We’re not going to dwell on the fact that it’s been over a decade since the first Pitch Perfect film hit theaters (just… how?!), kicking off a trilogy that would have us all obsessed with acapella and wishing we were part of the Bellas band of beautiful weirdos. Instead let’s focus on the fact that one of our most beloved Barden Bellas, uptight leader Aubrey, is about to be back on our screens in a big way.
Well, sort of. Anna Camp has a starring role on TV in Peacock’s new horror-thriller series Hysteria. And while you could definitely say her new character, Tracy Whitehead, is neurotic and traditionalist like Aubrey, well, that’s where the similarities end. Aubrey may have had daddy issues, but Tracy is “mommy dearest.”
Hysteria takes place during the late ‘80s, when the hair was big and the fearful paranoia of Satanic Panic was high. When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears, a struggling high school heavy metal band decides to cash in on everyone’s obsession with the occult by rebranding themselves as a Satanic metal band. Only, the bizarre series of events that follow seem to put a target right on their leather-studded backs.
Camp’s Tracy, the mother of a local teen girl, is a devout Midwestern crusader with a reputation around town for being a bit of a zealot. Yet, when her extreme religious beliefs seem to foreshadow the strange occurrences, people finally start taking her seriously.
We stole a few minutes with Camp to talk about her complicated new character, true-crime TV crushes, and more.
Scary Mommy: How would you describe your character, Tracy?
Anna Camp: There are a lot of words to describe Tracy Whitehead. I think she’s a very protective mother. She’s incredibly driven. I also think she’s a very broken person, and she’s carrying a lot of shame for who she really is. She is, I think, first and foremost, protective and loves her daughter and will do anything to save her from the evils of the world and shelter her.
SM: What was it like for you to play the mother of a teen?
AC: It’s my first time playing a mom of a teenager. It was really fascinating because I don’t have any children of my own, but I do have a mother I love very much, and I did grow up testing the limits, pushing the boundaries, and rebelling a bit. And it was just such a lovely relationship that the actress, Nikki Hahh, and I developed together. I love her like a daughter. I love her like a friend.
Our relationship off-camera is exactly the opposite of what it is on camera, which I think makes it so easy to be with her because we created this very safe relationship where we can really go to incredibly dark places. And in order to go to these dark and intense places together on camera, you really have to trust one another and have a bond there.
I loved playing a mom, and as crazy as Tracy might seem to people, I don’t judge her. I think she’s doing everything from the goodness of her heart, and what she is doing is all from a place of love.
SM: You’ve played villainous characters before, but this feels new and exciting and meaty. What were your thoughts when you first saw the script?
AC: I signed on after only reading one script. I didn’t know what was going to happen throughout the course of the series to Tracy or to anybody. First of all, I just loved the world that it was set in: the late ‘80s, Satanic Panic, rock-and-roll clashing with religion. It’s also very timely now — people are still trying to censor things, and people are being told they shouldn’t read certain books or listen to certain music. Certain groups are being isolated from society. And that’s very prevalent in our show.
I’m also a sucker for a crime mystery thriller. That’s what I watch in my off-time: true crime and Dateline. I don’t know what it says about me that I relax by watching true-crime documentaries. But I love a good mystery thriller, so I was excited to come on board.
SM: Listen, I get it. My husband jokes that I’m having an affair with Lester Holt from Dateline.
AC: I love Keith Morrison. Thank you for not judging me.
SM: Hysteria feels SO right this time of year. What other spooky things do you like to watch?
AC: I love revisiting classic old horror movies. The first horror movie I ever saw that I always go back and love to watch is Poltergeist. I think I watched it when I was the same age as Carol Anne, so I should not have watched it. I was afraid for a year to go near a television set because I thought I was going to get sucked in and never come out. But I love that movie; I love the ’80s hair, wardrobe, all of it.
I also love the movie Carrie. That is a classic, and I actually re-watched it right before we were going to shoot this because there’s that controlling, religious mother aspect that I know [co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer] Matt Scott Kane drew from to build these characters.
SM: Classic choices. I know everyone always asks if you’d revisit Aubrey in Pitch Perfect, but since we’re talking spooky, how about Sarah from True Blood? Do you think she ever got out of the basement?
AC: Great question. It’s so crazy! I think she did get out of the basement. I don’t think she’s dead. I think that she’s that conniving and that manipulative that she somehow got Pam to let her out, and she’s off making mischief somewhere. Maybe she likes vampires now, and maybe she could have become one. We don’t know, but I definitely think she’s still alive and out there and wreaking havoc doing what she does best in her Southern way.
You can stream Hysteria starting Oct. 18 on Peacock.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
