Exclusive Interview: Katie Sheridan

Katie Sheridan is rapidly emerging as a significant talent in the entertainment industry. First gaining attention for her starring role as Sophie Norton in the Nickelodeon children’s series Genie in the House, Katie has since demonstrated impressive versatility and depth. She is carving a niche for herself in the horror and thriller genres with performances that demand intensity and captivate audiences. Her portrayal of Sister Margaret in the film Heretiks showcased her ability to embody complex characters in suspenseful and chilling narratives, marking her as an actress to watch in the years that followed.

Beyond her work in film and television, Katie is also known for her dynamic presence in series, such as the award-winning Rebecca Gold, where she plays a skilled assassin grappling with personal and professional challenges. Her ability to seamlessly blend action, drama, and horror elements is fast making her a favourite among genre enthusiasts. She is an actress with many facets with the flexibility to perform in heart warming feel-good television, to the physically demanding action roles.

In this exclusive interview, Katie shares insights into her burgeoning career, her experiences on set, and what it’s like to transition between genres. Together, we delve into her recent projects, her reflections on the industry, and her aspirations for the future. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of Katie Sheridan, a versatile actress on a trajectory to the top.

Love Horror: Can you tell us about your journey into acting and how you landed your first roles on TV?

Katie Sheridan: I always loved singing, acting and dancing from a young age and I went to local dance and drama groups pretty early on. This opened up a bunch of opportunities for me including being in the choir of Joseph and his Technicolor dream coat, various pantos, an advert for Variety Club and eventually a Theatre show at Sadlers Wells. Most of the other children in that show were already represented by a Children’s Agent and she took me on. I was about 12 by then so that’s when I started going up for TV castings.

I found the TV casting process a bit daunting and it took me a while to settle into it, I started to feel I wouldn’t get cast in anything. My Dad was very much like you will get something, just keep going and we will celebrate when you do. The first TV job I got I was 13 and it was a docu-drama called Real Crime. I played Lynda Mann, who had been very sadly murdered and her killer was the first person to ever be caught using DNA. So my dad was like ok we can’t go out and celebrate this one because it’s based on a real life situation that’s very sad, but I’m proud of you and we will celebrate the next one. I remember being very grateful for the job, as it was my first experience on set and gave me the confidence that I could get work and I got a lot more roles come in after that.

Who were your biggest influences growing up, and how did they shape your career?

Well I had some amazing teachers along the way, from the drama groups, through school and college and then as an adult with classes I went to etc. I have a lot to be grateful for with the people I have met along the way and for what they have taught me. I personally have always loved comedy so when I started to watch films I was really drawn to actresses like Sandra Bullock and Reece Witherspoon and funny women basically. I’m a big believer that you never stop learning really and inspiration and influence can come from all sorts of places.

Your role in Genie in the House came at a key time for you. How did that experience affect your direction?

I’d grown up watching shows like Sabrina the teenage Witch on Nickelodeon, so the idea of being on that channel was mind blowing to me. I’d done 6 auditions for it and knew I was down to the final 3 before finally getting the news I’d got the part. I’d done quite a lot of TV by that point but mostly guest roles, so it was a new type of experience and taught me a huge amount.

We did 78 episodes over three seasons, it was a multiple camera set up which was very different to things I had worked on prior and to a lot of things I have worked on since. It was lovely to have that regularity and get to grow with a character over a number of years, that’s a real privilege. I was a teenager when we started it and by the time we finished I was in my twenties and nearly finished University (but still playing 14 in the show) so it was a big portion of my life and one I look back on very fondly.

What has drawn you to the recent thriller/horror roles, and how was the transition from one end of the spectrum to the other (comedy to horror)?

Well for me it’s more about the project – is it well written? What’s the role and what can I bring to it? Who are the team involved… So I’m looking for things that are going to challenge and excite me. Personally I think it’s part of the fun getting to work on a wide range of genres and roles and sometimes they can overlap anyway. One of my recent films Lore is an anthology horror and my section ‘Cross your heart’ is really dark but also quite comical in places. Rufus Hound plays my husband in it and we have some quite bizarre scenarios to enact between us and it was great fun flitting between the comedy of it and the literal horror that unfolds.

Your role as Matilda in the film Firecracker was a step more into the action genre. What was it like preparing for and portraying this character?

I was very excited as I’ve always wanted to do more thrillers/action and the role was something I knew I could do. It was an opportunity for me to be a character that goes through a whole range of emotions as she changes so much throughout the course of the film, there was just a lot to play with and I really wanted to do it justice. I was in a unique position in that I was one of the writers of the film so before I’d even done a lot of prep from an acting point of view, I’d already known Matilda for quite some time so I felt very connected to her from the beginning really. Our director Andrew Lee Potts, who also stars in the film and was part of the writing team, had such a strong vision for Firecracker and he’s very much an actor’s director, so I felt very free and supported in the role. There was a fantastic cast to work with and to bounce off of and I couldn’t have asked for more really.

Can you talk about your experience working on Rebecca Gold and how it differs from your other projects?

Well I was involved with the first season, it’s a web series and very much had its own unique sense of style and amassed quite a loyal following. Someone made a pop doll of me as the character which was very touching. It gave me the chance to do some more physical work and I enjoyed the action I got to do on it.

We recently saw you in the role of Clara in Frankenstein: Legacy. What drew you to that part?

Well I’m a huge fan of the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein film, it’s so beautifully done so I was pleased to see they weren’t trying to recreate that, it’s a totally new and different angle on the legacy of the story and I thought that was interesting. Personally I’m a sucker for a period drama and this is very much a gothic period horror so that really appealed to me. The scenes I had were lovely, when Paul Dudbridge (our director) sent me the sides for the casting and then later spoke to me about the role, I was already quite taken by it. Clara is very much an innocent and there’s a purity about her that makes what happens all the more tragic and I was quite drawn to portraying that.

How does working on a horror film compare to other genres in terms of atmosphere on set and the creative process?

It can be a lot more mucky haha! Often with the fake blood and prosthetics and whatever else is going on, it’s certainly never dull on a horror set. It depends what’s going on but generally from an actor’s point of view, you’re often in a state of heightened emotions for a large portion of the time potentially. And generally its quite easy to switch into, there’s usually an atmosphere on a horror that lends itself to that when you’re shooting. Personally I love night shoots and I’m always hopeful that a horror will mean I get to do some night shoots.

Are there any particular moments or experiences from your other horror projects that stand out to you?

‘Heretiks’ directed by Paul Hyett was a good one coz I was playing a possessed dead nun and I had to be on a harness for some of the stuff where I’m meant to be climbing up the walls etc. There was a bit where I’m at the top of the ceiling and I just drop down and when we did it, the speed you come down at and the stance they wanted me to land with, in the moment I felt like a super hero – a very unattractive one – covered in prosthetics, with long greasy hair and wearing blood stained rags, but none the less it was a very cool feeling.

What are some of the unique challenges you’ve faced as an actress?

In horror when I play something of that nature, like a creature or a vampire or a possessed nun etc. then there’s the challenge of working that out and how do I physically want to portray that, that’s probably one of the most unique challenges I’ve faced within horror.

How do you feel the roles for women in horror have evolved since you started out?

Well in terms of what I’ve been seeing over the last few years or so, there’s a promising amount of strong roles for women in Horror. I was really drawn to Lore for example as I loved how they had created a female character who seemed downtrodden, completely under her husband’s influence and control and then as things progress all is not at all what it seems and the whole dynamics turn on their head. It was empowering and exciting to play as it has range and roles like that are very appealing.

What projects are you currently working on, and can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming roles?

Yes I have a few exciting things upcoming. In terms of further horrors I have vampire feature ‘Bogieville’ due for release later this year directed by Sean Cronin. I did a Hallmark film that came out last Christmas called ‘The Royal Nanny’ which was such a pleasure to shoot and I recently filmed another feature for Hallmark, a romantic comedy where I get to play an American Film star and that was great fun, so I’m looking forward to the release of that. I also have a lovely Christmas Rom-com due for release this year called ‘3 Wishes for Christmas’.
Finally I have been working on creating some more of my own projects. I have written a short film called ‘While it Lasts’ which centres around the breakdown of the relationship between a young woman and her mum who develops young onset dementia and the story looks at how the pair unexpectedly discover a way to reconnect through music. We filmed that very recently and it’s currently in the edit and is a piece I’m very passionate about. I’m also working on writing more feature films so more on that to come…

Are there any specific areas, roles or genres you hope to explore in the future?

I have some filming coming up soon for a fantasy project and that’s a genre I’d love to do a bit more of. But really the main thing for me is finding exciting, challenging, fulfilling roles that regardless of the genre, will allow me to give all I’ve got to give kind of thing.

Looking back at your career so far, what moments are you most proud of?

‘Firecracker’ is definitely up there for me, because it was a different type of role to what I’ve done in the past and being one of the three leads, we carry the film quite heavily between us and it meant a lot to have that opportunity. Being on the writing team as well you have an extra level of attachment to it, so I was very proud of us all as a collective and grateful to everyone who gave their all to the project.
On a smaller scale I created a web series some time ago called ‘Match Not Found’, it was a Skype based rom-com series (and this was prior to covid so it was unique at the time for its format) and again I was very proud of it. It took a lot of work, I had an amazing team of actors and creatives on board, we got nominated for it at Raindance etc and it opened my mind to the possibility that I didn’t just have to wait for work to come in, I could also create opportunities for myself.

What advice would you give to young actors, particularly those looking to break into the horror/thriller genres?

Keep a look out for the opportunities around you. There’s things I didn’t know about when I was younger like the National Youth Theatre that I would have loved to have done had I known it existed. With the internet now it’s very accessible to find courses and opportunities like that and to get involved and get some experience. Also it’s a very different time to when I started out – with phones being so great now you can make your own content on a limited budget, so I think the option of filming your own stuff and putting yourself out there is fantastic.

You can catch Katie in the National Film Awards winning Firecracker on Amazon Prime and Apple TV now.