Sophie Thatcher Refuses to Be Defined By Fame, Fashion, or the Internet

Sophie Thatcher doesn’t consider herself famous. In fact, the idea of celebrity, at least in the traditional sense, feels foreign to her. "I’m not on Twitter. It scares me," she says early in our conversation, just after I mentioned that Yellowjackets was trending on X (formerly Twitter) following the release of the first two episodes of Season 3 earlier that day. "I try not to read anything about myself online anymore,” she adds. “I did that a lot during the first season, and it was just… too much."

For someone whose name has become synonymous with both talent and effortless cool, Thatcher has kept a relatively low profile, at least compared to some of her peers. At 24 years old, she’s been acting and singing for as long as she can remember, but her breakthrough didn’t come until 2018 when she starred alongside Pedro Pascal in the sci-fi indie film, Prospect. From there, she landed Showtime’s popular drama series, Yellowjackets, which debuted in 2021. The show follows a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the wilderness—a series that continues to fester a feverishly obsessed fanbase with each new season. Thatcher’s portrayal of teenage Natalie, the sharp-edged survivor with a troubled past, quickly became one of the show’s most talked-about performances.  

Since then, her career has veered into horror, an increasingly fitting genre for her moody yet magnetic presence on screen. She was haunted by an evil spirit in The Boogeyman (2023), played a Mormon kidnapped by Hugh Grant in A24's Heretic (2024), and, most recently, took on Companion (2025), in which she plays a sex robot who rebels against her programming. But even with an expanding filmography and a devoted fan base, Thatcher remains wary of the attention.  

“I went down a Reddit hole during Season 1 of Yellowjackets, and it was literally just people talking about, 'Why doesn’t Natalie have roots?’ That was it,” she says with a laugh, shaking her head. “Not the acting, just the fucking wig. And I was like, 'okay, this is not healthy or productive.'”  

Her Music Picks and Love for Fiona Apple

Something that keeps Thatcher grounded in the chaos of the industry has been music for the longest time, whether it be her own or Fiona Apple. Thatcher’s connection to music runs deep—something apparent in both her personal life and her approach to acting. During the early days of the pandemic, she clung to Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters. “I was so fucking depressed, like everyone, and I remember just listening to it over and over,” she says.

When asked which Apple song best captures teenage Natalie’s emotional state in Yellowjackets Season 3, she pauses, scrolling through her computer in search of the perfect answer. “I have my computer in front of me hold on because I want to give you a good answer... honestly, the whole album,” she finally says, settling on Fetch the Bolt Cutters. “But if I had to choose one—probably the title track.”

Without revealing too much about Natalie’s journey this season of Yellowjackets, Thatcher adds, “She has a good arc.”

An Ever-Evolving Style

Much like her career, Thatcher’s personal style refuses to be confined to one aesthetic. Self-proclaimed as a past chronically online child, a lot of her style inspiration came from Tumblr or the drama series, Skins, typically settling for the grungier, alternative style. Although she still has an affinity for this look, Thatcher makes it clear that she checks off more than one box, often going through phases of what she enjoys wearing. 

Music plays into her fashion choices as well. “I get most of my inspiration based on the bands I like,” she explains. “I was obsessed with My Bloody Valentine, anything late ‘80s, early ‘90s. I think I’m a little less like that now. Right now, there’s this band called Royal Trux, and I think fashion-wise, I’m really into them. It’s really dirty, but it’s eclectic. I’m in an eclectic phase where everything is thrifted, and then I wear it down so it looks battered and worn-in.”

Thatcher has managed to convince directors to let her keep her signature shaggy cut and bangs for most of her projects, but she’s starting to feel like it’s time for a change. The distinct style has become a defining trait, blurring the line between her real self and the characters she plays on screen. "I kind of want to explore stuff that's away from my own personal style," she says. "Because I think that is, you know, getting further into characters and letting myself go and letting my own ego go."

While she’s been happy with how her look has worked within the aesthetics of past films, she admits, “I don’t want that to define me... now I’m kind of like, I want to go the opposite way. I don’t want to always be recognizable,” she explains. “I love it in my normal life, but it would be great to create that separation.”

Staying Grounded

Despite her growing success and a string of horror films under her belt, Thatcher doesn’t see herself as having “made it”—nor does she want to quite yet. As a lifelong fan of film and music, she knows what it’s like to idolize artists, which makes the idea of others fangirling over her feel almost surreal.

“I still have so much to do and so much to prove that I think I’ll never, ever be where I’m like, 'oh, I’m with my idols,' because I'm not,” she says. “And it’s always good to have someone to look up to—you have to keep that.”

For Thatcher, fame isn’t the goal—it’s the work that matters. Whether avoiding internet rabbit holes, shaping her own aesthetic, or simply absorbing the surreal moments as they come, she’s making her own rules—and, in the process, cementing herself as one of the most exciting young actors of her generation.