with Sophie Thatcher
Sophie wears top JEAN PAUL GAULTIER and shoes MUGLER.
JASMINE REIKO – Everybody is really into Tumblr right now, like the old tradition of sharing media without source. What do you think about this resurgence?
SOPHIE THATCHER – No yeah, I keep getting asked about that too. When I was younger, I had not discovered my style yet. It’s funny that there is such a resurgence now, with Tumblr. Now that people are asking me about it, I’m trying to go the other way. Especially with music videos that I’m going to do. I can’t let it lean that way. I also feel like anything I do in life, I just want to go the other way. I am very much a contrarian.
REIKO – Lately, I feel like life is about actively throwing awareness on that urge to replicate and copy, and like you said, there is something natural that comes out of you when you court and zone into that part of yourself that is enduring.
THATCHER – I don't follow anything. I’ll pull up references, but it’s about meshing them together and then letting it sit. Doing something with what happens from that process.
REIKO – What are some visual and artistic points that you feel most drawn to right now?
THATCHER – I pull so much from the French New Wave. I am obsessed with the mid-sixties, late-sixties. It feels very natural for me. Exaggerated and feminine, but at times, androgynous, and sometimes, very flamboyant.
REIKO – I think that’s the best. Being able to refer to your own inner encyclopedia.
THATCHER – Most of my references, especially for characters like creating Natalie [Yellowjackets], it was a lot of bands. A lot of people in bands. The Slits, Delta 5. It was just very 90s. I wanted it to be clear what she was listening to.
REIKO – Do you find yourself turning to music a lot in your creative process?
THATCHER – It helps center me the most in the way that I remember, especially growing up. When I put out my previous EP, I listened to music that I admired. It brought me down, honestly, because I was like, I’ll never be like this. And that's the one thing that’s the most obvious advice: You really cannot compare yourself, specifically with music. I rid myself of that quickly — music is so personal. You can’t even begin to compare. With acting, it’s also easy to compare. When you’re cast, it’s because you’re you.
REIKO – Would you ever play a show soon?
THATCHER – Yes! I want to do it soon, but I need to put out these next songs and finish this movie in Denmark, which will be done around July. For me, acting comes first. Music is where my heart is at, but schedule-wise, if I get a good job, it’s not like I’m going to go do some live shows.
REIKO – Yeah, sounds like a lot!
THATCHER – I think I need a little bit more confidence in my sound as well, musically. I am still figuring that out with my new songs. Figuring out whether I’m going more electronic or experimental, or staying where it is. It feels silly talking about music without having played live shows. It is hard for me to take myself seriously with music, and I don’t think I will until I start doing live shows.
Sophie wears full look CHRISTOPHER ESBER.
REIKO – It's a big commitment to be in front of an audience, as you are, whether recorded or all improvisational.
THATCHER – I’d love to go back to theater. It has to be the right play. With theater, you’re all in and you have to be fully committed. It’s grueling and intensive, eight shows a week takes a toll on you. I’ve been in the theater since I was 11, and that’s a lot for a kid. You get used to it, and it becomes your life. In a way, with movies, you can kind of turn it off because you’re not doing the entirety of a two-hour show every night. It’s just one scene. It can get one-track-minded with movies.
REIKO – Does having that emotional range bring out different kinds of vulnerability in you? Or do you feel a shared through-line?
THATCHER – I think there is fluidity between music and acting; it’s very similar and comes from different vulnerable places. Different amounts of control within both aspects. With music, you have a lot more control. It’s your whole vision. It’s your short story, rather than a very collaborative movie and theatrical effort.
THATCHER – I’d love to go back to theater. It has to be the right play. With theater, you’re all in and you have to be fully committed. It’s grueling and intensive, eight shows a week takes a toll on you. I’ve been in the theater since I was 11, and that’s a lot for a kid. You get used to it, and it becomes your life. In a way, with movies, you can kind of turn it off because you’re not doing the entirety of a two-hour show every night. It’s just one scene. It can get one-track-minded with movies.
REIKO – Does having that emotional range bring out different kinds of vulnerability in you? Or do you feel a shared through-line?
THATCHER – I think there is fluidity between music and acting; it’s very similar and comes from different vulnerable places. Different amounts of control within both aspects. With music, you have a lot more control. It’s your whole vision. It’s your short story, rather than a very collaborative movie and theatrical effort.
Interview JASMINE REIKO
Photography JASON RENAUD
Excerpt from Issue No. 6 (2025). Read the full interview by ordering your copy here.