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While we anxiously await the next season of Stranger Things and It: Chapter Two, there’s another 1980s-fueled pulse-pounder out in theaters now that should quench your thirst for Reagan-era thrills and chills. The name of the flick is Summer of ’84, and in case you can’t tell from the title, it’s set during the very same year that brought us Ghostbusters, Gremlins and The Karate Kid, along with being drenched with a retro-synthwave soundtrack.
The story follows four teenage boys who become convinced that their neighbor is the serial killer they’re hearing about all over the news. Equipped with walkie-talkies and other obvious 1980s movie gadgetry, like a VHS camcorder, the teens, who are more like the Hardy Boys than the Goonies, take it upon themselves to investigate, and things don’t always go as planned. In fact, things sometimes get downright dangerous. But thankfully, there is, of course, a girl next door, who is not only the object of desire for the amorous teens, but she’s also the voice of reason, and she develops a special bond with our young lead hero, Davey (Fargo‘s Graham Verchere). Her name is Nikki, and she’s played by 23-year-old Canadian actress Tiera Skovbye, who you may also know as Polly from Riverdale and Robin from Once Upon a Time.
Summer of 84—out now in select theaters and available on VOD, Digital and Blu-ray on August 24—is directed by a trio known as RKSS (Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell), the same trinity who brought us 2015’s post-apocalyptic Turbo Kid. One of the producers, Jameson Parker, also happens to be Skovbye’s fiancé, which ultimately led to her scoring an audition during the casting process. But Summer of 84 isn’t her first big break. At a young age, long before she even landed roles on Riverdale and Once Upon a Time, Skovbye was randomly discovered by a talent scout while simply attending a fair in Vancouver. Not long after, she was booking small acting gigs and eventually got into modeling. Thanks to that life-changing day, her career is blossoming rapidly, and lucky for us, she radiates the screen with both talent and natural beauty. Watch her emotional scenes in Riverdale, and you’ll see what we mean. Thank you, talent scout, whoever you are.
We recently caught up with Skovbye to talk about her new movie, and she tells Playboy what it was like taking direction from a trio of directors, how she prepares for emotional scenes, what’s next for Riverdale and how she chooses to engage with her fan base on social media.
Can you tell us how you first heard of the Summer of 84 project and landed the role of Nikki?
For me, this project is a special one. My fiancé actually produced it, so I got to see the whole movie, the funding and everything come to life, which was really cool. I read the script way before the casting process happened. I told my fiancé, “When the time comes, I would love the opportunity to audition for this,” because Nikki, she’s a really cool character, and she initially comes off as your typical girl next door, but in her scenes with Davey, she’s a bit more vulnerable and has more going on than meets the eye.
The movie is set in 1984. I know you didn’t live through the 1980s, but were you a fan of the decade before taking on this role?
I definitely am, and I think a big thing that helps me get into a different time period is the hair, makeup and wardrobe. Once I got an outfit and got a feel for what I would be wearing, it helped me embody what that time period was like. Also, going through the script and having an understanding that if this story were to take place now, we’d have cell phones and things might be easier. The boys would have cell phones instead of walkie-talkies, and they’d be able to text each other. That kind of stuff. So for me, it was very interesting going through that and really experiencing the difference between now and then.
This movie is directed by a trio known as RKSS. What was it like for you being directed by three people? I would imagine this was your first time experiencing that, since it’s pretty much unheard of.
Initially, I was like, “Oh, my God, this is going to be insane. There are way too many cooks in the kitchen. I’m going to lose my mind.” But honestly, it wasn’t crazy. They have it so down to a science. They all work so well together. They all have their own individual jobs on set. And actually, only one of them speaks to the actors, which I think is really good because you don’t have three people coming at you, telling you different things. They kind of talk amongst themselves in a group, and then they disperse, and each has their own person to talk to. Like, Anouk would talk to wardrobe, and then François would talk to the DP, and then Yoann would talk to us actors. Nothing ever got lost in the shuffle.
You’re the object of desire of the four boys in this movie, and there’s one funny scene where you catch them spying on you as you are about to undress. Nikki is very aware that they’re checking her out in other scenes, too, but plays coy. Have you ever had any real life moments like that?
I haven’t had anything like that like with a neighbor at my own home, but I’ve definitely had it out in places where you kind of catch people staring. I actually had an experience with somebody in a bar that was kind of like that. But what I actually really love about the way that it happens in the script is that Davey ends up defending Nikki. He’s like, “Hey, don’t talk about her like that.” For him, there’s more to her than that. That’s what makes it so cool. They could’ve easily just left Nikki very sexualized, but they didn’t. They brought a realness to her, and she just wasn’t an object to these guys’ imagination.
Lucky for Nikki, the killer in this movie only targets teenage males. But there’s one scene where your character willingly goes into the wolves’ den with Davey, and you guys make a grotesque discovery. How are you around realistic blood and gore?
I’ve done a couple of indie-thrillers with blood and gore and stuff like that. Initially, I look at it as kind of creepy, but I also find it fascinating. I really love watching set decorators make things like that. But once you get past the fact that this is a set, and this is what somebody made, and you put yourself into the mind-set that these sorts of things happen in real life, seeing it from that angle, it’s totally creepy.
You’ve had some interesting roles these past few years. In Riverdale, your character Polly has dealt with teen pregnancy, finding out her boyfriend was murdered, bearing the children of a third cousin, her parents sending her away. In Summer of 84, Nikki is dealing with a neighbor being a possible serial killer, all while her parents are going through a bad divorce. And in your scenes, you can cry waterworks on cue. How do you deal with the heavier subject matter and prepare for your these darker, emotional scenes?
A big thing for me is, I do a combination of using personal triggers to help get to an emotional place, but also, just really, really imagining being in that place and having a real empathy for each character. If you can be really empathetic and put yourself in that place and how these people feel, that really helps me get to that emotional state. It’s not easy. It’s tiring, and sometimes you have a hard time shaking it off, but yeah—it’s what we got to do.
What are your thoughts on Summer of 84’s non-Hollywood ending and overall message? One character in particular is left in a really dark place. The film really makes you think that, yes, you could have a total monster or a wolf in sheep’s clothing in your neighborhood and not know it.
I particularly really like the ending. They could’ve very easily wrapped the whole thing up in a nice bow and left viewers feeling a little more comfortable. What makes the movie so cool is that you’re kind of left questioning your own neighbors, your own reality, that kind of stuff, which is what a really good thriller does. It comes home with you a little bit. You’re kind of looking over your own shoulder. With Davey’s character, it’s really sad. It could’ve ended a different way, where everyone is happy for him, but it doesn’t end that way. In life, that happens—which is terrible and super unfortunate, but that’s what makes a good thriller.
When you wrapped the movie, was there any talk of where it could go next? Maybe a Summer of 85 will be coming soon?
There totally could be one. I don’t know anything, though. We all, of course, talked about it—we all pitched our own ideas of what it could be to the writer, but I have no idea. A part of me is like, Yeah, a sequel could be great, but another part of me is like, Sometimes these movies need to just be one single thing to make it special.
I understand that your career pretty much began when you were discovered by a talent scout while you were out at a fair in Vancouver, which paved the way for where you are today. If that fateful day never happened, what might you be doing for a job right now?
I literally have no idea. [Laughs.] When I was growing up, I thought maybe I wanted to be a teacher or something with kids, because I really like working with kids and I feel that at some point in my life, that’s something I would still like to do or something with animals. As far as a career goes, I really had no idea back then. [Laughs.]
“It could’ve ended a different way, where everyone is happy for him, but it doesn’t end that way. In life, that happens—which is terrible and super unfortunate, but that’s what makes a good thriller.”
You were doing some modeling a while back, too. Do you still do that on the side?
I did a lot more when I was younger. I still do a bit now, but only for companies that I really am passionate about. And they have to be passionate about me as a person representing them as opposed to just kind of being a mannequin for some clothes to hang on.
You keep pretty busy and seem to have projects lined up. How do you keep your personal and professional life balanced? Or do you like keeping super busy?
I do like to keep busy, especially right now. I think it’s really important to keep it going while you have the momentum. I’m really lucky to have a really great support system around me, who never tries to take me away from that, and is nothing but supportive and pushes me towards my goals and my dreams. But I do think it’s important that when you have those downtimes, whether it’s an afternoon or a weekend, to prioritize who you want to be, what you want to do and what’s important to you, because you can get so busy with work and stuff. Whether it’s you needing an afternoon alone, or to spend time with family, I think it’s really important to prioritize.
What do you like doing during your downtime?
Right now, it’s summertime in Vancouver, so it’s really beautiful. So I’m spending as much time outdoors as I can, whether it’s hiking, at the beach, or the lake, stuff like that.
As your career builds momentum, do you have a desire to leave Canada and relocate to Los Angeles?
I feel like inevitably because of my career, I’ll be spending more and more time in L.A. I’m pretty back and forth between the two right now. I think Vancouver will always be home. It’s so close. It’s only a two-and-a-half hour flight, so I could always go back and forth.
Can you give us a tease as to what’s in store for Polly in season three of Riverdale? Have they told you a bit of the story?
I have been told a little bit, but I can’t share too much because it’ll just spoil everything. But Polly is back living at home with the twins, and this mysterious farm that was alluded to so much in season two is—well, let’s just say we explore it, and I think it’s really cool.
You have 624K followers on Instagram and 97K followers on Twitter. Do you have a rule on how much you share or how often you engage with your audience?
I like to share a lot who I am and what I’m doing. I have a rule that I don’t read my direct messages because it’s so easy to get caught up in the negativity that is on there. As much as I know that there are amazing fans out there who are nothing but supportive and loving, there’s also the ones who aren’t. I put out what I want people to see and what I want people to hear. I can’t engage too much because no matter what, it’s never going to be enough, so I try to do that with the content that I post, instead of responding to everybody.
You were on Once Upon a Time as Robin for its last three seasons. Are there any dream projects or other shows you’d like to jump onboard?
I just recently watched Big Little Lies, and I know there’s a second season coming. A show like that—eventually, one day—that’s filled with very important and real content, and something that’s brutally hard to watch but has such strong female actors working together, would be a beyond-amazing experience. Also, something really fun like GLOW would be really cool too. Again, a bunch of kick-ass women, but more hilarious. I love that. Alison Brie, I think she’s amazing.