Every Student Has a Story: Ava Schleif '27

The psychological horror thriller Smile 2 is the biggest box office success of the Halloween season, raking in more than $40 million in box office receipts to date. During the climactic scene, movie-goers across the country (likely holding their breath) look up at the screen and lock eyes with a horrified Ava Schleif '27.

Smile 2 - a sequel to the 2022 smash success supernatural horror film Smile - stars Naomi Scott as Grammy-winning artist Skye Riley. The pop star is preparing for her comeback tour when the hallucinations begin (if you've seen Smile, you get it), and near the end of the film (slight spoiler ahead) she takes the stage at Madison Square Garden. Except, the MSG scenes weren't actually shot at the World's Most Famous Arena. Much of the film was made in the Hudson Valley and the concert scenes were all shot at MVP Arena in downtown Albany. Budding actors were encouraged to apply.

"My mom actually heard about the casting call on the news. She said, 'Ava, I think they're filming Smile 2.' The movie had a fake title, but we figured it out. My mom encouraged me to submit my resume and headshot. When I didn't hear back, I assumed I didn't get it. But then I got an email out of the blue saying 'You're booked. Here's your date and time for the fitting.'"

Schleif was the star of every grade school production, but by the time she got to high school, the acting dream had faded. As a courtesy to her uncle Mike, who is a film professor at Quinnipiac University, she performed in several of his short films (which all won awards at local film festivals). The acting bug was back, just in time for Hollywood to come to town.

Schleif was cast as a fan girl. She was one of dozens of extras that would be mingling in the background during scenes at MVP Arena. Extras don't meet the movie stars, which is too bad since Schleif is a huge fan of Scott's. But, sometimes, fairytale endings happen in real life, not just in the the movies.

"On the first day, I start talking to another actor with more experience than me. She introduces me to Naomi, and I was like, 'I watched you in Aladdin last night!' I met the director as well!"

Schleif and Scott shot a scene together (super fan posing for a picture with her idol), and though the scene, above, was cut from the film, Schleif's performance earned her a callback.

"We got called onto the set to shoot the final scene of the movie and Naomi points down at me from the stage and says, 'Oh my god, Ava, right?!' It's amazing that she remembered me and went out of her way to say 'hi.' Right after that, the director tells us, 'This is the last scene of the movie. It's guaranteed to make the cut. I need you to react like you're watching the worst possible thing happen."

Sure enough, as audience members across the country are watching actors react to the worst possible thing, the person in the very middle of the very first row is Schleif.

"I saw the movie on opening night. It's phenomenal. It was so cool to see my face on the screen screaming. I told my mom years ago, 'I'll be on the movie screen someday. I don't know how, but I'll be up there.' When it happened, my friends and family were with me in the theatre. They all looked at me. It was this ' I made it' moment."

Schleif posted about the experience on Instagram and the writer/director of the film, Parker Finn, liked the post. She's not sure what doors might open as a result of this experience, but the communications marketing major (who is grateful to her professors this past spring for being so cool when she needed a few days off to shoot the movie) is excited for what's next.

"I just love doing it, and I just want to try new things. It felt like I escaped reality and went into this fake world, and I experienced it with all of these creative people. The whole process was just incredible."

And there's your happy ending. As for Skye Riley's fate...