Season 6, Episode 38: Interview with Siiri Solalinna (Tinja) from “Hatching” (2022)

I was thrilled to have sat down with the breakout star of the critically acclaimed 2022 horror hit, Hatching. Making her acting debut in a feature film is hard enough but doing it while playing a dual role—one a repressed gymnast, and the other a terrifying, blood-soaked monster—is next level. Siiri Solalinna did exactly that, delivering a performance that critics have called both heartbreaking and terrifying. Even though this was her breakout role, she beat out over a thousand other applicants who auditioned – apparently, the casting director chose Sirri because she has the talent.

We dove into how she landed the role, what it’s actually like acting opposite a giant animatronic bird, and how she navigated such a heavy story at such a young age. We also spoke about how she had to mentally switch between the two personalities she had to portray, her background in sports and how it helped set her up for the filming experience, and the makeup process.

A massive thank you to Siiri Solalinna for taking the time to pull back the curtain on such a complex and unforgettable film. It’s amazing to hear how much practical movie magic and intense psychological prep went into creating one of the most memorable movie monsters in recent years.

You can stream Hatching right now on Amazon Plus, Sling TV, Google Play, and YouTube. Thanks so much for listening/watching, and we’ll see you in the next episode!