GROOVE Dark twist to a classic
A new take on Hansel And Gretel shifts the perspective and makes it a dark family affair. Sophia Lillis, who plays the lead, tells us more
SHE’S only going to be 18 on Feb 13 but Sophia Lillis has already made a big impact on moviegoers worldwide. The American actress from New York City turned heads with her portrayal of Beverly Marsh in the recent big screen Stephen King adaptations of It.
After the horror films — It (2017) and last year’s sequel It 2 — Lillis had also starred in the acclaimed HBO drama series Sharp
Objects, where she played the younger version of Amy Adams’ character.
Not wanting to break her momentum, the young actress now takes on the lead role in the unnerving new psychological thriller, Gretel & Hansel.
Blowing the dust off the Brothers Grimm classic, the new film from writer-director Osgood Perkins (of I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House fame), features Lillis and newcomer Sammy Leaky going up against Alice Krige’s (Carnival Row, Star
Trek: First Contact) mysterious witch after taking one very wrong turn in the woods.
As psychological thrillers go, Lillis’ latest work is an emphasis on old-school, slow-burn tension — here playing a young survivor whose perception of her off-kilter world seamlessly segues between reality and fantasy, fable and nightmare, imagination and hallucination.
If Gretel & Hansel is any indication, we can expect much more from Lillis in the years to come.
Below, she talks about the new film and her career so far.
WHAT WAS IT THAT INITIALLY ATTRACTED YOU TO GRETEL & HANSEL?
I thought the story was interesting and I liked the character. But I really liked the director. That’s what made me really want to be a part of this project. When we spoke, I could really see myself working with him. He was really funny and intriguing, and I thought I would love to spend two months working on a project with him.
WHAT WAS THAT FIRST CONVERSATION LIKE?
We talked about the character and his vision for the film. It was just a normal conversation and we talked for a good two hours. And I also got to tell him my thoughts about the character.
TELL US HOW YOU APPROACHED HER.
I’ve always worked on these very strong, independent characters. Gretel is similar in that way. She has something that she wants to do — to take care of her brother who she really loves — but at the same time she knows that there’s something more that she can do with her life.
The story is about her discovering her confidence, to figure out who she is and how powerful she is.
In a sense, Osgood really turned this short fairytale into something completely different.
I just tried to follow along and do as best as I could to help tell it. There’s not really much about her in the original story — she’s just the little sister who follows her brother into the woods. Oz made her a real character.
HENCE THE SWITCH IN THE TITLE TO GRETEL & HANSEL?
Yes — it’s kind of more of a feminist take. This time, Gretel is the one who is taking care of Hansel. She’s the one who’s taking the lead and having to make her own decisions.
ARE YOU A HORROR MOVIE FAN?
Yes, kind of (laughs). Before It, I didn’t really watch a lot of horror films. But I really liked Tim Burton as a child. I don’t know if you’d consider his films to be horror movies. But I liked that kind of creepy element to them. I always enjoyed that as a kid, and I guess that somehow influences me now.
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR ONE YOU LIKED?
I loved Stainboy so much. I still have these little figurines that I collected of every single character. I really love his art as well. I have this big book of his artwork at home.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START?
It just kind of happened. I got signed up for acting classes because I wasn’t really good at speaking. I slurred and scrambled my words and my mum thought it would be good for me to get out there and talk in front of people.
She felt like that would help me in some way and I think it did to some extent. But it also just gave me something that I love to do. It’s allowed me to meet so many people who I now call my friends. When I started,
I was going to just do it for a year. Now I’m hopefully doing it forever (laughs). Hopefully.
HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED FOR YOU SINCE THE IT MOVIES?
It put me out there. It gave me jobs. It led me to other projects. It led me to Gretel &
Hansel. Personally, though, it didn’t really change my life much.
DO YOU PLAN TO STICK TO ACTING?
I think so. I’ve thought a lot about that. Especially now that I’m turning 18. You know, when you turn 18, you’re legally an “adult actor”.
It’s kind of a weird change. I can’t consider myself a “child-actress” anymore.
I’ve thought a lot about it. Now that I’m ending high school soon, what do I really want to do with my life? Do I want to continue doing this?
Though it’s challenging, it’s something that I really love doing. I feel like if I hadn’t started acting, I wouldn’t have experienced as much as I have.
ARE YOU AS STRONG AS SOME OF THE CHARACTERS YOU’VE PLAYED? IS THERE A BIT OF THEM IN YOU?
I’m not as tough as any of them (laughs). They are very independent, strong characters. I think it’s because they don’t really have anyone to support them.
I have my mum, my brother, my family and my friends. I have people who will support me in my life. Because they don’t really have anyone else to help them, they’ve had to help themselves. I find those characters interesting.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF ALICE KRIGE (HOLDA THE WITCH)? WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH HER?
She was amazing, especially in that role. After I finished shooting, I started seeing her in different projects and films.
She’s really good. Although it’s a little intimidating, it’s really fun working with these experienced actors because you learn so much from them. And I really learnt a lot from Krige. She just really plays a really good witch (laughs).
HOW DID YOUR YOUNG COSTAR, SAMMY LEAKEY (HANSEL), HANDLE WORKING WITH HER?
This is his first big project and he did great. He really felt at home on set and he learnt very quickly. Towards the end of the shoot, he was even giving camera instructions, in a really cute way, to the director of photography (laughs).
WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH PERKINS?
I love him. Oz Perkins is very energetic and really positive. After I’d do a scene, I’d sometimes think, “Oh, that wasn’t good enough. Maybe I should change things.” And he’d come up to me and say, “That was amazing! Let’s go to the next one!”
I’ve never received that much positive feedback on set before. Oz works really quickly, as well, which is something else I wasn’t used to.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE MAKING THE FILM?
There were a few. The script, for example, the way the characters talk, is very stylised.
What I took away from that was how to make it my own. This character is very different from me. She has her own way of speaking. While it was challenging, I learnt a lot — and I learnt a lot just from being on set.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING THE FINISHED FILM FOR THE FIRST TIME?
I was just blown away by it. It’s really scary, but in its own way it’s also very beautiful.