Batwoman ’s Meagan Tandy is one of the incredibly talented actors to join the Arrow-verse this past year. She plays Sophie Moore, a strong, highly skilled agent that works for a private security agency in Gotham.
The CW’s Batwoman is 16 episodes in with the season 1 finale fast approaching. Over those 16 episodes, Meagan Tandy’s Sophie Moore has established herself as a very unique and intriguing character.
Not only does she work for the Crows and occasionally assist Batwoman in saving the day, she’s also in the midst of finding herself after realizing that she’s a lesbian, and later coming out to both herself and her mother.
The story Batwoman has been telling on compulsory heterosexuality is so rare to find in media, and it’s done so wonderfully. This is largely in part to Meagan Tandy, who cares so deeply about the character and the story she’s telling on-screen.
Bringing those heavy, raw emotions to life is no easy feat, but Meagan makes it look so effortless and has positively impacted so many people with her work.
On Sunday’s new episode, “A Narrow Escape,” Sophie teams up with Julia Pennyworth to investigate one of Gotham’s many homicides.
Read our exclusive interview below to find out what Tandy said about Sophie and Julia and their secret mission together, and what she wants to see from Sophie in the future!
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Interview with ‘Batwoman’s’ Meagan Tandy
Hypable: What can you tease about Sophie’s role on the next episode?
by Jay Snow
Meagan Tandy: The cool thing is, Sophie is now back with the Crows, but she’s not at the Crows’ nest. She’s working on this private mission, if you will, that Jacob has her doing, which is an assignment to find out who is behind the Lucius Fox murder. But also, [she’s] trying to figure out who the mole [is within] the Crows. And while she’s [going to] be searching for [those answers], she gets a brand new partner in Julia [Pennyworth], who’s going to help her figure this out.
Sophie and Julia have been growing closer over the last few episodes, what do you like about their dynamic? Is that maybe a relationship you’d want to see explored more?
Yeah, I just love that it’s two really strong women who are both so very capable in their own right, and they have this one common goal of getting the job done, getting the mission done.
But in doing so, of course, you know they’re going to spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well. It would be nice to see what could potentially happen with that, but whether it happens or not, people will just have to see! [Laughs]
How did you prepare for the role of Sophie?
So, with Sophie, she wasn’t that huge in the comics. That’s why I just give so much thanks to [Greg] Berlanti, The CW, and [Batwoman showrunner] Caroline [Dries] because they’re the ones who’ve actually made her a more prominent character in the Batwoman world.
I didn’t have too much to really go off of other than what Caroline had shared with me, and right as I booked this job, she sent me a really nice, lengthy email letting me know what Sophie was going to be all about, what she was like at Point Rock, and she let me know which comics I could go look at so I could get some sort of information. A lot of my prep [was just] from Caroline and what was there in the comics.
What do you want to see from Sophie moving forward now that she’s come out to both herself and her mom? Do you think she’s fully accepted herself?
I would love to see her fully accept herself! I feel like she’s on these little, small stepping stones, you know? She let her husband know, “Hey I’ve got this past with Kate, and I’m questioning my sexuality.” Boom. She did that.
Then she’s like, “Actually, no, wait… I actually am a lesbian. Now I need to tell my mom.” [So] she tells her mom. Boom.
Now it’s like, okay, what do you do? Now are you going to start dating women? Are you going to go out and let everybody know? I would just really love to see her fully step out and really own who she is, and be proud and confident in that and never have to question it ever again.
I think that would be great. She deserves that.
She does. She does! [Laughs]
Even though she’s had her suspicions, Sophie still doesn’t know that Kate is Batwoman, what do you think her reaction will be if/when she finds out?
I imagine she would definitely be, well first, just very concerned for her. Because, of course, there’s still something there [between them], it doesn’t just wipe out.
She’s going to instantly just go into protective mode, like, “Wait, oh my gosh, you’re suiting up, you’re putting yourself in harm’s way, don’t do this.” But I do feel like there’s going to be a little bit of a heartbreak there because — as I’ve been telling everybody — in their own right, both women have been in the closet about who they really are.
So Sophie, while she’s trying to finally be like, “Hey, okay, I am a lesbian.” You know, for some people, that could’ve opened up an opportunity for Kate to also say “Alright, well, I’m Batwoman!” and it didn’t happen.
So it’s this interesting, ironic parallel that both women have in a completely different way. I think because of that, when Sophie finds out, it’s gonna definitely be very like, “Whoa? What?” I think it’s definitely gonna be complicated for sure.
Are you rooting for Sophie and Kate to get back together?
[Laughs] I’m trying to think if I can fully answer that. I am! But I’m also rooting for Sophie to just be happy in general, so that could really be all sorts of things. I know that for Sophie it’s always been Kate. I think it would absolutely awesome if they were to be together at the end of this, but how they get to that is going to be very interesting!
What’s been your favorite part of this experience and of playing Sophie so far?
Well, I just absolutely love anything revolving any kind of physical activity, so any time we’re doing things like fight sequences or stunts, I am all in! Literally one of the things that I loved about this character was that it said she’s highly trained, highly skilled, [and] she’s a fighter! And I’m like, “Yes! I love that stuff!”
The training that we got to do with the stunt team before each and every one of the scenes, it just elevates it to me! Aside from that, I do love the fact that this role challenges me as an actor.
Sophie is not an easy character to play at all. She’s got so many layers. She’s deeply complicated because she’s got this struggle within her. For me, I kind of find excitement in that because it gives me another opportunity to expand and to grow as an artist. It’s been a lot of fun on both ends.
Do you see any of yourself in Sophie?
I love the fact that we are both very strong women, but we’re also just very, very vulnerable. A lot of people will look at Sophie and they’ll be like, “Oh my gosh, this girl is a Crow, she’s at the top of her game, she’s strong, she’s this, that, and the other,” but the girl is also very soft and very vulnerable.
Through doing this role I’ve even discovered that within myself. People think I’m very strong and out there and always confident and working out and this and that, but I’m also very soft and vulnerable. We’re both complicated women, I’ll say that! [Laughs]
Aside from Kate, what character would you like to see Sophie grow closer to?
Oh, wow. I genuinely love literally everybody on the show and I feel like, gosh, teaming up with any of them would be great. I have always wanted to have a few more scenes with Alice.
I really loved the interrogation episode that we had where, you know, [Alice] was right there at the Crows and [Sophie] was interr— well, really, she was interrogating [Sophie] and getting [her] to try and realize who [she] really was!
I really loved working with Rachel [Skarsten],and I think although Sophie and Alice can’t really team up, something where the two of us can continue to work and do something together would be really cool!
What’s been your favorite scene to film so far?
Wow, favorite scene? There’s definitely several, but my mind goes straight to the pilot. It’s crazy loving this scene because I only had like two lines in it, but the whole opening for Sophie when I’m at the top of the building, it’s right before Alice comes on, then I’m trying to go and fight this guy in the Wonderland gang, and then they kidnap me.
I just loved all that because it was action and fighting and all this crazy stuff, it was fun! And then at the end of that when Batwoman comes and rescues me off of the plank and we’re falling through the stuff! I’m just an action girl. Of course dialogue is great and wonderful, but that other stuff is so much fun and exciting to me. So I would say the pilot.
What do you want to see from Sophie on season 2?
We got to see Sophie step into Jacob Kane’s shoes when he was locked up for being framed for his wife’s murder, so I think seeing Sophie in a commanding role of some sort, like that at the Crows, I would love to see her still doing that.
She loves Jacob. She’s always been like a daughter to him and she loves working with him, but I feel like even though she is Second-in-Command, if he could just maybe trust [her and put] a little bit more responsibility on her, I think it would be awesome.
[Especially] because he’s got this thing where he’s not in full support of Batwoman, whoever she is. He can’t stand her, and because Sophie is not anti-Batwoman, if she had more control of the Crows, perhaps she could support Batwoman in what she’s doing.
What’s it been like to be a part of such important representation and what does it mean to you?
It’s been absolutely amazing. It touches my heart so much because, first of all, just being a black actress in this type of a position [and Sophie] is LGBTQ, that representation being on television is so important. I’m always one to champion diversity, inclusively, togetherness, and that’s literally always been my M.O. since I was like 5.
So being part of that representation and being part of something that’s really making and leaving its mark in Hollywood has just been great. I tell people, “Yeah, we’re making a TV show and it’s fun, it’s entertaining, but we’re also really impacting lives.” That’s what I’m all about.
It’s given me more sense of purpose. It’s not just [like], hey, let me go act and have fun, action, cut! It’s like we’re actually up here doing stuff. Other girls are looking up to us, and we’re really making change, so I think it’s awesome and it means so much to me.
Exactly! So many people were in my [replies on Twitter] wanting me to tell you how much you mean to them, how important you are, and how much they love you and Sophie!
Aw, I love it. See, stuff like that it gets me going. I love that!
It’s weird, I gotta say, because there’s definitely some actors out there that are like, “Hey, don’t blur the lines. You’re just the actor. This is our job. Do your job and be done.”
And that’s fine, I understand those people, but like I’ve always said, we have to understand our influence, right? I try to champion mine. My influence is not just being an actor; you get to be a voice too. It’s great that it’s inspiring people, I love that!
What was it like bringing the scene between Sophie and her mom to life? That was a really hard moment for Sophie.
Yeah, my goodness. That day was obviously a very emotional day because I really wanted to do the character and the scene justice. I don’t just want to go up there, put something [out] there and be done.
I was like, I want to really feel this, I want to go deep within and just think about what it would be like to be a certain way, and you’re not able to live it fully, and people can’t notice it and see it because you’re scared yourself. So, I really tried to have those thoughts and those feelings inside of me as I was doing it.
When you’re trying to go to that place in your mind, that in and of itself makes it extremely complicated because I’m trying to take myself out of my brain. They always say don’t have “actor brain” because then you can really tell that someone is acting. So I try to turn off “actor brain” and just really go into what it would really be like, like the struggle of it.
I feel like it came off pretty good [laughs], but you never really know until you see the end of it. It was definitely very complicated. It was exciting, but it’s also not because it’s such a deep scene. I feel like I did my best to do it justice and I hope others liked it as well.
I think you definitely did it justice. It’s easily one of my favorite scenes on the show, for sure.
Thank you! That means a lot, it really does. I never want to do stuff and then people hate it or it’s just not right or it sucked [laughs]. If people are liking it, then honestly, that’s really all the validation that I need, so thank you for that.
Of course! I think how much you care about the character and the story really reflects on-screen.
That’s good! I like that. Like I said, I’ll have some actor friends that are like, “Hey, cut it out, you’re just the actor!” and I’m like, “I know, but this stuff is fun and I take it seriously!” So thank you!
What’s something you admire about Kate and Sophie’s relationship?
I definitely admire, if we take it back to their Point Rock days, I loved the fact that it was this very fun, new, exciting, and fresh relationship. It was nothing rehearsed, nothing old, nothing outdated in their minds. They were just being themselves, and how empowering is that? When you can just be with someone, who you love, and you’re just yourself!
I admire the fact that these two women had that when they were at Point Rock, and it’s a shame that it got interrupted because of some stupid rule, but I feel like Kate and Sophie were their true selves back [then]. It was just the two of them, no one knew and no one had to know what was going on.
Sophie believes that Kate and Batwoman are two different people and she has feelings for both of them. What do you think is going on in her head, and how do you approach those scenes?
Well, in Sophie’s mind, Kate and Batwoman are definitely two different people. I think, for me personally filming it, I tried my best to not think, “Okay, that’s Ruby underneath that suit, and that’s Ruby as Kate,” because I have to be Sophie, and Sophie isn’t putting it together. I think that’s why it was really exciting when she started finding a liking to Batwoman because, in her mind, it’s like, “Oh wow, this is my second lesbian experience. This is my second relationship here.”
And because she’s going in with this fresh mentality that she had back at Point Rock, in her mind here’s another secret situation that no one [needs] to know about, and she’s going to just go for it! Because that was her mentality about it, she honestly was not finding any relation to Kate whatsoever because she was just more enthralled in the secrecy of it.
This is someone that’s completely hidden. No one can see her. Nobody knows who she is. So, Sophie found a similarity to that because she was closeted herself. I think because she’s blinded by that, and she’s also blinded by the love of it all and the emotion of it all, she’s really not putting two and two together. [laughs]
If you could play any other character on the show, what character would you want to play?
I can’t narrow it down to just one; it definitely is two characters. I’ve always said it would be so fun to be the villain. I think it’s amazing — the stories of the villain — because it’s never just one thing, there’s always layers to them. Like, how did they get to be so crazy? That excites me.
And then, of course, I think everybody wants to be the superhero. I love the fact that, especially for me personally [as] I’m such a big Batman fan, so anything in this realm is like, “Oh heck yeah!” I would love to be the superhero, so either one of those two would be great!
What we want from Sophie Moore on ‘Batwoman’ season 2
As Meagan Tandy discussed above, I think it would be great if we could see Sophie take on some more responsibility on Batwoman season 2. Not only does she deserve it for all she’s done for the city, but it would also be so refreshing to see the Crows helping Batwoman for a change as opposed to being another source of conflict.
Bottom line: We need to see more of Sophie and Batwoman working together, as their dynamic is so entertaining to watch. As for Kate’s secret, as much as I’m looking forward to the big reveal and Sophie finding out, I love the tension and slow burn of it all, so I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Be sure to check out our preview of Batwoman season 1, episode 17, and check back in after the episode airs for our review of the episode and post-mortem interview with Nicole Kang (Mary Hamilton)!
Batwoman airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW!
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