‘Happy Face’s Khiyla Aynne Talks Connecting With Dennis Quaid

EXCLUSIVE: Khiyla Aynne is ready for the spotlight, which she will have tonight on the Paramount+ series Happy Face when her character Hazel Reed does the forbidden.

Hazel is the granddaughter of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, better known as the titular Happy Face killer; both characters are based on real people. Aynne spoke to MyRumors about her experience playing a real-life person and the lengths production went to make her first interaction with Dennis Quaid, who plays her imprisoned grandfather, be as authentic as possible.

Watch a clip from their characters’ first interaction above.

The CBS Studios-produced Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore, the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore, and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.

Jumping off from Moore’s true-life story, the series follows Melissa (Annaleigh Ashford) and her incarcerated father, known as the Happy Face Killer (Quaid). After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.

Moore’s children Hazel and Max Reed are played by Aynne and Benjamin Mackey, respectively.

DEADLINE: This series tackles heavy subjects. What was it like being on set of a series based on real-life events involving a serial killer?

KHIYLA AYNNE: Yes, it’s definitely a heavy subject matter, but we really kept it light and positive between takes. During breaks, we sometimes played Uno and joked around a bit. Our crew was really amazing, and the cast was wonderful to work with.

DEADLINE: Episode 5 is a pivotal moment for your character, Hazel. Her mom has successfully kept her isolated from her grandfather even though Hazel has asked a lot about him and shown interest in getting to know him. The two of you connect behind her back, as we can see in the video clip. What can you share about the significance of their chat?

KA: Yeah, episode 5 is pivotal for Hazel, and she has some pretty big moments. She is seen first talking with her grandfather, which I think viewers will be shocked about. Some probably will be screaming at my character, saying, “Stop! Why are you doing that? Hang up the phone.” I think what’s going through her head is that he doesn’t seem as bad as her mom and her family have made him out to be. You’ll see how he’s validating her when he says, “You’re not a kid anymore, and you can decide for yourself what you think of me.” She feels the opposite when her mother tells her what to think and what to do. Meanwhile, this man who’s been hidden from her is validating her and telling her that she can make up her own mind and think the way she feels is best.

DEADLINE: As an outsider looking in, though, 15-year-olds think they know everything and don’t realize their parents have their safety and best interest at heart. There have to be repercussions for Hazel, no?

KA: Definitely. Going back to episode one, we see Hazel’s desire to find out where she came from and who she is after she overhears her mother saying that her father is the Happy Face killer. That sparks something inside her as she’s on this journey of self-discovery. This gives her something even deeper to dive into: her family’s past and everything. When we see her speaking with Keith for the first time, we don’t really know where the relationship’s going or what this will mean. He has access to the outside world while being in prison, and for the larger story, Melissa is seeing whether or not they’re going to do a trial for the murder.

DEADLINE: What was your process for getting into character?

KA: It was a hard frame of mind to get into because I’d be speaking with a serial killer. That’s not a normal thing, so it’s very different. Our director, Ramaa Mosley, was very helpful with that. She made some amazing choices, which included having Dennis and I not meet before we filmed any of our scenes. I didn’t meet him for the first time until our show premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

DEADLINE: You never saw each other on set?

KA: Never. We saw each other in passing one time during lunch, but we didn’t meet one another until SXSW. Ramaa chose that because she wanted our characters’ first time talking to be as real as possible. So in the scenes [airing tonight], those phones are real, and we were doing our scenes together but apart.

DEADLINE: Did you feel any pressure about playing a real-life person?

KA: Playing a real person comes with added pressure. It’s not a bad pressure, but you want to do a good job because you are portraying them in a slightly different version. You want to make them proud.

DEADLINE: Did you get to meet Melissa or Hazel?

KA: I didn’t meet Melissa or Hazel until after we finished shooting. When I met them, they were so welcoming, so lovely. I gave her entire family hugs. It was nice to see them face to face. We had spoken on social media, privately, before we met. Hazel complimented the series and how I portrayed this version of her. That meant a lot to me. We hung out a lot in Austin.

DEADLINE: Before we go, can you tease what’s ahead for Hazel? She’s making big mistakes and involving other people. This can’t end too well.

KA: What I can say is Hazel has gone through hard times with the bullying she experienced in the previous episodes and hard times with her peers at school. So when [she starts talking to her grandfather], people start giving her attention and thinking she’s so cool. However, she’s making mistakes and letting these friends into her life. You’ll have to wait and see what else happens for the rest of this season.