Sophie Nélisse Talks New Film Whistle + Heated Rivalry & Yellowjackets

Whether you know her as Rose Landry on Heed Rivalry, Shauna Shipman on Yellow Jackets, or even Ellie Gains in her latest horror film, Whistle. Sophie Nélisse is a star to watch. So what better place to speak with the actress than Hollywood's Walk of Fame? Sophie, when you were growing up in Canada, could you ever have imagined you would be surviving, thriving, and killing it in Hollywood? Look where you are. Sophie Nélisse: No, it was never in my set of of dreams and um ambitions and it kind of just I've been very lucky and I feel very grateful.

You should be because you are a busy woman. Your latest horror film, Whistle. I saw it before I came to see you. But I have to tell you, I hate horror films. I can't watch them. like they scare me to death, as they should. But I did it for you. Oh my goodness. What scared you about reading that script and then actually going through with it? Sophie Nélisse: I mean, I really to be fair, I'm actually also kind of like you. I have a really hard time with everything that's horror related. I used to be very scared of sleeping on my own and like being kidnapped is one of my biggest fears. I walk around with pepper spray. I'm always scared of seeing someone in like the mirror, my reflection, like all of that. So every bit of the script to me was terrifying. Being lost in a maze is my biggest nightmare. But at the same time, once you're on set, it's not the same. Obviously, you don't have the surroundings, the music, the score, which is what really amplifies the emotion. So it's not that scary on set.

How did you guys kind of keep the mood chill and fun instead of like what we see on the screen? Sophie Nélisse: We all got along really, really well. We have a very similar sense of humor. Um and so we like to keep things pretty light and bantering and playing pranks on each other. The blood and and all of it, and when you're doing night shoots and you're tired, and you're overwhelmed, like it kind of becomes you get into this weird like delirious mood, when nothing is really taken seriously anymore.

How do you stop the delirium and say it's go mode for Ellie? Sophie Nélisse: Years of of doing this job. Like it's what you do. There's no really there's not like a a big trick when they say action, I kind of just zone in. Um and obviously, I think what really helps is being able to play alongside actors that like I admire and I think are so good like Daphne gave me so much to play off of that it's really easy for me to kind of tap into the horror and the being scared and being heartbroken when I, you know, I'm working alongside her who's just giving me so much to feed off of.

Did any of the actors on the set like take a moment to frighten each other? Sophie Nélisse: Not really. I think what was scarier was because sometimes the performances were so good that we genuinely thought they weren't okay. I was like, wait, is this is there like a safety word that she needs to say because I'm about to actually try to save her because she seems really unwell. Right. Um, but we're more there for like emotional support than anything. I think we were trying to un-scare each other rather than scare each other.

So when an actor dies in a horror film, is it celebratory? Do you have a party? Does everyone attend the day they die? What happens? Sophie Nélisse: I mean, we all kind of really enjoyed going on set for those specific moments. Like even if we're not in that scene, we all kind of wanted to see it because it's I mean, not every day that we get to do such fun scenes. So we would all kind of like go support and there is kind of like weirdly because the performance is so good that we're all kind of like cheering at the end and we're all clapping for that person, which is ironic because we're like celebrating their death but they did it so well, like it's a cult, almost.

Your theme lately is dark and kind of scary, intense. How do you think your character on Yellow Jackets would have survived in Whistle? Sophie Nélisse: I think well, I mean, Shauna has uh proved to be quite efficient out in the wilderness and not scared to murder anyone that has difference of opinions with her. So I definitely do think that she would be quite the survivor in Whistle.

If the Whistle showed up. Yes. on that set, Yeah. how would the cast react? Sophie Nélisse: Ooh, I think it would again, kind of divide the group into one of the group would want to blow the whistle. And then, like, I feel like Lottie definitely would blow the whistle. And then I feel like maybe like Laurily, had she still been alive, would have been like, or like Taissa would have been like, no, like the mature thing to do is not to blow the whistle. Yeah.

Are your friends worried about you do you think that you keep taking these dark, ominous roles? Sophie Nélisse: My friends don't want to watch the things that I do because they're always like, it's so dark, like we're scared. I think everyone, me and my whole environment is really hoping that I get to do a bit more levity and and comedy sometime soon.

Do you have like a mental toolkit to get you through these dark film sets, TV sets? Sophie Nélisse: I mean, humor is my coping mechanism. And otherwise, a really good therapist will do the trick.

Oh, how often are you going? Is that like? Sophie Nélisse: Once a week.

Really? Sophie Nélisse: Steadily.

Via Zoom or in person? Sophie Nélisse: Uh, both. When I'm back home, I get to see him in person and then otherwise, I keep I keep uh, whenever I miss too many meetings, he's like, hi, just checking in. And then I book an appointment on Zoom.

So keeping your mental health in check. Yes. gets you through all of the mayhem. Sophie Nélisse: Yeah.

That's a that's a great, great tool. What fascinates you about watching characters just literally unravel at the seams? Sophie Nélisse: I mean, I think what's fun is that you get to root for all of them. Like you you come to a place where you care so much for them and then they're just ripped out. We spare no one in this. We have no mercy. And so, yeah, it's it's always fun when it's heartbreaking but when the person that you care for the most as a character then just gets taken away.

I'm not going to give any spoilers away. But there's a love scene in it. How do you feel about those moments in in a movie? Sophie Nélisse: In all of the chaos, you need moments of tenderness because that's what life is about. The relationship between Chris and Ellie is that even in the most traumatic moments. Yeah. they have each other.

One of my favorite places, Ike's Love & Sandwiches. I've never been before. Can I take you? Sophie Nélisse: Yes, please.

I'm going to take you and sit and eat and and chat more. Okay, so we're here at Ike's Love & Sandwiches and love is such a theme that you guys have this positive gay theme. I think that is so important right now. And you're involved in another really popular TV show that brings up gay themes and in such an amazing way. Heed Rivalry. Yeah. What's it like to be part of something that is so important right now? Sophie Nélisse: I feel very honored. I feel like growing up, that was what I loved about watching movies was finding characters that I could connect to and that I that made me feel seen and I think when starting in this industry, I guess, it's something that I wanted to be able to give back to people. And something that we haven't been able to see yet, growing up. The industry definitely lacks that. And I think that there's not enough representation on screen. I know that I can't make that big of a difference but it feels like I'm making small changes that hopefully a wider audience can feel seen and understood and feel like they have a representation of who they are on screen.

Well, something you don't have to change is your tush. Your tush is perfect. Like my. Your My gosh, thank you. You're the perfect. Can I tell you this? Yeah, this is a great compliment. I mean, I Sophie Nélisse: Thank you.

I I do I do squat. You posted your workout routine online. Yeah. My my. You did. Is that how you get the perfect butt? Sophie Nélisse: I will say it's very it's genetics. I've never I've always had a big butt. Like it's never it's not like I think it's a bit like firmer now and a bit more toned because I do do I do my squats. But um I just really have been blessed by Mother Nature.

So that wasn't a body double with you walking up the stairs. Was that your butt? Sophie Nélisse: No, it was mine. It's actually the first time I've been that like kind of exposed before. It was a bit of a challenge for me. I've I've never done any any sort of nudity on set for. It's my first time. So, uh not that I was even naked. I was in my underwear. But Yeah. It was It was fun.

Even Hudson, your co-star, like gave you a shout-out on Instagram and it literally blew up. Ben, he commented on your on your butt on the beach. Sophie Nélisse: Yeah. He's become like one of my closest friends and he's hyping me up as a friend as a friend does.

Now, if you eat Ike's sandwich. This goes straight to my butt. Will this affect the perfect. Sophie Nélisse: Yeah, it will make it even better.

Wait, really? So we eat this and Sophie Nélisse: Yeah, cuz it you you use all of these calories and then you put them in the gym and then that's what makes muscle grow. You need to eat to gain muscle.

What did you order? Sophie Nélisse: I'm a big I'm a big protein gal cuz I cuz I work out. So I got the Cupid's paint because it's February. I think mine's going to be pink, apparently. There's turkey, there's salami, there's beef. I always I've always wanted to do this with sandwiches. We know like the perfect like They didn't cut my They didn't cut mine. Yeah, it is. It is. It is. It is. Is it cut? Yeah, you have to go like this. Okay. Oh my God, that actually looks insane. That actually, what did you get? It's called the Menage a Trois. Oh, yeah, it's Menage a Trois. It has their famous chicken in it. It has the dirty sauce. Which I've learned is like I think I have some too. It's like aioli, um, anyways, I've heard it's bomb. Oh, is the bread like fried? Is that what makes it crispy? I I they probably toast it. Want to go in? Yeah, cheers. Cheers. Cheers to making our butts better by eating really big sandwiches. Eat your carbs, gals. Eat your carbs.

Well, considering my How's your sandwich? Sophie Nélisse: It's very good.

Anyway, considering my uh sandwich is called the Menage a Trois, are we thinking like Rose, Shane, Miles situation in season two? I'm here for it. Or like a lot of people are saying Rose and Svetlana. And I'm like, why not? Little spin off. Hey, I'm here for it. The more the merrier is my take. So you're offering up Svetlana, Rose, that scenario or the Menage a Trois between Miles, Rose, and Shane? People in the comments say which they prefer. Comment away. Uh Okay. Tell us. Tell us what you want to see, who you want to see. What about uh, Rizwan, should he join in in any of those scenarios? Sophie Nélisse: To be fair, I am kind of Team Rizwan, so I really would like him in the mix. Because I have a low-key in him. So, I mean, I can't pick over my husband, who's obviously, you know, Shane. So, bring them all. Bring them all in. All the boys, all the gals. I'm here for it. It's going to be a wild show.

And then season four, Yellow Jackets? Yes. It's here. It's happening. It's happening. We're going to shoot in like two weeks. Any spoilers? Anything? Sophie Nélisse: I don't know anything. They give us the scripts like a week in advance. What? I know. Really? Yeah, heartbreaking. I know what it needs. What? A whistle. Ooh, it's already pretty dark. You're going to make you're going to make it darker. Okay, how about we bring in. People are already dying. This is going to fall like flies if you bring in a whistle. I know we bring in. Your butt. My butt's already there. It's good. Okay. We'll keep it in. We'll keep it in the show. Done.