I uploaded 2 new photoshoots to the gallery. Click on the gallery links below to see all new photos.

Click on the gallery link below to see all new photos.

Photography by Miriam Marlene

Tamara Rappa: You’ve always been intent on being a storyteller, not only as an actor. What do you think had an early influence on you, to create that desire?

Sophie Thatcher: I think it came from maybe some kind of discomfort within my own life and wanting to live in a fantasy world. Not to go too dark or anything, but from a genuine dislike of and discomfort in myself kind of early on. I had an okay childhood, but I think I was just trying to reach beyond, and find something so different. Being so glued to the computer; being obsessed with film…it was me trying to find some kind of escape, wanting to live in a different world.

TR: You’ve said that you want to tell stories that make people feel less alone.

ST: For me, the most powerful thing I can feel from art or music, is when it can center me, when I can see myself in an artist or the music; find some point of connection. There’s loneliness in everyone, but I think growing up, I felt that especially. [Musician] Elliott Smith is the best at it. He’s very open about his personal experience. It’s not that I have to be ‘open’, but if I can share my vulnerability, and people can connect to it, and see themselves in different characters I play, I feel like it will help them accept themselves, and feel less alone. It’s a lot to talk about. Pieces of music and pieces of art….can really push you forward, and make you feel less of that impending sense of doom.

ST: I was re-watching, I Know This Much Is True, by [Director] Derek Cianfrance. It’s really depressing, it’s about these twins, and Mark Ruffalo is just fantastic. The music is fantastic. The music is almost my favorite part. Harold Budd, I think it was the last thing that he did, he does a beautiful score, and a lot of ambient pieces for it. I loved it. I just watched it, and it stayed with me for a couple weeks. Then I re-watched it again, and it’s still stuck with me. If I can have any kind of impact like that with the roles that I play… It made me feel fucking amazing. It made me realize that I’m kind of going on the right path. I was at a bar in the East Village, and this woman came up to me and was like, ‘You’re in Yellowjackets?’ And she showed me her rings. They were all the rings that my character wears, and she said to me, ‘You are me. I’m seeing myself on TV, and I’ve never seen myself on TV before.’ It’s just fucking insane. It was a little intense. It was a little scary too, because there’s some kind of, I don’t know…there’s power in it. For me, it was kind of the ultimate validation. If I can make people feel seen again, if I can help people in that ‘other’ box feel seen, then I’m on the right path.

TR: Your twin sister is an artist. Is there anyone else in your family who shares your creative soul? How were you raised, when it comes to the arts?

ST: I have so much family because my family’s Mormon. I have endless cousins, and they’re all in Utah, in Idaho. My great aunt died recently, and I took my boyfriend to go to Utah to see some of my distant family on my mom’s side. That made me realize that everybody’s strange in their own way. Everyone’s very musical, that’s how I grew up. That was something that was an outlet for me. I was in the church choir. My mom played piano. Everyone in my family has very specific taste, and I think it’s very English, very old fashioned, and I think that comes with the religion. It was refreshing to go back to Utah even though I’m not practicing the religion anymore. Everyone is still so kind and so welcoming, and they’re all freaks too. [Laughs] They’re all weird. I always thought that me and [my sibling] Ellie came out of nowhere! We didn’t come out of nowhere; we came from feeling like all of them, feeling out like outcasts.

TR: What’s it like for you, twin siblings, both artists?

ST: I think we really fuel each other. There’s nobody else in the world that I trust more than them, and I trust their taste. We basically have the same exact taste. Whenever they make a painting, or anything, I’m like, ‘Why the fuck didn’t I do that?!’ I wish I had more time to do that kind of thing. Everything they do, I can see perfectly in my head. Now that I’m getting back into drawing and painting, I’ve noticed that we’re living in the same kind of fantasy. I’m very inspired by their art. The drawings that I make are very medieval, and a lot of their art is medieval-inspired. I don’t know where that connection comes from; maybe because my mom and my brother are history buffs. We grew up relatively cultured. Ellie, whenever I make anything new, they’re the first person I send it to. I know that they’ll be honest, always. I can’t imagine not having Ellie. It’s hard, too, because Ellie’s so exceptionally talented. Not saying that acting isn’t art, but for a while I felt like acting wasn’t art, which is bullshit. I felt like drawing was their thing, and I wanted to create space for a healthy relationship. Being a twin makes you naturally competitive. But they’re so encouraging of me in terms of my drawing. They’ll give me tips because they’ve been doing it longer. All those years when they mastered the skill, I was I on set and such. I’m a little late getting back into it, but it feels like the most natural thing.

TR: I love that you make time for all of these different creative outlets and endeavors.

ST: I can get lazy. I’ve noticed recently, it’s either that I’m taking a nap because I’m so tired, or I’m drawing or making music. There’s no in-between.

TR: That makes me think about how people really do kind of fall into two categories. You’re either that person who unwinds at night, or who lights up with creativity.

ST: It’s my time to be alone. I have hours without getting emails, without people texting me. It’s my time to put my phone away, to put on a record, and start drawing for a bit. I can make music for hours. I’ve been pretty good with that recently. And I’m getting better with being proactive with my time—not scrolling, not doing the scrolling.[Laughs]

TR: How do you like your physical surroundings to be, when it comes to being at home? Being an actor requires that you travel all the time, so what needs to be present at your home base, wherever home base is for you?

ST: For the first time in a while, I’ve built myself a home, in Silver Lake, and my boyfriend just moved in officially, It”s awesome. It’s so fucking nice. I’d never really realized what having a home can do to you, because sometimes you have to find home in people, in music, in a book, in these very specific things you’ve had throughout your life. It’s nice to have an an actual, physical, safe, home. It’s filled with art, with my friend’s paintings, it’s filled with my favorite movies. When I’m in Vancouver and when I’m staying at Airbnb’s, it’s about things like bringing my keyboard so I can play in my downtime. I get so antsy when I can’t. Bringing my keyboard, bringing a stuffed animal…physical items.

TR: You have such a strong artistic and visual sensibility. What kinds of things do you love?

ST: I love connection: I just want to feel connected. I want to be transported away from my world for a little bit. That’s the power of what a really good movie can do, what a good piece of art can do. You can live in that world for a second. I want to be immersed, fully,

TR: Are there specific times when you love to consume content? Is it when you’re working? Is it when you’re not working? Does inspiration strike to devour content at a particular time, for you?

ST: It’s interesting, when I’m working, when I was doing this last season of Yellowjackets, I could’t really watch other TV shows. It makes things feel very tainted. I need to have such a one-track mind, and mentality. I’m living in this world, and I don’t want outsiders to get in my head. It’s also for mental health reasons, that I have to be very light with what I watch. I tend to skew towards, you know, watching something a little darker, something that makes me feel something. I was watching a lot of reality TV during the second season, for the lightness. It doesn’t take anything out of you.

TR: When you’re working, you need the balance of something else.

ST: It’s too technical. I have too much anxiety for the actors. I’ve noticed it recently, even going to plays. Live theater stresses me out so much, especially having done it myself. I always want the actor to succeed so badly, to the extent that it takes me away from the experience of live theater. LA’s not the place for that, it happens whenever I go to New York…

TR: You’re an actor, you’re interested in writing, you play music, you express yourself through fashion and art. You’re a creative, through-and-through. Did you find that Mormonism was in conflict with, or bumping up against your freedom and mindset as an artist?

ST: Yes and no. It was so time consuming. What took me away from the church was that I was working all the time. I was doing theater. It was kind of my way out. [The church] felt very one-sided, and it instilled a lot of anxiety in me. I’m already such a hyper-aware, anxious person, it wasn’t doing me any good. The influence of my older siblings; seeing them be artistic, hearing their points of view…took me away from [the church]. As a kid, I thought, I’m never gonna have kids. I made that statement. I always said that because I thought, I’m going to be working. I was very adamant about it. Now, I don’t know how I feel. It was me being stubborn as a kid, seeing all these women in my church getting married very early. It’s a beautiful thing. The role of mother is such an important thing in the church, but it was something that was so far away from what I wanted, that it pushed me the other way. I think if I’d grown up without religion, without that influence, I would be a little less strange. It forced it in my head to be opposite, to go the other way entirely. If it hadn’t been a part of my life, I wouldn’t be exactly who I am today, I wouldn’t be into what I’m doing, I wouldn’t be as driven.

TR: How do you feel about working on a series or a film that will allow you to sing? Has that presented itself yet? Are you looking for projects that will allow you to do that?

ST: I have an interesting take on movie musicals. Because I was so intense as a kid, wanting to feel everything—blending dancing, singing, and acting—it was the perfect option. That’s why I was drawn to musicals. It’s a release of energy, and I had so much fucking energy stored inside of me. I think I’ve calmed down and I crave that less. But if it’s done right, it can be so powerful. I re-watched Cabaret and was bawling the entire time. I cut my hair short a while ago. Liza Minnelli is like my fucking icon. Growing up, when I was singing, I was like, I need to sound like her. I need to try to replicate my vibrato to sound like her. My number one karaoke song is Maybe It’s Time. I told my boyfriend, ‘This is an example of a musical that can be done so tastefully, it’s avant-garde, so ahead of its time.’ I think if you’re going to incorporate a musical sensibility into a movie, it has to be somewhat avant-garde, or somewhat surreal.. It can’t just be…breaking into song. It has to have grounding beyond that. It would have to be the right project and the right music, because I’m very specific with music.

TR: What were some of your very first impressions about acting professionally? It was in 2016 when you acted in Chicago PD.

ST: I grew up very, very competitive, knowing that whatever I was going to do, it was going to be with the best people. I had to be surrounded by people who would inspire me so I could learn from them. That’s why I never really did school plays. I grew up surrounded by people who were older than me, so when I was 10, I was comparing myself to them, thinking that I needed to be on their level. It was always me trying to elevate myself. I was only 10, but I was 10 going on 40. With TV, it was a little different, a little bit more daunting. During my first TV experience, I thought I was going to have a panic attack on set. It’s so normal for me now. It’s crazy to think about how I used to approach it. It’s flipped, now theater seems more anxiety-inducing to me than film, because I’m more used to film. When I first attacked TV, it felt like I had one shot, a couple of takes, and if I wasn’t present in those moments—which I usually wasn’t, because I was nervous—then I was screwed. It felt very life or death. With theater, it felt to me like you can play around. You have the time to move around and dance in the character’s shoes; actually live in the shoes, rather than being too hyper-focused on being present in that one minute you have on screen.

TR: In 2018, you worked with Jay Duplass for the South by Southwest award-winning film Prospect. He’s someone who has vast experience in front of and behind the camera. What did you learn from Jay about the business, about the work?

ST: He has a very collaborative approach, and that’s what I want to take with me. I was recently talking to some people about this other show that I might do, and they were saying that they would want me to be a part of the entire creative process, to write and give my input. I think that’s so important, and [Jay] showed me that, really early on. We were working with these two amazing directors, Zeke and Chris, but it was their first thing, so he was helping me out a lot. There was the idea that it’s important to build a family. It’s important to keep lightness on set. It’s important to trust everyone, and to give your input. Jay Duplass does it all. I think a lot of actors are leaning towards this more now than ever. That feels like my own approach. And it’s easier if you’re an actor and you’re also a writer, or you have to have a writer’s sensibility. I had a hard time feeling like I wasn’t an artist when I was growing up, because I was an actor. The more and more I do really serious shows and serious roles, the more I see the impact I can have. That makes me understand, ‘No, that [mindset] is bullshit’.

TR: It’s not surprising to me at all that you are being thought of for projects in this way, and it’s so exciting.

ST: It’s exciting because that’s the dream. I feel like I want to be making my own movies by the time I’m 30. I would love to direct, I would love to make my own movies, and tell my own stories. Not yet though. [Laughs]. So much for me to learn on set still, and I want to attack it at the right time and when I’m at my most confident. I’m still learning so much right now.

TR: Stephen King posted an incredibly complimentary tweet about Yellowjackets last year, and upcoming, you’re starring in an adaptation of his The Boogeyman, a story line previously adapted for films like Black Swan and A Quiet Place. It’s releasing on June 2nd.

ST: I’m really, really happy that it’s getting a theatrical release, because it was originally supposed to just be on Hulu. I’m happy that horror is having a moment, and horror is being taken seriously.

TR: Do you love the horror film genre?

ST: I do, I do, and I don’t want to be totally, you know, boxed into one category, but it’s what I grew up with. There are so many things to play around with, within horror.

TR: What were the first horror films that influenced you?

ST: Definitely 28 Days Later. Love that movie. Pan’s Labyrinth was a big movie for me. What I was saying earlier, about wanting to live in a fantasy world…Guillermo Del Toro does it so well, it felt like such a lived-in world. When I watched it really early on, it blew my mind. That’s the fun thing about genre pieces. They’re something that I don’t get to experience while I’m here, but I get to experience in my fantasy world, when I’m on camera and hopefully, fully present. I’m very excited about Boogeyman going into the theaters and not just on your TV screen or phone screen, because you’re actually forced to go on a journey with my character. I was really excited when I watched it. I think I’m getting better at watching myself and removing myself from my character, realizing that this character, is so not me. With Boogeyman, I was able to do that pretty quickly. It took about ten minutes of looking at the screen to be like, ‘This isn’t me’.

TR: Some actors are okay with viewing themselves on screen; others have a difficult relationship with it.

ST: It was bad for a while for me. It’s like body dysmorphia…

TR: What did you love about working on The Boogeyman?

ST: At the core of the movie, it’s about a family, it’s about grief, and about how different people deal with grief in different ways. I was lucky enough to portray a character who has a really well-rounded arc. Watching it, you have a lot of empathy for my character. I felt so close to her. Living in that world for two months was fucking exhausting [laughs], and I wasn’t expecting it to be that exhaustiing. It was fucking heavy, experiencing it; living in that world to my fullest potential; having people who were pushing me; having a director who really believed in me. We built a very strong foundation before going in, which is so nice to have. You don’t really get that as much in TV because it’s a faster process. We had a couple of meetings—myself, and [actor] Chris [Messina], and the director, and went through the script. We started improvising, we started building very specific moments, past memories—all that I think made for a fully lived-in world. It was a really tough experience, but after seeing it, I’m really proud.

TR: In Yellowjackets, of course you play Natalie alongside Juliette Lewis, who plays older Natalie, and you’ve collaborated closely with her for the role to build out the character in terms of her style, her interests, all the things. Did you get a chance to regroup with Juliette around who Nat is in season two?

ST: Not really. We have so much trust in each other, so much trust that I think, to some extent, the trust speaks for itself. And sometimes it’s better not to be overly self-aware, which I can lean towards. Sometimes knowing too much of what’s going on with present day Natalie isn’t going to help me, because that’s the end result of Natalie. I get to fill in the blanks about what gets her there. That’s exciting for me; it’s an exciting job to have. It’s a very rare opportunity, getting to see where your character ends up. Sometimes it’s hard for me, watching the show, thinking that I’m not as intense as Juliette, that kind of thing. But my character has so many more years of turmoil and trauma and guilt ahead of her, that it makes sense that she’s not there yet. There’s a 20 year difference, and that’s a long time.

TR: What do you think the value will be for you, in having collaborated so closely with a veteran actor like Juliette Lewis early on in your career? She’s someone who is a distinct talent in TV and film, someone who has made a big mark with her artistic contribution. Do you ever think about what this experience might mean for you in the future, or how it might prepare you going forward?

ST: It’s definitely given me confidence. It’s given me the feeling that I can have artistic freedom. I don’t have to just do one thing, and I don’t have to be only an actor. Juliette does it all. To me, she’s like a fucking performance artist. On stage, she goes to the other extent. It’s so exciting to see that, and see how much respect people have for her. It makes you realize that you can be taken seriously as an artist, and not just as an actor. That was always kind of my concern, growing up around musicians and such, that I won’t be taken seriously. Juliette has the confidence and artistic freedom to delve into music when she doesn’t want to act. She can do anything. Playing a younger her has made me…more confident. I’ve forced myself, [laughs] forced myself, to be more spontaneous and less aware. It’s an interesting place to be, playing side by side, playing this role. And then there’s also that the role is being played by this iconic actor. It’s such a mind fuck in a great way. Her voice is in my head as the character. Natalie is such a clearly drawn character because of her, because we have Juliette, and then I interpret her in my own way.

TR: This season, Yellowjackets becomes more intense. How did you get ready to work on season two? Is there anything you did to prepare yourself in advance, to go dark and go deep for the season’s story lines?

ST: I was trying to not get myself in the same spot that I ended up in, last year. I was very focused on almost not bringing the character home too much. I wanted to remain healthy. I had a really bad and crazy scooter accident the day before I was supposed to leave for shooting, and that put me in a really dark place. I lost teeth and stuff. I was supposed to be in Vancouver, but I had just gone through something very traumatic and very random. That built some heaviness and grit in me that lived in my character, and stayed within me. Going into season two, I thought, I can’t let this get too heavy, so I brought my boyfriend, and also I would travel back and forth, often. If I had two days off I would go to LA, because I was already living with so much heaviness.

TR: Having just gone through a pretty jarring experience, you were going into this project where there’s heavy material…

ST…Which is also jarring.

TR: How do you do the dance of both keeping Nat with you and letting her go, during the course of shooting a season? What happens in those in-between times in the shoot schedule?

ST: I’m just learning, which is funny, that I’m very sensitive to my physical environment. Vancouver to me is a great city, but sadly it’s Yellowjackets, and it’s hard to get out of that head space no matter what, no matter how hard you try. Home, for me, is with my boyfriend; it’s with my twin; it’s with my mom; it’s with my sister. Early on, you learn to cultivate that, when you’re working a lot and traveling a lot, and a lot of pressure is on you. I was lucky enough to find those things.

TR: The group’s cannibalism is finally seen on screen this season, in a pivotal key group scene, but also in scenes with teen Shauna. How was that for you, before, during, and after?

ST: I loved the way it was introduced into the episode. I love how there’s this crazy surrealist dream sequence. I viewed it as them trying to cope, them trying to escape. I love that the show is kind of going into the more obscure, the more outlandish, and the dream sequences. We’re getting to go to places we haven’t before. I love how it’s such a huge moment. It went there! I was nervous because it was such a big moment. I know it from my friends, too, they all love the show, but everybody was like, ‘When are you going to start showing it?’ That’s the big question of the series because it was set up so early in the pilot. When is it gonna happen? I think we’ve done such a good job in building up to this moment, so it feels justified. If it happened too early on, it wouldn’t have felt justified. You wouldn’t have the same connection to the characters. You wouldn’t feel the empathy that you do for them. When I was reading it—and we make jokes on set— it’s not normalized, but it feels like you can’t judge them. So much empathy has already been built up for our characters. They are in the worst possible situation. And once they get to this point, there’s no going back. They’ve opened up a door, a door into the dark abyss, They have to live with the guilt, and that means that, basically, anything can happen now.

TR: What was the discussion like, around how each of you should perform in that scene, in eating a human body?

ST: It was definitely different for everybody, because each character is taking it on in their own way and also trying to justify it in their own way. What I was naturally feeling that day, on set? I was pretty disassociated. They did a very good job with replicating her body. It was great, and they did the best they could. I had a lot of, almost out-of-body moments, and panic moments. When that was happening, it played well with my character. I think Natalie would’ve turned to her numbness so she can survive. As I was doing that, as an actor. I was like, ‘What the fuck am I doing with my job, with my life? What the fuck is this?!’ [Laughs] I was feeling that naturally, so it played into everything. We all tried to remain light on set, but a lot of people were throwing up. It got weird that day. All of us were interpreting it, interpreting it as our characters—in different ways.

TR: I’d read that Natalie would maybe not be one who participates in the eating of Jackie’s dead body. She’s the skilled huntress of the group, and she’s emotionally tough.

ST: I think it could have gone either way, but this season she’s so focused on survival that she’s losing a sense of herself. Her moral foreground is getting a little bit muddled. I think it does make sense for her to eat Jackie. She has to survive. That’s her mindset this season. She’s still the most grounded. She’s facing reality every day. She’s the one who’s facing the practical issues, feeding everyone, physically going outside every day while everyone else is going to that other place, following Lottie. It’s not exactly optimism, but she’s giving them some kind of answer.

TR: One of the things we also learn a lot more about this season, is Natalie’s relationship with Travis. How do you describe their relationship this season, and how do you view their relationship in adulthood?

ST It’s so toxic and it’s so codependent. They originally bonded through trauma and through being outcasts. I don’t think that would’ve happened if they were just in school together. They never would’ve crossed paths. This is a very strange, intimate experience. It’s weird thinking about it. Natalie is someone who doesn’t have a father, who never had any strong parental figure in her life. In her relationships, there’s a heaviness, a more desperate desire to search for some kind of parental figure, some kind of guidance, some kind of…

TR: Anchor…

ST: Anchor, yes. It’s a deep desire for her. I don’t talk to my dad, so I completely understand it, and feel it, in relationships. They’re so codependent, and they’ve seen each other at their worst. That’s also their point of connection. They know that no one else will ever understand what they’ve been through, therefore no one else will ever have as deep of a connection as they do with one another—which is terrible. But sometimes that’s how it is. It makes total sense to me. I would be the same as Natalie. I would be drawn to him. You just want your person, and like I said earlier, you just want to feel less alone. Natalie had a lot of loneliness, already instilled within her.

TR: Natalie does something to help Travis deal with his loss this season. Is that the height of their codependent relationship, is that when it’s established, and fully takes root?

ST Definitely. It reaches a peak this season, and she carries a lot of guilt. In episode two, when she fakes Javi’s death, I read it as, she’s just looking out for him. I know that morally, a lot of people disagree with it, but immediately I thought, of course; she can’t have Travis die searching for him, hour upon hour. Who knows what would happen? In her mind, what she did was what would save him. She knows it’s wrong. There’s so much guilt from her past, guilt from what happened with her dad. Even though it wasn’t her fault, there’s so much guilt in her already. There is so much guilt that continues building in later episodes, too, that makes it so much worse. [Laughs] So much worse…

TR: Would you have done the same thing, Sophie? ‘Let me make this a little easier, for this person who I love.’

ST: I don’t know, I think Natalie is a bit more resilient than I am. I want to take that quality from her. It is my favorite quality of hers. She’s so focused on survival and has been her entire life. I don’t think I have that in me. It’s so hard to put myself in those specific shoes. But then also, selfishly, I’m always going take her side as an actor.

TR: Belief system emerges as a theme this season. There’s the group, sometimes called a cult, that adult Lottie leads in her wellness center compound. And in order to create higher purpose and ritual while stranded, we also see the crash victims turn to a practice led by Lottie. The effects of trauma is a core theme in Yellowjackets, but how do you think the show is tackling the discussion around cults and spirituality and belief systems?

ST: The crash victims are coming from is a place of desperation, a place of feeling lost, and wanting to grasp onto something to find tangible answers. It’s hard. People who are prone to falling into a cult—and I’ve been watching a lot of cult documentaries—come from a very lost place. They’re seeking guidance. It’s that idea of having somebody. It’s the same with religion. It’s the same with, like, giving purpose to everything. If there’s not an afterlife, then what are we doing? It’s trying to find a reason and a sense of purpose. Natalie talks about that, and I think all of them, to some extent, lost their sense of purpose after life in the wilderness, but Natalie does, especially. She had an important role there and she was keeping them all alive.

TR: From the perspective of someone who is Gen Z, how do you see 90s culture, and how do you feel about the 90s nostalgia we’re seeing so much of right now? It’s an integral part of the Yellowjackets story line, an integral to the look and feel. Do you think there’s something special about the 90s, as an era?

ST: I think I’ll always kind of glamorize it because I didn’t live in it. I grew up with 90s music. I think there was an openness to the 90s era, and it also it seems to have felt a little bit more relaxed, less self aware. Today, we are very self aware to the extent that it can be dangerous, to the extent that it can taint you from being yourself fully, to the extent that it can hold you back in a lot of ways. And I think the 90s were just cooler because there wasn’t social media.

TR:. After two seasons of playing a core character on an Emmy-nominated show, the most watched Showtime series of the last six years, how has it changed the way you understand what your strengths are as an actor, and how you want to navigate your career going forward?

ST: I love being able to be vulnerable on camera. That feels therapeutic to me. No matter what parts I take on, I want to be able to be as vulnerable as possible. And that’s scary. It’s weird to realize that everyone’s seen me be vulnerable. People like to say that Natalie’s a lot like me, and she kind of is, but she’s definitely not, because we’re live in different circumstances. I just want to go on to play vastly different characters. I want to play someone so far from who I am. My goal is to experience things I would never get to experience, in real life.

Source: storyandrain.com

Click on the gallery link below to see all photos from this shoot.

IN CONVERSATION WITH SOPHIE THATCHER

Multi-hyphenate talent Sophie Thatcher has captured audiences with her layered performances, making her one of the most enticing young performers on the rise to watch. She is best known for her role as Natalie on Showtime’s Emmy-nominated, coming of age survival drama series ‘Yellowjackets’, which premiered its second season on 26th March. The series is receiving rave reviews as Showtime’s most watched series of the last six years.

Sophie, we’re currently able to watch you in the second season of Showtime’s ‘Yellowjackets’, which is receiving raving reviews. How did you feel when you got cast on this series and what are your thoughts about it and its story?

Karyn Kusama is an absolute legend, so knowing she was attached from the get go made me confident. Hearing later on that Juliette was cast as my modern-day counterpart felt so flattering because I’ve looked up to her for years. To think I shared any sort of resemblance to her helped instill confidence in me. The show is so exciting because it pushes boundaries thematically and truthfully could go anywhere. I think it’s natural for humans to be drawn to the survival genre and curious to see the breakdown of societal norms within these girls as they rid themselves of who they used to be.

In the series, you portray the younger version of Natalie, a character with punk rock spirit and a habit of finding trouble. She is dealing with a drug and alcohol abuse, but proves to be an invaluable member of the team after the plane crash. How challenging do you find portraying Natalie, someone with such a strong spirit and dealing with substance abuse?

Natalie is a very vulnerable and complex character and I’ve found similarities within myself when I was younger. She masks her vulnerability with this tough and sometimes stoic exterior, but deep down she is incredibly sensitive and full of intensity which ultimately drains her completely. This season she really latches on to the role of the huntress and finds solace within taking on that distraction. She feels a sense of importance within this task, as she is keeping everyone alive and fed every day. After the wilderness she loses her sense of purpose and that ultimately leads her into a spiral of craving that specific intensity she may never feel again. I admire her resilience more than anything and would love to take that on with me in life. Natalie lives in me to an extent. I’m excited to continue the journey with her and then let her go and move onto different collaborations and projects.

In the second episode of the second season we’ve been able to witness the group succumb to cannibalism in a truly schocking scene. How was it filming this scene and how did you personally deal with it?

I love the way they played with surrealism in this dream sequence. I believe this fantasy world they go into is their way of subsisting and numbing themselves to get through the experience. The banquet was a beautiful and manic day. I brought my boyfriend to set that day and wanted to make it clear to him that this was the furthest away from what our show typically feels like. Usually it’s much more bleak. I found myself dealing with the actual cannibalistic shoot rather similarly to my character. I began to disassociate and it almost turned into an out of body experience. I had a couple moments where I thought “What the hell am I doing with my life and my job”. The cast is very good with remaining light on set and that ultimately brought me back to a more grounding place.

Next up, you’ll be starring in the 20th Century Studios adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Boogeyman’. Tell us more about this film, that will be premiering this June.

The film centers around a family that has just lost their mother and my character Sadie is in a very distinct stage of grieving. All she wants is to feel a closeness to her mother and reconciles her grief through her mom’s belongings to embody her and replicate that feeling of intimacy again. Sadie starts off reclusive and internalizing her sadness as she distances herself from her friends and family. But soon she’s forced to face all of her anxieties and defend herself and her family against the antagonist. The boogeyman for me stands for a lot of different abstract examples of our internalized anxieties, and for the Harper family it embodies grief in sinister ways.

Both ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘The Boogeyman’ have very dark stories. What makes you so attracted to darker stories and portraying darker characters?

I’ve found comfort in the past from depressing stories. It’s grittier and often more to play with within the character’s story arc. There is somewhere to build upon the blackness and gloom, a starting point that leads towards an upwards trajectory, molding layers upon layers in the story and characters. I’ve said this before and ultimately stand by this for my purpose as an artist as of now, I just want people to find solace within the characters I play and feel less alone. These darker stories allow me to dig deeper and hopefully effectively resonate with those watching.

After portraying characters with such heavy stories, how do you disconnect from all the darkness and heaviness when you’re done filming?

I always bring my keyboard whenever I travel, so I can have music as an outlet. For season two of ‘Yellowjackets’ I was very persistent with going back to LA to be with my boyfriend and the home I’ve cultivated. Being around people that I love and ground me back to reality is the most important thing alongside finding music as a therapeutic outlet where there’s no pressure, only simply to create. I often times have my twin visit me from Chicago, so I can have another semblance of home in whatever strange place I’m staying in. I noticed after first season of ‘Yellowjackets’ that Natalie remained in me for a couple months after. Although that wasn’t entirely negative, it brought me spontaneity and solidity. I think going forward with roles it’s best not to take the characters home post filming.

You started your career with guest roles on TV shows before making your feature film debut in ‘Prospect’ in 2018. What are some of the biggest hurdles you’ve had to overcome to get to a point in your career that you are at now?

I had a moment after filming ‘Prospect’ at 16 where I didn’t book anything for two years. I was finishing school online and turned to a pretty strange and isolated place. I turned to my other outlets, like music and art, and that reminded me that the pressure to work consistently in entertainment is not in the end all. I moved to New York at 18 and took Meisner classes and immediately regained a sense of confidence and conviction I hadn’t known in a while. After I regained that confidence, I luckily started booking again. Through this I’ve learned that the lulls are never the end and it’s important to remain grounded and in touch with all of your artistic outlets and sides.

Before TV and film, your resume includes quite some stage credits from your days in theater. How did being on stage prepare you for being in front of the camera? What are the most valuable lessons theater taught you?

I learned the importance of remaining present and the significance of committing to a role, fully letting yourself be immersed into your character’s way of living. Filming my first TV credits was difficult because there is so much pause and start, and so much off time for your head to wander to other personal places. What I love and miss about the stage is the quality of endurance and immersion within a play. You get to transport to that world fully for two hours and escape it afterwards.

TV and film has had more of a lingering sensation for me and I’m still learning how to balance staying in character without it overwhelming me on off days. I remember early on taking film acting classes and the teachers always telling me to throw away my lines for a more naturalistic approach. Now looking back, I understand where they’re coming from, but I don’t condone it because it leads to uncertainty and disillusion within the characters’ objectives and overall motives. Theater taught me the power of my voice, breath work and thoroughly mapping out my characters decisions.

Born and raised in Chicago, how much do you miss ‘The Windy City’?

Most of my immediate family is still there. My twin, my older sister and mom are there, so I try to visit often because it will always be home. I’m proud of growing up in the Midwest, I think it’s given me a sense of modesty and solid grounding. I love ‘Chicago Dogs’ more than anything and still love the Chicago music scene. Being in LA now stands for a different point in my life and makes more sense for my job, but Chicago will always be my home.

Sophie, let’s also talk about your first love, music. What feelings does music evoke in you? Can we expect to listen to your songs someday as well, besides seeing you on our screens?

Music will always be my first love. I’ve been making my own music since I was 16, all pretty DIY, starting off in my mom’s basement to isolate myself. I use Ableton and have a summit novation synth that I usually improvise vocals and other melodies over. I released music on Bandcamp when I was younger, but hope to take some of my demos to another, more well-rounded, better produced place. I’m beginning to collaborate and learn from other musicians and that’s very invigorating and exciting for me.

Source: numeromag.nl

Click on the galelry link below to see all new photos.

Sophie Thatcher doesn’t want to be your next scream queen
The ‘Yellowjackets’ actor shares more details about season 2 of the hit show, as well as her upcoming Stephen King horror and secret music project.

“I woke up like 20 minutes ago,” says Sophie Thatcher, laughing. It’s noon in LA where the 22-year-old Yellowjackets star is currently catching up on sleep after six months shooting season two of the hit Showtime series in Vancouver. The platinum blonde hair she sports in the show as teenage burnout Nat has made way for her usual jet black look.

Born in Illinois before moving to New York, Sophie has been singing and acting since she joined a performing arts school at the age of four. “When I was younger I always had the intent of doing theatre. You know when you put what you want to be when you’re older in your yearbook? I wrote ‘A famous Broadway star’ and then, with an asterisk, ‘A very famous Broadway star’,” she says sheepishly. The raspy vocal fry she uses to emulate 90s Hollywood star Juliette Lewis, who plays the older version of Nat on the show, has made the ability to do musical theatre again difficult. “When I sing now I can’t hit the same notes,” she says. “But I would go back to theatre in a second,” she adds.

Sophie landed her first major role at the age of 15 in the 2016 TV series adaptation of The Exorcist, playing the young, soon-to-be-possessed Reagan, and, two years later, in the sci-fi indie Prospect (2018) with Pedro Pascal. If fame was something her younger self craved, Yellowjackets brought it to her. In early 2022, she won a part in the grisly series about a high school girls soccer team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness in the mid-90s, forcing them to fend for themselves. In a parallel timeline, we follow the surviving members of the group in the present day, as they try to reckon with the disturbing actions they took in order to survive. The show’s first season was a hit, fast becoming the second most streamed series in Showtime’s history and receiving seven nominations at the Emmys; when it won none of them, it caused online outrage. In March, the show returned for season two and has since been renewed for a third.

Sophie’s Natalie Scatorccio is an outsider at school and ostracised by her soccer teammates due to her dark energy and struggles with alcohol and drugs. After the plane crash, however, Nat quickly proves the most useful of the group, becoming one of only two that can use a gun and hunt for food. She soon forms a romantic bond with the sole male survivor, Travis.

At the start of season two, several months have passed and winter has set in. “Nobody’s in a good place,” Sophie says of where we find them. “Everyone is losing their sense of selves and getting further away from who they used to be. Nat is deeper in isolation. Being the huntress is the only thing that’s keeping her going.” Nat was the most grounded character in the first season, Sophie thinks. While the others are lost in delusions, reckless hopes and petty qualms, Nat’s past trauma keeps her rational. She acts as a sounding board for other characters’ troubles. “That’s why people watching resonated with her; she has this heart. But of course we’re gonna lose some of that.” Not only do the arctic temperatures bring new hardships, there are also mysterious malevolent forces in the woods that threaten to tear the survivors apart.
Sophie’s character evolves, over the course of this season, to be more like Juliette Lewis’ older version of Nat. “Juliette and I text each other after each script is released like, ‘Yo, thoughts?’,” she says. “We’re always on the same page. Juliette’s Nat is very complex; she’s a harder version of Nat to play. But I’m getting there, which is fun. Of all the characters, there’s a finer distinction between 1990s and present day Nat. They both share the same vulnerability but there’s still some lightness and humour in younger Nat that remains and this season that gets slowly chipped away.”

Filming season one in Canada’s forests during the pandemic offered the cast a real insight into the isolation and fears of the unknown their characters were facing. “It was just us,” Sophie says. “Being out there in the wilderness was an immersive experience. It was almost like a parallel world.” While a few early days of production on season two were also spent in the forests of Alberta — where The Revenant was filmed, coincidentally — much of the second season was instead shot in a studio in Vancouver. “Alberta was absolutely freezing but it was beautiful and scenic and vast and so cinematic,” she says. “I was worried that with the stage we’d lose that feeling but it looks incredible.”
Sophie had a different traumatic experience to draw on for season two. “The day I was supposed to leave for Vancouver, I got into this really bad scooter accident,” she says, a little hesitant at first. “Like, my face was kind of fucked up and I had to get new teeth. It was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me in my life.” She channelled that into understanding Nat’s own struggles and hardships. “I came into this experience with something really traumatic but it pushed me forward and gave me a different outlook and survivor mentality. Nat has had a survivor mentality her entire life.”

“I feel like I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’ll keep going no matter what,” she adds. “I’m not Natalie, I wouldn’t be as skilled or as smart as her but I have the same resilience. I’ve been having so many dreams about the end of the world and post-apocalyptic situations and in all my dreams I never give up.”
As the script got darker towards the end of filming season two, both Sophie and the rest of the cast began having intense nightmares. Fans will have already seen how the show gets deeper into the fleshy realm of cannibalism teased last season. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding psycho but, on the show, we kind of normalise it. We go into those scenes thinking about our character’s mentality and it’s fucking defeating and terrible but it doesn’t feel evil.” Sophie has her own theories as to why cannibal tales, like Yellowjackets and Bones & All, might be resonating with people right now. “Everyone is striving for something as dark as possible as if our world isn’t already dark,” she says. “As an actor, I just want something I’ll never experience, something really far out. I grew up with horror and was obsessed with zombies. I made 10 zombie movies with my twin and my friends growing up. I think that’s why I keep getting cast in stuff like this.”

Sophie’s next project is, aptly, an adaptation of the 1973 Stephen King novella The Boogeyman. In it, she plays Sadie, a high school student mourning the death of her mother that a demonic entity latches on to, preying on her pain. She calls her character “a loser”. Horror has become a familiar genre for her, but she doesn’t see herself as a long-term scream queen. “It’s a compliment, but I wouldn’t continue with it,” she says. “I think I might take a little break from horror. I don’t want to be restricted to one thing because nobody wants to be put in a box and I just want to explore everything.” She pauses, catching herself. “But I’m not not open,” she says with a smile. Nonetheless, she’s excited for the release of The Boogeyman. “The Stephen King movie is full-on final girl horror. It’s actually really sick. It’s rare that you leave a movie that you’re in like, ‘Good job!’” she says.
Given her rocketing success, Sophie is surprisingly self-conscious and coy about her work. “When I first saw my movie Prospect in theatres, I thought my career was over,” she says. Just 17 at the time, the act of watching herself on the big screen in a packed cinema was alien. “I thought my acting was good but the body dysmorphia…” she trails off, taking a moment. “It’s inevitable and I notice things nobody else will ever see. I still feel like that sometimes but I’m getting better at pushing that down.” She credits watching Juliette Lewis with helping her to stand up for herself and giving her a new sense of confidence.

Feeling self-conscious has also held Sophie back from sharing another of her lifelong passions: music. She’s finished an album, but the success of the show meant she was worried about people hearing it, “because it feels less lowkey.” Sophie has released four albums already via Bandcamp, but temporarily removed them from the site when Yellowjackets came out. Sophie’s sound is “noisy, dark and dreamy” and she cites Portishead, Blonde Redhead and Elliot Smith as inspirations. She’s now in a place where she’s ready for people to hear it. “I recently unprivated the albums,” she tells us. “Music is number one to me, which is why it’s more precious too. But over the next couple of months, whenever I have a couple of hours by myself, I’ll be working on music.”

That may be difficult, though, since Sophie seems to be working non-stop. “I have a movie that I’m not officially announced to be in yet but it’s super cool – very, very cool. That shoots in May. I might even have a movie before then too.” She quite rightly has big dreams for the future — admiring the paths of polymathic arthouse icons like Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beatrice Dalle — and has ambitions to direct too. Then there’s the hit list of filmmakers she wants to work with at some point: Gus Van Sant, Kelly Reichardt, Lynne Ramsay… Still, she’s hesitant. “I’m not at that point, or even close to that point,” Sophie says, as if forgetting that she’s a breakout star of one of the most critically-acclaimed and watched television shows of the year. “But I hope I’ll get there.”

Source: i-d.vice.com