Sophia Lillis Fan - Everything about actress Sophia Lillis

I added 2 new photoshoot albums to the gallery. Click on the gallery links below to go see all new photos.

Sophia is on the cover of the current issue of Bello Mag! Read the interview below. Photography by Mike Ruiz. Source: bellomag.com

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 38 (2020-12 – Mike Ruiz for Bello Mag)

Sophia Lillis: Stepping Into Her Power as a Woman, Actress, and Adult

“It was during a time that I was wondering what I would do after High School: should I keep doing this? Should I go to college? Maybe even see if I would do something else,” shared the talented actress, Sophia Lillis, whilst discussing her time on set of the upcoming film, Uncle Frank. During a transitional period of her life that bridged the gap between childhood and adulthood, the young actress found herself part of a project in which she was working with adults for the first time. Having started off her career with the notorious killer clown film, It, her starring role on “I Am Not Okay With This,” and more, Lillis had grown accustomed to working with actors her own age. Now, faced with experienced actors and a much more advanced script, her new challenge in the industry had arrived.

As she explained, “it was showing me the adult acting world and there are these people talking about their life and experiences and the jobs they have done, just saying “this is a moment I had on this set…” and I am still a kid you know? “ Getting to work with a variety of talented actors, Lillis was accepted immediately and treated like another colleague from the get go. Taking in the beauty and lessons that were right before her eyes, Lillis knew she had to step up her game. On the first day of rehearsal, it was no longer the “ice breaker” period but rather jumping right into the reading of a scene. During the first few days of rehearsal, Lillis noticed that renowned actor, Paul Bettany, took out this huge binder and set it on the table, filled with notes and more. She shared laughingly, “and the very next day I brought a bigger binder with all these things. I realized I should probably step up my game.” And that is exactly what she did. After a few moments of nervousness, Lillis realized she did not need to keep writing down as many notes; she finally got her bearings.

When having received the script, she immediately fell in love with it and was very excited to be working with the infamous director, Alan Ball. Having loved his work for a long time, Lillis expressed with excitement, “so immediately I said, yeah, let’s do it, I love. I can’t wait.” What stood out to the young actress was how sweet the story was and how for the first time, it was about a LGBT relationship that wasn’t broken. As she shared candidly, “It was something different that I wish we had more of.” Set in the 1970’s, this film illustrates what it means to be a gay man at that time and as mentioned, it takes on a more optimistic approach. Given our current times, we have come a long way yet there is still some work to do. At the end of the day, it really boils down to “just being accepting,” shared Lillis. A simple solution that yet, seems to be so difficult for many in our world. And of course, as the actress mentioned before, if more movies like this could be made, it could benefit our progress moving forward, dramatically.

During her time on set of Uncle Frank, Lillis was not only exposed to a different age group, she also had the chance to work at a much different pace. Alan Ball, who as mentioned before, she admires deeply, works very quickly and for this perfectionist, it was definitely a challenge. “I want to do one take until I get it absolutely perfect. I mean that’s my ideal. If I had the choice of doing a scene until I think it’s perfect, we may never get it,” she said with a chuckle. Everything about this experience brought to the actress feelings of pure content as she navigated through and over the obstacles, to find herself nailing her role! Now, as different as the experience was, this was not the young actress’ first rodeo. Before booking her role on Uncle Frank, this career had started way before she was booking roles.

Unlike many in this industry, becoming an actress was not necessarily a childhood dream for Lillis. You see, she has a twin brother who “was kind of the more capable person,” she shared. Now, it’s not that she was really compared to him, it was more that she wanted to find her own niche which is when she started acting at the age of eight. This became something she truly loved and as she explained, “I decided to work on it because I wanted to get good at something and it seemed like a nice community. It was solely after I took a few acting classes it totally became something more.”

When she was part of the Strasberg program, she was working on a variety of NYU student short films and plays from which she found herself auditioning for her role on It. Surprised at having gotten it, this was her first feature film which solidified her decision to turn this into a job. Lillis exclaimed, “I am glad I went in this direction because if I didn’t, I would not have known I could do this. My whole life I did not know I could be this, I could be an actress as a job, and have this as a profession.” With her starring role on “I Am Not Okay With This,” and her incredible experience filming “Gretel & Hansel,” in Ireland, it is safe to say Lillis found her true calling. Here at BELLO, we wanted to dive in a little deeper and discuss her thoughts on female representation in the entertainment industry today.

For the young and talented actress, she believes that we have made “great lengths already and noticed especially recently, there are a lot of strong, female main characters,” something that highlights the strides made. Her lead role in “I Am Not Okay With This,” is a perfect example of the kind of progress our society has made in representing women in film and TV. She continues on the topic by explaining that people are much stronger now and “ it’s become a thing of having TV shows with kids saving the world and mostly actresses in those roles.” For her, “just seeing us becoming more accepting, becoming more, just trying to make more films like that,” is what inspired her to continue being part of this world.

As mentioned earlier, before booking her role on Uncle Frank, Lillis was at a time of her life where she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. Having decided to stick to acting, the young creative soul expressed with a glowing heart, “I love this job and I want to keep doing this job.” Still keeping her mind open to the possibilities the world has to offer, Lillis embraces the beauty around her and the opportunities set on her path of light as she continues to grow into the smart, beautiful, and very capable woman that she is!

And I also added another new photoshoot. Photography by Christopher Mellevold for Amazon Prime Video.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 39 (2020-12 – Christopher Mellevold for Amazon Prime Video)

Posted by Veronique on December 8th, 2020
Articles & Interviews - Behind the Scenes / On Set - Gallery - Photoshoots - Uncle Frank

Imagista interview

Check out this new interview of Sophia with Imagista: theimagista.com/sophia_lillis! Photography by Michael Williams.

Sophia Lillis’ newest project is the Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) film, Uncle Frank, in which she stars with Paul Bettany. This edgy film is set in the 1970s and was a big hit earlier this year at Sundance. It will be released on Nov. 25th via Amazon Studios.

Imagista: The film, haunting as it is, documents an America divided by homophobic proclivities. What was it that drew you to the project?

Sophia Lillis: Well, originally, I loved Alan Ball’s work. It was a really good script, and amazing writing. It was a really personal story, so I wanted to play my part in bringing it to life. You don’t often see a script with a happy ending-strange thing to say- but you don’t. It’s a story about homophobia, but with a really happy ending, and that’s really rare to see. I wanted to help the story get told.

Imagista: How did your character differ from the personas you’ve inhabited in the past?

Sophia Lillis: For one, I had to play people of different ages. My character varies in age from fifteen to eighteen, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but kids act differently at fifteen to eighteen. And I had to pick up a Southern accent, which was a little different for me.

Imagista: Paul Bettany, British stalwart and heart-throb, co-stars: what was he like?

Sophia Lillis: Paul’s great. This was my opportunity to learn with adult actors-normally, I work with kids my age. I was very nervous at the beginning, because he was very prepared: he had his notes, he had his binders. I thought, ‘I’m going to have to up my game’, so the next day I bring my binder and notebook (begins laughing). Paul’s very tall, and I’m very short… Whenever I work with people, they’re always taller than me, but he’s very, very tall, so I had to learn to stand on crates in scenes.

Imagista: Alan Ball is renowned for showing the mistrusted psyche of the common person. How collaborative was Ball to work with?

Sophia Lillis: He’s very collaborative and works well with actors. Firstly, I loved Alan’s work on TV, so he’s used to getting things done quickly, and getting on with things. I’m such a perfectionist, so I like to work towards being perfect. I had to trust Alan whenever he said he was moving on, that he had what he needed from the scene. I was nervous about not doing well, so I had to trust that we gave him everything he wanted, that he had enough footage from the scene to move on to whatever was happening next, and that I had given a good performance for the scene. I guess it was mutual trust (chuckles).

Imagista: Do you think the film represents the America that we know and work in?

Sophia Lillis: The story is set in the early seventies: South Carolina in the seventies. America is a lot different now. Homophobia still exists, but I think things have changed. People are much more accepting. Watching it, I’m happy to see things have changed since the seventies.

Imagista: Although the film is primarily about men, it is the women who anchor and guide the film. Was that something that drew you to the project?

Sophia Lillis: There’s a lot of brilliant women, a lot of brilliant actresses, who worked on this film. I mean, if you look at the actresses, there’s Margo Martindale; there’s Judy Greer; Lois Smith. I felt my own character worked towards becoming a very strong woman in her own way, over the course of the story, so I would say that was something I liked about the script.

Imagista: Covid has changed the cinematic landscape. How do you think the pandemic will influence future releases?

Sophia Lillis: That’s the thing: I don’t think people are going to see this in the movie theater. And that’s what I miss most, is going to see movies in the movie theater. Everything being developed is being developed online, so I think it’s places like Netflix, like Hulu – places like Amazon. [The film will be out on 11/25 via Amazon Studios]

Imagista: What other projects are you working on?

Sophia Lillis: Things are just starting up again. My TV series I Am Not Okay With This was canceled because of the pandemic. That’s OK, it’s not like we can blame it on someone (chuckling), it’s a worldwide virus. This film definitely needs to be seen during this time. There were amazing people working on it, it’s got a good story, and there’s a happy ending to it. Very heart-warming. It’s a really lovely movie, and I’m not just saying that because I was involved with it!

Imagista: Talk to us about Sundance

Sophia Lillis: Sundance was a lot. It was a lot of fun, and I’d heard people saying it was a lot, but I didn’t realize how fast-moving it was. It reminded me of New York, and I guess it’s like Times Square. That’s the best way of describing it: you can’t stop moving. I wish I could have gone to more of the festival. I heard people saying they’d seen ‘this movie’, and ‘this thing’, and I was like…So jealous.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 37 (2020-11 – Michael Williams for Imagista)

Posted by Veronique on November 23rd, 2020
Articles & Interviews - Gallery - Photoshoots - Uncle Frank

L’Officiel Australia Fall Winter Fashion Book

Sophia is on the cover of L’Officiel Australia Fall Winter Fashion Book. Photography by Mike Ruiz.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 36 (2020-11 – Mike Ruiz for L’Officiel Australia Fall Winter Fashion Book)

SOPHIA LILLIS BY MIKE RUIZ – FALL/WINTER FASHION BOOK (COVER ONE) AND INTERVIEW

How have you been socializing during the quarantine?

Zoom calls mostly. A lot of my friends have gone to college or are doing classes at home. I have one friend I go skateboarding with sometimes. My brother’s at school in Scotland so we mostly just FaceTime or text.

Your breakout role as Beverly Marsh in Stephen King’s thriller IT, were you anxious stepping into such a major role?

Yeah, I was nervous for a lot of reasons. I had no idea what to expect. I’d never worked on a big studio film, just smaller independent/student films. Maybe it was better that I didn’t know what to expect!

Another notable performance was in Sharp Objects directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, can you tell us about Jean-Marc’s direction for your character Young Camille?

Jean-Marc has a very distinctive style and the show, on the whole, was so complex and I was sort of like a piece in the puzzle so his direction was very specific — very visual. I was really just in flashbacks — so it was very loose and dreamlike and spontaneous. A lot of it was just playing in the field or skating down a hill.

This year you can be seen in Uncle Frank opposite Paul Bettany in a film written and directed by Alan Ball. What was your experience like working with those two and tell us about your preparation to play Beth?

I was very lucky to work with both Alan and Paul. I was a huge fan of Six Feet Under so I was honored to be offered the role of Beth. Alan is great to work with — he’s incredibly empathetic and really gives the actors time and room to find their characters. Paul is such a great actor — he’s very thorough and diligent and I learned a lot watching him work. To prepare for the role, I had to work on a southern accent so I had a dialect coach and then Paul, Peter (Macdissi), and I met with Alan for two or three days for rehearsals to go through the script. Most of the focus was on the story of Frank and Wally because I’m really the storyteller, I mean my character has an arc but the core of the story is really Uncle Frank’s story and his relationship with Wally and his family.

You seem to have quite dramatic roles, do you prefer these characters or would you like to play lighter, more comedic roles in the future?

I like dramatic roles, but comedy roles are also fun. I had a good time playing Nancy Drew, for example. You can kind of go more outside the lines with a more comedic role. A lot of my roles have been sort of a mix—there was actually quite a bit of comedy even in IT.

Do you prefer feature films or limited-series to star in?

They both have their plusses and minuses. On a film, it’s fun to go in, do a character, and move onto something else. With a series, you have more time though to develop the character so that can be interesting as well. I was really fond of my character Sydney in “I Am Not Okay with This” and really felt like I was starting to develop her — unfortunately the show was canceled due to difficulties because of the pandemic. I was really looking forward to having the chance to play her again.

It’s not easy during a pandemic, are you looking forward to getting back to the set?

Yes. I can’t wait. I’m trying to make the best of the time, though, working on scene study and dialect coaching — I also take classes in guitar, drawing, and Norwegian (because why not).

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can share with us?

Not at this time. Other than “I Am Not OK With This,” I was also supposed to start filming a western called “The Thicket” which is also still on hold due to Covid. I’m hoping it will go forward. Other than that, I’m discussing a few other projects but so much depends on what can get done while we’re dealing with the pandemic.

If it wasn’t for acting, what would be your profession otherwise?

Definitely, something in the arts. Maybe I’d go to art school but I love being on set so maybe set design or special effects. If I didn’t work in the film/TV industry, maybe I’d be an illustrator.

Posted by Veronique on November 9th, 2020
Articles & Interviews - Behind the Scenes / On Set - Gallery - Photoshoots - Videos

Photoshoot outtakes

I added 28 high quality photoshoot outtakes to the gallery. Click on the gallery links below see both albums that have been updated.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2017 > 09 (2017-07-18 – Brian Guido for Rolling Stone)

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2019 > 35 (2020-01-25 – 2020 Sundance Film Festival – Ryan Pfluger)

Posted by Veronique on November 2nd, 2020
Gallery - Photoshoots

New event photos

I added 2 new albums to the gallery. Click on the gallery links below to see all photos from each album.

Events & Premieres > 2020 > 2020-10-18 – Screening Of Ice Age Collision Course

Events & Premieres > 2020 > 2020-10-25 – SCAD Savannah Film Festival Day 2

Posted by Veronique on October 26th, 2020
Events & Premieres - Gallery

3 recent photoshoot outtakes

I added 3 new outtakes to the gallery taken by Lauren Perlstein for Elite Daily back in January. Click on the gallery link below to see the photos in full size.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 01 (2020-01-15 – Lauren Perlstein for Elite Daily)

Posted by Veronique on October 18th, 2020
Gallery - Photoshoots

Netflix Queue Interview

WE ARE ~~NOT~~ OKAY WITH THIS
The cast of I Am Not Okay With This dishes on everything from first roles to favorite foods.

Photography by Mark Williams and Sara Hirakawa

They always make superpowers look so cool in the movies, but for angsty teen Sydney Novak, discovering that she can control things with her mind has only led to trouble. Serious trouble. Accidentally murdering her best friend’s unfaithful bully boyfriend at the homecoming dance sort of trouble.
Sydney is the heroine at the heart of the supernatural coming-of-age drama I Am Not Okay With This, and in the hands of actress Sophia Lillis, she always remains a relatable teenager — even as she struggles to keep her newfound abilities a secret.

Together with a cast of rising talents, Lillis has helped capture a loyal audience for Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall’s adaptation of the graphic novel by Charles Forsman. (Entwistle previously adapted Forsman’s The End of the F***ing World for Netflix.) Wyatt Oleff plays the fashionably quirky neighbor Stanley, Sofia Bryant is Syd’s good-natured best friend (and crush) Dina, and Richard Ellis radiates a tantalizing menace as ill-fated jock Brad.
Queue caught up with these young actors to learn more about their lives, onscreen and off.

SOPHIA LILLIS as Sydney Novak

Age: 18
Hometown: Brooklyn. Born and raised.
Siblings: I have a stepbrother who’s in his 20s, and I have a twin brother, Jake.
Best part about having a twin: You’re never alone. It has its ups and downs, but mainly it’s a good thing to have a brother who’s the same age as me. We go through the same things at the exact same time. He’s also a much better cook than me.
Favorite meal: I like fried rice. It’s amazing. Jake and I found this really cool Korean barbecue place that does takeout. We get that sometimes, and they make this kimchi burrito thing that’s really delicious. It doesn’t sound good, but it is.
Hobbies: When I’m bored, I usually just doodle. I don’t do full-on watercolors and paints and stuff, but I like to doodle. It’s kind of relaxing.
Desert island reading: I really love The Neverending Story. That was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I still like it now. But if I’m stuck on a desert island, maybe a survivalist’s diary. That’s definitely the smarter way to go.
Entry into acting: When I first started acting, it was something I did as a pastime. I wanted to be more open. I wasn’t really the most outgoing and extroverted type of person. I had a lot of fun in acting class. I felt like I met my people. It slowly turned into more of a job later on because I started doing N.Y.U. student films. Before I knew it, it turned into something I could actually live off of, which I never knew I could do.
First screen role: It was in an N.Y.U. student film called The Lipstick Stain. That was a long time ago. The director was Dagny Looper.
On keeping secrets: I think I can keep a secret. I don’t really have a good memory, though, so I’ll probably forget the secret once you tell me. I’m that kind of person.
Favorite thing about Sydney Novak: I like how she tries really hard and she doesn’t seem to ever really give up. I like that positive side to her. She seems kind of negative at first — like this regular, angry teenager — but you get to know her, and you get to see that she’s going through a lot. She also has these superpowers that are very dangerous, that she doesn’t know how to control. But through it all, she keeps a positive attitude and tries her best to fix everything. The way she tries to keep everything together, I love it. It’s actually inspiring. I wish I could be as positive as she is. I try to be.

Read the rest of the cast interviews at Netflix Queue!

Posted by Veronique on August 5th, 2020
Articles & Interviews - Gallery - Photoshoots

Tidal Magazine (more photos)

Sophia photographed by Nadya Wasylko for Tidal Magazine. Click on the gallery link below to see all photos in full size.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 33 (2020-05-29 – Nadya Wasylko for Tidal Magazine Issue 13)

Posted by Veronique on June 30th, 2020
Gallery - Magazine Scans - Photoshoots

Tidal Magazine Issue 13 Cover

Sophia is on the cover of the current issue (13) of Tidal Magazine. Order the magazine at tidal-mag.com!

Click on the photo to see it fullsize:

EDIT: Here are two more photos of Sophia for Tidal Magazine. Photography by Nadya Wasylko.

Click on the gallery link below to see the photos full size.

Photoshoots & Magazine Scans > 2020 > 33 (2020-05-29 – Nadya Wasylko for Tidal Magazine Issue 13)

Posted by Veronique on May 30th, 2020
Gallery - Photoshoots

Exclusive: 2019 MCM COmic Con photos

A big thank you to Abby who sent me these photos she took of Sophia at MCM Comic Con last year. Be sure to check out Abby’s Scarlett Johansson Fansite as well! Click on the gallery link below to see all photos.

Events & Premieres > 2019 > 2019-10-25 – MCM Comic Con (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

Posted by Veronique on April 26th, 2020
Events & Premieres - Gallery - Sophia Lillis Fan Exclusive

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