Why Eloise From Last Night In Soho Looks So Familiar
One of the most anticipated films of the fall season is set to premiere on October 29, just in time for Halloween. Edgar Wright, the screenwriter and director known for films like "Shaun of the Dead," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," and "Baby Driver," is also one of the talented minds behind the upcoming psychological horror film "Last Night in Soho." The newest addition to Wright's oeuvre features huge stars like Anya Taylor-Joy and Diana Rigg, in what would be her last acting role before her death in 2020.
"Last Night in Soho" is gearing up to be quite different from Wright's other films, and Taylor-Joy even described it as having a "wild vibe." The film is set in the present day and is centered around a young woman named Eloise Turner who wants to be a fashion designer. Eventually, Eloise discovers she can transport back in time to 1960s London, where she lives vicariously through a young singer named Sandy (Taylor-Joy) — until things start to get sinister.
While you're likely to recognize many actors in "Last Night in Soho," the star who plays Eloise is quickly gaining recognition in Hollywood. Here's why she looks so familiar.
Thomasin McKenzie earned praise in Leave No Trace
The actress who plays Eloise in "Last Night in Soho" is none other than Thomasin McKenzie. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, McKenzie was introduced to the world of acting from a young age, thanks to her family. According to Harper's Bazaar, McKenzie's mother is the actress Miranda Harcourt, her father is the writer Stuart McKenzie, and her grandmother is the actress Kate Harcourt.
One of McKenzie's first notable roles was in the 2018 drama "Leave No Trace," based on the novel "My Abandonment." The film stars Ben Foster as Will, a veteran suffering from PTSD who lives with his young daughter Tom (McKenzie) in the forest, using survival skills to get by.
In an interview with Issue Magazine, McKenzie explained why she was interested in the role. "What attracted me the most is that it's a really gentle and quiet film. It's just two people living their lives and being," she said. "It wasn't about putting on a massive performance. It was just being a real person. I also loved the opportunity to show a really beautiful relationship between a dad and a daughter."
McKenzie won several awards for her part in "Leave No Trace," including Best Breakthrough Performance from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Breakthrough Star from the Odyssey Awards, and Breakthrough Artist from the San Diego Film Critics Society (per IMDb).
2019 was a big year for Thomasin McKenzie
Following her impressive role in "Leave No Trace," McKenzie went on to play a variety of parts in 2019. In the war film "The King" starring Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, and Robert Pattinson, McKenzie played Queen Phillippa of Denmark in a supporting role. Later that year, she played the small role of Mary in the kangaroo western "True History of the Kelly Gang."
Perhaps her most popular role in 2019 was as Elsa in the comedy-drama "Jojo Rabbit," alongside Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, and the film's writer and director, Taika Waititi. McKenzie told Deadline about working with Waititi, explaining, "What I love about Taika is his ability to take stories that may have been told a lot of times, and turn them into something completely different, and make them really relatable. He always adds his own goofy twist to things, so if you see a Taika film, you immediately know it's a Taika film. Above all of that, he's got a really big heart. This story is one that was really important to him, because he's Jewish himself, and for him, you can never stop telling these stories. And humor is the tool that he used to share these messages."
Thomasin McKenzie was in Old
It seems like McKenzie has tried her hand at just about every film genre, whether it's a western, comedy, or thriller. Earlier this year, she had a role in the creepy M. Night Shyamalan thriller "Old," further exemplifying her wide range of acting capabilities. She played the teenage version of Maddox Cappa, the daughter of Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) Cappa. Guy and Prisca decide to take their children to an island for one last family vacation before their divorce is finalized, but when they get to their destination, they realize the island is aging them rapidly.
Since McKenzie played a character who ages rapidly in the film, she explained how she kept the childlike quality to the character to ComingSoon. "I'm just a very young, goofy kind of person, I suppose," McKenzie revealed. "So I think that was just kind of part of me showing through. I feel like Maddox stayed very grounded and kind of present throughout the film. She was one of the few characters who was able to accept what was going on and just kind of roll with the punches a little bit. I guess that kind of presence is something that you see a lot in younger kids where they are not distracted by life's worries."