STAR POWER: SOFIA BOUTELLA

Written By: William Buckley

Sofia Boutella has danced for Michael Jackson and Madonna; she has starred alongside Hollywood titans including Tom Cruise,Jodie Foster, and Julianne Moore; but this Algerian actress is just getting started...

In this age of Zoom interviews, where awkward pauses and “Can you hear me now?” have replaced the chummy clinks of coffee cups, I find myself staring at the virtual waiting room, anticipating the arrival of Sofia Boutella. Known for her razor-sharp moves and roles that defy Hollywood’s cookie-cutter mold, I’m excited to catch up; the last time we met was on set in London for this shoot, and she was a revelation. When her image appears on screen, it’s like my laptop has been transformed into a window to another world. Sofia’s energy is as dazzling through the laptop cam as it is on cinema screens and in person, and her French- Algerian lilt floats over the airwaves with a cool that belies the glitchy medium. As we chat, it becomes clear that Sofia’s real talent lies not just in her physical prowess but in her ability to remain authentically herself in a world somewhat obsessed with facades. Our conversation dances through topics as varied as her career, each anecdote a step in the intricate choreography of her life. Born in Algeria, she vaulted from rhythmic gymnastics into the vibrant world of dance, twirling her way onto the stages of Paris and the music videos and world tours of global pop icons. Hollywood soon beckoned, and she answered with the fierce agility seen in Kingsman: The Secret Service, the interstellar escapades of Star Trek Beyond, and the epic Tom Cruise-helmed fantasy reboot of franchise phenomenon, The Mummy. Her stories of music and film-industry life are peppered with the kind of anecdotes that would make even the most jaded LA insider chuckle, and by the end of our Zoom tête-à-tête, one thing is certain: Sofia Boutella is not just a performer; she’s a force of nature.

SOFIA BOUTELLA: Hello, how are you?

WILLIAM BUCKLEY: Oh, it’s so nice to see you again.

SB: Nice to see you too. Are you back in Dubai?

WB: I’m actually in Abu Dhabi for an event, so that’s going on upstairs.

SB: Okay, nice, nice. A little break with me.

WB: Exactly. So honored. So, let’s start with how you started out in dance. How did that all happen?

SB: I started dancing when I was four years old, but I started theater when I was 16.

WB: In acting school?

SB: In Paris, and I got cast in a movie called Dance Challenge.

WB: Oh yes, Dance Challenge. You were the female lead?

SB: Yes, I was the love interest. It was a silly, fun dance movie directed by Blanca Li, an incredible Spanish choreographer. She choreographed the music video for Daft Punk’s Around the World, which is amazing. I didn’t know anything about acting. So I studied with teachers from the Actors Studio New York that would come to Paris to give workshops. My teacher was Elizabeth Kemp. She passed away [in 2017] from breast cancer, but she was incredible. And then when I moved to LA when I was 21, I joined Stella Adler. So, I studied classical theater and the likes of Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Chekhov. And then I worked on a lot of contemporary plays.

WB: And were you still doing Madonna and those tours at the same time?

SB: Yeah, so when I wasn’t on tour, I was here in LA and I was in theater. And then when I would go on tour, I wasn’t in theater, but I spent a long time in theater, many years.

WB: And how did that transition into huge movies? Was that part of the plan?

SB: No, I never had a plan; I was pretty much on autopilot. I was really following my heart. I knew that I wanted to dance and I knew I had an innate pull towards acting, towards theater. And I wasn’t studying it to become a movie star – even to be where I am today, I consider myself extremely lucky. I was doing it because I love studying theater. And for me, it completed where I danced from – I always danced from a place of narrative, a place of storytelling. And when I was on tour with Madonna, she always gave us a story behind the steps and behind the numbers that we would do on stage. And there was always a depth in everything we were doing, like something behind. It wasn’t just always about the steps. Some numbers were more fun, but she’s a very thoughtful and conscientious artist. And so she always pushed us to perform from a place of story.

And one day, when I was 26, I started to wonder, “What am I doing? What am I trying to do with this? Does it lead to something?” Because I’d been at this point in theater for quite some time. And then one day, we started rehearsing for the Super Bowl, and the questions became more and more intense; at that point, I had booked Michael Jackson – I was supposed to be on the ‘This Is It” tour.

WB: But you didn’t do it?

SB: I couldn’t do it, because I was on tour with Madonna. I was supposed to go meet them when I was done with Madonna, but then he passed away. I started talking about it a lot with my friends because I felt pulled in different directions and I didn’t feel quite done with dancing, but I felt an urge to really dive deeper into the acting world. And I knew because of my personality that I couldn’t do both, because once I start something, I really dedicate myself to it. So, we were rehearsing for the Super Bowl, at Madison Square Garden, and I woke up one day, and I just knew I was done with dancing.

WB: During the Super Bowl rehearsing?

SB: Yeah, I woke up one morning and the dance feeling was gone. I could not explain it to you. Nothing had changed, nothing had moved the needle really in any direction. And I had no safety net, no savings. The cord was just cut between me and dancing; I didn’t want it to be my job anymore. I sent a text to Madonna and I asked her if I could talk to her that and she said, yes, of course. As soon as I saw her, she asked me if I was pregnant and I said no. I told her I think I’m done with dancing, and she asked if something happened. She had been really supportive of my studying theater. She asked if I booked a movie and I said, no. She asked like a mother would ask or somebody concerned for you. She asked, “What if I don’t work for the next two years?” And I said I’d hang tight, I had to. And it took me two years to book Kingsman. That was pretty much my first job after. I never thought, “I want to do action films and big franchises”; I love movies for cinema and acting for the purity of it. When I booked Kingsman, I auditioned in London and Matthew Vaughn asked me if I could do a roundhouse kick. I did one because I’m flexible and I could put my leg up high and he said, great, you get the part. And then I had to learn how to fight. After that, everybody was like, she can do all the action stuff, but I had no training for all that whatsoever. That’s how I made my transition. In retrospect, when I look at it, it’s crazy that I’ve made that choice. When I was in a dancer, I worked constantly.

WB: After Kingsman, did it just snowball?

SB: Yeah. And I think that’s why I got all these big franchise films that I didn’t think that I would ever do.

WB: Atomic Blonde was amazing. I love that movie so much. And Tom Cruise in The Mummy, I mean, that must have been…

SB: I know, he taught me so much. He was incredible to work with. He’s really one of a kind and his dedication to movies and to storytelling and his work ethic is really remarkable. He’s very, very generous and his level of care is incredible.

WB: Was that a defining moment? Like, “I’m a movie star now”?

SB: I still don’t feel that way. I’m not being fake-humble. I genuinely feel like I still have so much to prove to the world; there is so much I want to do. I still feel very young in the profession, because I started it later. I had to reshape and redo everything at 30.

WB: And what about smaller, more indie movies?

SB: Actually, my heart is very much in that world. Filmmakers like Sean Baker, Pedro Almodóvar, these are the kind of films that I’m really drawn towards. I love all those big epic films. They’re exciting. They’re huge. It’s like this big effervescent vessel that keeps on moving. And it’s really high, high intensity, high energy, and I love it. But I also know that as an actor, I’m drawn towards the indie world and something more subdued and contained; I’d love to explore that area more.

WB: So is that the plan, is that what you’ve got in mind?

SB: Right now, I’m really excited about a movie I shot last spring. It’s called Luca Mortiz, and it’s directed by an incredible director that I love so much called Peter Greenaway. He did a movie called The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover [1989]. And I’ve always loved that film so much. He’s a visual filmmaker who’s also very poetic and intellectual. But for the first time in a while, I don’t have my next project. And I’m a bit nervous, but I’m also excited. At the moment I’m just reading material to see what my heart beats for.

WB: Well, I’m so excited for you and for everything that’s to come. And I’m so honored that you did the shoot with us and that you took this time to speak. Last question: what’s your favorite flavor of sorbet?

SB: Oh my God. Oh, I have to say lemon.

WB: Lemon, it’s the number one. It’s the king. It’s the queen.

SB: Lemon with the cone! I love cheap cones. Cheap cones and lemon sorbet is a taste that is imprinted on my childhood brain.