How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Sophie Thatcher
Sophie Thatcher isn’t in L.A. at the moment — but “Yellowjackets” fans will appreciate the reason. She’s in Vancouver filming the new season of the hit Showtime series, in which Thatcher’s character Natalie was revealed last season as the ringleader of a soccer team marooned deep in a mystical wilderness after their plane crashed on their way to a tournament. “I think this season will be very satisfying for viewers,” Thatcher says.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
She’s also gearing up for two big film releases. On Nov. 8, she’ll star in the new A24 theological thriller “Heretic,” playing a Mormon missionary trapped in a game of cat-and-mouse with Hugh Grant. It’s a role she was born for: Thatcher was raised Mormon in Illinois, and though she no longer practices, members of both sides of her family are still in the church. “I was a little scared because I didn’t want my mom to be judged because she still goes to church,” she says. “Her church is very liberal, so they’re hopefully open minded. But, that was scary and strange doing that.” She also has a starring role in the upcoming thriller “Companion.”
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And she’s been busy making music as well. Thatcher just dropped “Pivot & Scrape,” a five-song debut EP of emotional balladry that showcases her deep, resonant voice and penchant for cathartic pop-rock arrangements.
With so much going on, Thatcher takes her time off seriously and spends it in her favorite areas of L.A. Those include her former neighborhood of Silver Lake, her new one in Nichols Canyon (“We’re isolated, but we have this beautiful mid-century cabin-esque place. It’s ideal”) or her musician boyfriend Austin Feinstein’s birthplace of Sherman Oaks. Here’s how she’d spend her ideal day.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
10:30 a.m.: Wake up late and scroll
I love my sleep. I’m a great sleeper. 10:30 wake up. Scroll. I’m working on that. I know it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but I’m aware. The first step is to be aware. I deleted TikTok. I’m anti-TikTok because I would waste a good six or seven hours. It was bad. Now I just have [Instagram] Reels. Then feed my cat, Gigi, of course.
11:00 a.m.: Head out for a breakfast and a cannabis gummy
I’ll bring my boyfriend to Tartine. I always get the Smoked Salmon Tartine, and it’s so good. And a cold brew. Then, I’m going to the weed shop [MOTA] across the street from Tartine. I get Camino Gummies, cherry-flavored. Sometimes I’ll take half of one. One is only five milligrams, but just for, like, a little something. I don’t drive, so throughout the day, I’m just bossing my boyfriend around; he’s driving me.
11:40 a.m.: Peruse the antique mall for vintage earrings
My boyfriend’s from Sherman Oaks. So when I first came to L.A., he showed me a lot of Sherman Oaks. I was like, “This is very charming, and not at all what I expected.” Because, you know, you hear the valley… I’ll be slightly off the Camino gummy in the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall: it’s endless and there’s so much. It’s a little overwhelming. I am a hoarder when it comes to antiques. Maybe I’ll get some earrings there, maybe a record or new piece of art. A lot of the stuff on my walls is from the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall. The last record I got there was this weird Scandinavian children’s choir record, and then I listened to it, and it made me really anxious. It was too obscure.
Antique malls, consignment stores, flea markets, thrift stores and vintage shops: L.A. has it all when it comes to shopping for secondhand furniture.
12:40 p.m.: Grab sushi and a maté
There’s a Bristol Farms near me in West Hollywood. I’ll get a maté there as a little pick-me-up. I’m obsessed with energy drinks. Sometimes coffee doesn’t do it. I feel like I’m almost immune to coffee now, so I’ll get an energy drink there. I’ll get sushi there. Their sushi is really good sushi. And I get a Chomps beef stick, because I need some protein.
1:30 p.m.: Shop for industrial records
If I want to get more records or books, there’s this place called Mount Analog in Silver Lake that’s really sick. It has my favorite records, my favorite books and it’s a very niche collection. They also have very cool movie posters. If I want to get a record that’s more industrial, I’ll go to Mount Analog. The owner [Mahssa Taghinia] and I have a lot of mutuals. I want to meet her, because she seems very cool.
3:00 p.m.: Take high tea at the Museum of Jurassic Technology
I’m going all around L.A. and Austin, my boyfriend, is driving, and I got the aux. We’re gonna go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and hopefully get a discount, because my friend Emma works there. I’ll take another half of a Camino for the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and then hang out up on the [Russian tea room rooftop] balcony for a while, get some tea and talk. I feel like a good two hours is solid for the museum.
5:00 p.m.: Grab early dinner in the valley
We’re gonna do an early dinner. There’s a Petit Trois in Sherman Oaks, and that’s my favorite date spot to go with Austin. I’m gonna get the French onion soup and I’m gonna get a glass of Pinot Noir, and me and my boyfriend are gonna talk, hang out. We’ll be there for a good hour and a half. I usually will be fighting wanting to take a nap because I did a lot, but I’m not going to take a nap.
6:30 p.m.: Head into the music studio
We’re gonna go home and I’m gonna work on music, and then I’m gonna get frustrated and stop working on music unless it goes well, but it’s a 50/50 chance it won’t. I can’t force it.
9:30 p.m.: Watch TV in bed (and scroll some more)
Austin’s going to be in bed with our cat, Gigi. If, for some reason, Austin’s out of town, I watch “Bojack” to fall asleep, and I think I’ve seen each episode 30 times. It’s my go-to sleep show, which is really depressing. It’s my comfort show, and it makes me feel better about myself. If we’re together, we’re watching “Sopranos.” I’m going to be scrolling and watching. I can’t just watch something. I have to be scrolling. I’ll go on Depop and I’ll go through my “suggested for you,” and I’m going to buy clothes that I don’t need, and they usually don’t fit. I’m still on Tumblr. I find really good art on Tumblr, and I use it for a lot of references. I’ll also be scrolling on Instagram Reels. My algorithm is really funny right now on my finsta. It’s just monkeys. I have a very public love for orangutans. I have three stuffed animals I bring everywhere, and they’re all monkeys. At this point, it’s been a long day, and I’m falling asleep.
