The Conjuring: Last Rites

Mia Tomlinson stars as Judy Warren in the final film of the franchise, The Conjuring: Last Rites.

The actor has spoken in detail about her process of embodying the character in an interview with ScreenRant. In this concluding film, we will witness Judy's character in her adulthood. While keeping in mind the character's rich history, director Michael Chaves encouraged The Beast Must Die actor to carve the character in her own way in this film.

Here's what Mia Tomlinson said:

"We're seeing Judy when she's quite a bit older now, so, of course, she has to age. I took pieces from their performances, but Michael [Chaves] was really focused on allowing me the space and the time to breathe while creating a role for myself."

Mia Tomlinson envisions her own Judy Warren in

In a conversation with ScreenRant, actor Mia Tomlinson, who portrayed the character of Lorraine and Ed's daughter, Judy Warren, in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, candidly spoke about her portrayal in the film.

Before Tomlinson stepped into the franchise, two other prominent child actors, Sterling Jerins and McKenna Grace, played the role of Judy in the previous films. Here is the list of the films in the Conjuring Universe where Jerins and Grace played the role:

Sterling Jerins as Judy:

The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
The Nun II (2023, in a cameo appearance)

McKenna Grace as Judy:

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

About embodying the character of the mature Judy, Mia Tomlinson explained how she felt playing a character who has been played before. She also honored the unique performances of Sterling Jerins and McKenna Grace:

"Yeah, of course. It's always a bit apprehensive when you're picking it up from somebody else, like Sterling and Mckenna in this case, and I have absolute respect for their performances."

Furthermore, the actor shared her experience of researching for the character in The Conjuring: Last Rites. In the process, she met the actual Judy Warren. Meeting the real-life persona has been an eye-opener for Mia Tomlinson, as she got raw and personal insights from her.

Mia Tomlinson also realizes parallels between the mother's and daughter's personalities and way of seeing things. As opposed to Lorraine, Judy chooses to keep the supernatural world at bay, despite experiencing it.

Tomlinson mentioned:

"I had a lot of gems and pieces from Judy Warren, who is still around, and she gave me so much information and was really generous with her time. We spoke in depth about what it was like to grow up as a Warren, and how she felt. She doesn't want anything to do with it. She can't help but see these things, but really, she keeps it at arm's length. She's not like Lorraine."

Judy Warren imparting the precious pearls of wisdom to Mia Tomlinson has been extremely vital to the actor's preparation for her character.

By incorporating a combination of her own artistic sensibilities as well as Judy Warren's acumen into practice, Mia Tomlinson emerges as her own Judy Warren in The Conjuring: Last Rites. She further said:

"Her mantra, which I'm sharing quite a lot, really says it all. Judy told me that she used to say, "Don't look it in the eyes, don't give it recognition." And that was something that I took with me as this character. I'm such an energetic, kooky person, so it was really difficult for me. It was a challenge. It's an actor's challenge to play a role where you're keeping that all in, and all the tension is bubbling."

Adding:

"I definitely used my own energy, but tried to bottle it and keep myself grounded with Judy's mantra. Mckenna Grace did a very good job of that in Annabelle Comes Home. We see a lot of that sort of guarded approach, which is beautiful for Judy."

The Conjuring: Last Rites will be released on 5th September 2025. Along with Mia Tomlinson, the film stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ben Hardy, and many others.