It’s 12:30 somewhere in the depths of The Savoy hotel and Sophie Wilde hasn’t had time for breakfast. Mere moments ago she was announced as one of the fresh faces nominated for EE Bafta Rising Star award alongside starry names including Phoebe Dynevor of Bridgerton, Golden Globe winner Ayo Edebiri of The Bear, Jacob Elordi of Saltburn, and Mia McKenna-Bruce of How To Have Sex. Now, croissant in hand, she tells me she’s already got her sights set on a new peak. “I really want to go on a hike, somewhere like Patagonia,” she says, brushing crumbs off the sofa.
In all seriousness though, the 26 year old Australian actor – best known for her star turns in A24 horror Talk To Me, Netflix’s coming of age hit Everything Now, and an ITV adaptation of Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones (succinctly called Tom Jones) – is thrilled. Although, she didn’t quite know how to behave at first. “I was a bit shocked. I don’t think I reacted massively. I got off the call with my team – I was in New York – and went to some shitty café across from my hotel. I was eating a bacon and egg sandwich and I just started crying. I think that was the moment I felt it. It feels very surreal, it’s really exciting.”
Surreal or not, Wilde has certainly earned her stripes. Sure, the Sydney native only graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art five years ago, but she’s been perfecting her trade for far longer. In fact, she claims pursuing a career on-screen is one of her earliest memories. “My grandpa loves to tell this story about one of the first shows I went to – we went to see My Fair Lady at the [Sydney] opera house and I just sat there through the interval because I didn’t want to miss anything.”
Coincidentally, she became obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, and it was Roman Holiday that sealed the deal. “There is just something about that final scene where she’s looking at Gregory Peck and Gregory Peck is looking at her – I think it must have been the feeling that evoked in me. Like, ‘wow, somebody has the ability to make me feel that way?’ What an incredible thing to be able to do. Something about that really inspired me.”
Back in the present, before she can slip on her hiking boots Wilde must hop on a plane back to New York to finish filming Babygirl, her second flick with indie entertainment company A24. For now, it’s all very hush-hush, but she and her costars Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas and Jean Reno will be serving drama in a plot centred around a female CEO who falls in love with a much younger intern.
What Wilde can tell me, however, is how much she’s in awe of the all-star cast. “It has been like a bit of a masterclass in acting. Comparatively to everyone else – even Harris – I’m so green, and so to get to watch people who are powerhouses of their craft is amazing. I sit on the side and watch Nicole and I’m like, ‘How did you do that?’ I love seeing the way people handle themselves on the set.”
Whatsmore, Kidman has been especially helpful. “I definitely feel her support and presence. We’ll do a take and she’ll be like [Wilde mimes a smile and thumbs up], which I really appreciate as a young actor. Working with someone like that can be so intimidating, so if they’re taking the time to try to make you feel comfortable or let you know that you’re doing ok, I appreciate it so much.” Moreover, Wilde recently discovered that she and her fellow Australian are practically neighbours. “We had a chat the other day when we broke for Christmas and we realised that we both have little farms right next to each other, which is kind of crazy.”
And it’s not just the farm that pulls the Everything Now star back to her home country. “The Australian filmmaking industry has always been super important to me and I love being able to be a part of storytelling there. It’s a much smaller industry but there is so much room for exploration that hasn’t been done yet and we’re at a really interesting time where we’re branching out. Even with Talk To Me – having an African-Australian lead in an Australian horror film feels really fresh.”
An aspiring director, moving forward she’d like to see more films shot in Australia's urban landscape. “A lot of our film sensibilities are around the outback and nature – and that’s so valid, I love that – part of the canon of Australian storytelling, but there is so much room to play.”
Evidently, Wilde has played her parts pretty well so far – but other than top tier roles, a Bafta nomination, and celebrity pals, what has she gained in the process? “Something about doing this job has forced me to really come out of my shell and really embrace who I am as a person and learn to love that person. So much of this job is playing and being childlike and I’ve learned to inject a lot more of that into my life. I can allow myself to be silly because, who cares what people think?”
