Interview With Aisha Dee, Star Of ‘Sissy’

I don’t understand influencers, and I’m okay with that. I don’t follow them, and I don’t feel the need to be one. I don’t really think they have any longevity and will eventually become irrelevant. Tell you how I really feel, right?

What I do understand, though, is Sissy, the new film from writers and directors, Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes. I’ve been following this film since I first watched it at this year’s SXSW because I loved it so freaking much. It is spectacular. A Shudder original, Sissy stars Aisha Dee and Barlow as “Cecilia and Emma, who had been tween-age BFFs who were never going to let anything come between them — until Alex (Emily De Margheriti) arrived on the scene. Twelve years later, Cecilia is a successful social media influencer living the dream of an independent, modern millennial woman, until she runs into Emma for the first time in over a decade. After reconnecting, Emmy invites Cecilia on her bachelorette weekend at a remote cabin in the mountains, where Alex proceeds to make Cecilia’s weekend a living hell (from PR).”

What I wouldn’t give to be able to exact some sweet, sweet revenge on those who bullied throughout my entire school career.

To celebrate Sissy‘s release on Shudder on September 29, 2022, I chatted with star Aisha Dee about how she connected to the character, why she wanted to be an actor, what’s up next, and more!

PopHorror: I loved Sissy. I saw it at this year’s SXSW, and I have been following it ever since. It’s so amazing.

Aisha Dee: Thank you!

PopHorror: I also have to tell you that I loved you as Kat in The Bold Type. Thank you for such a believable and heartfelt queer storyline. It reminded me a bit of myself, and she made me feel very seen.

Aisha Dee: She made me feel seen too, so I appreciate you saying that.

PopHorror: So what intrigued you about Sissy and made you want to be a part of it?

Aisha Dee: I think just that it was kind of touching on things that felt like I was in the midst of living. It was 2020 and I felt like a lot of my life I was experiencing through the screen of my phone. Kind of felt like I was in this virtual reality simulation thing being held up by marionette strings. Everything just felt kind of surreal, and I felt like the script, when I read it, really captured that in a way that I thought was really special, and funny, and heartbreaking all at once. I just really cared about Cecelia. I felt defensive of her like she was my best friend or something.

PopHorror: I agree that we tend to live through the screens of our phones. I went to a concert over the weekend and the amount of people watching it through the screen of their phone while recording versus being in the moment and actually enjoying the show. You’re at a live show for a reason, you know? I feel like we yeah, we spend way too much time living through it. That definitely was captured in this very well.

Aisha Dee: I think there are very rare moments when you are able to really put your phone down, and not look at it for a while. And honestly, even though I had a prop phone that I was using, the thing that I loved about being on set is that I get to put my phone down at the start of the day and I usually don’t look at it until I leave set later. I maybe look at it at lunch time or something, but it’s kind of an excuse to escape.

PopHorror: How freeing!

Aisha Dee: Yeah!

PopHorror: This film deals with some heavy and sensitive topics like bullying. What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to your character?

Aisha Dee: I think the first conversation I had with Hannah (writer/director/star Barlow) and Kane (writer/director Senes), I brought up some things that I found offensive in the script. Like they said that Sissy had a creepy smile, and I was like, “She’s not creepy! She’s happy. She’s coming into her power and she’s advocating for herself for the first time.” Don’t call her creepy or I’ll… I don’t know what I’ll do. I’m not a very good fighter in my life, but yeah. I think the thing I was most adamant about, and I kind of almost surprised myself with how defensive I was of Sissy, but I just really wanted to make sure that there was a certain level of empathy with her. I really felt connected to her, and I wanted to make sure that we were experiencing the story from a genuine place, that we weren’t just doing the creepy stuff that is creepy on paper. Like let’s really get in the head of someone who is really going through some turmoil, you know? But in general, we were all on the same page about everything, so it felt like a beautiful creative collaboration. Everyone was bringing their own personal experience to it, and it was all adding to this beautiful little weird soup movie.

PopHorror: Do you even have a creepy smile?

Aisha Dee: I don’t know! Maybe people will think I do after they see this movie. I guess it’s up to your own interpretation too. If someone can smile in a genuine way and you’re perceiving it as creepy, it can be creepy as hell. That’s where the best horror comes from, I think, is when the story is coming from a genuine place.

PopHorror: Yes, I completely agree. What do you hope people walk away with after watching Sissy?

Aisha Dee: Honestly, I don’t think there’s a moral to the story. I don’t think there’s an afterschool special way to kind of look at it, it’s just a fucked-up movie. I guess the thing I hope the most is that people feel seen, and that people laugh because it’s a funny movie.

PopHorror: It is!

Aisha Dee: I think as long as people can remember to laugh in the moments that feel uncomfortable and to laugh in the moments that are actually kind of hilarious. I think the biggest takeaway is just to laugh and have a good time. In the words of Harry Styles, “See a movie that feels like a movie,” I guess.

PopHorror: And be nice or you’re going to get murdered.

Aisha Dee: Exactly! That’s the other one.

PopHorror: There’s not a lot of horror on your resume. Were you a horror fan before?

Aisha Dee: Yeah, I haven’t done a lot of horror, actually. I don’t really pick movies or projects by genre, I think I just pick them by what characters are feeling inspiring and what characters I feel connected to, and however that fits into the grander picture is just whatever it is for me. I would rather be connected to the character than make choices based on genre or anything else. But I love horror. I did a horror miniseries six or seven years ago, and I think that was really the first time I was introduced to the genre in a big way. As a kid I wasn’t really allowed to watch scary movies. They were a big no-no. Single mother, I think she just didn’t want to deal with the nightmares, and fair enough. So I kind of came to it a bit later in life. But I think horror as a genre is so special because you can really explore things thematically in a way you can’t do in any other genre. You can push the boundaries almost without limits in horror, and I think that’s why it’s so special because you get to explore these things in a vaster, kind of disturbing way.

PopHorror: I love that because it leaves it open for you to do more horror.

Aisha Dee: I hope so! I loved it. I had such a great time. Everything I’ve ever done that’s horror has been just so cathartic. It’s weird, the dark content always creates the funniest sets because I think everyone is just trying to get by so we’re laughing a lot, whereas on comedy sets everyone is kind of serious and taking themselves very seriously.

PopHorror: I know that you are also a musician. What made you want to get into acting?

Aisha Dee: Honestly, I loved movies growing up. They were my escape and where I was able to see myself and they became my way to imagine another life for myself. To imagine what my life would be like if I was in Paris, or if I was here or there. It’s very bizarre to me that I actually am able to do this because I really had no resources. There was no ‘in’ for me to go and to film and TV. I grew up on the Gold Coast in Australia – single mom – so I feel very blessed to be able to do it.

PopHorror: Well, I’m excited to see what you have coming up for us because I’m such a huge fan, so I’m glad that you decided to take that chance. What is up next for you?

Aisha Dee: I just finished a project in Australia called Safe Home. It’s a four-part miniseries for a channel in Australia called SBS. I’m super excited about it. I guess it’s a drama/thriller. It’s not horror but I think, in the same way that Sissy does, it encourages the audience to ask a lot of questions and really contemplate the world and society in general. It’s a very special story. I have a couple other things coming up, but I don’t know if I’m able to say what they are yet. And I’ve got some music coming. It’s slow but it’s on its way.

PopHorror That’s exciting! One last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?

Aisha Dee: Jennifer’s Body. It’s so good. I watched it when I was preparing for Sissy and I was like, “I hope this is what Sissy is.” It’s queer, and it’s campy, and it’s fucked up. Kind of just gross but there’s something cool about that movie. That and Carrie too. I love Carrie.

Thank you so much to Aisha for taking the time to speak with us. Sissy is now available on Shudder.