Interview: Sophie Grace

Recently we had the chance to talk with twelve-year-old actor Sophie Grace about her love of acting and her first role in the upcoming TV movie “Terror in the Woods”

So when did you know you wanted to be an actor?

Sophie: I don’t think I ever got into acting, you know what I mean? I was born an actor and will always be one. It’s definitely kind of weird in my family because all my brothers and sisters are all into sports but I guess that’s who I am, a storyteller. My mom signed me up for acting classes with an amazing coach and here I am now.

What is it about acting you enjoy and is there anything about it you don’t like?

Sophie: I love acting because it’s always been my dream and my passion, you get to be someone you’re not but it still is who you are and I think that’s just really cool. To be honest, there really isn’t much to not like about acting, I’m just so excited for my future.

What can you tell me about your role as Kaitlyn in the TV movie “Terror in the Woods”?

Sophie: Well, Kaitlyn Ryder seems like a normal twelve-year-old but it turns out she has a mental illness, schizophrenia, which makes it very hard for her to sort out the difference between fantasy and reality. What makes me sad is Kaitlyn really believes that to protect her family from a make-believe internet monster, she had to hurt her friend. It doesn’t justify it or make it right but it does make me sad because this movie is inspired by a real live case.

What was it like working on “Terror in the Woods”?

Sophie: It was so much fun. Everyone was so nice and so supportive and really, and experience of a lifetime. I met my three best friends there so I will always have that as well, it was just amazing.

Are horror movies, or creepy movies of any kind, something you enjoy watching?

Sophie: Yeah, I’ve always loved the thriller kind of movies, I’m a rollercoaster kind of person, so that’s probably why I was drawn to the movie.

Do you have a favorite horror movie?

Sophie: I’ve always loved Annabelle, there’s something about those creepy dolls, I don’t know, I just really like them.

So what have you learned about acting as you’ve gone along that you didn’t know before?

Sophie: From being on set, because it was my first time, I learned that even though everything is so much fun, you really do work hard. You get a call sheet, the day before, for what’s coming next and you really stick to that call sheet, it’s not like oh, we’re going to do this and this, it’s like you’re going to do exactly what’s on the call sheet.

Do you remember what you’re first day on set was like for “Terror in the Woods”? Was it scary, fun, exciting, all of the above?

Sophie: Oh, all of the above! The very first day was actually a really intense scene because we film out of order so it was one of the ending scenes and my co-star and I, we were both so nervous. I remember us looking at each other and being so excited at what was about to happen, everyone was so nice, it was incredible.

Ok Sophie, if I was a kid and I wanted to get into acting, what advice could you give me to help me get started?

Sophie: What I’ve learned is you don’t have to be in Hollywood to be an actor, I mean I live in Florida. You should try and get involved in school plays or community theater or local films in your city. Try out for different roles and even if you don’t get the roles, volunteer to work on the production because you really can learn a lot from being on set, have fun and meet new people.

Now that you’ve done “Terror in the Woods”, what do you plan to do next?

Sophie: I feel very lucky to have landed this part on my first audition, making the movie was an amazing experience, and everyone has been supportive and nice. However, I’m kind of looking forward to a comedy, with hopefully Jennifer Anniston, but this kind of thing doesn’t happen every day and I know that so for now, I’m just happy to be talking about this movie and I can’t wait for people to see it.

I want to thank Sophie for taking the time to talk with us.