You’d think squeamishness would be a dealbreaker for someone considering a role in a slasher-movie. But Sonia Ammar, a French-Tunisian singer and model who recently cut her acting teeth in the new Scream film, claims her aversion to even a ‘drop’ of blood never held her back on set.
“In real life, if I see blood, I’ll faint. Which is bad whenever I get a blood test or anything like that. But when you see the behind-the-scenes process, and speak to the hair and makeup team about how they do it – all the tubes and prosthetics – it totally takes out the psychological fear aspect.”
Sonia plays the part of Liv McKenzie, a teenager who is targeted by Ghostface, a mysterious masked killer on the loose (those familiar with the previous four films will already know the gist…) Starring alongside Scream veterans Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell, Sonia makes an impressive debut – more than justifying the 22 year old’s casting in the latest instalment of the popular horror franchise.
She may not be a fan of blood - but acting is certainly in hers. Her Polish-born mother, Beata, is an actress, while her father is film producer Tarak Ben Ammar. Her childhood was spent “always watching films”, which perhaps contributed to Sonia’s evident ease on a film set. She’s no stranger to the spotlight, however. Before following in the footsteps of her parents, Sonia made headway in the fashion world as a model, fronting campaigns for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu and Chanel.
Then there’s her music career. Back in 2019, Sonia released a debut EP, ‘SONIA’ - a series of upbeat, catchy tracks described by PAPER magazine as a ‘mind-bending dark pop maze’. The tracks are in stark contrast to the sultry covers of French jazz songs Sonia’s filmed herself singing on her Instagram account recently - all the while accompanying herself on piano. And apparently that’s what we can expect from Sonia’s next music release, expected to be out later this year, which is inspired by “Serge Gainsborough and Daft Punk… the old and the new together. I wanted to get to the essence of French music.”
When asked about her trifold career – indisputably impressive for someone in their early twenties – Sonia describes herself as “multi-faceted” (“Why narrow myself down to one thing?”, she asks). This philosophy applies to more than just her work. Her heritage is Polish-Tunisian, a background she celebrates in her Instagram bio, which reads simply “French/Tunisian/Polish”. She’s spent the most significant period of her life living in France (where she’s currently staying with her family), but in recent years has split her time between there and Los Angeles, where she met and briefly dated none other than Brooklyn Beckham. When asked about her months-long fling with Posh & Becks’ eldest, Sonia says, “I was so young [she was 17]… I don’t really think it pertains to my life now. All I’m going to say is that I don’t have any regrets.”
In conversation with GLAMOUR, Sonia quickly drives home the point that her famous ex is, with no disrespect, the least interesting thing about her. We discuss filming Scream alongside Courtney Cox and David Arquette; how Sonia’s family background has shaped her; and, finally, how the relationships in her life keep this multi-talented 22-year-old – with the world at her feet – grounded.
Scream is your most high-profile acting part yet. How are you feeling about the film coming out?
It's been crazy seeing it all coming together: seeing the posters being released and to feel like my dreams are slowly coming true – such a blessing. I feel really lucky and I loved filming it. It was one of my favourite experiences I've ever done in my life. So I'm really stoked!
It must have been daunting to shoot a horror film for your acting debut. How did you feel about working in that genre?
Well, the funny part is, I'm so terrified of blood and gore, but I also love horror. That's what drew me to the part. Seeing the behind-the-scenes process and being a part of it, it’s just such a fun experience, because we get to shoot scenes that are so crazy. When else would you get to do that?
What was it like filming Scream alongside such high-profile actors like Courtney Cox & David Arquette?
It was amazing! I mean, they could have come on and just done their thing and then gone home, but they didn’t – they made us feel included both on and off-set. Courtney invited us to her beach house in Malibu for a barbecue, which was super cool. Then David Arquette – who is a Bob Ross certified painting instructor – hosted a group class for us. He bought us all the supplies and set it up and made us paint! That’s what made the experience so special; we all became best friends.
You come from a film background – your father is a director and your mother is an actor. How has that influenced you, and your career decisions?
I think it really influenced the way I saw film because I was exposed to such a large repertoire of films when I was younger. It created a real passion and respect for the crafts of acting and filmmaking. So I knew what I was getting myself into. From a young age, I always wanted to be able to tell stories. I’m lucky and grateful to come from a family who understood that, and was supportive of my choices and passions – it allowed me to pursue them.
You have a multi-hyphenate career. How do you navigate that?
For me, it was never an option to just do one thing – because every creative field interconnects in some way. If you're creative in one field, most likely you could do something else. I really believe in pursuing everything you want to do in this life, and not giving into anyone else's narratives about what you should do. That’s what I’ve been doing: pursuing my passion and letting one thing lead to another. I’m very open. I don’t actually even like using the word “work”, because it doesn’t even feel like work – it just feels like something I love to do.
You’ve achieved so much at such a young age – how do you stay motivated and on track with your work?
I realised when I was quite young, and I’m still realising now, that it's about the quality of drive and motivation. It's hard to find, especially when you're doing your own things independently and you are the driving force behind your work. So you have to find what you’re passionate about, otherwise it won’t last. I do put a lot of time and effort into it, though – it’s not that things come easy. I sacrificed a lot of what teenagers do – like social stuff, and even taking some time out of university when I became overwhelmed with work. I wasn’t seeing all my friends. I wasn’t going to parties. I was always working, even on the weekends, or I was doing school work. But it’s also been about choice.
You’re Polish-Tunisian by background, as you’ve talked about on Instagram before, which is such an interesting combination. How has it influenced you?
It has really changed over the years. When you’re younger, it can be easy to get lost in the mix. A lot of my friends had just one nationality, and I’d get questions like, How come you speak English? And why’s your surname Arabic? I never felt like I had a sense of identity when I was younger – like I belonged. It’s definitely been a process, but now I’m learning to embrace my background and family roots. It’s taught me to have a very open perspective on life. I come from a multicultural family, but I also come from a very open understanding family, where you're not judged and you can do whatever you please. And so I think that it made me respect every culture and be so open to different perspectives and not be judgemental. To be empathetic. It makes me more connected to people wherever I am in the world. I can feel at home because home becomes something I have internally rather than a place or a country.
You’re friends with other high-profile names such as Selena Gomez and Kaia Gerber. Have those friendships been important to you, in helping you navigate the pressure of fame?
Sometimes it does help to have people who do the same job, as they understand the pressures that come with it. But at the same time, I think it's still very important for me to have people in my life who do things that are completely different to me, because living in LA is a bubble – most people are there to pursue their dreams in either film or music. You forget that’s not real life; that there’s so much more beyond it. It’s also important to me to spend time with my family, and my childhood friends who aren’t in the industry – they’re the people who ground me.
Like Kaia and Cindy Crawford, you’re very close to your mother Beata. Do you think mother-daughter relationships get enough airtime, compared to romantic ones?
Mother daughter relationships are just like any relationship in life; they can be complicated. My mother is pretty involved in my life, and my work. But I’ve always seen her as my best friend and my rock. She supports me and gives me good advice in life as well as in work. And I’ve always been open about my romantic relationship with my mother, but not everyone has that. I’m just grateful – but it’s not always easy. Like any relationship, it takes work.
Scream (2022) with Sonia Ammar is out in cinemas nationwide on Friday 14 December.
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