Sophie Nélisse - Out of the woods

★ Words by Orly Estrin for L’Officiel Hong Kong available HERE ★

Multi-award winning Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse is more embodied

now than ever.

Nélisse never thought she would be an actor. The Montreal native's early

years were spent in high competition gymnastics, and it was only a shift to acting

in 2010, sparked by a desire to make some extra money to fund her gymnastics

career, that diluted that focus. It was only a year into her time as a signed actor that

Nélisse was cast in Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazar.

Before then, her sights were set on the 2016 Olympics. The next few years were a

flurry–Nélisse was only eleven years old when she received her Jutras and

Canadian Screen Award. In 2016, the same year as her would-be Olympic prospect,

Nélisse was named by the Toronto International Film Festival as one of four actors

that would be inducted into their Rising Stars programme. At the time, the program

consisted of intensive specialized training during the festival's run, as well as

access to closed industry meetings. Looking back though now, by name alone, this

title appears to have accurately predicted the truth of what was to come. Today, on

a level now more meteoric than ever, Nélisse is a bonafide rising star.

Nowadays, Nélisse is one of only a small cohort of French Canadians that would

be considered mainstream stars in Hollywood. Her casting as a young Shauna

Shipman in Showtime’s Emmy-nominated psychological thriller Yellowjackets,

undeniably, was a turning point into international recognition. The series, set in

1996 and 2021 concurrently, follows the lives and trials of an all-girl soccer team

whose plane is downed in the Ontario wilderness. After many of their friends are

killed in the initial crash, the survivors, with no way to contact the outside world,

are left to fend for themselves; with some eventually resorting to cannibalism.

Twenty five years later and unfolding in tandem with the teen’s story, the adult

survivors attempt to make sense of their trauma and connect the dots on a series of

long-unanswered questions from their time in the wilderness. The series is largely

inspired by the true stories of The Donner Party and the 1992 Andes Flight

Disaster, as well as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

Today, Nélisse picks the phone at 9am Vancouver time, and tells me that

she’s currently on set for the shooting of season three of Yellowjackets. She’s

managed to carve out an hour for us to catch up, sneaking away while the rest of

the cast shoots scenes that don’t feature her character.

I almost can’t stop the words from exiting my mouth before I ask, “How far into

the season are you guys at this point?”, not sure if this information is meant to stay under lock and key.

“Oh no, I can say!” She replies with a smile in her voice “We just started shooting

episode two today actually. So we’re right at the beginning.”

Nélisse, a Montreal native, spends six months out of the year during production in

Vancouver British Columbia, situated in Canada’s temperate rainforest. I ask if the

seemingly near-constant rain stops the cast from shooting the way they plan and

she responds, “They [the crew] always find a way around it. We’ve been shifting

around scenes when it’s downpouring too hard, and we’ll do what we can when the

weather is clear. And we’re actually pretty lucky; we shoot in the forest, and the

area we shoot in is densely covered by the trees overhead. So when it trickles, you

don't feel the rain at all. We’ve been pretty lucky in that sense this season -

between the weather and the circumstances.”

I ask how life in Vancouver has been since returning for filming and Nélisse

answers “It’s been nice! I managed to get the same apartment I stayed in last

season back for this year, and it's started to feel like coming back to a second

home. I live with Courtney Eaton [Lottie in Yellowjackets], and we’ve become best

friends. It’s so amazing having her out here. We have our little life together! We

joke that we’re like eighty year old women, all we do is walk the dog and cook our

food and go to bed at 10pm.”

Being that Nélisse is still so early in the filming of season three, I wonder to myself

if she and her counterparts know what lies ahead any more than their characters do.

“Do you get your scripts ahead of time, or is it episode-by-episode?”

“We get it episode-by-episode. I don't mind it!” She replies “I can learn my lines

pretty quickly. I feel like my character [Shauna], she doesn’t know where she’s

headed. None of the girls do! They’re in the wilderness with no idea what to

expect. In that way, it kind of makes sense for me”

She pauses for a moment before adding, “If anything, I find it to be a bit harder for

our adult counterparts. They have to embody a fully fledged adult character based

on the trauma that their teenage selves experienced in the wilderness, and they

don’t really know the extent of it - because it hasn't been written yet.”

Speaking of her adult counterpart–played by Melanie Lynski–I ask if the two find

themselves touching base often about the two timelines of their shared characters'

lives, unfolding in tandem.

“We talked about it a lot in the beginning, when we first started the show. Over

time though, I think we realized that we both understood Shauna in the same way,

and especially after the first season came out–audiences felt like the match was

strong, and it just worked kind of seamlessly. Neither of us wanted to ruin it by

overthinking it after that. Nowadays, when we talk we just catch up as friends.

She'll tell me about her family and I’ll tell her about my family and friends. It’s

purely social now, especially since we never cross paths on set. She’s at the studio,

I’m back in the wilderness!”

Speaking of the conception of Shauna as a character, in all her loveable moments

and all of her darkness, I ask Nélisse about her process of continuously inventing

and reinventing Shauna as she grows into herself - or perhaps into something much

more sinister.

“At this point, I think she’s pretty established in my mind. I mean, at this point I’ve

played her for two seasons!” She adds “I try to be intentional about letting her

breathe, and not overthinking it or getting in my head about it. I don't want to start

adding things that aren't necessary or don't need to be there.

“Shauna has had such a massive character arc since season one. When we met her

she was feeling very much like she lived in the shadow of Jackie [Ella Purnell],

and later on, even found herself coming to like the wilderness. I think it brought

out a side of her that she hadn't gotten to know before. Now, I think it’s been about

her reappropriating herself and finding her voice. So far in season three... She's

showcasing that, and she's not giving a shit anymore. It’s been so fun and

fascinating to see her progress over the course of every episode.”

Shauna, as a character, is nothing if not profoundly human. At the start of the first

episode of season one, it is revealed that in spite of her longtime friendship with

Jackie [played by Ella Purnell], Shauna has been secretly having an affair with her

boyfriend Jeff [played by Warren Kole]. As the series progresses, every moment of

real or perceived poor decision-making is cushioned by a softness that begs

empathy from the viewer.

In season two, two months after Jackie’s untimely demise, a pregnant Shauna

spends hours at a time in the team’s meat shed, talking to her deceased friend's

corpse. During an argument with a vision of Jackie’s animate ghost, Shauna shoves

her friend's lifeless body, which causes her ear to break off. After first pocketing

the ear, Shauna eventually gives in and consumes it. This moment marks the first

chronological instance of cannibalism we see on screen, and Shauna as the first

Yellowjacket to consume human flesh. When the team discovers that Shauna’s time

in the shed hasn’t only been spent practicing animal butchery, several of her own

teammates come to her defense, despite the inherent discomfort of the situation.

Nothing here is ideal. Shauna, they decide, deserves to process Jackie’s death

however she feels is right... Even if that means treating her friend’s body like a

doll.

With all of these actions and potential missteps still fresh in mind, netizens seem to

rally around Shauna, in a way that can’t be explained simply by her main-character

status. A basic search on TikTok or X (formerly Twitter) will yield hundreds if not

thousands of fan-made video compilations and theories, the lion's share of which

feature Nélisse’s character.

We chat about the nature of portraying a character that is both so flawed and so

beloved, and Nélisse muses, “I think on a broader level because these girls are so

flawed and the circumstances are dark, it only holds the mirror up to the viewer

even more to show understanding to them. It’s a powerful reminder that the

experience of being human isn't black and white. We are all flawed people, and no

matter what it is, it comes from something, if that's nature or nurture, that can be

pinpointed within us. I think what’s so interesting about this series is that we get to

see firsthand where those flaws and complexities come from for the characters, in a

really direct way. We get to come to understand them, and even empathize with

them, and sometimes hate them for the things they do!” She laughs “It really feels

like an exploration of the full spectrum of what a human can be.”

I ask, “Has there ever been a moment where you’ve thought to yourself Shauna, I

just can’t back you up on this one?”

“There’s never been a moment where I’ve thought to myself ‘oh, Shauna was too

mean here’ or ‘she’s gone too far’. I’ve portrayed her for so long that I can’t not

see every action she takes for being a product of the moment she’s in and the

emotional toolkit she has in that moment. I love how nuanced she is, and I’ve come

to love and appreciate that we show the darker sides of the girls. I really feel like

it’s valuable to recognize that doing something unfavorable doesn’t make any of us

an irredeemable person.”

Late last year in 2023, Nélisse’s most recent film, Irena’s Vow, premiered at TIFF.

Since then, the reception has been nothing short of glowing. The film follows the

real life story of Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke, who saved the lives of twelve

Jewish people during the Holocaust by hiding them in the cellar of the hotel she

worked in, one which was frequented by Nazi officials. Irena’s Vow was written by

Dan Gordon, who also wrote the Broadway play of the same name, on which the

film was based.

Nélisse muses about taking on the role of Irena, stating, “Yeah it was a very, very

surreal project. I feel honored that it was offered to me. I didn’t know Irena’s story

going into shooting and when I read the script I thought to myself this is so

fantastical, surely there's some fiction mixed in. But no, everything in the script is

true! I went on to read her biography and did extensive research on her life and

experiences. I think it’s so wild just how many stories about WWII are still going

untold; so many unsung heroes.

“What I love especially about Irena’s Vow,” she continues, “is that the subject

matter remains so timely and relevant to today, and the lessons from her story

reach beyond her time into the present. We still see unrest all around the globe

right now, in Ukraine and of course in Gaza. Irena, to me, is proof that a little goes

a long way. She was so open and non-judgemental and let her love for humanity be

her compass even in the face of danger. I think if we were all a little bit more like

her and embraced one another despite our differences, we’d live in a much better

world.”

In October of 2023, Deadline announced that Nélisse was cast in Director Corin

Hardy’s new high school horror feature Whistle. “It’s about a group of friends who

stumble upon an ancient Aztec artifact; a Death Whistle,” she says. “The concept

goes that when you blow it, you summon your death. Everyone blows it... and

then finding themselves being chased down by their own impending deaths, the

characters have to come back together to defeat it.”

Written by Owen Eggerton and now wrapped as of late last year, the project is now

set to release after premiering at TIFF in September.

Between Shauna, Irena of Irena’s Vow, and now her character in Whistle, Nélisse

has formed a reputation in the industry for treating even her most cerebral

characters with a deserved patience.

I ask, “Has it been an intentional choice, this run of characters with dark and

oftentimes gritty stories?”

“I think, for me, the through-line is that I love a complex character. I

see Yellowjackets as a thriller more than a horror in a lot of ways, and I think that’s

been part of why I continue to love the story, and why I love playing Shauna so

much. I look for complexity and relatability and an interesting character arc above

all else, and the more parts of that full spectrum of human emotion we see in a

character, I think the more we can relate to them. And honestly, that’s probably my

all time favorite part of my job; that I get to give a voice to the stories of people

who may not have one. I remember the first time I felt so compelled by a character,

and like someone understood or saw me. It was so powerful to feel like I wasn't

alone in that moment, and like a story like mine was worth telling.

“In terms of how dark the projects I’ve been on have been, it’s very true. It

probably has a lot to do with the fact that I admittedly watch a lot of very dark and

sad films and TV on my own time.” She laughs “But also, I just havent had the

opportunity to do comedy, and I’d love to try it out! It’d be such a welcome

challenge and I definitely don’t feel particularly attached or tied down to one

genre. I come from an athletic background having done high competitive

gymnastics, so I would love to do an action movie. I’d love to go through that

whole process of having to do niche physical training for a role and learn new

skills in that realm.”

We chat for a while about her favorite films of the last few years (Nélisse

loved The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, and indie flick Blue Jeans,

to name a few) when she offhandedly mentions “Oh, also! When Courtney [Eaton]

and I drive to work together in the mornings, we listen to true crime podcasts!”

I ask, “Do you think, maybe subconsciously, listening to people talk about murder

helps you get in the headspace to shoot Yellowjackets?”

“I hadn’t thought about it before... but yeah actually, it kind of does!” She replies

“It creeps me out in a good way. We’ll listen to it for an hour and then arrive at the

forest to shoot and especially when it’s getting dark at night, I’ll get a little freaked

out! I’ll go for a walk and wander off out of the way from all the big technical

lights and it’ll be legitimately very spooky. But also... As a person, I’m very scared

of everything to begin with!” she laughs

Thinking back to the first time we met, on the photoshoot that accompanies this

piece, an offhanded mention from our first ever conversation floats from the back

of my mind to my consciousness. “Am I remembering right that you told me the

last time I saw you that you guys shoot on a golf course?!”

“You were close, it’s a paintball range!” She laughs and responds generously “It’s

fully operational too, they play paintball here whenever we're not shooting.”

I ask if any extra care has to be taken to clean the evidence of paintballing from the

set and she responds “Oh yeah! They built the Yellowjackets cabin on the course

and then we wrapped season one, and when we came back it was covered in

paint!”

“Spoilers if you haven't seen the ending of season two–but the cabin was going to

be burnt down anyways, so it could’ve been a lot worse! But our crew still had to

clean it up as well as they could before getting the shot. We’ll even still now find...

You know those little paint pellets that go in the paintball gun? Yeah, we find those

around all the time while we’re shooting.”

I wonder aloud if anyone who plays paintball on that particular course has ever

thought: Hey, that house looks familiar...

Nélisse chimes in “I know, we were just talking about that the other day actually!

We were thinking, it must be so fun for anyone who's seen the show, to then be

able to play paintball on the sets of Yellowjackets. It must be pretty cool!”

I ask, “Sophie, what’re you excited about right now?”

“That’s such a great question! Let me think about it... I’m excited to be cooking

more!” She replies “I love having time to cook.

“Also, I don't know if it’s weird to say I’m excited about it, but I’ve loved taking

care of my physical and mental health. I feel so good being back in a routine. As

much as I love being home [in Montreal], I can get kind of overstimulated and lose

track of my priorities because the scales have tipped far in the direction of me

having a social life again. It’s that headspace where I’m wanting to do the

important things like book time to see my therapist, but when there’s so much to do

and so many people to try and see it’s impossible to have a concrete schedule...

And then I just never get around to it.

“So in that way, it feels awesome to be out here in Vancouver and have a routine.

Just the other day, I actually ran 40km! That was a personal record and I was so

excited. I look at the people I know who casually run marathons and think maybe

that’s not that impressive,” she laughs “But I was so happy!

“More than anything else, I’m just excited to be back at work. It feels great to be

outdoors so much and doing what I’m so grateful to get to do.”

Watch Irena’s Vow in theaters now, and watch out later this year for the theatrical

release of Whistle. Yellowjackets is set to return to air for Season 3 in early 2025.

TEAM

★ Photographer, Creative direction : @oceane_auclair

★ Talent : @sophie__nelisse

★ Set designer : @orlyestrin

★ Makeup artist : @orl.y

★ Hair stylist : @eloise.larocque

★ Nail artist : @goodforher.nails

★ Photo assistant : @raphsohier

★ Photo assistant : @jerry__d

★ Flower props : @faussemaison