.

ED: What inspired your portrayal of Zoe?

LF: A mixture of things. I feel like [there are] tones of Lost Boys and What We Do in the Shadows. I liked the irreverence, but I didn't reach to [specific] characters to find her. I more went into the reality of this heightened experience she's going through and filled it from the inside. Zoe’s fighting for her friendship with Blaire — she wants that to succeed and to win power over L.A. so they can thrive together and rule the city on their terms. So, it would always be subtle things in each scene where I could find something to fuel it. Music is [also] a big part of it — finding songs that feel like her energy, [and] then becoming familiar with the mythology of vampires.

ED: Speaking of, this isn’t your first bloodsucking character. Are you drawn to vampire roles?

LF: I made a joke with Debbie; I was like, “You're a real old soul. That's why they cast you as a vampire.” I don't know why I get cast as vampires. I was attracted to Zoe because she's a badass and I was really interested in her not being good. It felt like, “OK, I've done a vampire previously, but this feels like a whole different thing.” It's brassy and irreverent and fast, [but] I don't imagine a vampire [role] coming up for me again. If it did, it would have to be something wildly different from both of these characters. I always want to do a project where I'm learning something new or trying something different.

ED: Do you think you’re more like Zoe from Night Teeth or Lissa from Vampire Academy?

LF: Lissa is young and innocent and trying to find her way at school, and it's just a completely different world to be this ancient vampire who's taking over L.A. and a vampire kid at school trying to not be bullied by the mean kids. I feel like the playful aspect of Zoe is what I'm more like now. I appreciate being in the moment so much more. I feel like you just have to have fun and enjoy life and laugh a lot. It gave me that perspective that I think Zoe has.

ED: With a Vampire Academy series in the works, would you be interested in joining that cast?

LF: Maybe as a cameo or something — just to say hi. I think the story is really fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do and how they do it and how they do it differently.

ED: Why do you think vampires are so popular right now?

LF: People are attracted to that magic that's a little bit outside of what our human experience can be. The gift of film and TV is to be able to take you into a world that's slightly different.

ED: If you had the option, would you become a vampire?

LF: I would say no because ... you would appreciate life less. And the beauty of [life is that it’s] fleeting, and you have to enjoy it and live it now because you don't know when it's going to end.

Night Teeth is streaming now on Netflix.