Carrie’s lead star hasn’t watched the original Stephen King horror movie

If you happened to spot Prime Video hyping its new miniseries Carrie, you might've noticed a fresh face in the lead. Summer H. Howell is the one taking on King's doomed telekinetic teen this time—and there's a rather bold twist to her preparation: she deliberately dodged Stephen King's novel and every previous film version before stepping into the role. Slightly risky? Arguably. But if you think every young actor is just slavishly studying De Palma's 1976 classic, think again.

Howell's Approach: No Texts, No Films

The whole thing came out in an Entertainment Tonight interview. Howell, who's only 22, was quizzed about why she chose not to dive into the original Stephen King material or absorb Sissy Spacek's iconic turn. Her answer was gloriously unsentimental: she reckons she functions better by trusting her own instincts and doing 'what was on the page'.

Here's how she laid it out herself, speaking to Entertainment Tonight:

'I like to do things my own way usually in life.'

Howell explained that she wanted to set herself apart during the audition process, so she ignored the weight of King's shadow and focused on bringing something that was entirely hers. This wasn't just a creative choice either—practically speaking, the odds were stacked. More than 1,400 actresses reportedly read for Mike Flanagan's show, and somehow, skipping the source material worked in her favour.

The New Angle on King

To be entirely clear: this Carrie isn't just another film remake—it's the first time King's story has been spun out as an eight-episode television series. The basics remain familiar: teenager Carrie White has spent her life shuttered away by her fiercely protective mother, Margaret. But after her father's untimely death, she's thrown into the meat grinder that is public school, and, as you'd expect, things don't go well. Bullying, viral scandal, and—because it's the 2020s—the cruel speed of social media only intensify Carrie's struggles. All this emotional chaos coincides with her telekinetic powers surfacing. It's King, but with a touch more doomscrolling.

Carrie is Prime Video’s first official TV series adaptation of the Stephen King classic.

The supporting cast is fairly stacked: Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Matthew Lillard, Alison Thornton, and Joel Oulette are all on the billing. The whole thing's under the eye of Mike Flanagan, who writes, produces, and generally steers the series.

• Eight episodes
• Prime Video exclusive
• Flanagan as creator/showrunner

So, Sum up: a classic horror rejigged for the streaming age, a lead who's successfully ignored all the baggage, and an impressively high bar just to get cast—over a thousand hopefuls tried and failed. Let's see how that pays off for Howell and co.