IN EQUAL PARTS: SOPHIE THATCHER

AS AN ACTOR, SOPHIE THATCHER SURRENDERS THE SELF. AS A MUSICIAN, SHE INDULGES IN IT.

By Cassidy George

Sophie Bathsheba Thatcher spent the week prior to our conversation playing The Sims 3 and watching Gilmore Girls by candlelight in her new home, which is tucked away in one of Los Angeles’s more discrete canyons. The actress, who is (at least for now) best-known for playing the gun-wielding outcast in the hit series Yellowjackets, is not only starring in two upcoming feature films—A24’s Heretic and Drew Hancock’s Companion—but has also embarked on a blossoming career as an indie musician. This well-deserved respite wasn’t a gift from Sophie to herself—it was medically mandated. “I just got my wisdom teeth out!” she tells me over Zoom with a no-longer-swollen smile.

With a string of stand-out performances in films like MaXXXine, The Boogeyman, and the 2016 remake of The Exorcist, the 23-year-old is distinguishing herself as a knockout-to-know in the horror arena. But the Chicago native has always been somewhat of an acting prodigy, having started her professional career at just 15 years old. Though she has a knack for exhibiting a character’s depths and nuances on screen, Sophie’s musical career allows her to explore the multitudes that exist within herself. Her singles “Black and Blue” and “Pivot & Scrape” are ephemeral and transcendent—they sound like slow dancing with someone you love under an oak tree in the moonlight. Her layered music videos reveal the richness of her aesthetic and cultural references, from elegant daguerreotypes to Southern Gothic literature.

In conversation, Sophie is as warm and forthcoming as she is thoughtful and analytical, exuding an aura of wisdom well beyond her years.

CASSIDY GEORGE: First of all, where are you and how are you?

SOPHIE THATCHER: I feel good! I’ve been shooting Yellowjackets off and on. It’s easy to forget how much downtime we have because they’re essentially shooting two shows at once. My twin is staying here with me in this beautiful old house. We spent all of last night drawing together and showing each other songs.

CG: Does she also work in the creative industry?

ST: Ellie makes claymations—shorts and a lot of music videos. She recently made one for Animal Collective. She also has a music project called Junk DNA and makes insane soundtracks. She’s one of those people that can do anything artistically.

CG: Do you ever feel bored or lonely during that downtime on set?

ST: Most of the girls stay in Vancouver, but I’m flying back to LA constantly because I need to be here with my boyfriend to make music. It feels like I’m living two lives right now, which is very disorienting.

CG: I think of acting as an artistic practice that mandates some kind of surrender—because you’re ultimately helping realize someone else’s vision. When I heard your music and watched the videos, I thought that it must feel refreshing for you to have so much creative agency. It all sounds and looks very you.

ST: It’s a huge compliment when people say that because everyone knows me as Natalie from Yellowjackets. It’s not that I have morphed into her, but the character stays with you. Parts of it become real. But that’s a projected idea of me, whereas the music is actually me.

With music, I really did stick to my gut and didn’t let other people take control. I’ve been acting my entire life, so starting with music feels fresh, but also scary. With this, I get to put everything—as in, all of my taste—into one thing. I directed the first music video with Ellie’s help and it felt amazing. With acting, there is a lot of surrender and lack of control because it’s such a big group of people coming together. It’s more collaborative, whereas music is much more singular.

CG: What aspect of making music scares you

ST: The act of singing is so strange and vulnerable. It can also feel egotistical. It’s scary not to judge yourself or worry about being corny. Whereas with acting, that’s not a concern. You’re just fully going for it. Everyone in Gen Z grew up so hyperaware, and it just eats at us. If I didn’t care about how I was perceived, I would have released music a long time ago. I’m doing it slowly because I’m cautious.

CG: Your Instagram is a partial homage to your unique blend of influences and idols. How did you discover all of these people? Were you just a teenager in your bedroom, staying up late and digging for culture online?

ST: I was obsessive and would spend hours on the internet. I tried to watch everything I could. I find myself getting less pretentious as I get older. I watch the most mindless bullshit now! When I was younger, I really wanted to prove myself. I wanted to be seen as an adult so badly.

CG: You said everyone knows you as Natalie, but I think that will soon no longer be the case. Heretic is screening this fall, and your next feature, Companion, will come out in early 2025. Your legacy is actively evolving.

ST: It’s funny, because I thought I was so normal and poised in Heretic! I should never read reviews—but of course I did—and people were like, “She’s too cool to be a Mormon.” But I grew up Mormon! I’m trying to be less edgy and a little more transformative. Companion feels like a blank slate. It’s so different from Natalie, and that’s a goal for me. I just don’t want to be put in a box.

People have called me a scream queen, but I’m so much more than that. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it’s iconic. Some of the best actresses were scream queens. I mean… I am always covered in blood in my movies. Hopefully one day, I’ll be in a movie where I’m not being tortured! [Laughs]

CG: In a previous interview, you said that you are actively trying to defy expectations with your role in Heretic.

ST: People come in with a lot of stereotypes and [Mormons] are often the butt of the joke. My character is very smart and a bit more reserved. I have so much respect for my family and most of them are Mormon. On my mom’s side, they’re very liberal. I’m coming at it from a very empathetic point of view. I left the church when I was 12 or 13 because of acting, [but] it’s still in me.

CG: Can acting and Mormonism not coexist?

ST: I was doing eight theater shows a week, so I couldn’t go to church on Sunday. It was kind of as simple as that. I also had older siblings who left the church—they were an inspiration to me. When I was younger, no one that I idolized was religious. I found religion in art very early. I might still be in the church if my siblings didn’t show me a different side of life—or some kind of counterculture.

A lot of actors grew up Mormon, but it’s hard to stay Mormon in this industry because it’s so dark—and a lot of the roles that I have to do are very dark. It’s interesting to me that the church doesn’t endorse our movie, because we are the heroes of the story. To me, it’s very whatever that people are bashing it, but I do feel bad for my mom, because she still goes to church.

CG: You mentioned the anxiety of perception. Did that ever manifest physically? Did you always feel comfortable in your femininity?

ST: When I was younger, I felt very reserved. I would wear turtlenecks and cover my entire body. I remember going through phases in high school where I was confused and would end up trying to become my crush—as if dressing like a guy would make me feel more confident! Feeling comfortable in my own skin has largely come from acting because I’m forced into showing my most vulnerable and insane side in front of so many people. I feel more confident in my body now. I’ve always had body image issues, but I think I’m finally starting to have less. It’s definitely been an evolution.

Growing up feeling ashamed of your body really messes you up. I was counting calories and doing stuff that I shouldn’t have even known about when I was, like, 11. With social media, it’s always right there in your face—and it’s hard not to compare yourself. I’ve gotten better about that, too, or I am trying to be. I think for a lot of people, including me, it was just about finding control. Sometimes, especially when you are young, it’s the only thing you can control.

CG: Do you have any kind of spiritual practice now?

ST: I’ve kind of closed the door on spirituality in general. I’m not joking when I say that music is my religion—because it’s meditative. I’ll start when I’m stressed out and it can immediately center me. I’m pretty closed off with religion as of right now, but I’m curious to see how my perspective changes. Because I know it will. I’m open!