Sophie Thatcher eyes a lighter path after Yellowjackets
The actor told Variety she is ready for new ground as the Showtime hit ends and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell arrives.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Sophie Thatcher says playing teenage Natalie on “Yellowjackets” has started to feel familiar in a way that makes her restless.
Speaking to Variety from Vancouver, where she was filming the fourth and final season of the Showtime series, the 25-year-old actor said returning to the same character can leave her feeling “stunted.” She said the hardest part is going back to an emotional place tied to the version of herself who shot the pilot seven years ago.
Thatcher told Variety that late-night scenes built around screaming and crying now come quickly to her, which has made the work feel less demanding than it once did. She stressed that her feeling was personal and not aimed at the show’s writers.
A new horror turn with Nicolas Winding Refn
Her next big showcase is “Her Private Hell,” a future-horror film from “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn, marking his first movie in a decade, according to Variety.
In the film, Thatcher plays Elle, a movie star living in a neo-Tokyo tower. Variety reported that the story also features Kristine Froseth as a co-star, Dougray Scott as Elle’s distant father, Havana Rose Liu as her ex, and Charles Melton as Private K, whose young daughter may have been taken by a supernatural serial killer called the Leather Man.
Thatcher told Variety she was pleased that the movie has divided viewers. She said its references to 1970s horror, including Brian De Palma and Kenneth Anger, made it satisfying for her, while its abstract structure may challenge audiences expecting a straight line through the plot.
The film’s style also let Thatcher play with fashion. She told Variety that clothing feels like costume to her and said the movie pulled from glam-rock figures including Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Roxy Music and young Brian Eno.
Pushing past the dark-girl label
Thatcher has built a résumé full of haunted characters, including Natalie in “Yellowjackets,” an abducted missionary in “Heretic” and a robot girlfriend in “Companion.” She told Variety that people often assume she is drawn only to darkness because of her roles, music taste and gothic style.
Off set, she said, she is more upbeat than the image suggests. Thatcher added that she wants to try more grounded and lighter work, especially after making “Peaches” with Havana Rose Liu. That film, she told Variety, was lighter than “Her Private Hell” and forced her to adjust to leaving a set without feeling that she had emptied out every dark emotion.
Thatcher also discussed her Mormon upbringing, saying she left the LDS Church when she was 12. She told Variety the experience carried rules and repression that she believes have found their way into her performances, while also crediting the church with giving her family a strong sense of community and music.
Music, moves and what comes next
With “Yellowjackets” ending, Thatcher said she wants to spend more time making music with her friend Maral, also known as May. She told Variety they have made seven or eight punk-leaning tracks with hard beats and spoken-word vocals, drawing on digital hardcore influences.
She also said a Jennifer Kent project is still expected to happen, though its schedule moved, and that she is attached to several films without firm dates. Thatcher told Variety she has bought a house in upstate New York after deciding Los Angeles was not right for her at this stage.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.