We were joined on the Popternative show by Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged) who stars in the film Irena’s Vow, based on the incredible true story of Polish nurse Irene Gut Opdyke who risked her life to help hide 12 Jews persecuted by Nazi Germany during WWII. Fathom Events will release the film in theaters on April 15th and April 16th on behalf of Quiver Distribution.
Directed by Louise Archambault (Atomic Saké, Familia), Irena’s Vow was written by Dan Gordon (Wyatt Earp, Passenger 57), who wrote the Broadway play of the same name which starred Tovah Feldshuh. It also stars Dougray Scott (Snatch, Batwoman), Andrzej Seweryn (The Mire, Schindler’s List), and Maciej Nawrocki (We Were the Lucky Ones, Other People).
“She was still so full of light and positive, and always tried to see the best in people and the best in life. It was important to translate [that] on-screen and to bring a little bit of levity despite all the dark material,” Sophie says about Irena Gut Opdyke after preparing to portray her which included studying archival material.
“It was at first very stressful because it was my first time portraying a real-life woman and she’s led such an incredible life and I felt like I had such big shoes to fill. I felt like I was in the right hands because I knew Louise [Archambault] before starting to shoot this movie, so I knew we had the same vision for [Irena],’ Sophie tells us.
She also tells us about the filming process for the film and dives into the upcoming third season of the Showtime original series Yellowjackets where she plays young Shauna. Watch the interview with Sophie Nélisse below.
_