Interview: Sophie Reynolds

Hailing from California, Sophie Reynolds is one of the up and coming actresses of this year. The 19-year-old made her TV debut in 2015, in the Disney XD show, Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything, and can be seen this year on the new YouTube Red series, Youth and Consequences. With a background in dancing, Sophie has been performing since the age of 3 and after growing up watching Disney Channel religiously, the opportunity to work on Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything was a dream.

We hung out with Sophie Reynolds at La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood and spoke to her about her growing success, being on a female-centred show and the new projects that are coming up for her soon.

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: Tell us a little bit about you and what you do!

Sophie Reynolds: I’m an actress and I’ve been doing it for around four years. I’m originally from Portland, Oregon but I moved to L.A. when I was 14 to start acting. For me, it was a later-in-life thing. I grew up dancing and thought that I’d be a dancer my whole life. It wasn’t until I was 15 and I started acting class that my focus completely switched. It’s really exciting to make people feel things, laugh with people, cry with people – it’s a very special art-form. I love to explore different characters too.

Taylor Magazine: With the characters you’ve played before, do you have a favourite or one that has been a challenge to play?

Sophie Reynolds: The character I played on the show I did most recently, Plain Jane on Youth and Consequences, is probably my favourite character. She’s the most complex and as a role, it was definitely the most challenging one too because it’s the most dramatic thing I’ve been able to do.

Taylor Magazine: How do you prepare for roles, particularly if they’re out of your comfort zone?

Sophie Reynolds: It’s always different but it comes down to just a lot of research, reading my script a lot, looking at what motivates the character as an individual. Anything that I can relate to in my life, I give my character. I definitely learn a lot from every role I do – being on different sets, adapting to different work environments. Every set is completely different. Also, by working with different actors, I would say I take the most from them. Every time I’m on a new project, that’s the most exciting part for me.

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: What’s your favourite thing about being in the acting industry?

Sophie Reynolds: Honestly, just straight acting is my favourite part of the whole thing. I love that I love going to work – it’s such a nice feeling. Even if you have to wake up at 6am to be on set, it’s always fun. But on the flip side, the rejection is definitely the hardest part of acting. You hear ‘no’ so much and it can take a while to get that project that is perfect for you.

“For me, battling through all of the rejection, continuing to work on my art-form and coming back to every audition is definitely the hardest part, but you have to keep going – these things take time.” – Sophie Reynolds

Taylor Magazine: When was the point that you realised your acting career was going somewhere?

Sophie Reynolds: It’s funny because I had a strange progression – I didn’t work much until I booked the Disney show that I did. It wasn’t until I got that, that I thought ‘Oh, I’m actually doing this!’ I was pretty new to acting, I had only really started that year.

Taylor Magazine: Do you ever get nervous?

Sophie Reynolds: All of the time – I’m always nervous! The first couple of days I always feel like it’s the first time I’ve ever done it and then as soon as I start acting I’m fine. It’s always the drive to set the first time that’s so nerve-racking!

Taylor Magazine: Who would you love to work with in the future?

Sophie Reynolds: I would love to work with Greta Gerwig – I really enjoyed Ladybird this year and I think she’s an incredible writer. I’m really interested in playing complex and strong women – they’re always exciting to me. I’ve been lucky with the characters I’ve got to play so far.

Taylor Magazine: Let’s talk about Youth and Consequences – what was the whole experience like for you and what have you taken from it?

Sophie Reynolds: Youth and Consequences was absolutely amazing – the show is a female centred show and our lead, Anna Akana, is also one of our Executive Producers. She is an incredible woman and the entire cast is just awesome too. The whole experience was great for me, because I learnt so much from my fellow cast members and we all truly bonded as a family. Getting to watch Anna on set and see her in a leadership role and acting with us, was a massive learning experience. The thing I’ll take most from Youth and Consequences is watching Anna and learning from her how to be in charge of a set in a lot of ways. I’ve thought about it because it definitely interests me, especially as I get older and gain experience. But I still have a lot to learn before I would fully jump to the other side!

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

Photo Credit | Simply Adri

“As cliché as it is, never give up because it will be difficult and you will get a lot of no’s, but you’ll get there! Often we let our fears get in the way of actually trying something.” – Sophie Reynolds

Taylor Magazine: How would you spend your perfect day off?

Sophie Reynolds: I would probably be here in L.A. with my friends and family. Maybe go and see a movie, I love to go and watch films. In the summer, I would definitely go to the beach! A beach day with friends, some coffee, then watching Veep – I’m good to go!

Taylor Magazine: If you’re having a stressful day and you need to switch off and wind down, what do you do?

Sophie Reynolds: TV – that’s my outlet for relaxation because I can shut my brain off and go into another world. That’s partly the reason I love doing acting because it’s always been a big part of my life.

Follow Sophie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with her new projects!