Ghostbusters Frozen Empire Star Breaks Down "First Of Its Kind" Relationship Between Phoebe & Melody

Summary Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire brings together old and new Ghostbusters, with Phoebe playing a key emotional role.

Star Emily Alyn Lind explains how the movie taps into heartwarming moments while still delivering on the iconic comedy and horror mix.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features practical effects and explores a unique ghost-human dynamic.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire brings together the original Ghostbusters and the new generation who established themselves in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The Spengler family and Gary Gooberson find a new home in New York City, working with Winston and Ray to reestablish the Ghostbusters chasing ghosts around the city until Mayor Walter Peck threatens to shut them down. As they contend with this threat to the future of the Ghostbusters, an ancient artifact causes new mischief when the global threat trapped inside manages to escape and plunges New York City into subzero temperatures. Ghostbusters old and new will need to work together to recapture Garraka and save the city.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire brings the iconic comedy and terrifying moments of horror this franchise is known for back to the big screen with the legendary crew that first made audiences fall in love with the ghost-hunting goofballs. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also taps into a surprising amount of heart, especially with Phoebe (played by Gossip Girl's Emily Alyn Lind), who once again is the key to the emotional weight of the movie, as she was in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. This is especially prevalent in Phoebe's relationship with Melody, a dynamic that this franchise has never explored between a ghost and one of the Ghostbusters.

Related All 15 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Easter Eggs & References Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features a bevy of Easter eggs including callbacks to the original movies, The Real Ghostbusters, and horror classics.

Screen Rant interviewed Emily Alyn Lind about her role as Melody in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. She shared insight into her character and the dynamic between Melody and Phoebe. Lind also discussed working with Kenan, the original Ghostbusters stars, and the practical effects process used to transform her into a ghost.

Emily Alyn Lind Reveals What Draws Melody To Phoebe: "They're Both Outsiders"

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Melody is not the usual ghost in the Ghostbusters franchise. She is being held on Earth due to the guilt she feels for the death of her family. She, like Phoebe, feels like an outsider, which draws these two young women together.

Emily Alyn Lind: Melody was a very interesting character to me because she was super sarcastic, and they had a good banter there, her and Phoebe. I loved her witty banter. I loved that she was a young ghost from the streets, that she was a chess player, that she was just this kind of weirdo. Not what you would think when you think of a ghost from Ghostbusters. She reminded me of myself a lot, actually. I thought she was really cool. Basically, her family died in a tenant fire, and she feels that it was her fault. Her family has moved on, and she's stuck in this world without them. She wants to go see them again, she wants to tell them that she's sorry. The only way for her to be able to do that is to get to the other side. So she has to do what Garraka wants her to do to get there, which is hard for her because she's met this amazing human.

While Ghostbusters traditionally shows ghosts in a villainous light or even as nuisances, Frozen Empire incorporates a more nuanced relationship between Phoebe and Melody. Feeling lost, they gravitate toward each other, and although they exist on different planes they connect deeply.

Emily Alyn Lind: I love their relationship, because they really are a lot alike and a lot different at the same time. I think she's kind of confused at first because she's like, "I come in the park to scare the sh-t out of people, and you don't mind at all." I think that kind of relationship, they're drawn to each other because they're not scared of one another. Melody kind of sees Phoebe for who she is as well, which is rare for her too. I think that she feels like an outsider. They're both outsiders in a lot of ways. One of us happened to be a ghost, but I think that at this time in her life, Phoebe kind of feels like a ghost, with her family. They really do see each other. That's why I think it hurts so bad for both of them really, when this decision has to be made for Melody to team with Garraka.

Emily Alyn Lind Found It "Really Easy" To Figure Out A Relationship With McKenna Grace

Lind and Grace have phenomenal chemistry in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is why the relationship between the characters is an emotional tether in the movie. Lind shared how easy it was for them to find that chemistry. She also broke down the importance of figuring out how their characters connected beyond physical touch.

Emily Alyn Lind: It was really easy for me to figure out a relationship with McKenna because we were so close from the beginning. She's so awesome, she's such a wonderful actress, and I loved her character of Phoebe. I think she's so cool, distinct, so powerful, amazing, and so Ghostbusterdy. It was interesting, we were trying to figure out exactly what we were trying to come across, our relationship. I think what it really meant was just to feel seen, to feel heard, to be weirdos in this world. Even if we exist on different dimensional planes, we still have such a deep connection. What does that mean? Does it have to be touched? Can it just be spirits connecting on an emotional level, on a spiritual level? It was really easy for me to do that with McKenna because we really do connect on a spiritual level.

Lind also broke down the process of finding the right way to film her as a ghost. Kenan leaned heavily into the practical effects of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, but he also experimented to find the best way to show Melody. Some of this included wire work, with the core objective being for it to feel authentic and real for not just the audience, but the actors in the moment.

Emily Alyn Lind: It was actually really wonderful because a lot of it was practical effects. I assumed that I was going to go in there and have to be literally dealing with dots on my face and all of that stuff 24/7. It wasn't that way at all. It was really simple. Gil wanted to do a lot of it as real and in the moment as possible. It didn't waver my performance. He didn't want it to hinder any of the emotional stuff that we had to do. Pat was brilliant because I see all these Marvel movies and stuff like that, I see what they have to do, and they're on these sets, where they're up in the air, and all these wires. I was on wires. I was hanging outside of a window on a wire. So that was interesting. But it felt really real. There's so much magic that they can do afterwards. We went through a lot of different processes. There was this device called a Parallelogram, actually, it raised me right off of the ground, and we used it. We were really excited about it. We used it for a few scenes. And then, we trashed it because it didn't feel authentic. So Melody actually, you'll see she actually walks. When she's in that scene, when Garraka is kind of following her, and she's walking down the street in New York, she's walking. A lot of people probably thought it was an interesting choice, but it felt grounded in a way. Other than that, there was a green man that followed me once in a while. I don't know how they do the movie magic, and I don't know exactly what that did, but I was kind of in the moment. Other than that, yeah, a lot of it was practical. There were some wires and stuff when I got down the pole. I did those scans all the time, the 360 scans. It was really wonderful that I didn't really have to think about it.

Director Gil Kenan "Added A Lot Of Heart" To Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The love that Kenan and Reitman have for the Ghostbusters franchise is palpable in every moment of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, with how the original Ghostbusters come into play, the exploration of family through the new generations, and the incorporation of countless Easter eggs and homages. However, they also bring their perspective to this world, with Melody being the perfect example.

Emily Alyn Lind: The cool thing about Gil is that Gil and Jason are kind of joined at the hip. So I feel like they can speak through each other's mouths in a weird way. Gil, you can tell, even though he doesn't have the Reitman name, feels for this movie and this franchise just as deeply. He knows what he's doing. I think that when I first met him, I was like, "This is such a nerd. How exciting." I don't think you can make a Ghostbusters movie unless you deeply, deeply, deeply love and are obsessed and so nerdy about the franchise. From all the details that he would share about it, he was a kid that loved these movies in the eighties. We'd be on set, and they'd be on the mic explaining, yelling, basically, stage directing like, "Garraka is now taking over and it's frozen everywhere!" And we're all listening. He was so into it, we had to get used to that. I think Gil really added a lot of heart. My character and the storyline that kind of comes in here, it's the first of its kind. A ghost to be a heart with a real storyline. I really feel like that was so important to Gil, to add to this franchise, to this movie. I kind of understand why. It feels like the movies in the eighties, I believe it feels like a Ghostbusters movie, it's fun, it's exciting, but also there's sprinkles of new stuff. I love that it doesn't sway from the story. It doesn't sway from the franchise or do weird things. It's really scary, obviously, when you have, probably, a new person coming in. But he knows this movie so well, and he knows this world so well. He did sprinkle himself in there, which I actually think was so wonderful.

Lind also discussed the weight of the Ghostbusters legacy and working with legendary comedians on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. While the nerves were definitely there early on, Lind explained how the cast was extremely welcoming. She also shared which iconic comedians she was especially excited about working with and watching on set.

Emily Alyn Lind: I was kind of nervous just because I loved Ghostbusters so much as a kid. It was so mind-blowing to me, it changed my view of movies and movie making. It was one of the pioneering movies for me in my life, for me to want to do what I do. And so, I just think everyone's so funny. You're stepping in basically to this group of comedy geniuses. I love comedy, but it's a lot to step into. But at the same time, when I did, everyone was so welcoming and so cool. It's kind of like the first day of school when you go onto set for the first time, and you meet these people. But they were so wonderful that, by the end of it, I was just going to set on days I wasn't working, just to be there and to just witness the greatness that was coming. Especially from the OGs, Paul, and Kumail, I just thought was so genius. I was really nervous, and then I was really happy, really excited, and felt super welcomed.

About Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

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In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family decide to leave Summerville, Oklahoma and go back to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – and help the original Ghostbusters, who've developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level! But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

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