The nominees for the EE Rising Star Award have been announced – and one of this year’s cohort is Australian actor Sophie Wilde.
Sophie first caught everyone’s attention starring as Mia in A24 horror movie Talk To Me – ranked one of 2023’s scariest horror films. Sophie then turned her talents to Netflix’s Everything Now, a nuanced exploration of navigating life with an eating disorder.
Having established herself as one of the most exciting young talents in the world of TV and film, the star has now found herself nominated for BAFTA’s coveted EE Rising Star Award. Nominated alongside the likes of Mia McKenna-Bruce, Jacob Elordi, Ayo Edebiri and Phoebe Dynebor, it's the only category that is voted for by the public.
Ahead of the BAFTA awards on 18 February, Grazia caught up with the star…
How does it feel to be nominated for the EE Rising Star Award?
I’ve watched the BAFTAs my whole life, so to even think that I could be nominated for something like this is surreal. Especially when I was in drama school, that whole awards season was such a big point of discussion. To now be at a point in my career where I’m actually up for an award is so inconceivable, but so exciting.
You starred as Mia in Talk To Me, which was dubbed one of 2023's most terrifying horror films. Are you a horror fan yourself?
I have such an overreactive imagination that I'll watch a horror film and be like: I’m being haunted. I forced my dad to take me to see Paranormal Activity when I was a kid, and it was the worst decision I ever made. We'd just moved house and I was truly traumatised – to the point where my mum and auntie had to pretend to get an exorcist in. I can’t do horror, but it's quite attractive to walk into the genre as an actor. It requires you to stretch yourself.
You also played another Mia in Netflix's Everything Now. What drew you to that project?
I got the audition for that while I was shooting Talk To Me, and I knew I wanted to operate in a very different kind of space with whatever I did next. Everything Now felt fresh, but still really important. [The show’s creator] Ripley Parker is such an amazing writer, and I was so drawn to this world she’d created and all these beautiful, complex characters.
The show focuses on eating disorders, which is a subject millions no doubt relate to in some way or another. How has the response been from viewers?
That was something I was very conscious about, and honestly, I felt a little nervous. Eating disorders haven’t been represented in the greatest of ways in film and television, so it was very important to us all that we do it well, and we do it right. I believed in the project, I knew we’d done it with a lot of sensitivity and delicacy, but I was still nervous. It’s been amazing to have people reach out and be like, ‘Thank you for making this, and for doing it with the grace it deserved.’
Can you pinpoint the exact moment you realised you wanted to act?
I’ve wanted to do this for so long, pretty much my whole entire life. But when I was a kid, I had a VHS boxset of Audrey Hepburn films – my absolute queen. I watched Roman Holiday and was like, yeah, that’s what I want to do.
Who has been your biggest acting inspiration?
If this man ever reads anything I say, he’s going to be like, wow, she’s obsessed. [laughs] But honestly, R Patz is great. I literally don’t know why, but I’m so fascinated by Robert Pattinson’s career. Both him and K Stew, I just love the idea that they did this massive studio franchise film, and then they’ve both gone into this kind of quiet, weird, indie sphere where they’re working with very interesting filmmakers.
We take it you're Team Edward then?
Oh, absolutely.
What's a bucket list project for you?
Star Wars has always been a childhood dream. And recently, I really want to play Harlequin. I could be in Batman with R Patz.
If you weren't acting, what would you be doing right now?
Before I went to drama school, I was either going to study English and come a writer, or I was going to study International Studies and be a member of the UN.
The entertainment industry comes with a lot of rejection. What advice would you give to others on how to keep going?
Rejection is part of life, and it’s important to learn how to navigate and recognise that. I am such a firm believer of what’s for you won’t pass you. Sometimes it’s immediate, sometimes it takes longer, but it will come. I look back at my friends lives, and my own, and I realise that everything happened for a reason. I can see the way that things panned out. So I think it’s just believing that you want it, and believing that you deserve whatever it is that you’re after.
Voting for the EE Rising Star Award is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA until 12pm GMT on Friday 16 February 2024.The winner will be announced at the EE BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday 18 February 2024.
The EE Rising Star Award is the only category at the EE BAFTA Film Awards to be voted for by the public, reinforcing EE’s commitment to become the UK’s most personal, customer-focused brand by providing the nation with an opportunity to have their voice heard.
Charlotte Roberts is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia, writing interviews and features around everything pop culture.