In Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, The Life of Chuck, Mandy Moore choreography in The Life of Chuck becomes the film’s emotional core, navigating a narrative that begins with doomsday anxiety and unfolds into a celebration of the simple joys that make life meaningful. Through distinct dance sequences rooted in everyday experiences, Moore crafts a physical language that echoes the journey of Chuck Krantz, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, as he finds solace and identity in movement from childhood to adulthood.
Dancing Through a Story of Endings and Joys
The movie opens with the small-town world on the brink of collapse, as citizens are confronted not only by their own fears but also by constant reminders celebrating Chuck Krantz. As the plot rewinds, viewers discover that dance is not merely a passing interest for Chuck — it is his lifelong passion and the fundamental thread that ties the storyline together, from his early years in an after-school dance club to a defining adult performance alongside Annalise Basso and Taylor Gordon (known as The Pocket Queen).
Flanagan enlisted Mandy Moore, already recognized for her Emmy-winning work and for choreographing celebrated films such as La La Land and Silver Linings Playbook, to shape the physical narrative of Chuck’s life. Moore, unrelated to the actress of the same name, brings both expertise and an intuitive understanding of how real-life movement can convey profound emotion — an approach that fits Flanagan’s vision for dance in the film as casual and deeply rooted in reality.
“I really loved that dance played a role in the most casual sense,”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
“It wasn’t some big performance, or a big musical number, or a dream sequence. It’s rooted in real-life situations.”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
Mandy Moore’s Approach: Realism and Emotion Over Perfection
Moore’s process focused on drawing out the authentic delight of movement from performers, many of whom had limited dance training. Her goal was for the choreography to reflect Chuck’s own uninhibited joy—making performances free from self-consciousness or technical anxiety. She prioritized an environment where actors could feel empowered to express themselves naturally.
“Number one, they have to love it,”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
“I never want an actor or a performer to come to dance and hate their life. A big part of it is shielding everyone from all the judgments and the chaos and getting them to feel confident in expressing and moving in a really free way, that it’s not about the perfect technique.”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
To achieve this, Moore worked closely with the cast across continents. Due to the filming locations, she managed a cross-Atlantic collaboration — rehearsing with Annalise Basso and Taylor Gordon in Los Angeles, while Tom Hiddleston was in London. Associate choreographer Stephanie Powell aided by relaying videos and feedback, ensuring Hiddleston could learn routines despite the distance. The process was iterative and adaptive, with Moore and The Pocket Queen integrating dance and live drumming, creating a dynamic interaction where music and movement shaped each other in real time.
“A big part of it is…getting them to feel confident in expressing and moving in a really free way, that it’s not about the perfect technique,”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
Crafting the Pivotal Busking Scene
One of the film‘s standout moments is a seven-minute performance involving Chuck and a busker, blending Moore’s choreography with The Pocket Queen’s vibrant drumming. This scene required the choreography and percussion to be developed together, rather than choreographing to a pre-existing track, to capture the organic interaction between the two characters. Moore recounts the unique challenge of merging their creative processes, where each artist responded to the other‘s impulses in real time.
The logistical complexity further shaped the artistic process. During pre-production, Moore realized the need for the primary team to unite in person, which led to a decisive trip to London for focused rehearsal with Hiddleston, Basso, and Gordon. According to Moore, these collaborative days became fundamental for shaping the final performance, with remote input from director Flanagan to fine-tune every detail before the cast assembled in Alabama for the climactic shoot.
“We were finally together in the room. That became a really formative time in the creation.”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
From Solo to Partnered Dancing: Technical Challenges and Inspirations
Moore built the choreography by first focusing on a solo exchange between Chuck and the busker, later infusing partner dance elements as the story called for connection. She emphasized the need to morph various social and ballroom dance styles, from cha cha and salsa to ballroom classics like foxtrot and mambo, reflecting the eclectic influences found in Chuck’s character—ranging from MTV-inspired moves to the classic elegance of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, shaped by his grandmother‘s taste and affinity for MGM musicals.
Developing a common creative language with Gordon proved to be a joyful challenge, as they negotiated rhythms and steps by feel rather than strict musical notation. Moore’s ability to translate rhythm into movement became a key part of the production’s collaboration across teams, time zones, and musical backgrounds.
Teaching Dance Techniques: Building Confidence Over Precision
Flanagan’s direction called for exuberance over technical perfection. Moore’s instruction reflected this ethos, guiding Tom Hiddleston and Annalise Basso to explore self-expression and individuality in movement, rather than aiming for rigidity or conventional standards. She avoided mirrors to keep actors present and less self-critical, encouraging them to rely on her feedback and to move with confidence and spontaneity.
Weaving Childhood Memories into Adult Expression
The dance choreography seamlessly linked Chuck’s early experiences to his present. Young Chuck, played by Benjamin Pajak, participates in an after-school dance club, learning simple routines that mirror the exuberance of the adult dances later in the film. Moore sought to capture the authenticity of such moments by minimizing rehearsal for most child performers, allowing their lack of polish to come through as genuine youthful energy and curiosity, a philosophy she extended from her work with Basso and Hiddleston.
Moore rehearsed the pivotal dance teacher role with Samantha Sloyan, layering her own teaching approach into Sloyan’s on-screen persona. By providing Sloyan with step breakdowns and demonstrating how to conduct a room, she helped cultivate an atmosphere that was both instructive and relatable for audiences.
The Interplay of Generations: Dances Across Time
Central to Moore’s vision was the dialogue between the adult and childhood dances—there was intentional mirroring in the choreography, even as each sequence retained its own nuances. By structuring rehearsals to shoot the adult sequence first, Moore could then infuse those learnings into the younger cast’s performance, ensuring cohesion across the temporal shifts of the story.
Watching Pajak and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss collaborate on the gym scene, Moore tailored her teaching to their abilities and personalities, referencing classic pop culture icons like Michael Jackson and the moonwalk, while giving them space to invent steps and incorporate playfulness unique to their own stage in life. This echoed the larger narrative: both children and adults expressing the core emotion of dance, from different vantage points, yet ultimately united by the same creative spirit.
Choreographing Everyday Life’s Joys and Lessons
The choreography often drew from ordinary experiences, such as magical moments dancing with family in the kitchen or the influences of televised dance legends. Moore used mood boards dissecting character backgrounds and musical preferences, which enabled her to blend distinct styles organically, reflecting both the character’s history and the celebratory tone of life’s fleeting joys.
Her personal experiences as an MTV-era child, watching figures like Michael Jackson, informed her empathetic approach to helping both professionals and non-dancers unlock new avenues of expression—delivering choreography that runs the spectrum from sophisticated to charmingly amateur, always rooted in authenticity rather than spectacle.
Impact and Legacy: Inspiring Self-Expression
Moore’s deepest hope is that audiences leave the film feeling liberated to move, dance, and pursue any expressive calling that life’s pressures or self-doubt might otherwise suppress. For her, integrative and inclusive dance is a reminder of the essential human drive for connection and joy, transcending the boundaries of age, skill, or circumstance.
“I hope [audiences] walk away wanting to dance. I hope they want to move their bodies and not feel all the judgment and the things that happen in life that make us not want to do those things.”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
Behind the Scenes: Collaboration Across Cast and Crew
Moore’s engagement was all-encompassing, from casting children to coaching leads, and from planning minor background moments to orchestrating narrative-defining routines. She reaffirms the importance of collaborative spirit—working alongside Samantha Sloyan, Trevor Macy, and Stephanie Powell, among others—to construct meaningful moments that felt real for both the performers and the audience. Whether working with the unpracticed children of the dance club or experienced adult actors, she emphasized comfort and individuality over staged perfection.
Her approach with Benjamin Pajak and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss was identical to her method with Tom Hiddleston and Annalise Basso: start simple, nurture confidence, and allow their personal quirks to enhance each routine. Moore handed out tasks like practicing the moonwalk, pushing young actors to actively participate in their own growth, and ultimately celebrating the unscripted moments that emerged during filming.
Moore found creative ways to bridge generational gaps, drawing inspiration from the script and each actor’s natural tendencies. Observing how Benjamin Pajak would emulate Tom Hiddleston’s unique movement added an extra layer of continuity to the choreography—a subtle, intentional conversation between the two versions of Chuck, told entirely through dance.
The Role of Dance as the Film’s Emotional Anchor
Moore never underestimated the weight of her contribution, as Flanagan reminded her that these moments were the heart of the story. His respect for the full arc of the dance scenes, resisting the urge to drastically shorten or stylize them for pace, contributed to a tapestry of meaning that anchors the film at both its bleakest and most hopeful.
“I hope [audiences] walk away wanting to dance. I hope they want to move their bodies and not feel all the judgment and the things that happen in life that make us not want to do those things.”
—Mandy Moore, Choreographer
For Moore, working on The Life of Chuck was about more than technique — it was about giving audiences permission to shed doubt, embrace imperfection, and engage with the world through movement. She laments the pressures and barriers facing the arts today and champions more opportunities for people of every age and background to experience creative expression, recalling that these are among the essential elements that give existence its beauty and depth.
What Comes Next: The Influence of Moore’s Philosophy
With Mandy Moore choreography in The Life of Chuck praised for illuminating the hope and warmth within an apocalyptic backdrop, her work stands as an invitation for viewers to reconnect with their most human instincts. The collaboration with Mike Flanagan, Taylor Gordon, Tom Hiddleston, Annalise Basso, Benjamin Pajak, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Samantha Sloyan, and the wider creative team offers not only memorable sequences but also a message — that joy, creativity, and movement are integral, especially in life’s most uncertain moments.
As audiences take their seats and watch Chuck Krantz dance through the milestones of his life, Moore’s vision lingers: a testament to the transformative power of simple, genuine, unguarded expression. Whether through dance, art, or any other pursuit, the legacy of her choreography is an enduring call to move past judgments and rediscover what it means to live fully — on screen and beyond.
