The Big Picture

Welcome to a new episode of Collider Ladies Night with
Talk to Me
star, Sophie Wilde.
Wilde was just nominated for an EE Rising Star Award at the BAFTAs for her work in the hit A24 horror movie.
During her conversation with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Wilde revisits her journey with
Talk to Me
from auditioning for different role to the film becoming one of the biggest hits of 2023.

Sophie Wilde’s work in Talk to Me is the epitome of a “breakout performance.” Not only did the film go from Sundance darling to one of the biggest smash hits of 2023, but Wilde herself received the praise she deserved for an incredibly demanding and exceptionally well executed lead performance.

In fact, Wilde’s work as Mia is one of the main reasons why Talk to Me is so much more than a cool horror movie with a super creative high concept. Yes, the A24 acquisition delivers big when it comes to the thrill of watching a group of naive teenagers willingly becoming possessed via the now-iconic hand, but much of the movie’s depth comes from how Mia’s grief makes her susceptible to losing herself in the midst of this sinister high.

In addition to being showered with critical praise and winning Best Lead Actress in Film at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, Wilde just scored one of the most coveted honors for a newcomer in this industry. She was nominated for the BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award alongside Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Jacob Elordi, and Mia McKenna-Bruce. Win or lose, the nomination alone is a significant achievement, one that often signals a long, illustrious career to come.

In celebration of that nomination, Wilde joined me for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to revisit some of her early steps in the industry and to recap her journey with Talk to Me.

Talk to Me When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.Release Date July 28, 2023 Director Danny Philippou , Michael Philippou Cast Sophie Wilde , Joe Bird , Alexandra Jensen , Otis Dhanji Runtime 94 minutes

Sophie Wilde Initially Auditioned for Hayley in ‘Talk To Me’

Image via A24

Before she even read the Talk to Me screenplay, Wilde was already interested in the project courtesy of Causeway Films, the award-winning Australian production company responsible for films like The Babadook, Cargo, and The Nightingale. Wilde explained, “I really was already quite keen because of them and knew they had such excellent taste, so I was like, ‘Obviously this is gonna be awesome.’” Then she got the Talk to Me script. “Later in the audition process, I got sent the script, read the script, read the final scene, and I was like, ‘I have to be in this. Please let me be in this.’”

Clearly, ultimately, Wilde did get her wish, but there was actually a point in time when she might not have played Mia in the film. Wilde revisited her audition scenes and explained:

“I initially auditioned for Hayley, which is really interesting. It was the possession scene. It was the first possession scene, and it was one of those auditions where you’re like, ‘Why would you send this as an audition?’ Because it was a lot of action, like 20 different people. So I remember doing the audition and my friend who was helping me with it was like, ‘What is this?’ I was like, ‘I have no idea.’ [Laughs] So yeah, it was Hayley initially, then didn’t hear back for, like, months because I think that they had to pause because of COVID, and then they came back around, and they were like, ‘Do you want to audition for Mia?’ And it was the scene with Riley after the first possession, and it was another scene with Riley, which didn’t end up making the final cut in the film, but it was pre-Chandelier. We had this big chat in the car pre-Chandelier.”

Sophie Wilde’s Most Nerve-Wracking Scene in ‘Talk to Me’

Image via A24

Turning toward the production process, I asked Wilde which scene she expected to be the toughest of the bunch. While she did confirm the possession scenes were quite hard, she also highlighted an unforgettable emotional beat she was a bit nervous about tackling.

“In terms of emotional reach and having to kind of go to a certain degree or level, probably the scene with her dad where she finds out that her mom committed suicide. I think when you have something that requires such emotional depth, there’s always a bit of anxiety of, ‘Am I gonna get there? I’m gonna have to kind of dig deep to really bring that to life.’ So that was sort of something that was a bit anxiety inducing.”

During our conversation, Wilde noted, “It’s such a big role. There’s so many different things,” and she’s not wrong. Mia is a hugely challenging part to play for a multitude of reasons. A major asset for Wilde when tackling such a big character? Her co-stars. She explained:

“Honestly, that whole cast was so incredible. They carried me. They lifted me throughout that whole film. It’s almost like every single scene I felt so held by all of them and they just created such a beautiful environment for me to go places. I remember we did this one scene, the scene in the hospital when she does the hand to try and find Riley, and I was so uncertain about what I was doing, and they were so willing to be like, ‘No, let’s sit down. Let’s nut it out. Let’s just take time and go by ourselves and figure it out.’ To have people who are so willing to just do that for you is insane. And they’re so talented. I’m literally obsessed with them.”

‘Talk to Me’ Directors Danny & Michael Philippou Were Sophie Wilde’s Biggest Cheerleaders

Image via Photagonist

Related The Best Horror Movies of 2023 From franchise sequels to Ozzie originals.

Not only did Wilde have the support of her Talk to Me co-stars during filming, but she also had incredibly enthusiastic cheerleaders in directors Michael and Danny Philippou.

“I think what’s so wonderful about Danny and Michael is they’re just so passionate about what they do and they just love what they do, and that really injects you with a certain level of love and excitement and passion about what
you’re
doing. In some ways, it felt like a team sport. They were kind of like coaches, they would run a set that way. They were so great at curating if you needed a quiet space and you needed a quiet set, curating that sort of environment. But then as soon as they called cut, they would
run
up to you and pick you up and run you through the room and scream how proud of you they were. I think to have someone who’s so willing to just cheer you on and allow you to do the best work you can possibly do is insane.”

One of Wilde’s greatest memories of the dream team coming together and pulling off the impossible? Filming what’s not only one of the best scenes of Talk to Me but also one of the very best scenes of 2023 — the possession montage at roughly the middle of the movie. “We were meant to have a really long time to shoot that and we ended up only having, I think, 30 minutes to shoot the whole thing.” She continued:

“I think because of that it was just pandemonium. It was, like,
full
improv. Aaron McLisky, our DoP, was just roaming around with a camera, Danny and Michael are just screaming at us to do things, we’re just doing a lot of improv. It’s something about the spontaneity of that, you could never have anticipated what it was gonna be.”

Eager to hear even more about the making of Talk to Me from Wilde? You can watch our full Collider Ladies Night conversation in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the interview in podcast form below.

Talk to Me is available to watch on digital in the US.

Rent on Apple