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'The Boogeyman': 'Yellowjackets' star Sophie Thatcher adamant about not glamorizing a depressed teen

"That's so often done, I feel like, where it's like a woman struggling, but make it sexy," Thatcher said.

Sophie Thatcher has become one of our favourites to watch as young Natalie in Yellowjackets, and now she has stepped into the role of Sadie Harper in Rob Savage's The Boogeyman, where the actor was adamant about not perpetuating the stereotype of the sexy, depressed teen.

“Even just within what she was wearing, the way she wears her hair, it’s like she doesn't care and she doesn't have time to care. She's too depressed,” Thatcher told Yahoo Canada in an interview in Toronto. “She's too hyper-fixated and focused on thinking about her mom ... and missing her.”

“She's in a sweatshirt [for most of the movie], which I liked. That's not glamorizing. They're not making her some sexy teenager. That's so often done, I feel like, where it's like a woman struggling, but make it sexy with a cigarette. … I hate that, very keen on not doing that.”

Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper in 20th Century Studios' THE BOOGEYMAN. (Photo by Patti Perret)
Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper in 20th Century Studios' THE BOOGEYMAN. (Photo by Patti Perret)

What is 'The Boogeyman' about?

Based on a Stephen King short story, The Boogeyman (now in theatres) begins with the Harper family. High schooler Sadie and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) are trying to cope with the recent, sudden death of their mother, while their dad Will (Chris Messina) tries to manage his own grief and his work as a therapist.

One day, Will gets a visit from Lester Billings, in a chilling performance from David Dastmalchian. He's not one of Will's patients but walks in seeking help. Lester says he's been accused of killing his children, but claims a monstrous creature is really to blame.

With Lester begging Will for help, the tale of this malevolent entity preying on families becomes a reality for the Harpers, with Sawyer being the first person to know about and fear the Boogeyman, followed by Sadie.

For Thatcher, she was able to create a character that the audience can feel connected to, and feel so much empathy for, a critical aspect of making The Boogeyman story work.

“I wanted her to feel as real as possible and she's struggling so much, and you just feel that,” Thatcher explained. “You want her to get through it so bad.”

“She's empathetic and she cares for her younger sister, and she's a good person at heart.”

(L-R): Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper and Vivien Lyra Blair as Sawyer Harper in 20th Century Studios' THE BOOGEYMAN. (Photo by Patti Perret)
(L-R): Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper and Vivien Lyra Blair as Sawyer Harper in 20th Century Studios' THE BOOGEYMAN. (Photo by Patti Perret)

'It's so nice to just feel heard and seen'

The actor also praised Savage for creating a very open, collaborative environment on set, where she felt she could really contribute to the development of Sadie.

“From the get go I could tell Rob was open to anything,” Thatcher said. “It’'s so nice to just feel heard and seen.”

“I would share music. We would go through the scripts, talk about what feels right. What doesn't feel right, ask for explanations.”

For Thatcher, a tool she uses for any project and any role is music as an access point for a character.

For The Boogeyman she created a playlist of songs to help get into the character of Sadie.

“I feel like music is sometimes the easiest way for me to access emotions, it can make me very nostalgic and bring about a certain time or a memory that can influence a scene, or get me to a certain place,” Thatcher explained.

“Harold Budd makes ambient music and I had some of his stuff on the playlist. It just made me so nostalgic and brought up a very specific point in my life, and immediately that would evoke some kind of emotion.”

When it comes to what makes the concept of a Boogeyman so enticing for a story, Thatcher believes part of the appeal, and terror, is that it's an "abstract" being that can represent any vulnerability.

“I think it's because it's so abstract and it kind of stands as a fear of the unknown for most of the movie,” Thatcher said. “I like that it doesn't show the antagonist or the monster until way later on.”

“It can stand for any of your anxieties or vulnerabilities, and in this movie, it embodies grief. I feel like everybody can relate to grieving in some way, whether it be a person or something they've lost, an opportunity, a job, a chance. I feel like even just with COVID, everybody feels like that was a grieving time.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23: Sophie Thatcher attends the Premiere of 20th Century Studios
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23: Sophie Thatcher attends the Premiere of 20th Century Studios "The Boogeyman" at El Capitan Theatre on May 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

'That's challenging and that's hard to play, but it's exciting'

With the immense success of Yellowjackets, Thatcher revealed that what particularly attracts her to certain characters, like Natalie and Sadie, is how layered they are, with rich life experiences.

“Both characters are so layered, because they've gone through so much, and that just adds more life experience," Thatcher said. "The more turmoil they've gone through, the more they've had to be hardened, which is just layer upon layer, upon layer,”

“That's challenging and that's hard to play, but it's exciting. I also just want to play people that are far away from me. I don't think I'm as dark as these characters at all, but I just want to continue to play people that are interesting, strange, and … someone the opposite of me.”

For both Yellowjackets and The Boogeyman, there's an important horror element to the stories. For Thatcher, to successfully craft a darker, mysterious narrative, impactful cinematography and a great script are necessary, in addition to other elements that build tension.

“You need to build that tension. You need to play around with silence, but then also just pay attention to the soundtrack and make sure you can build that tension within the soundtrack," Thatcher said. “The silence matters because that builds up that anxiety.”

“I think you need actors that you feel for, that you want to root for. You need to build up the characters so that you understand them and feel for them.”

When it comes to the horror genre as a whole, the actor said part of the impactful nature of the genre is that, "it no matter what will evoke something out of you and make you feel a certain way.”

“I just remember the first time watching horror movies, like when I first watched the movie 28 Days Later, it stuck with me for at least a couple of weeks," she said. "I was like wow, movies can do that. That's insane. That's powerful."

"It can touch on darker subjects and people can find solace within that, and it's just satisfying to see the hero's journey."