Sophie Nélisse Talks ‘Irena’s Vow’ And Why She’s Not A Method Actor

Sophie Nélisse stars in Irena’s Vow, the true story of a young woman who attempts to save the lives of Jewish workers. Upon hearing the Jewish ghetto will be liquidated, Irena Gut (Nélisse) hides the workers in the basement of the German commandant’s (Dougray Scott) home. Nélisse talked about the feature which hits theaters Nationwide on April 15 and April 16.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Irena’s Vow gives us a window into Irena Gut’s life as a brave 19-year-old. Risking her own life to help Jewish workers, Gut was a Polish nurse who penned her memoir (as Irena Gut Opdyke) In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. Screenwriter Dan Gordon first released Irena’s Vow as a play and he serves as the film’s screenwriter.

“Obviously this is based on a real life woman, so I definitely wanted to give a very accurate representation of who she was,” said Sophie Nélisse, who worked with a dialect coach to shape her Polish accent. “I was able to find a lot of documentation. There’s archives about her in her 60s doing interviews. I found photos of her in her 20s. And then there is this autobiography that I read and I spoke to one of her great friends who is still alive, whose name is Dan Gordon. He told me a little bit about how she was as a person and how full of light she was, and kind of how they met.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sophie Nelisse (@sophie__nelisse)

During the interview, Nélisse talked about working with Dougray Scott and shooting most of Irena’s Vow in a villa. Her mother joined her on production, and on weekends they would go on road trips to explore Poland. Her series Yellowjackets is also discussed in the chat.

Nélisse has starred in her share of excellent films (Monsieur Lazhar, The Kid Detective, Mean Dreams), and Irena’s Vow can be added to that list. This interviewer initially thought Nélisse was a method actor, but that is not the case. Snapping in and out of a scene is natural for the actress.

“I wish I was more method because I feel like I would be a better actor if I was,” said Nélisse. “Because I don’t ever feel like I become a character. I’ve never had that feeling like it’s a very actor thing to become someone and I’ve never had that feeling. I just do the scene how I think it should be done. And then they call cut and I’m like myself again. It’s just who I am. Any crying scene as soon as the scene is over, I’m playful and bubbly again. And especially with Irena’s Vow, it does get so heavy that I think it is important to keep somewhat of a light atmosphere on set.”

Full interview with Sophie Nélisse:

Directed by Louise Archambault, Irena’s Vow hits theaters April 16 & 16 via Fathom Events.

For Daily Movie Recommendations and Conversation, join our CinemAddicts Facebook Group!