Brad Dourif, the voice of 'Chucky,' on why the SYFY & USA series even scared him in Season 2

Chucky, the "Good Guy" doll possessed by the evil spirit of serial killer Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray, has been primarily voiced going back to the very first movie in 1988 by actor Brad Dourif. It's the longest ongoing role on the actor's esteemed resume of film and television projects and he's back again for Season 2 of Chucky which premieres Oct. 5 on SYFY. 

At today's SYFY virtual Television Critics Association panel for the series, Dourif joined the Chucky cast and creator Don Mancini to talk about what's coming in the sophomore season and the enduring versatility of the Chucky character over 34 years. Asked by reporters how he's evolved along with the Chucky character, Dourif deadpanned, "Well, I'm 72, so one of the things that happened is I got old which is very strange."

He continued, "I think that Don Mancini is all the Chucky collective unconsciousness. He is the god there. Most of my evolution comes from his imagination. I felt that Don's ability to grab where horror was going, how the genre changed, and adapt Chucky to it was always unique and extremely fun. I think he is the reason why this thing continues to work. And why Jennifer and I still have a job for many, many, many years."

Because Dourif's been voicing Chucky for so long, most would assume he's got the demon doll down cold. He does except Dourif says Mancini keeps throwing him unexpected curveballs like Season 1's alternate Chucky dolls. "I know the character really well, so I feel like I should be able to just go in there and do it. But Don always comes up with some sh** that makes it harder," the actor laughed.

In terms of how he's come up with distinct Chucky voices, the actor said, "I try to do a different voice for each one, or at least a different low, medium and high kind of thing. And then there's a bit of a personality that comes just from reading the script. Then I go from beginning to end in one character, and then go back to the beginning and do the second character, and go back and do the third character. That's the way I've done it before this season. And I'm not talking about any things having to do with this season," he smiled. 

Speaking of Season 2, he said Mancini really challenged him above and beyond this year. "I gotta tell you, I was really scared at times that I was gonna f*** this up big time. As Don did with Fiona (Dourif) too. He really, really, really made her step out. But that's all good. Being challenged is a good thing, especially for someone who kind of considers himself to be retired."

Chucky Season 2 premieres Oct. 5 on SYFY.