Hannah Cheramy Breaks Down Julie’s Storywalking Powers in FROM Season 4

The world of FROM has only gotten more interesting since the introduction of Julie Matthews’ storywalking ability.

Being able to travel back in time to specific moments in the town’s history could be a major clue, but right now Julie’s still working out the kinks.

When it comes to discovering new secrets in FROMville, rarely, if ever, are the answers just spelled out for you.

On FROM Season 4 Episode 4, Julie looks further into her ability, teaming up again with Randall to learn more about storywalking through Ethan’s books.

When the two discover that you can travel to a specific point in a story, as opposed to just heading into the past blind, Julie makes a bookmark, hoping this will be the key to traveling back to the night of Jim’s death.

Unfortunately, the bookmark adventure did not go as planned, leaving Julie distressed and still clueless about how to save her father — if it’s even possible.

Julie’s come a long way from the girl we met in FROM Season 1, and we chatted with star Hannah Cheramy about Julie’s journey this season, her growth throughout the series, and why she feels Julie was the one given such a unique power.

TV Fanatic: Everything is very heightened and fast-moving in that town, so people rarely get to sit with their emotions before it’s off to the next big thing. Do you think there’s time for Julie to process her father’s death?

Hannah Cheramy: No. Seriously, Jim died, and she hit the ground running. Literally the day of, she sat there with Ethan on the bed, and she made the decision, “I know what I have to do.” She may have had all of 45 minutes to figure her shit out before she was on the road. I think she’s just in so much denial.

When you think back to the Julie who first entered the town, the girl who hopped out of the RV, and you see the Julie now, what kind of differences do you see in her from then to now?

I see Julie from Season 1, Episode 1 as a wounded bird. She was going through so much, obviously not in the sense of monsters in a nightmare town, she was going through so much in her family, in her family life, that was just scarring her and wounding her and keeping her down.

She felt so stuck and trapped, and then she ended up in this place where she genuinely was trapped, but she gained her wings a bit through this town. I think it’s really helping her come into her own, in a sense.

This show features many very interesting pairings between people who, in the real world, would never have a reason to form a relationship. That’s true of Julie and Randall, because they’re really unexpected, but the more you see them together, you can see why they connect.

What do you think it is about Randall that Julie feels comfortable with, and like he’s someone that she can confide in?

Yeah, it’s totally a shared trauma bond. They’ve been through what they went through together in the chambers, and they also went through it with Marielle, but I think these two feel very alone in this town. They’re on their own in a sense, so I think that really draws them together.

They can form this unlikely duo with each other, and they can trust one another, because they have been through enough together, where it’s like, “I know what your screams sound like, you know what my screams sound like. Let’s frickin’ be friends.”

The story-walking angle really takes off in this episode. And it’s terrifying to me.

Was that something you always knew was in the cards for Julie? Or is this something that you learned of recently, that Julie would be such an integral part of this whole thing through the storywalking?

I had no idea. I mean, FROM Season 3, when I got the scripts, and she started the storywalking thing, I was like, “Wait, okay, does Julie have this special ability?” I didn’t see it coming for her, but as it’s gone on, I’ve realized she’s a way bigger part of the story than I ever imagined.

I think she really is, in some ways, a key to this place. She’s potentially the all-knowing being. She can see things, and it feels really good. I think it’s an underrated weapon in town.

Oh, for sure. Time travel can come in handy in a situation like this. Do you ever wonder why this was bestowed upon Julie?

I do. But I think the reason it’s Julie is that she spent so much time having everything in her life out of her control. Her brother’s death and her parents’ reactions to the death. Having to now take care of Ethan at 15, not knowing what to do at all.

Everything in her life was so out of control. She comes to this town, and she’s stuck here. That’s out of her control; there’s nothing she can do. This is finally giving her a sense of control. It’s finally giving her a way to tap into herself and her abilities, to be like, “I can go back. I can understand things. I can try to keep things, change them, fix them, and get them right.”

So I think it really gives her back the control she’s been lacking for so long.

Julie and Tabitha have had a typical mother-daughter relationship, but also, as I was saying before, everything’s just so heightened in there. What kind of place do you think they’re in now in their understanding of each other?

Yeah, this season is interesting for Julie and Tabitha. They’re very much on different paths. I didn’t really have as many scenes as I normally do with Catalina.

I feel like Tabitha is so much in denial, not wanting to accept what’s happening with Jim, and also about her abilities and her being the reincarnation or whatnot of Miranda. And so, they’re trying to figure that out with Jade, and it’s all too much.

But for Julie, she’s like, “Oh, I have this ability? Let me figure this out. I will die trying to figure this out and get to the bottom of this.” They’re kind of on different paths that, as the season goes on, slowly start to become more aligned with one another.

I asked this to Harold Perrineau earlier in the season, and I’m curious your take on it, too. FROM fans are so eager for answers, right? I’m sure you see that. What would you say to the fans who are ready to get the answers right now?

I’d say a couple of things. The first thing I’d say is that we’re already getting answers all the time. It’s not the main answer to why they are stuck here. That’s like, guys, you gotta wait for that. That’s gonna be a big reveal, you know?

But we’re getting smaller answers and different pieces to the puzzle every episode. It’s just not the main, major questions. But if we were answering major questions in Seasons 3 and 4, why would you watch Season 5?

Where is there to build? Where is there to grow if we’ve got it all figured out? I think what’s so great about it is you watch it, and you’re like, “I’m confused.”

Because that ending? It’s gonna be 10 times more satisfying. There are always shows like that. You always watch shows where you don’t understand what’s happening, and then when the reveal comes, it’s like, “Oh my god, I waited so long for this. Yes, that was worth it, and I can see how it tied back to XYZ.”

Exactly, I totally agree with you.

What else can you tease for us about Julie’s journey through the rest of the season?

Yeah, Julie definitely will have fluctuations in her determination and belief in herself and her abilities. That’s gonna be a theme for her, figuring out how much she believes in herself. I think that’s a good way to put it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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You can watch FROM on Sundays at 9/8c on MGM+.