Sophie Thatcher has been a reliable genre actor since her breakout role in Yellowjackets. In the years since, she’s shown up in various horror and science fiction shows and movies, typically elevating them with her cool demeanor and sardonic tone. Next up, she plays a starring role in Heretic, an A24 horror movie also featuring Hugh Grant and Chloe East, but looking slightly further ahead, she’s also appearing in the mysterious new thriller Companion.
Little is known about Companion, even after its trailer debuted on October 2, so when I got the chance to interview Thatcher about Heretic, I couldn’t help but ask for a hint from this upcoming film. Her answer only makes the movie that much more intriguing.
“It's a really layered movie,” Thatcher says. “It was fun for me. I've never been able to act in such a crazy role. It was very different from anything I've done before. It's really funny and I love my co-stars. It's very stylized too. The soundtrack's really great. I don't want to spoil anything plot-wise, but there are a lot of twists that you do not expect at all. So I think audiences will be engaged and I know they'll be entertained.”
Beyond the trailer, which doesn’t reveal much, we do know a few more details about Companion. The movie was written and directed by Drew Hancock. At one point, Zach Cregger (who wrote and directed 2022’s Barbarian) considered directing Companion, but he instead took on a producer role.
Beyond Thatcher, the cast includes Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, and Rupert Friend. Quaid and Thatcher appear to be the stars of the film, and based on the trailer, Quaid’s character seems like a bit of a sadist.
At the end of the trailer, we see Quaid watch as Thatcher holds one hand out above a candle until it lights on fire. Her other hand is cuffed to her chair and she sits remarkably still while tears stream down her face. Quaid watches with seeming indifference as the camera lingers on a pistol placed casually on the table, pointed in Thatcher’s direction.
The trailer also describes Companion as “a new kind of love story,” while the genre is clearly thriller if not outright horror. That’s all we know for now, but with the release date set for January 10, we’ll probably get a few more teases before too long. And before then, you can see Sophie Thatcher in Heretic.
