All About Sophie Thatcher's Twin Ellie Thatcher (And Their Artistic Bond)

Mar. 15, 2025

Sophie Thatcher and Ellie Thatcher at the Jason Wu fashion show during New York Fashion Week at The Guggenheim Museum on February 12, 2023 in New York City.Photo:Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty Images

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty Images

Sophie Thatcher’s twin Ellie is one of her biggest inspirations.

TheYellowjacketsactress and her twin were raised in Evanston, Ill. Their parents welcomed two children, Alexander and Emma, before giving birth to identical twins Ellie and Sophie on Oct. 18, 2000. They were raised as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known less formally as the Mormon Church.

Although they grew up collaborating artistically, going down individual creative paths as adults — Ellie with visual arts, Sophie with acting — “made them a stronger pair,” Sophie toldPolyester Zinein April 2023. “It helped us form a tighter bond because to some extent — it feels like I get to see myself and what could have been if I had chosen a different artistic route.”

The same month in 2023, Sophie toldStory and Rainthat they “really fuel each other” as artists. “There’s nobody else in the world that I trust more than them, and I trust their taste. We basically have the same exact taste,” she said.

Here’s everything to know about Sophie Thatcher’s twin Ellie and their sibling relationship.

They grew up members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Ellie and Sophie Thatcher attend the Givenchy Menswear Spring Summer 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week on June 22, 2022 in Paris, France.Stephane Cardinale-Corbis/Corbis/Getty Images

Stephane Cardinale-Corbis/Corbis/Getty Images

Sophie and Ellie spent their childhood in Evanston, Ill., a suburb located just outside of Chicago. They both attended Evanston Township High School.

“In Chicago, there weren’t a lot of Mormons in the town growing up,” Sophie toldHungermagazinein 2022. “I grew up expecting everyone to be Mormon and nobody was. It isolated me and my twin even more so.”

Sophie is no longer a member of the church.“I don’t think it’s evil, I just don’t think it’s right for me,” Sophie toldHungermagazine.“Working was a good way to get me out of going to church.”

However, Sophie partly credits the Mormon church for her creative path. “You grow up with a lot of art and musicality within the Mormon church,” she toldTalkhousein October 2023. The actress also indicated toTalkhousein the same interview that Ellie is not a member of the church anymore either, saying, “Ellie is not Mormon at all.”

They come from a big — and very artistic — family

Ellie and Sophie Thatcher.Sophie Bathsheba Thatcher/Instagram

Sophie Bathsheba Thatcher/Instagram

Sophie toldStory and Rainin 2023 that she grew up with a large family. “I have endless cousins, and they’re all in Utah, in Idaho. Everyone’s very musical, that’s how I grew up,” she explained to the outlet.

In October 2023, Sophie revealed toTalkhousethat her mom and dad both have seven siblings.

While her mom’s current occupation is unknown, Sophie toldStory and Rainthat her mother played piano and later revealed toInterviewmagazine in Sept. 2024 that she was a piano teacher. According tohis Instagram, their older brother Alexander is a writer. Meanwhile,their older sister Emmais an award-winning filmmaker, actor and photographer.

Seeing Emma perform in school productions when they were kids inspired Sophie and Ellie to put on plays of their own in their living room. “I thought it was the most magical thing in the world,” Sophie toldELLEin May 2024. “I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”

Sophie has described herself and Ellie as feeling “like outcasts”

Sophie toldStory and Rainthat returning to Utah to see family was “refreshing.”

“They’re all weird. I always thought that me and Ellie came out of nowhere. Wedidn’tcome out of nowhere; we came from feeling like all of them, feeling out like outcasts,” she said.

Sophie revealed toHungerthat growing up, it seemed as though they were the only people into art and other creative endeavours, which naturally made them feel a bit different.

“I think we just embraced that right off the bat, being twins and being weird,” SophietoldTeen Voguein February 2022.“Both of us were just always drawing, always telling stories.”

Ellie is a multimedia performance artist

Growing up, the twins were always creative together. As they got older, Sophie pursued acting, while her twin focused on visual arts such as painting, photography, music and videography.

“I think they’re the most talented person,” Sophie toldInStylein May 2023. “They make Claymations everybody should watch — they did this new video for Avey Tare, the guy from Animal Collective and I love his music, and the video’s fantastic.”

In June 2024, under the name Junk DNA, Elliereleased an albumtitledPlains of Radiance,which she described in a Instagram post as being 18 minutes long and “consisting of stop motion, found footage and claymation music videos.”

Ellie and Sophie starred in a music video together

The twins starred in a music video that award-winning directorJessica Redishcreated for The Lincoln Square’sBrighter Daysin 2016.

This wasn’t their first time in front of the camera together. According toWMagazine, the twins split the role of Rebecca Gibbs in the playOur Townwhen they were children.

Ellie is one of Sophie’s biggest supporters and comforters

Ellie and Sophie Thatcher attend “The Tomorrow Man” Premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on January 30, 2019.George Pimentel/Getty Images

George Pimentel/Getty Images

Sophie revealed toStory and Rainthat Ellie is the first person she sends something new to. “I know that they’ll be honest, always,” she said. “I can’t imagine not having Ellie.”

“Being a twin makes you naturally competitive. But they’re so encouraging of me in terms of my drawing,” she toldStory and Rain. “They’ll give me tips because they’ve been doing it longer.”

Sophie also brought Ellie along to New Orleans while filmingThe Boogeyman.“I was like, this is a really hard week and I need somebody that I don’t have to have a filter around," the actresstoldMetalmagazinein June 2023, adding that her twin, “can just be in the room and instantly bring me comfort.”

“It was very important for me to remain grounded and reminded that I’m not my character and I’m not actually experiencing these things,” SophietoldELLEmagazine.

Ellie attended New York Fashion Week 2023 with Sophie

Sophie Thatcher and Ellie Thatcher at the Jason Wu show during New York Fashion Week at Guggenheim Museum on February 12, 2023 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Ellie attended New York Fashion Week with Sophie in 2023, sitting front row together at Jason Wu’s show at the Guggenheim Museum.

“I wear very intense makeup–kind of unreal, like a fairy–sometimes two dots as eyebrows,” Ellie said.

source: people.com