Meet Sophie Heffner | Comedian, Actor and Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sophie Heffner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sophie, what inspires you?
I feel like what inspires me can be so unpredictable. Most often, I’m inspired by people who are just really, really good at what they do. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be comedy related, I just love watching people who have worked really hard and have a genuine love for whatever they’re doing. I can always tell which comics have worked the hardest because they’ll kill a room and make it look effortless. I also think people having fun inspires me. When I watch sketch or improv, I find myself being drawn to who’s having the most fun. I’ll sit in the audience and think to myself, “Damn, I wish I was onstage with these people right now.”

On the opposite end of that, I’m also oddly inspired when I see a show that’s just terrible. Those shows do exist, I’ve contributed to more of them than I’d care to admit! Sometimes I’ll see a show that’s so bad, it’s almost beautiful. Especially when the performers know it’s going horribly, but just lean into it anyways. I’ve heard stories of Will Ferrell (another inspiration of mine) bombing a sketch so hard that he’d actually slow the sketch down, just to hold the audience hostage. That’s bad-ass to me. On the performing end, bombing sucks. But when I bomb, I feel such a strong sense of motivation. Like, “Ok, didn’t love how that felt. How can I figure this out so I never feel this way again?” And inevitably, I will feel that way again. But it’s all part of it! Lastly, in the moments where I’m most in my head, I’m inspired by life. Meeting people, hearing their stories, seeing their shows, it all inspires me. It truly is such a weird thing (both doing comedy and being alive), sometimes I just need to remind myself what a gift it is to be on this journey at all.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m still fairly new in the game as a comic, so I’m constantly learning and continuing to find my voice. But something I’ve believed from the start of my comedy career is that at the center of the best comedy, there’s truth. As is the case for most artists, their art if a form of self expression. For me, not only is comedy self expression, but it feels as though it’s the only way for me to make sense of the world. This baffles a lot of people, but I feel the most peace when I’m on stage. I like to talk about my life in my standup, so when an audience connects with that it’s all the more fulfilling. I think I function at my highest when I’m performing. Creating characters and bringing them to life is everything to me. The freedom to be anyone and see the world from their point of view, it’s such a beautiful thing. I love every life I’ve gotten to live through sketch and improv.

I’m most proud of my confidence in myself and the drive I have to keep going. From moving across the country knowing nobody to building my life and career from the ground up is something I’ll always be extremely proud of, and this is still just the beginning. Despite the challenges, I just could never envision myself stopping. There’s truly never been anything else I’ve wanted to do in my life besides comedy, so I’ll spend the rest of my life working as hard as I can to accomplish everything I set my mind to. Looking to the future, I’m so excited to keep collaborating with my friends. They’re all so talented; we’re constantly writing sketches and improvising together. It’s rare to find a group that just as driven and as passionate as you, so I have so much love and respect for this group. I feel so grateful to be coming up in the comedy world with them and I can’t wait to see what we’ll continue to create.

There’s still so much I don’t know (and maybe never will) but I do know this: never stop learning, never stop wanting to be better and always, ALWAYS keep going. Let your dream outweigh the uncertainty of the world around you and just get after it every day. There will always be a struggle, but just trust in the journey and most importantly HAVE FUN! None of it matters if you’re not having fun.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Although I’ve been in LA for two years now, I still sometimes feel like a tourist myself. I’ve loved exploring the city and there’s still so much I still want to see! I don’t have many suggestions (honestly I’m open to suggestions anyone may have), but my favorite parts of LA are probably West Hollywood and Silver Lake. I’m also partial to the Valley because that’s where I spent the first year and a half of my time in LA. All very basic – I know!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am or even have the means to be pursuing what I’m pursuing if not for the support of my parents. They’ve always had an unparalleled belief in me, even when I told them at 19 I was moving across the country to pursue comedy. They’ve always been my biggest advocates, so thank you Mom and Dad! To my hometown friends who have rooted for me from the start, this is for you and for Syracuse!

I’ll always dedicate a piece of everything I do to every teacher and mentor I’ve had along the way. To my teachers who helped foster my creativity and passion during my most formative years, thank you. You know who you are. I’ve also been so fortunate to have incredible comedy mentors and teachers from the start. To my standup mentors: Sean Porter, Auggie DeRose-Jones and Heidi Langenfeld (to name a few), thank you for taking me in from my very first open mic and for bringing me into this world. You all continue to give me opportunities and I can’t wait until I can return the favor…that day is coming! And to all of the other comics who have taken the time to guide me along the way, I have the utmost respect and love for y’all! Finally, to all of my Groundlings teachers/mentors: you all have changed my life more than you’ll ever know. I’ve learned the biggest lessons not only about improv and sketch, but about life. I’ve always been big on finding family in uncommon places, and The Groundlings has given me that and more. This community has given me my best friends and best memories. So a huge thank you to everyone I’ve watched and learned from, this ride has truly been a dream come true!

Instagram: @sophheffner

Other: Tik Tok: @sophheffner

Image Credits
Leah Huebner (Huebner Headshots)