Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Lucie Guest

Lucie Guest is just as much a powerhouse talent in front of the camera as behind the scenes. The actress, writer, and director is taking over Hollywood, and her brilliance will be on full display in 2020. Currently, she can be seen as Circe in the third season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and has a new film that she wrote and directed coming out called Love at First Flight. Pop Culturalist caught up with Lucie to chat about all her exciting projects.

Career

PC: You’re an actress, director, and writer. How did you discover your passion for the arts? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Lucie: My first love is acting. I’ve known that from a very young age. As a kid, we moved a lot. The first place that I was able to make friends was in drama class. So it captivated me early on. Later in my life, I started writing characters and content for myself and started directing.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Lucie: Comedy has been a big influence on me. I grew up watching British comedy with my grandmother. That’s something that we did as a family. We owned a few DVDs, which I’m dating myself by saying that. [laughs] One of them was the twenty-fifth anniversary of SNL. We’ve watched that DVD a hundred times.

PC: You’ve had a ton of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Lucie: There have been a bunch of highlights. A recent highlight has been working with the cast of Sabrina. They’re such lovely, talented humans.

Writing, directing, and acting in a short film that I did, which had a long run on the festival circuit and won a bunch of awards. That felt very satisfying. It was exciting to travel with a film that I wrote, was in, and directed.

PC: How has acting made you a better writer/director and vice versa?
Lucie: They definitely feed into each other. When you’re writing, it strengthens yourself as a director. People say all the time that a movie gets made three times. The first stage is the writing stage. Then when you go into production, it’s the directing stage. You learn so much about storytelling, characters, and the flow of the story. When you approach your work as an actor, you have a deeper understanding of the story as a whole and where the writer is coming from. It definitely affects how I approach a character as an actor.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

PC: You’re joining the cast of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina this season. What should audiences know about your character, and what drew you to this project?
Lucie: I was always a fan of the show, and I’m also a fan of Lee Toland Krieger’s work. He directed the pilot of Riverdale as well. I was very excited when I learned that I got the part, especially when it’s a character like Circe. Circe is part of the carnival that rolls into town. She’s a Pagan who is trying to resurrect an ancient evil.

PC: Were there any nerves heading into this project, given the success of the show and the fact that the cast has two seasons under their belts?
Lucie: There are always nerves when you join an established cast. It’s always daunting being the new kid, but it was a completely incredible experience. I wish it wasn’t so rare to have such a welcoming cast like Sabrina. From the very first day, I felt welcomed. After our first week, all the Pagans were invited to Kiernan’s. We did a big games night. I’ve never played running charades before—it was pretty epic. The show is pretty dark, but the cast is so positive and welcoming in between scenes.

PC: What’s been your favorite part about playing Circe? What’s been the most challenging?
Lucie: The writers are so talented. My favorite part is there was so much backstory to this character. You first meet her as a palm reader, but there are so many layers to her. Like a lot of the characters on the show, there’s so much more than meets the eye. Being able to do all this research on Greek mythology and Circe in general has been so interesting. The challenging part is when you work in Vancouver, you’re likely filming in pouring rain. We had a rain cover over our heads. It was soaking wet outside!

PC: Besides Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, do you have any other upcoming projects you can chat about at this time?
Lucie: Yes! I’m working on another movie that I’ll be directing. It’s similar to the other films that I have directed. It’s a rom-com. It’s definitely a lot lighter than Sabrina. [laughs] There’s no horror at all.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Lucie: The Bachelorette

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Lucie: I don’t feel like it’s a guilty pleasure, but my favorite film this year is Booksmart. I’ve watched it three or four times now.

PC: Favorite book?
Lucie: I’m halfway through Power.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Lucie: West Side Story

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Lucie: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

To keep up with Lucie, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Binge-watch Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix today.