Sophie Thatcher finds salvation in storytelling

The ‘Yellowjackets’ star opens up about her music career, childhood obsessions, and her desire to ‘become unrecognizable’

Behind every acclaimed actor is an 11-year-old girl holding auditions for self-authored screenplays after school. Or at least that’s the case for Sophie Thatcher, best-known for her breakout role as Natalie in Yellowjackets, a Showtime original series that details the complex dynamics of an all-girls soccer team—and what happens when they survive a plane crash, only to find themselves stranded in the Canadian wilderness.

Jumping between past and present, the show chronicles the unraveling of social norms over the next year and a half, and the emotional aftermath faced by adult survivors as they struggle to reintegrate into society some 25 years later. It’s a captivating premise, made even more so by a star-studded cast—including the likes of Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Tawney Cypress, and Juliette Lewis, who acts opposite Thatcher as the older version of Natalie, a charismatic rebel whose insouciant attitude conceals a troubled past. Once the show became a smash-hit, Thatcher’s razor-sharp performance launched her headfirst into stardom—which, though her down-to-earth attitude doesn’t show it, is what she’s been preparing for her entire life. “From the time I was four or five years old, I was doing everything: drawing, singing, writing, performing,” Thatcher recalls. “Now that I think about it, this all boils down to wanting to tell a story.”

By age 12, her artistic oeuvre included gems like 103 Dalmatians: The Musical and Propagation, a post-apocalyptic zombie drama set in the world of The Sims, which featured characters like Melonie Darth, Allison Bloom, and, at one point, an undead (“whatever, infected”) turtle named Snappy. In middle school, she spent hours looking up last names online, which she might use for her characters: Leo De Lorme, for instance, a deer who is hit by a car and transforms into a human by way of magic. (“Lying before me is a legendary wizard, and god was he handsome,” Thatcher’s protagonist swoons in one story she sent me, with the caveat that it was written in 2012, and that “most of the words were from synonym.com, if you can’t tell.”)

In retrospect, Thatcher says that the relentless focus with which she pursued her artistic vision probably “lost her some friends.” But, growing up Mormon in the suburbs of Chicago, there wasn’t much else to do—and her sisters, who are also creatives, were always game to put on a show. In an old email Thatcher forwarded to me—sent in 2012 to her twin Ellie and a handful of close friends—she describes the audition process for one of her plays, along with character descriptions and excerpts of monologues to memorize. “It gives you a little vibe of how intense I was,” she laughs. The email—which I now consider a prized cultural artifact—is a portrait of a young playwright on a mission: one whose passion for storytelling is matched only by her desire for everyone else to find as much joy in it as she does (and, adorably, a certain fondness for italics).

Thatcher began professionally acting for TV at the age of 10, scoring a guest role in the 2016 police procedural Chicago P.D., and later that year, another in Fox’s supernatural horror series The Exorcist. In 2018, she made her big screen debut in the sci-fi thriller Prospect, co-starring opposite Pedro Pascal. Natalie was her next big role, which she acquired with a self-taped audition she sent to producers after hearing that one of her idols, Karyn Kusama, was attached to the project. Her performance in Yellowjackets landed Thatcher a starring role in upcoming horror-mystery The Boogeyman, based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name.

Though Thatcher’s current focus is on acting, she’s a talented multihyphenate, with creative pursuits that span from fiction writing to visual art to producing her own music, some of which can be found floating around Bandcamp under her middle name, Bathsheba. (At my urging, she shares a collection of in-progress demos with none-too-serious file names, like “2000s rock on radio idk” and “nnew song tripbopbppbp”—which, though described by Thatcher as “really rough,” are actually quite good.)

If you haven’t caught on by now, Thatcher doesn’t take herself too seriously—perhaps why she comes across as surprisingly grounded for her 22 years. “It’s a classic child-actor story. Growing up on set, you’re 12 going on 30,” she says, describing afternoons spent speaking with adults and finding education in everything around her. Her childhood was also defined by an early obsession with death, which she thought about all the time from as early as seven or eight years old. “I was just so concerned about going to heaven. It totally was overriding my mind,” she recalls. “I’m already pretty introspective, and growing up Mormon instilled a lot of anxiety in me, as most religions do. But it also forced me to rebel to some extent; it forced me to be different, to go all the way in the other direction.”

For Thatcher, learning to let go of her self-consciousness has been a process. It’s one of the things she likes about the role of Natalie, who she describes as exhibiting both a deep interiority and a confident nature that’s embodied on a physical level. “As Natalie, I had to let myself be completely vulnerable,” she says. “People my age are very aware of how they’re perceived; growing up on social media, you know exactly how you’re presenting yourself and how you want the world to see you. I’m trying to get outside of that.”

Going into the second season of Yellowjackets, Thatcher felt some trepidation; while the first seemed “almost like filming a really intimate indie film,” the stakes were now much higher, causing a palpable atmospheric shift among the cast. “There was definitely more pressure, but it all subsides once you’re in the character,” she says. “Luckily, we were able to help each other stay grounded, and it took no time to get that spark back. We’re like family. I know everybody says that, but we really are.”

At first, watching herself on-screen presented an emotional challenge for Thatcher—one she’s overcome as her career has progressed. “Now that I’m more accustomed to watching myself, I’m better at distancing,” she says, describing how The Boogeyman required her to take on a completely different persona—something she worried she wouldn’t succeed in, until she watched the scene in which her character attempts to smoke weed for the first time. “It’s like an anti-smoking ad,” she laughs. “In that movie, I’m a total loser. But there’s something special about channeling something entirely different, and playing somebody like that. My goal as an actor is to not be recognized. I want to be fully immersed in character. I don’t want people to be like, ‘That’s Sophie Thatcher.’”

While this approach might be successful on-screen, Thatcher has gotten used to being recognized in real life—sometimes by people she considers creative idols, like Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noé. (“We were, like, on the dance floor, and we started talking. I told him about my Mormon upbringing,” she says, hiding her face in her hands.) Equally impactful was the experience of meeting Kim Gordon, whose book Girl in a Band changed Thatcher’s perspective on music growing up. “It’s surreal meeting someone, and being like, As a child, I wanted to be you,” she says. “Thinking about it makes me want to cry. I always felt I had to do something big with my life—but younger me never would have expected this.”

Source: documentjournal.com

CHASING DARKNESS

WHEN A TV SHOW YOU STAR IN BECOMES A HIT, FILMING THE SECOND SEASON COMES WITH ADDED PRESSURE. KNOWING SO MANY PEOPLE ARE EAGERLY AWAITING THE NEW EPISODES OF HBO’S YELLOWJACKETS MADE SOPHIE THATCHER NERVOUS AT FIRST. HER NUANCED PORTRAYAL OF NATALIE, A TROUBLED TEEN TURNED GROUP HUNTRESS WHEN HER HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER TEAM’S PLANE CRASHES IN THE WILDERNESS, WON PRAISE THAT SHE WAS ANXIOUS TO LIVE UP TO, DESPITE THE ROLE’S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TOLL. BUT, ACCORDING TO THATCHER, THE STAKES ARE EVEN HIGHER FOR THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES.
THE SECOND SEASON, OUT LATER THIS MONTH, IS SCARIER AND MORE SHOCKING THAN EVER. THATCHER, WHO GREW UP MAKING AT-HOME ZOMBIE MOVIES WITH HER TWIN, HAS ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO DARKNESS. IT’S NO SURPRISE THEN THAT SHE’S BEEN RACKING UP SCREEN TIME IN HORRORS AND THRILLERS.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE 22-YEAR-OLD TO TALK FILMING SEASON TWO OF YELLOWJACKETS, SURVIVAL INSTINCT AND WHY MUSIC IS LIFE.

Hi Sophie! How have you been since we last spoke?

I’m good! I’m in LA. I just moved here two months ago. I got a place. It makes sense for my job. It’s raining today which we’re not used to. I have a leak already in my bedroom so I’m ready to set up a trash can and just have the rain pour into that.

Oh no! So, let’s talk about Yellowjackets. When we last spoke, you said you hoped your character Natalie would become a bit more integrated into the group. Does this happen or does she become increasingly isolated?

I think she becomes increasingly isolated. There’s clearly tension between her and Travis. He’s taking Lottie’s side and choosing Lottie’s faith because everybody wants some optimism to grasp onto, but Natalie is so focused on survival and being the hunter so that’s her entire goal. When I was talking to people before we shot season two, I said I just wanted her to explore the huntress realm because I feel like that’s her main drive and it makes the most sense for her and that’s what happens in season two. I was just selfishly saying I wanted her to become more integrated in the group so I could work with the other actors. I want to work with everybody. I was hoping I’d have more scenes with Misty because there’s such a cool dynamic between her and older Natalie that I thought would play out, but I think that’ll be in season three. You can see some brewing tension.

What do you think viewers will take away from this season emotionally? Would you say that it’s scarier than season one?

It definitely takes more risks. I can’t think of any other TV show that has gone to the places it’s going. I think it’ll shock everybody because we’ve had more time to build empathy for the characters. I think there will be more of a feeling towards what they’re going through. The circumstances just keep getting worse and worse. The stakes keep rising and everything keeps becoming more and more heightened. It becomes a more thrilling show as time goes by because everything is getting more difficult. You get to see some of the older cast connect and there are some new characters connecting the past to the present.

And there was more of a budget behind season two.

The scenes we shot in Alberta were my favourite days. They were slightly miserable because it was so freezing, but it was really good insight into what it’s like out there and how your physicality changes and your voice changes when you’re actually there in the freezing cold. When we were shooting on a stage I was worried about it playing out realistically. The beauty of season one was that we were all actually there and it was deeper into COVID and quarantine so there was this kind of mania and craziness. I feel like this year we were all more separate and the circumstances were easier, but I’m really glad I was able to go and shoot in Alberta because I was able to see the world they’re in which will make a difference building that world for the viewer. It builds the atmosphere and the tension. The beauty of last season was that it was all in front of us. We were actually living it so it didn’t take as much preparation. We have to use a lot of our imagination this year. Building the world in season one and building that foundation and the dynamic of the group was essential. Now that we have it, it took a second to get back into it. It’s been hard being on a stage with a bigger budget, but then also really hard trudging through the snow.

Why do you think that Natalie maintains this hunter’s instinct and rejects the spirituality that some of the others embrace?

She grew up with a different background. She’s been in survival mode her entire life so I think hunting comes naturally for her. She’s determined. She goes out everyday to provide for everybody. She’s faced with reality everyday. Everybody else is going stir crazy in the cabin, but she’s going out and seeing real life. I think that’s keeping her grounded. Other people don’t have that experience. This is keeping her alive. Providing for everyone is keeping her going. She definitely remains the most grounded for most of season two. In season one, she’s the heart of the group and remains that way for most of season two.

Which part of filming did you find the most physically strenuous?

Those days in Alberta. The snow was so deep and I was really out of exercise. Trying to deliver some quippy Natalie lines while I was walking through the snow going back and forth. I was losing my breath. I think it was harder because I’m so keen on matching Juliette’s [Lewis, who plays older Natalie] voice. Sometimes it felt harder to match the lowness of her voice when I was in that circumstance in Alberta. It was hard to maintain that but, as an actor, I just want to experience everything.

Another big difference filming this season was the knowledge that so many people are anticipating the release.

Yeah. In the first couple of episodes, I was pretty anxious. I was pretty self aware. There was a lot of great feedback, but sometimes great feedback can hold you back or make you stagnant in your process. I was like, okay, they’re complimenting me and Juliette. We have the same energy. How can I maintain that or outdo it? I was really keen on matching her physicality this year because watching her in season one, she’s so physical and fluid, but of course it’s winter and we’re in all these layers so I was put in this insane tight leather jacket and I felt like a mannequin so there were a lot of hurdles. It always takes a couple episodes to get back into it, but I think Natalie’s just in me so it was easy to snap back into that.

In between the filming of the two seasons did you do more research or think more in your imagination about the role like while you weren’t actually working on it?

When I left season one, my voice was a little bit different. My voice was lower. I’m not a method actor at all, but the role stays in your body. There was a bit of a shift. I was a little bit more spontaneous. It was a hard experience so I feel like we were all going through it. Leaving season one, there was a lingering sensation of Natalie which wasn’t the best feeling, but it also pushed me because Natalie doesn’t play it safe. I feel like I was finally a little bit more confident. That’s sometimes the beauty of our work. Characters can bring you confidence. That’s really cool when that happens, but I think Natalie lingered a bit. For the second season, it helped that I have a boyfriend and I’m just better with separating work and life now because I saw how badly it got to me in the first season. Not badly, but it was intense. And I hope that doesn’t happen again [laughs.]

Last time we spoke, you said that you wanted to spend more time making music and making art. How has that been going?

I have a lot of songs that I want to release. I just saw Kim Gordon play live with her noise band, and immediately went home and started making music. I’m inspired. I feel like right now, I’m keeping these as my side projects and my outlet. It’s selfish and it’s personal, but it’s mine. I’m keeping that for now. I want to release these two songs in the next month or two on Spotify so that’ll be cool, but I don’t want it to become something bigger. With acting, there’s a lot of pressure on it. I want music to remain a healthy outlet. Music is number one. Music is definitely before acting. Music is life. That’s my mentality now. It could change and it could be something that comes naturally, but it’s really just about what that feels like and what it does for me. It feels more personal.

You’re also starring in Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman which is out later this year. Are you a horror movie fan?

I watched 28 Days Later when I was really young. I grew up making zombie movies with my twin and my friends. For my ninth birthday party, we made a zombie movie. I can take anything with horror. Stephen King is insane. He gets really dark and I guess I didn’t realise how dark it gets with horror because it’s not always taken seriously as a genre, but I think this film will be pretty elevated. It’s coming from a dark psychological place.

Are you drawn to darkness?

Absolutely. I think I need to do a comedy or something otherwise it’s gonna eat at my soul. Darkness is definitely what I’m drawn to. It’s easy to go there because I’ve been going there for so long. Naturally, the music and the art that I’m into is a bit darker. It comes from a very vulnerable place. Being vulnerable is my favourite outlet, but you can be vulnerable in a comedy. I want to experiment with something lighter. There’s something very vulnerable about trying to be funny.

Source: behindtheblinds.be

Sophie attended the World Premiere Of Season Two Of Showtime’s Yellowjackets yesterday. Click on the gallery link below to see all new photos in full size.

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For Yellowjackets Star Sophie Thatcher, Coachella 2010 Was Peak Fashion

The actress discusses how growing up Mormon still influences her style and the “intense” second season of her hit series.

Sophie Thatcher has spent the past three months splitting her time between Vancouver and Los Angeles—jetting from Hollywood North, where she is filming the second season of the hit Showtime series that propelled her into the public eye, Yellowjackets, to her boyfriend’s new house in East L.A. But this summer, the Illinois native spent time in New York City, where she shot Calvin Klein’s fall 2022 campaign alongside Ella Emhoff. (“We’d never met, but I’d known who they were because we run in a similar Bushwick circle,” Thatcher tells me over the phone from the West Coast.) In the black-and-white, grainy photographs shot by Drew Vickers, Thatcher sports a light-wash Canadian tuxedo reminiscent of what Kate Moss wore in her iconic CK ads from 1992. “That photo of her with the double denim is a really specific image that’s stuck in my head,” Thatcher says. “Double denim was a big thing for me in high school. But I can never pull it off the way she did.”

But the most recognizable look from the campaign is all Thatcher’s own—the actress has become known for the shaggy mullet she sports in Yellowjackets, in which she plays Natalie, a 1990s teen who suffers a plane crash that leaves her and her soccer team stranded in Canada. Her personal, everyday style is inspired by the likes of Brigitte Bardot and other French New Wave stars, cementing Thatcher as a vintage fixture on the fashion circuit. “Everyone recognizes me for my Yellowjackets hairstyle, and I’m fine with people knowing me for that,” she says. “But there’s a lot more I want to experiment with, taste-wise and looks wise. Because my taste is far beyond an Eighties mullet.” Below, the 22-year-old—who just wrapped shooting the horror film The Boogeyman—shares behind-the-scenes details from Yellowjackets season two, and her teenage style phases.

If your Yellowjackets character, Natalie, could wear anything from Calvin Klein, what do you think it would be?

A pair of high-waisted, acid wash jeans that I wore in the campaign. They were actually pretty similar to the jeans I wore in the pilot—except I could move better. There’s also that black, sleeveless crop top. It’s effortlessly punk without trying to be punk. That feels very up Natalie’s alley.

I read an interview that you were excited to lean into Natalie’s darkness in season two, and that you, “Want to go bat shit a little bit more.” What has that ended up looking like?

This season, there’s a little bit more conflict with me and Lottie, which is interesting, because we’re such polar opposites and have such different beliefs. That really tears Natalie down in the first couple episodes. I know they’re really trying to piece things out, because the hope is that it would be a couple more seasons, so it’s still a journey that will continue throughout. I still haven’t gotten the script for the later episodes, but I have this feeling it’ll get pretty intense; it’s already gotten pretty intense. But I’m waiting for episodes eight, nine, and 10.

Wait, you haven’t gotten a preview of what’ll happen this season?

I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. I like not knowing. Because [the characters] don’t know, and that’s what is keeping them going every day. It keeps everyone on their toes. Survival is their main focus. But everything’s heightened now, because the stakes just keep raising. I keep thinking, how could it get any higher-stakes? But I guess it’s gonna keep going up [Laughs].

Natalie’s hairstyle has become the subject of much Yellowjackets-related lore. It’s a look reminiscent of Juliette Lewis’s character in Natural Born Killers. Did you expect your hair to become such a focus for fans?

For the pilot, it was my natural hair, and it was so much like Juliette’s as Mallory in that movie that they decided to keep it. I knew the mullet was a huge tie to Juliette in the Nineties. But this season, I have dark roots, which makes a lot more sense. I think it’s actually going to create more of a connection between me and Juliette.

Do you have a favorite salon?

I actually have an addiction. I cut my own hair with scissors. I get trims every once in a while, before events. They’ll be like, oh my god, this is so incredibly uneven [Laughs]. But I think I’m growing up, because I’m cutting my hair less. For the first time in my life, I want healthy hair, and I want to be separate from my character. Now, I’m on a different path.

Let’s get into the Style Notes questions. What is your favorite fashion moment from pop culture?

I don’t know if this is a pop culture thing specifically, but I think of 2010 Coachella. It’s funny, in season two, they’ve experimented with my huntress look: I wear a headband over my forehead. It’s very 2010, MGMT, Indie Sleaze. I remember experimenting with that in middle school. And now, suddenly, having it for my Natalie going-out-hunting look is so awesome.

Do you have a style icon?

I’ve always stuck to anything French and reminiscent of the Sixties or Nineties: so France Gall, or Charlotte Gainsbourg for modern references. As a musician, as an artist, Charlotte is probably my biggest inspiration. I remember watching Tess—not to bring up Roman Polansky—but Nastassja Kinski in that film was, and still is, a big fashion inspiration for me.

Which friend or designer’s style do you most admire?

I have been modeling with Batsheva for the past couple years, and I’m a huge fan of her work. It’s nice to see her blow up; everybody’s wearing her dresses now. I also have a friend named Zoë Bleu Arquette, she has this very post-apocalyptic, Eastern European style that I really appreciate. She’s starting a new brand called Caca Couture. We both have very similar hair.

Do you have a style pet peeve?

I’m really over pins as earrings, and the dangly cross earrings. Being in Bushwick and going to bars, seeing a lot of those is a bit much. Some people can pull it off, but wearing just one dangling cross earring has gotta go.

What was your style like as a teenager?

It was pretty close to Natalie’s. I went through a big French New Wave phase freshman year of high school. Because I grew up Mormon, I was always wearing button-ups and turtlenecks to cover my body. It’s been interesting growing out of that as I left the church when I was around 13. Turtlenecks still feel very comfortable for me. It just looks classic.

I went through a clog phase in high school, too. I would wear these light wood, silver clogs with bright leggings. Anything Victorian has always been a big inspiration. When I was 18, I cut up all of my clothes, and I would wear these neck scarves and ties. I wish I was more into making my own clothing, which is a route I wanted to go down, but the truth is, I can’t sew. My style has always been super quirky. And I’ve clearly gone through a lot of phases!

Source: wmagazine.com

Sophie Thatcher (YellowJackets) and Shallowhalo Get Into Character
The friends talk performance, personas, and more.

Sophie Thatcher is an actress and artist who currently stars as teenage Natalie on the Showtime series Yellowjackets; Allyson Camitta is a New York-based artist who fronts the pop band Shallowhalo. Shallowhalo’s debut record, No Fun, was just released last week, so to celebrate, the two friends hopped on a Zoom call to catch up about it.
— Annie Fell, Editor-in-chief, Talkhouse Music

Sophie Thatcher: I’ve been going to your shows since, like, forever. I’ve been there from the beginning, seeing it all. But what was the inspiration for this new record?

Allyson Camitta: Yeah, it’s so funny, you were at the first show I ever played live. That was when I was playing synth in Turtlenecked — I was so nervous.

Sophie: I remember! Not that you were nervous, but… Where was that at?

Allyson: That was Purgatory, in Bushwick.

Sophie: OK. Oh, my god, I was like, “This dude sounds like Franz Ferdinand” — I kept saying it. [Laughs.] But better, obviously. I don’t know if Harrison [Smith] wants to hear that.

Allyson: Oh, no, no. I’m sure he would love that.

It’s funny, because Purgatory was also the first show that I played Shallowhalo at.

Sophie: Really? Yeah, that’s sick. Did you play with the boyfriend, Ezra [Tenenbaum]?

Allyson: Yeah, it was the both of us. We’re a duo, and we’ve been playing as a duo from the beginning. I guess I should answer your question though.

Sophie: [Laughs.] Yeah.

Allyson: The inspiration for the album — I first started playing music basically joining Turtlenecked and,we were playing a couple shows until the pandemic happened. I was having so much fun, and to just have that taken away so abruptly was so sad.

Sophie: How did that start? With just you playing — would you fuck around with your synths, or with Ableton or whatever program you use? How did that connection start?

Allyson: So, I met Harrison at a party, and that was right around the time where I wanted to start playing music. I just never really had close musician friends to kind of guide me, so when I met Harrison we realized we followed each other on Instagram and he was a musician, and I was like, “Oh, we should jam sometime, even though I’ve never jammed with someone in my life.”

Sophie: I love that. As long as you feel comfortable with the person, it’s nice to be able to not feel judged and like you can try out anything.

Allyson: Yeah, exactly. Except that first time we hung out to jam, I wanted to just melt into the into my chair, because I was so nervous.

Sophie: You’re like, “I don’t know what to do!”

Allyson: I had no idea. I was like, Oh, my gosh, he’s been doing this for a long time…

Sophie: I don’t know, as a female musician hitting up other male musicians, sometimes it feels… I feel like I want to take my own ground. But I think being a musician — not that I know too much about it, but it’s so important to be collaborative. And as a female musician, people like to be like, “Oh, well, this person produced it for her, she didn’t actually do this, blah, blah, blah.” And there’s that stigma hanging around. So even when I go, “Oh, wanna collab?” I always have that stigma over my head where I’m like, Oh, I’m not doing enough. Which is kind of out of the blue to bring up, but it’s always on my mind.

Allyson: Yeah, and the thing that people don’t realize is that the best ideas come from collaborating with other people.

Sophie: No, I know, and I’m just realizing that now. I know that since you first started off, you’ve been collaborating with people — it’s just so important to see other people’s perspectives. But tell me more about the start of the new stuff.

Allyson: So I got really into — have you heard of The Artist’s Way?

Sophie: No, I haven’t. What’s that?

Allyson: It’s kind of this self-help book for artists, to unblock your creativity. It gives you exercises every week to do it.

Sophie: What kind of exercises?

Allyson: One of the main things is called morning pages, where you wake up and the first thing you do is just you free write into a notebook. Like no judgment at all, whatever’s the first thing that comes into your mind.

Sophie: That’s what my therapist told me to do! I don’t know if it’s specifically from this book, but I was doing that for a bit. It’s hard to have the motivation to that every day, though. [Laughs.]

Allyson: Yeah, definitely.

Sophie: But it helps.

Allyson: Yeah, oh, my gosh. Just the concept of waking up, stress is forming at the top of your mind and just releasing that onto pages the first thing in the morning, and you’re freed from that for the rest of your day.

Sophie: It’s like starting the day off, honest. And most of the time, that’s not the case, when you just go to work or something. It just starts the day off no filter, no nothing. It’s just hard to get that motivation.

Allyson: Yeah. Just doing anything in a routine these days has been so difficult.

Sophie: Oh, yeah. How did that help your music?

Allyson: I had so many different things to write about. And also sometimes, when I’m going through things, it’s hard to pinpoint a feeling to them. But writing it down, you can read it later and then process that emotion and put that feeling into a song.

Sophie: Did you use some of the stuff you’ve written as lyrics? Or is it just like heightened versions, or just completely different?

Allyson: It depends on each song. Some songs on the album are kind of like letters to my younger self, or just processing things that happened.

Sophie: I love that. That makes me emotional, that’s so nice.

Allyson: Yeah, I think I sent you “Showbiz Baby,” which was in reference to my time working in film. There was a line that’s very, if you’re a film head, you would know what this is — “Last looks and calling a martini.”

Sophie: Just specific references that bring you right into that headspace. It’s through film that we met, and then from there on, it was just music and mutual friends, and both being artists.

Allyson: That’s what also drew me to you, because you just had really cool style and really great music taste. You were just in a music video with Alex Ross Perry [for Pavement’s “Harness Your Hopes”] — how was that?

Sophie: Well, the music video itself was very kind of in your face, silly, but that fully follows with what Pavement’s done in the past. I remember looking at the synopsis for the music video and I was like, This could be absurd or this could be really bad. And Alex said the same thing. It was a very bold concept. And I had the big Pavement posters — I think I had a Slanted and Enchanted poster in my bedroom growing up.

Allyson: Amazing.

Sophie: So it’s just been this weird thing where things in my life have been coming full circle. And that was just one part of it with Alex. It’s interesting because with that song, it struck really big on the TikTok algorithm, which is also a weird thing to think about. Pavement is so far removed from TikTok, but I think him bringing me in was bringing in the younger generation. And I don’t use TikTok — I’m very anti-TikTok. I don’t want to hate or anything, but I think it’s a really scary app. But that was like his way of involving a new fresh perspective. It was sick, though. It was just really goofy. And I had a couple ego deaths doing the Santa Claus outfit and dancing around alone. It’s like Stephen Malkmus and everybody had each other, and it was totally just me running around in a Santa Claus outfit, just, like, being a gremlin. [Laughs.]

Allyson: Yeah, I know. That video is so fun.

Sophie: Totally. It was fun to do. It was one day, which was absurd, and also incredibly ambitious.

Allyson: We just filmed the music video for one of the songs last week, for “Falling Stars.” We kind of had some film references for that too.

Sophie: Like what?

Allyson: That David Lynch movie, the later one with all of the spooky kind of strobe lighting — Inland Empire. There were just all of these spooky, unsettling references. And I feel like that’s kind of a world that I’m trying to channel — something beautiful, but a little unsettling.

Sophie: That’s what I was trying to say with your music, but you put it more articulately. It has a pop sensibility, obviously, but there’s something underlyingly unsettling or just off about it. And I think that’s so intriguing, and that’s the kind of pop music that I want to listen to. I mean, I wouldn’t even put it as pop. But the fact that you’re trying to replicate this in your visuals too — I think you are such a visual artist, because you come from fashion, and this is a heightened version of yourself. I was also curious about that — I didn’t know if it felt like kind of a character you were putting on, because I could also understand that, too.

Allyson: Yeah, it kind of is a character. I have to get into character before I perform.

Sophie: That’s crazy! How do you do that?

Allyson: I’m a naturally shy person, so going from never playing in a band to playing synth in a band, to being the lead vocalist—

Sophie: Yeah, that’s a big one. [Laughs.]

Allyson: Actually, a couple of years ago I took an acting class for social anxiety, and I feel like it really helped. So to perform now, I would kind of go into character, but the character is myself. Or this amalgamation of all of these strong, confident female musicians, like Kate Bush or Karen O, or Blondie. And I just channel their energy and go on stage. I feel like I have to rely on that less and less after each show I play. So I’m hoping that those will just connect.

Sophie: That’s interesting. Do you think the shows have helped build confidence for you?

Allyson: Oh, yeah, definitely.

Sophie: Honestly, same with my work.

Allyson: How is it for you? Is it easier to get into a role now, or are there less nerves involved?

Sophie: It really depends on the character and how close the character is to me. I’ve noticed that when the character does feel kind of close to me, it feels scarier because I feel like I’m baring more of my soul or my personality. And if people don’t like whatever I put out, then it’s like an extension of myself people don’t [like]. It’s also just internal bullshit that I’m going to have to work over. With Yellowjackets, I would say to my friends, “Oh, it feels like a heightened version of myself, and that’s why it was so scary.” It was incredibly vulnerable.

But I just did the Stephen King movie, and that felt very much not like me, and there was something very safe and warm and welcoming within that. Because my entire life has just been putting on characters and that’s where I feel more comfortable all the time. It’s just like, some people are born to put on a character and entertain. With the last movie, it felt very natural. And it actually really helped, because it was a hard movie. It was really dark because it’s Stephen King. And to originate Stephen King movie is very daunting. But the character was so far from me that it was nice. I find it really nice when it’s so far from me and I don’t let it bleed too much into my own personality.

Allyson: Yeah, I was going to ask, how is that like?

Sophie: Well, you can’t take the character home. I don’t know what it’s like with you after a show, if you feel that wave of confidence kind of linger on throughout the night, or if it just kind of subsides and stops after the performance.

Allyson: It lingers on. I feel energized after performing.

Sophie: Right? I always do. It’s hard to turn it off. That’s interesting how that works. Because I mean, you’re going into a character to some extent, even if you say it’s a heightened version of you. That’s what I say about all my characters: It’s always a heightened version of myself.

Allyson: Definitely. And I’ve been styling myself for my shows — I just wear my own clothes. I know some people have brought up the clothes as being part of the performance, but those are all just my clothes.

Sophie: I mean, you just have good taste!

Allyson: I mean, those are clothes that I never wear in day-to-day life, especially recently. I feel like I’ve just been accumulating and hoarding all of these clothes for this moment.

Sophie: Everything has been waiting for this moment! It’s so fucking exciting. You have so much coming out. How do you feel?

Allyson: I’m really excited. We’ve been practicing a lot and playing a lot of shows. And I’ve been experimenting with different props — like one of the songs, “Yesterday’s Toys,” is about a haunted porcelain doll, and I’ve been bringing her to shows and dancing around with her on stage.

Sophie: I can’t wait to be back in New York to see that. So is this like a fantasy, or is there a specific story within the doll? Do explain.

Allyson: I’ve been trying to write songs in different ways, so this one I came up with a story and a world that I could visualize. This was a story about my old porcelain doll that I became separated with somehow, and I came across her at a Goodwill. She’s a little haunted, but she means well, and it was just really nice seeing her and being reunited. And it was my promise to her that I would never leave her again.

Sophie: I love that so much. Is it nice having props? Is that like a nice distraction on stage? Because I’ve noticed as an actor, having props can be really nice to focus on something else and take away from yourself, so you can put your energy into that rather than being so self-absorbed or self-critical.

Allyson: Yeah, definitely. I feel like props and just creating different activities you can do on stage—

Sophie: Activities! That’s a part of the Meisner [technique] — you start with props and distracting yourself and taking yourself out of being so in your head. Not enough musicians do that. It’s also not necessary for a lot of musicians. But you’re taking this to another extent where it’s almost like it’s performance art. I mean, you have done every kind of art form, so it’s like you’re just expanding it on stage, which is super cool.

Allyson: Yeah. I feel like a lot of musicians are scared to use props because they think it would make them less of a musician.

Sophie: Less of a musician, more of a performer.

Allyson: Yeah, exactly. And, I want people to come and watch a performance.

Sophie: Yeah, that is totally my mindset too. Not everybody feels that way, and that’s OK. But I fucking love that. I’ve been thinking, and my ties to every art form that I have is just that I want to tell a story. Maybe you feel that way, but within me making music, me making art, me making anything, I want to tell a story. I feel like I’m a storyteller and I want to share it. And within each performance, you have these props that can help enhance the story to some extent, or make it more visceral or make it evoke some kind of reaction.

Allyson: Yeah. Do you have any plans to make music again?

Sophie: I’ve been working on songs. It’s weird because now with Yellowjackets out, I feel like I can’t so slyly put out music and be like, “Oh, just listen to it all my Bandcamp.” There’s a little bit more pressure now, I feel like.

Allyson: Oh, yeah.

Sophie: But I have some songs I’m working on. They’re all over the place. For me, Grouper was always the biggest influence, but I think I’m kind of stepping out of my ambient phase and I’m trying to add a little beat to it.

Allyson: Ooh! [Laughs.] I love that.

Sophie: But we’ll see. It’s very strange as an actor to put out music when you have a following from people that have seen you on a show. It’s just a very weird crossover. And I know at the end of the day it doesn’t fucking matter at all, but there’s been a little bit more pressure with that, knowing that all these people are viewing me in a certain way. But that’s also just me being petty.

Allyson: That’s so true, though, because you have people who know of your, and you’re introducing this new thing and not everyone might like it.

Sophie: Yeah, it’s like when I post my art or anything — it’s so vulnerable posting. But that’s a whole other conversation. [Laughs.]

Allyson: [Laughs.] Yeah, time’s up. Zoom’s kicking us out!

Source: talkhouse.com

The Yellowjackets star on navigating fame, social media and the Canadian wilderness.

“We were so young!” Sophie Thatcher says with a laugh via video chat, touching her pale face. “We were all such different people!” It’s been more than two years since the 21-year-old actor filmed the pilot for Yellowjackets, the darkly comic, spectacularly gory Showtime series about a girls’ soccer team braving the Canadian wilderness. And those two years have been formative for both her life and her career.

First, the pandemic reared its head after the pilot was picked up but before production had started on the first season. Suddenly, themes of survival and isolation were a little less abstract, and the cast was forced to bond over Zoom. When they did meet back up in person, it was baptism by fire in British Columbia: two days of shooting the show’s pivotal plane-crash scene, running around screaming and covered in ash. Then, when Yellowjackets premiered last November, it instantly inspired legions of citizen detectives to try to solve its mysteries, from the identity of the masked “antler queen” from the opening credits to the fate of each survivor.

“We’ve got a very smart fan base, but the show kinda thrives on chaos,” says Thatcher, who confesses that going into shooting season two, she knows as little as the audience does and says that she often gets scripts a mere week in advance. So she’s been right there with viewers, checking up on fan theories and feedback online.

For someone who was born in the year 2000, processing newfound fame is less about deciding whether or not to scour social media and more about doing it safely—something she’s still figuring out. “I love the internet—it’s terrible and it’s amazing, but it gives me everything,” she says, recalling her teenage years spent on Tumblr and her recent foray into Reddit. “It all depends on how you navigate it and what you choose to delve into.”

Lurking on the show’s message boards, she was relieved to see mostly nice things being said about her character, Natalie, in both the 1996 and present-day incarnations, the latter of which is played by Juliette Lewis. (Thatcher was actually cast before Lewis. Although they don’t quite resemble each other physically—Thatcher could sooner star in a Grimes biopic—their deep voices and wounded-tough-girl posturing match up perfectly.) At the same time, she reveals, even good feedback can affect actors’ performances. “Someone might say ‘Oh, I love the way she carries herself,’ and the next day I’m going to go to set and, like, not know how to move my body,” she says, trailing off as she mimes awkward movements. “It’s good to stay away from that and be present.”

Thatcher says that getting into character has been relatively easy, that she sees Natalie as a cooler, more confident version of her high-school self. Also, thanks to Tumblr, she was already immersed in now retro ’90s culture through shows like My So-Called Life and Daria as well as deep cuts by Liz Phair and PJ Harvey that would eventually make it onto the Yellowjackets soundtrack. There was one 20th-century skill she needed to acquire on-set: using a cassette player. “I got scared—I had to ask them how. That was a really embarrassing moment.”

Yellowjackets isn’t the only production Thatcher’s connected to that has a cult following. In early 2022, she had a role in Star Wars series The Book of Boba Fett, and then she shot the adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “The Boogeyman” alongside Chris Messina (Sharp Objects, The Mindy Project). While it’s pretty common for actors to worry about being typecast if they do a lot of horror or sci-fi, Thatcher says that Yellowjackets works because, as with King’s fiction, it artfully blends genres and it also takes time to build a strong backstory before getting to the (alleged) cannibalism.

Another concern for the twentysomething actor: what her career will look like in a couple of decades. Yellowjackets may have grabbed headlines for proving that teenage girls can go feral, but it has also been lauded for showcasing fortysomething actors (including former child stars Lewis and Christina Ricci) in juicy, complex roles—a remarkable feat even in a post-Bechdel-test world. “It’s been ingrained in me for so long—like, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to move on to playing the mom’ or ‘Now I have to take on the supporting character,’” says Thatcher. “But I really think shows like this help us let go of that, help us detach ourselves from that limiting headspace. And I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Thatcher may be a part of the show for years to come too. Yellowjackets’ creators revealed that they have a five-season story arc in mind, and, if nothing else, Thatcher knows that her character definitely gets out of the woods alive. In the meantime, she’s still figuring out how to play the long game, online and offline, with help from people who’ve been there. “When I told Chris [Messina] all about my ‘Reddit phase,’ he was like, ‘What? No—are you crazy?’ You have to create a level of separation between yourself and the viewer and realize ‘That’s not me—I’m not playing myself.’ At the end of the day, you only have yourself. That’s all you have to move forward.”

Thatcher is taking his words to heart. She has a rare month off before shooting on Yellowjackets starts again, and she plans to go hiking outside Vancouver, maybe rent a cabin in the woods with her castmates. She’s also going to bring her synth and some art supplies and ignore the theoretical virtual audience that lurks in the back of her mind. “People my age feel such a strong urge to get that validation from social media,” she says. “I want to get rid of the feeling that I have to share everything. I want to go back to making music for myself or a drawing just for me.”

Source: ellecanada.com