Perhaps the most talked-about moments from M3GAN going by the trailers has been the peculiar scene of the titular doll dancing. Programmed to be the best of friends with her 8-year-old owner, M3GAN is a killer doll that gives Chucky a run for his money. But while the horror film is filled with creepy moments, according to its reviews, it’s also a movie that embraces its campy elements as well, given the inclusion of the dance scene in the marketing materials.

Fans have clearly taken to the dance, as it wasn’t long before it was turned into memes and GIFs that people were constantly sharing on social media. But there was certainly no guarantee that the dance would go viral. In a new interview, via TooFab, director Gerard Johnstone says that the dance wasn’t in the original script. He told the outlet that he “just kind of snuck” the scene into the movie, just to “see if anyone would say anything.” He likely expected a studio head to nix the scene, but the opposite ended up happening.

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“To their credit, I think everyone embraced it,” Johnstone explains. “I thought it was one of those ideas you come up with when you just haven’t had enough sleep. It just felt like this is the kind of fun we need.”

He adds, “But you’re definitely walking a fine line when you’re doing something like that and you just hope it’s gonna pay off. It’s so relieving to see, even before the movie comes out, that even in the trailer people love it, so that was really cool.”

M3GAN Dancing Went Viral

One of the movie’s stars, Allison Williams, also addressed the unusual dancing scene. She admits that it was hard to envision the scene when reading about it in the screenplay. By the time she saw the scene playing out, however, Williams says she fully understands why it’s connected with people. Now, she’s stoked to see people getting the chance to see it on the big screen.

“Reading it in the script, you’re kind of like, ‘I think I can imagine this but it’s a little hard to imagine’ and then talking to Gerard about it, getting his vision for it and his tone, you’re like, ‘Okay this is becoming clearer into my mind,’” Williams says. “Then to see it actually being performed and then finally to see it on screen, it’s just instantly iconic. I’m so excited to see it in a full theater, I can’t wait to see people reacting to it.”

M3GAN officially premieres in movie theaters on Jan. 6, 2023.