Pop Culturalist Chats with 211’s Sophie Skelton

British actress Sophie Skelton is one of Hollywood’s most exciting young actresses. She became an international sensation when she made her debut as the fiery Brianna on Starz’s massive hit, Outlander. Her nuanced performance has had audiences talking ever since. This summer, she’s starring opposite Nicolas Cage and Dwayne Cameron in the action-drama 211 about the 1997 North Hollywood bank heist. Pop Culturalist chatted with Sophie about the role and why this story is an important one to tell.

PC: Tell us about 211, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Sophie: 211 is a modern re-telling of the North Hollywood bank robbery in 1997. You see all the events that unfolded through many different victims’ eyes. My character, Lisa, is an indirect victim. She’s not at the bank but her world is turned upside down in that one day. She has two people whom she loves at the scene: her father and her husband.

The event changed history in terms of what officers are allowed to carry in America. I don’t feel like it’s particularly well-known outside of America and it’s a great story to be told. In terms of what drew me to the script, it’s that we see so many different views. We have the young boy in the car, we have the cops, we have the robbers and their motives for why they’re doing what they’re doing, and we have Lisa. She gets the best news in the morning about her being pregnant and then in less than 24 hours, her whole world is flipped. It’s great to play a character who has so much range in such a short period of time.

PC: What was your preparation like?
Sophie: I did a lot of research on how people have dealt with similar situations in order to understand the depth of this character. I looked at women with husbands who have returned from the war to women who have lost their loved ones.


Lisa experiences two different heartbreaks in the film. Her mother got ill with cancer and she had to watch her suffer and perish away. With her husband, he’s injured and it’s unexpected and quick.

PC: Early on in the film, we learn that Lisa doesn’t have the greatest relationship with her father. Can you talk about how that progresses through the film and how you and Nicolas approached that dynamic?
Sophie: What’s good is that you only see them come together at the end of the film. Their relationship plays through Dwayne Cameron’s [Lisa’s husband] character because they’re both close to him. He can see how stubborn they’re both being and how similar they actually are.

The news at the beginning of the film about the pregnancy is a little bit of hope that the family can come back together. By the end of the movie with everything that’s happened, it makes them realize how meaningless it all is when something like this occurs. It’s ironic because it’s not under the best circumstances but you really see them bond again as father and daughter.

Photo Credit: Momentum Pictures

PC: What do you hope audiences take away from seeing 211?
Sophie: Hopefully, audiences will learn a little more about the bank robbery. It’s under-publicized. There’s a lot to take away from the different perspectives.

Make sure to follow Sophie on Twitter and Instagram, and check out 211 in theaters now!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures – © Courtesy of STARZ