Sophie Lenglinger: The Austrian actress who made Ireland her home
Sophie Lenglinger in Paramount+ thriller, Stags.
She’s the Austrian actress who has made Ireland her home - and having already established herself in theatre, Sophie Lenglinger makes her screen debut in a tale of debauchery gone very badly wrong.
Pitch-black drama thriller Stags tells of a group of friends who head to South America for a wild stag party, only to get slammed into a rundown prison run by warring siblings following a drugs bust.
Lenglinger is Clem, the only woman on the stag do, a veterinarian who is separated from her male friends when they’re taken to the island prison.
“She's separated because she's got this medical background and this skill which is kind of horribly repurposed in the prison world,” says Lenglinger. “So she's got a bit of a different journey than the lads, where she has to fend for herself more.
“Clem is the only woman, and yet she's not this damsel in distress. She's not a love interest - she’s got a very clear, rounded personality, and she's got clear goals, and she's not afraid to take risks or be brave. She's a very cool character. She’s a negotiator - she knows how to work people.”
From the producers of Sex Education, the six-part British series for Paramount+ explores the chaos that follows when the friends are imprisoned and the lengths they will go to to survive.
It’s the first TV role for Lenglinger, who graduated from The Lir Academy in 2022 and has since notched up several theatre roles. She was thrilled to learn that she had landed the high-profile series.
“It was a very fun shoot, I think because the show is so crazy it’s the weirder, the better. That's what's so exciting about the job - you get to play out these situations that you'd never play out in your own life, or, I should say, hope not to ever play out in your own life. I learned so much working on camera for the first time and for such a long time.”
Originally from Vienna, Lenglinger took a foundation course in acting in London before applying to several drama schools. One of those was The Lir, whose alumni include Paul Mescal and Cork actors Alison Oliver and Alex Murphy. It marked the beginning of a love affair with Ireland, where she divides her time with her home city of Vienna.
“I was fortunate that The Lir was my first audition. I came in with a lot of energy, and I just felt like it was the best fit. It was the most fun I'd had auditioning for drama school. I love the Irish people - the stereotype is so true that you're just so friendly and fun. It seemed like a very welcoming environment to train in.
“I had a month's notice, and I just kind of packed up everything and moved over. It was the best decision I ever made.”
With its growing list of high-profile stars, The Lir is building quite the reputation internationally. “The most famous alumni is probably Paul Mescal,” says Lenglinger. “The reputation that they have internationally they have for a reason, and I think it's because of the tutors, because they've all been there from the beginning, and they all love what they do.”
The move to the capital has meant that the emerging actor has learned on the job from some of Ireland’s established stage and screen stars. She played Nora in The Plough and the Stars opposite Bosco Hogan and Hilda Far as part of DruidO’Casey, a production of three of Seán O’Casey’s plays.
“The whole production was just amazing, all three plays. I was only in The Plough and the Stars but I got to watch and learn. I got to sit into the rehearsal for Shadow of a Gunman and Juno and the Paycock and learning and watching how all these other actors prepare and work together, and how free they are in the rehearsal room. I learned a lot about taking a few more risks and just having more fun with the text.”
It helped that she lived in Ireland when it came to taking on Nora’s Dublin accent as part of the role. “Learning the accent was amazing - something I thought I'd never do, but it was a really cool experience. I found her so relatable and that’s why I felt that I could play her. I didn’t have to be Irish to understand her situation.”
- Stags is now on Paramount+
