Brandy reflects on the heat, horror, and her survival in 1998’s slasher sequel

More than two decades after I Still Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters, Brandy is opening up about the physically demanding — and at times uncomfortable — experience of filming the cult horror sequel. From humid sets to negotiating her character’s survival, the singer-actress is finally sharing what went on behind the scenes of one of the ’90s most iconic slasher follow-ups.

Battling heat and bugs on a tropical horror set

For Brandy, who was already a household name by the late 1990s, joining the cast of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer seemed like the next natural step in expanding her acting career. But in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Grammy-winning singer revealed that the filming experience was far more grueling than fans might expect.

“I didn’t have the best experience,” Brandy, now 46, admitted. “Because of the weather and all of that.” Much of the film was shot in Jalisco, Mexico — chosen to double for the Bahamas — as well as Los Angeles. “We were in a space where it was just bugs and this and that,” she said. “I’m like, ‘We gotta film this somewhere else.’”

Spending long hours shooting in tropical heat made for a physically draining experience, and Brandy didn’t shy away from calling it what it was: “very taxing.” While the final cut delivered suspense, jump scares, and a sun-soaked setting that masked its challenges, Brandy says the behind-the-scenes reality was far from glamorous.

Surviving the slasher — by contract

In horror tradition, it’s often assumed that few characters make it out alive — especially if they’re not the lead. But Brandy’s character, Karla Wilson, not only made it to the end of the film, she did so intentionally.

“That was in the contract,” Brandy explained when asked how her character managed to avoid the killer’s wrath. “Black people don’t last in horror films, so I had to put that in the contract.” Her comment underscores an often-criticized trope in horror films, where characters of color are frequently the first to die — if they’re even given meaningful storylines at all.

Karla, the college best friend to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character Julie, was a refreshing exception in a genre not known for diversity or nuance. Her survival wasn’t just a plot twist — it was a quiet act of resistance. And it was all thanks to Brandy’s awareness of Hollywood’s patterns and her insistence on rewriting them.

A reason to rebel: “I needed to curse”

So why would Brandy — then best known for her clean-cut image on shows like Moesha and hit tracks like “The Boy Is Mine” — want to star in a gory teen horror flick in the first place?

“The reason why I wanted to do I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is because I wanted to curse in a film,” she said with a laugh. At the time, Brandy’s public persona was wrapped in a kind of polished perfection. Horror offered something new — a chance to break that mold.

“Alluding to the perfection of how I appeared in my other projects, I said, ‘I need to curse,’” she told Entertainment Tonight. The slasher sequel provided the perfect opportunity to stretch creatively and shake off the constraints of her then-squeaky-clean brand. It wasn’t just about surviving a killer on screen — it was about carving space to express herself more authentically.

A legacy continues — with or without her?

As the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise prepares for its next chapter, fans have been wondering whether Karla Wilson — and Brandy — will return. Scheduled for release this July, the new installment will see original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles as Julie and Ray, now guiding a new generation of characters through another web of secrets and slasher suspense.

The reboot boasts a buzzy young cast, including Euphoria’s Chase Sui Wonders, Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline, and The Wilds breakout Sarah Pidgeon, alongside Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers. The film will be directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge), who co-wrote the screenplay with Leah McKendrick and Sam Lansky.

While Brandy’s involvement has not been officially confirmed, Robinson has teased fans with a cryptic answer: “You’ll have to go see the movie.” Whether it’s a clever misdirection or a hint at a surprise cameo, Brandy’s Karla remains a fan-favorite character whose return would be welcomed by long-time franchise lovers.

Horror, healing, and Hollywood then and now

Brandy’s candidness about her experience on the 1998 film is part of a broader trend of legacy stars reclaiming their narratives — unpacking what those early roles meant, how they were treated, and what they would do differently today. For Brandy, the challenges of the set didn’t eclipse the significance of her role or her enjoyment of the genre. But revisiting it now offers a new perspective on the physical and emotional labor behind her survival on screen.

As Hollywood slowly begins to reckon with representation — both in front of and behind the camera — Brandy’s story serves as a reminder that progress often begins with individuals speaking up, demanding better, and leaving their mark, one contract clause at a time. Whether or not Karla Wilson returns to the big screen this summer, her place in horror history is already sealed — not as a victim, but as a survivor by design.