Sophie Wilde wears Coat Balenciaga. Shoes Jimmy Choo.
Sophie Wilde through with Talk to Me , the A24 horror hit that won her the top acting prize in her native Australia. Since then she’s moved fast, with roles in Boy Swallows Universe , Babygirl , and now alongside Tom Cruise in Digger , Alejandro González Iñárritu ’s star-studded black comedy, without ever quite shaking the feeling that the imposter syndrome spiral might catch up with her. Ahead of her Digger press tour, Wilde connected with her Watch Dogs costar Tom Blyth to talk about the climb and the vulnerability that apparently never goes away.
BLYTH: I’m in the thick of it [ A Few Good Men ], but it’s a good challenge. Are you shooting Charmer ?
WILDE: I’ve had a cruisy start. I’ve only had two days, so it’s been very chill. It’s mainly all the boys doing—
WILDE: Boy things, doing whatever they do over there. [Laughs]
BLYTH: Boring. You jumped straight into that off the back of our night shoot, didn’t you?
WILDE: October 2nd, but our premiere is in two weeks.
BLYTH: Where are the premieres happening? Are you going all over the place?
WILDE: No, I can only make it to the London one. It’s a royal premiere.
WILDE: I don’t think it’ll be the king. I feel like it’ll just be William and Kate.
WILDE: Australians love the royals. Maybe that’s not true, actually.
BLYTH: I feel like Aussies love the royals more than Brits.
WILDE: Probably. We’re part of the Commonwealth.
BLYTH: I can’t believe you’ve done that movie and it’s coming out already. When we were shooting Watch Dogs-
BLYTH: I remember, because I was asking you what you were doing next and you were super shifty.
BLYTH: I was like, “What the fuck could it be?” What was shooting that like?
WILDE: When I imagined being an actor as a child, that was what I imagined it would be like.
WILDE: We were shooting at Pinewood [Studios]. It’s these huge sets with Tom fucking Cruise and all these insane actors. I was making a capital-M movie. It was surreal.
BLYTH: I’m envious and full of admiration.
WILDE: Have you never had that? Surely with The Hunger Games ?
BLYTH: I’ve never worked with Tom Cruise.
BLYTH: Well, to be fair, The Hunger Games was like that. There were days where I’d be working with Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis and I’d be like, “What the actual hell am I doing?” It’s part imposter syndrome and part trying to clap yourself on the back and go, “Little me would be so proud of big me right now.”
WILDE: Which is easy to forget in this industry.
BLYTH: So easy when you’re in the thick of it. It can be a grind sometimes, with you just trying to keep afloat and stay present against all odds. It’s hard to take stock of it in the moment and go, “Whoa, I’m doing what I tried to do for years.”
WILDE: I’m here, finding a place, living that London life.
WILDE: I love London. I mean, starting two jobs and also moving countries is insanely stressful.
BLYTH: You and I are similar that way. In your head you’re like, “I can move countries and houses while juggling several jobs.” Then you get into the reality of it and you rememberhumans can only do so much.
WILDE: I’m also horrible at admin. I need a PA or something.
BLYTH: You are one of the most intermittent texters I’ve ever met. You’ll be all in and then you disappear.
BLYTH: I used to be really bad, so if I’m saying that, you must be bad.
WILDE: My friend sent me a PA company last week and she was like, “You need this.”
BLYTH: Maybe you’ve reached a point in your life where you genuinely do need it, because you’re a big shot now.
BLYTH: I never asked you how you got into acting. I know you went to NIDA [National Institute of Dramatic Art].
WILDE: I went to NIDA. You know when you tellyour story a million times and you’re like, “Is this even true?”But I’m going to say it again for you, Tom.
WILDE: When I was a kid, I had a box set of Audrey Hepburn films on VHS. I watched Roman Holiday and I was like, “I want to be Audrey Hepburn.” I went to performing arts high school, I went to NIDA, and then I started working in our glorious industry.
BLYTH: Do I remember you saying NIDA was tough?
Dress and Bra Balmain. Bracelet and Ring Pomellato.
WILDE: I found it really difficult. I’m very grateful I went, but at the time, it was tough. You’re 19 years old and you’re forced to examine who you are under a microscope in front of a group of people. There was a lot of psychoanalyzing.
BLYTH: The psychoanalyzing is funny. It pretty much stops once you get out into the world and start working, where you need a lot of confidence to believe you deserve to get up in front of people and embody a different human being. It’s hard to convince yourself you’re worth people watching you when so much of what we do to get there knocks ourself-confidence.
WILDE: Oh, brother. The spiral never ends.
WILDE: Imposter syndrome never ends. I talk to so many older actors and they’re like, “I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.” There’s something deeply comforting in that because maybe that’s just the actor’s curse, that we’re forever in a position of vulnerability and insecurity.
BLYTH: That’s what makes it addictive though, in a masochistic way, because when you do overcome it, you create something with a spark of truth or originality every now and again. You go, “Despite all that, that felt like crack cocaine.” Disclaimer: Never done crack cocaine, but I imagine it’s instantly addictive. I mean you start that cycle where you go, “I need to try to recapture that lightning in a bottle.”
BLYTH: What do you do when you’re not acting?
WILDE: What do I do? Hang out with my friends. Rot in bed. [Laughs] I just today told my boyfriend I need to get some hobbies. This job is all-consuming, but I really got into knitting on another job.
WILDE: It’s my new thing. Apparently it’s really good for your neuroplasticity.
BLYTH: I was just going to say that, because you can switch off and go into an auto zone while still holding a conversation. And you’re using hand-eye coordination at the same time. I wouldn’t mind learning to knit.
BLYTH: I’d be down. I feel like hobbies are more important to me than ever.
BLYTH: I don’t have any. I just want some.
WILDE: [Laughs] So we’re in the same position.
BLYTH: I’ve been surfing for a while. Also, I’m trying to get back into reading, because I used to read so much.
BLYTH: With our job, you’re reading scripts whenever you get a spare moment, which makes you not want to read books. I’ve started craving hiking and stuff again.
WILDE: I want to move to the countryside.
BLYTH: Oh, don’t even get me started on that dilemma.
WILDE: I just want to have some cute animals in the country.
BLYTH: And tend to a garden. But I know I’d miss the city and being able to go dancing. You know I love a little dance.
BLYTH: We contain multitudes. That’s what I’m learning.
WILDE: We do. We can live a life of many things. Keep that one in there. Some wise words from me.
BLYTH: Deeply profound. Oh, man. Getting us together to do this was silly because I feel like we just talk about-
WILDE: Absolute gibberish. I was thinking about us on set the other week. It was giving actually delirious. But I miss theater. I’m so jealous of you. I want to be onstage.
WILDE: Are you nervous? When was the last time you did theater?
BLYTH: Drama school. I haven’t done it in six years.
BLYTH: Thanks, Sophie. I appreciate that.
WILDE: [Laughs] Are you scared you’re going to forget your lines?
WILDE: No, I’m joking, you’ll be fine! It’s muscle memory.
BLYTH: You’re catching me at a moment where I’m suddenly feeling the nerves a little, if I’m totally transparent. Last week I was feeling pretty good—not confident, but just kind of settled. But as we start getting it on its feet this week, I’m suddenly going, “Oh my god, it’s not an idea anymore. It’s a reality.” I don’t know if you’ve read any Aaron Sorkin or seen his stuff, but it’s this fast-paced—
BLYTH: Brilliant, brilliant writing. So fun to do, but so muscular. I feel like I’m having to be a duck under the water—I’m kicking like crazy, crazy, crazy. It’s the most I’ve ever kicked. Then above the surface, I’m having to maintain composure. And speaking of brain elasticity, it’s testing mine, for sure.
Jacket, Jeans, Sunglasses, and Shoes Dior.
BLYTH: The other day when I was having a bit of an interior meltdown, I was like, “Am I cut out for this thing I thought I was cut out for?” But everything I’ve ever enjoyed has been a challenge. The easy jobs are never the ones where you go, “I am so glad I did that.”
WILDE: No, that’s just creatively soul-sucking. And you’re like, “Why did I do that? It’s actually feeding me nothing.”
BLYTH: Definitely. What was your first job? Was it Ophelia?
BLYTH: Your first-ever job was playing Ophelia in Hamlet ?
WILDE: That was my first-ever job. What an insane thing to do, to play Ophelia at the Opera House.
BLYTH: Stage fright is a chemical reaction in your body, right? You can trick your body into going, “I’m in a place of happiness and playfulness right now.” Even if you’re doing a tragedy like Macbeth , you’re going into it and your body’s going like, “Oh, I’m ready to play. I’m a happy baby.”
BLYTH: Happy baby going in soft. I’m going to try that.
WILDE: Find a song, babe. This is the key to life. And maybe a beta blocker.
WILDE: I’m not doing shit. I’m just knitting.
BLYTH: [Laughs] We’re such unserious people.
BLYTH: Well, good luck with the shoot. I hope it goes well.
WILDE: Good luck with New York. You’re going to kill it.
Hair: Liam Russell using Oribe Hair Care and Wahl Pro.
Makeup: Grace Sinnott using Haus Labs at Forward Artists.
Styling Interns: Tshedza Ranwashe and Evan James.
Source: Fashion
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