INTERVIEW: Thomasin McKenzie Talks Eloise, Decades, and Last Night in Soho

Last Night In Soho is the latest foray into the mind of Edgar Wright and is easily one of his best films to date, which is saying a lot because Wright has a history of making absolutely incredible stories come to life. From Shaun of the Dead to Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wright has an imagination that captures audiences and keeps us coming back. With Last Night in Soho, we follow Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) in her move to London to attend fashion school, but it isn’t as simple as it seems.

McKenzie, who made herself known to audiences in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, has been taking Hollywood by storm since 2012 and has proven herself a force to be reckoned with. Last Night in Soho is just the latest in her career, and she brings an innocence to Eloise that draws you in as the story bounces back and forth from modern-day Soho to the swinging ’60s of the area. And through her eyes, viewers see a dark history in London that many try to write off, and it is a twisty-frightful story that will stay with audiences long after they’ve left the theater.

Talking with Thomasin McKenzie about the film, I asked where her connection to Eloise came from and what drew her into the character in the first place:

I think the first thing that drew me to Ellie was her relationship with her grandma Peggy. It’s very similar to the relationship that I have with my grandma, Kate, and, I kind of did this film in honor of my grandma. Because like Ellie, my grandma is someone I’ve lived with my entire life and who I’ve always looked up to because she was an actress herself. So yeah, that kind of that relationship was the first thing I noticed. And the first thing I related to. I think also kind of the journey that Ellie was on coming from a small town and kind of entering into the city with big hopes and aspirations, maybe a little bit innocent, a little bit naive to what she was getting into, a little bit vulnerable, I suppose.

That’s something I also related to. And luckily now I’ve learned hard and fast over the past couple of years being in this industry and I feel like I feel stronger and I feel kind of more, I don’t know, capable, I suppose. So, I hope Ellie is feeling that wherever she is right now. Yeah, there were lots of kinds of things that I related to with Ellie and lots of things that I put research into so that I could kind of understand her more.

You can see our full interview below!

Last Night in Soho hits theaters October 29 and is one you won’t want to miss!

(image: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC)

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