Sophie Henderson has long been a distinctive voice in Aotearoa’s screen and stage landscape. From Fantail to Baby Done, her work is marked by a willingness to explore imperfection with honesty and humour. With her latest project, Workmates—which she both wrote and stars in—Henderson has taken that daring one step further.
“Writing a film is one thing, but getting it made and out to audiences is another,” she says. “Then you get to share it with audiences and the community you made it for and people see themselves in it and are moved by it and it's all worth it. And you sort of forget about all the nightmare bits.”
Workmates began as a personal story, rooted in Henderson’s years running the Basement Theatre. While it started as autobiographical fiction, the film grew into something larger: a portrait the blurred line between devotion to art, craft and self-destruction. Henderson describes playing the lead character as “incredibly vulnerable.”
“It's always vulnerable to share your work, but this feels like one of my most personal films. And I know the character is badly behaved and it reflects on me as a person.”
“There's an imperfect thing and you're fronting that person. I pushed her to be that way. I always think about my characters, what's the worst thing they could do? How far would they go to get what they want? And hers is pretty far.”
Embracing Imperfection
Audiences haven’t always found it easy to embrace Henderson’s protagonist. Test screenings revealed a striking divide: younger audiences connected with her, while many older male viewers outright rejected her.
“That was really sad, actually,” Henderson reflects. “We forgive male characters all the time—even when they behave appallingly—but when it comes to women, we still expect them to be perfect just to deserve the role of protagonist.”
“I once heard ‘if the lead in a movie is a woman, then she better be perfect,’ which is why I hate the strong female character idea. I like weak female characters.”
This deliberate embrace of imperfection is central to Workmates. Henderson pushed her character into morally complex territory, asking herself again and again: What’s the worst thing she could do to get what she wants?
“Being in love with someone makes you crazy. Then being devoted to a job in a way that you have nothing else outside of it, that you put your whole self into it, that also makes you crazy. I hope people have empathy for her.”
Making Art at the Bottom of the World
“I was surprised we got greenlit,” she admits. “It’s a small film about the theatre world, with unknown actors. But our producer, Sam Snedden, really believed in it. Making a film like this at the bottom of the world, for hardly any money, is hard.”
What’s Next
Alongside celebrating Workmates, Henderson has stepped into a new role as Artistic Director of Auckland’s Silo Theatre. “It feels like coming home,” she says, after a decade immersed in film. With a new building and rehearsal spaces, she’s excited to open the doors to other writers and artists.
And for those aspiring to follow in her footsteps? Henderson’s advice is simple:
“There's something about just living a really big and full life outside of being an actor and being a writer that makes you better at those things.”
Congratulations Sophie, and the entire team of Workmates. It’s brave to make an imperfect character in a world that demands perfection of women, and in reflection upon our conversation, we get to see where men and women still uphold this impossible narrative for women.
Workmates opens in cinemas this Thursday, 21 August. Go see the film and support our fellow wāhine creatives.