'OZARK'S SOFIA HUBLITZ LOVES THE INTENSITY OF HER FIRST MAJOR ROLE

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In the Netlifx original series Ozark, the white collar Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) is forced to move his family to the eponymous Missourian region after he gets tied up in a perilous money laundering scheme. The show thrives on tension, constantly asking viewers, “What would you do?” as each episode brings the family further and further into darkness. In the middle of all of this is Marty’s daughter Charlotte, played by newcomer Sofia Hublitz, a teenager who either can’t or won’t acknowledge the severity of her new situation. For her, the struggles of teen life are more pressing and she responds to her new situation with antipathy and disregard. It’s a far cry from Hublitz herself, who also found herself in an entirely new situation landing on a critically acclaimed series in one of her first serious acting roles. With two seasons now under her belt and a strong drive for understanding all aspects of the moviemaking process, she is demonstrating not only talent as an actor but a commitment to the craft of film and television.

Originally from Richmond, Hublitz moved to North Carolina when she was five years old before ending up in New York by the age of eight. Her insight into the film world came early, with her mother working as an art director for the screen and her godfather working as a key grip. They proved to be a valuable resource to Hublitz, now nineteen, who quickly came to understand the scope of the filmmaking process. “I’ve always been more involved behind the scenes. I’ve always known what it’s really like, what set life is really all about,” she explains. “A lot of people think that making a movie is just an actor, a director, a cameraman, and some lights, but hell no. Crews are about two hundred to three hundred people—there’s about two hundred and thirty on Ozark.”

Her mother eventually left that world in favor of restaurants and her culinary skills also transferred onto Hublitz—though she insists that calling cooking a “passion” is “far too generous.” Nonetheless, she ended up competing on the show MasterChef Junior at the age of twelve, though she’s quick to downplay its importance in her career. “The inference is that I wanted exposure and wanted fame and wanted to be on TV, and that’s completely not what I wanted at all,” she explains. “I auditioned for fun and I happened to get it, I suppose. Being on TV is not something I sought out.”

Eventually, she would make it back onto TV again, but this time fulfilling her true passion of acting. At fifteen, she appeared in two episodes of Louis CK’s Louie and also in an episode of his web series Horace and Pete. “I technically started late in the game for a young actor, but it kind of fell into place in my early teenage years,” she recalls. Despite her limited experience, it was an easy undertaking for Hublitz, who had always felt comfortable in front of the camera: “I find it kind of easy to tune everybody out, especially if you’re with another actor that you’re having a really good scene with or have a good connection with.”

Her love of intensity is what makes Ozark so special for Hublitz. Working closely with Laura Linney, Julia Garner, and Bateman—about whom she notes, “Not everyone is capable of making people laugh or being as witty and smart with his humor as he is, so it’s really great to have him on set.”—as well as the relationships she’s built with the entire crew are points of excitement for her. “We all get along so great on set and what’s amazing, what I’m so happy about, is the same exact crew from season one came back to season two,” she explains, “and those guys are like all of my greatest friends and they’re one of the biggest reasons why I can’t wait to go back to Atlanta if we get a third season.”

Hublitz’s is not the experience you might expect from someone working on such a dark show, but she still manages to channel the apathy of her teenage character, who, in fairness, serves as one of the modicums of normalcy as the family descends into increasingly violent confrontations with drug cartels. Though Charlotte’s life is upended, she responds less with fear and more with annoyance. “That’s one of the differences between Charlotte and myself, she’s so kind of ‘I don’t care’ even though death is knocking on their front door more often than not,” Hublitz explains. “I would definitely be scared shitless, but she seems a bit more aloof.” In the recently debuted second season, Charlotte’s character grows and becomes more accustomed to her unique situation. “You can see her get more comfortable with her new life and see her relationships with other characters blossom throughout the season in a way that you didn’t necessarily see in season one, so it’s nice to give Charlotte a little floor time with other characters and see how that evolves.”

For someone relatively new to the industry, Hublitz speaks about acting in a matter-of-fact way, often more excited about the behind-the-scenes work and the relationships she builds on sets rather than the performing itself. That type of comfort often comes from a more seasoned professional—and people who are truly students of the craft. “Right now I write, but it’s more an exercise for my downtime,” she explains. “I don’t like the word ‘dream,’ it’s tacky, but it’s something I’m very interested in. Everybody knows that I’m not comfortable unless I’m doing twenty-five things at once, so I’m always going to need that stimulation. For selfish reasons, directing offers that. I love the control and the collaboration more than anything.” Acting might be where Hublitz shines now, but her sights are set on much more, and a life lived on and around sets leaves plenty of promise for her ambitious ways.

Ozark is now streaming on Netflix.