VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Sophie Nelisse On How She Prepared For Her Role In ‘Irena’s Vow’

Actress Sophie Nelisse opened up her experience portraying Irena Gut in the drama Irena’s Vow in her new uInterview.

Irena’s Vow chronicles the real-life experience of Irene Gut Opdyke (born Irena Gut in 1918, died in 2003), a Polish nurse who gained international recognition for helping Polish Jews during World War II when she risked her life to save a dozen Jews in a German army major’s own home. 

Nelisse, a star of the hit TV series Yellowjackets, remembered the preparation that went into perfecting her portrayal of the heroine. “There was a lot of research that came into play because obviously, Irena was a real-life woman,” she told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “I, first of all, had to do a lot of Polish accent work – I worked with a dialect coach to lock down the accent, and then worked to find a lot of archives about Irena – some photos, videos online of her in her 60s, just to see kind of how she moved around and kind of like the spirit she had. Then I read her biography and spoke a lot with Dan Gordon, who was a really good friend of hers, and he kind of told me how she was and how they met and her life story, which was very helpful.”

Nelisse emphasized, “Her life story is just so grand. What’s important to me is that she always wanted to put other people’s needs first. Before the war, she worked as a nurse, so she was someone who was always really helpful and wanted to save other people’s lives.”

When asked what she hopes the audience will take away from the film, Nelisse said, “I think that a little goes a long way. We are so focused on our lives that we don’t take enough time to look around and try to help other people, and she’s a good example of that.”

She continued, “We tend to forget that tiny little actions can have a ripple effect grander than what we can imagine. And I try to carry that in my daily life, whether it’s helping someone that dropped something or giving a compliment, or just doing one simple nice and kind action every day, I think can really bring a little bit more hope and beauty into life.”

Irena’s Vow is now playing in theaters nationwide. Get tickets here.