Writer-director Leah McKendrick tells EW she wasn’t sure if the moment would work, but the fan response has been “very affirming.”

Voicemails for Isabelle director was worried end cameo scene would come off ‘creepy’ (exclusive)

Writer-director Leah McKendrick tells EW she wasn't sure if the moment would work, but the fan response has been "very affirming."

By Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is a staff editor at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, GQ, and Ars Technica.

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June 23, 2026 9:31 a.m. ET

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Zoey Deutch as Jill in 'Voicemails for Isabelle'. Credit:

- Netflix’s *Voicemails for Isabelle *includes a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in the rom-com's final scene.

- Writer-director Leah McKendrick tells EW that she was initially worried the moment would "ruin" her film, or come off "creepy."

- But the internet has embraced the cameo, and McKendrick is enjoying people picking up on her Easter eggs.

**Warning: This article contains spoilers for the ending of Netflix rom-com *Voicemails for Isabelle.***

The end of Netflix’s *Voicemails for Isabelle *includes a special cameo that has become an emotional fan-favorite moment — and writer-director Leah McKendrick is just happy the scene didn’t come off as “creepy.”

“I could totally ruin my movie in this last moment, or it could be so epic,” McKendrick tells ** on deciding whether or not to include the Easter egg.

Based on the reactions from viewers on social media, her choice *was* epic.

In the rom-com, which quickly became a hit on the streamer following its June 19 release, Jill (Zoey Deutch) sends candid voicemails to her late sister, Isabelle, unaware that the phone number now belongs to Wes (Nick Robinson), which sets the pair up for a modern meet-cute.

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The final scene, which mirrors the opening sequence, shows Jill dancing in a park to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own" as the crowd moves in unison alongside her. Eagle-eyed viewers have picked up on the fact that one of those people in the crowd is Isabelle (or Izzy) played by Ciara Bravo.

It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. Isabelle is out of focus and in the background for a few seconds — and that’s exactly how McKendrick, who also stars in the film, envisioned it.

“Hopefully people are like, ‘Wait, wait, wait, was that..?’ And then they rewind it,” she tells EW of her vision for the scene, adding that she wanted it to feel like "getting a glimpse into almost like another realm."

Zoey Deutch (foreground) and Ciara Bravo at the end of Netflix's 'Voicemails for Isabelle'.

Executing that short moment in the film wasn’t easy. When McKendrick initially shared her idea with producers, they were unsure if the team could logistically pull it off. First, they had to ask Bravo if she was available to come back to the set and learn the dance. (Luckily, she said yes!) But that was only one hurdle. Once she arrived on location, the sun was setting, and the crew had limited time. They got it in one take.

“I can't even believe that we got that, because I wasn't sure if it was going to work or not, like, Ciara didn't even get a rehearsal,” McKendrick shares. “The movie Gods were smiling upon us that day, the miracles that happened.”

Early in the film, following a sequence that shows the bond between the two sisters — and their mutual love for Robyn — Isabelle dies. McKendrick was worried that bringing a dead character back on screen for the poignant ending could potentially come off as strange.

Ciara Bravo as Isabelle in 'Voicemails for Isabelle'.

Diyah Pera/Netflix

“We were calibrating that ‘till the end to make sure that you could, in fact, see her, but also that it didn't feel spoon-feedy and creepy and weird,” the filmmaker adds.

McKendrick is now enjoying the internet’s reaction to the moment.

“I'm so glad it didn't feel creepy, and it's really satisfying to see all the edits of people pointing it out," she says.

Some fans have even picked up on the attention to detail. "There was this whole like frantic, ‘what is she going to wear?’ I said, 'put her in the same shirt that she dances in the hospital,'" McKendrick continues. "And somebody [online] picked up on that. And that made me really happy, too.”

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“The power of the internet is special,” she adds. “There's all my little Easter eggs that I don’t even think I explained to anyone. I just was like, 'And now this is going to happen,' and it was clear in my own head. People are like really picking up on them. It's very affirming.”

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Source: “EW Romance”