Thora Birch’s Early Life and Breakthrough as a Child Actor:
Thora Birch will make her debut as a character in Mayfair Witches in the second episode of the AMC series’ second season on Jan. 12, but this won’t be her first encounter with Anne Rice’s pulpy supernatural universe. In the early '90s, when she was a child actor known for her performances in family films such as All I Want for Christmas and Hocus Pocus, Birch recalls being considered for the role of Claudia, a child blood-sucker, in Neil Jordan’s 1994 film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire.
Thora Birch, 42, informs PEOPLE, “I had several meetings with the director.” However, Birch, at the age of 12, was not prepared to portray an adult woman trapped in a little girl’s body, and the part eventually went to Kirsten Dunst.
„Damals war ich in vielerlei Hinsicht noch recht naiv“, erinnert sich Birch. “As a child actor, I matured quickly, but there were still aspects of that character and demands placed on her that felt too mature for me or that I couldn’t relate to. There was no basis for comparison in my own experience for the deeper, more intricate feelings that character had to represent. It felt a bit icky to me. However, I did love it. I’m a huge fan of the film and the series.
With Mayfair Witches, Thora Birch finally has the opportunity to step into Rice’s interconnected gothic world. The actress acknowledges that her familiarity with the late author’s trilogy of novels about a dynasty of wealthy New Orleans witches was not as great as her familiarity with Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. However, she states that the first season of AMC’s television adaptation “kind of sucked me in.”
Die Welt von Anne Rice liebe ich“, sagt sie. “I truly value her approach of regarding New Orleans as a character in its own right, and the show gains considerable advantages from being located there. It’s gorgeous visual allure, amusing characters, and themes that remain timeless: the occult, alchemy, you know? It’s alluring material.
Thora Birch enters season 2, which loosely adapts Rice’s 1993 novel Lasher, playing the role of Gifford Mayfair, a distant cousin of Rowan (Alexandra Daddario), the show’s head witch in charge. Thora Birch describes the character in the show, saying, “She’s part of the Mayfair empire and she’s a very wealthy, prominent figure in the world.” „Aber hätte sie auch nur ein Viertel von Rowans Kräften, wäre sie, glaube ich, überglücklich.“
„Sie hat dieses Gefühl einer bevorstehenden Katastrophe, und sie kann nicht sagen, ob es sie selbst betrifft oder ihre Familie oder etwas Größeres, aber sie weiß, dass etwas kommt“, fährt sie fort. “However, it’s expected that she would say that regardless, as she is so eager to be involved in it all—the supernatural powers and everything.” Due to this, she has become more socially reclusive. It seems she and her husband don’t get along very well; she has been retreating to her beach house and becoming a bit more reclusive.
Thora Birch’s casting as a Mayfair witch, of course, has a metatextual element. In Disney’s Hocus Pocus, she played one of her early roles that stood out the most, going up against a trio of comically eccentric sorceresses portrayed by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. However, Thora Birch states that she didn’t think of the link to the 1993 cult Halloween favorite when she accepted the role of Gifford.
It was more of a question like, ‘Would you be interested in playing in this space, entering the Anne Rice world, revisiting work with AMC, and enjoying the experience with Jack Huston, whom I’ve known for some time?’ ” she says. “On multiple levels, it just clicked. While Hocus Pocus is certainly included in that, it wasn’t the first thing I thought of. It was more along the lines of, ‘This is an interesting character in an enjoyable world.’”
Hocus Pocus is among the many films featuring Birch that have become iconic for her generation. Her career trajectory includes distinct milestones that correspond to the coming-of-age of millennials, with All I Want for Christmas and Hocus Pocus symbolizing childhood, Monkey Trouble and Now and Then representing adolescence, and American Beauty and Ghost World capturing the angst of the teenage years.
Thora Birch attributes this phenomenon partly to the monoculture of the 1990s, prior to the advent of the Internet and streaming services, which diversified people’s viewing habits. Because everyone was consuming the same content, we all shared a common point of reference,” she explains. Was den Werdegang meiner Person angeht, so sehe ich – wie bei vielen, die so früh angefangen haben – eine Spiegelung von Berufs- und Privatleben.“ All the points you mentioned were aspects of my real-time experience, and I indeed grew up in front of the camera.
Birch notes that as millennials move into mid-life, there has been a renewed appreciation for Now and Then. The dramedy from 1995 showcases a dual narrative that revolves around four women (portrayed by Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, and Rita Wilson) reminiscing about their childhood during the 1970s. Alongside Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffmann, and the late Ashleigh Aston Moore, Birch portrayed the younger version of Griffith’s character.
Birch states, “It was a film that had a significant impact at the time, particularly among young girls.” “But then, I’m not sure, it wasn’t something I heard about often. Now it appears that the fans are remembering it, taking it down from the shelf, and sharing it with younger audiences. I feel like there’s a lot of love emerging.”
This could be partly attributed to rumors, which were fueled by the recent reunion of Griffith, Moore, O’Donnell, and Wilson at Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood celebration in November, suggesting a possible sequel. Birch states for the record that she would be “intrigued” to see how a sequel would work and that she has “heard some rumors about some pretty prominent writers who may be interested in giving a project like that their own creative shot. At the moment, however, Birch is thrilled about her present era.
She debuted as a director in 2022 with the Lifetime original film The Gabby Petito Story, and she aspires to direct several upcoming projects, including an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 2004 novel Mr. Paradise and Mother Truckers, which she characterizes as “a very broad female-driven comedy.” She appeared with Imogen Poots in the summer of last year in the upcoming biopic The Chronology of Water, which is based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir and marks Kristen Stewart’s first foray into directing.
Birch states that she would like to explore more comedic roles as a performer. However, she is at the same time reluctant to characterize this phase of her career.
She explains, “I try to avoid saying, ‘Oh, I only want to make this kind of movie or that kind of movie,’ because it’s enjoyable to explore all the different spaces.” “I attempt to avoid making a large plan. That approach works for many, but personally, I’ve found it’s better not to delve too deeply into manifestation. It’s important to remain open to the new surprises the universe will bring you.