“First Kill” Star Sarah Catherine Hook Talks Harry Styles and Queer Vampire Love

In our Q&A series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favourite celebs – from the last time they were starstruck to the last song they listened to. This week, Sarah Catherine Hook takes our call.

In Netflix’s “First Kill,” which drops on June 10, Sarah Catherine Hook plays a teenage vampire who falls in love with a vampire slayer – so it’s definitely complicated. The 27-year-old actor has long been a fan of vampire stories, and she’s excited to bring a new tale to the screen, especially one with such a fresh twist.

“I was always present in the vampire world and the horror world, too,” she tells POPSUGAR. “I was a huge ‘Vampire Diaries’ fan. I loved Twilight. ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ is one of my favourite movies and TV shows. So I feel like I have a good understanding of the vampire community.”

“First Kill” is a particularly unique take on the well-worn vampire genre, largely because it centres around a queer relationship. “I feel like the queer community totally deserves this,” Hook says. “I feel like for some reason, the queer community plus vampires . . . just makes sense. Those two combined – something clicks about it.” Hook is well aware of the responsibility she’s taking on. “I know that both Imani [Lewis] and myself really wanted to get this right,” she says. “What we love more than anything about this show is that their queerness was normal. It was never questioned, and it was even celebrated. So I’m very excited for queer audiences to see themselves in these characters.”

With her role as Juliette, Hook found a gem of a character to sink her teeth into (no pun intended), and she does it excellently, portraying her character with nuance and verve. Her connection to Juliette runs deep. “When I was 16, I was a lot more outgoing than Juliette,” Hook says, “but now that as I’ve gotten older, I feel like I relate to her more than ever. I was actually really, really shy when I was little, and I feel like I’m kind of reverting back to that. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic or whatever it is, but I feel very close to her these days. I feel like I kind of relate to her quirkiness and her little awkward moments as well. I honestly adore those kinds of roles in other movies and TV shows, so it was truly such a treat to play her.”

Keep reading to see what else Hook has to say about vampires, Harry Styles, and other cultural touchstones.

Who was the last “First Kill” costar you texted?

Imani. I was literally just texting her.

When was the last time you were starstruck?

I was just at an Elle party, and there were so many people who I admire. It was quite overwhelming. Just being in that room with everyone, I was unwell. I’m even so embarrassed to say this but toward the end of the night, I worked up the courage to say hi to her, but I just absolutely adore Pauline Chalamet. I thought she was amazing in “Sex Lives of College Girls” and had to tell her how much I love her. She was definitely the one that I was most excited to meet.

What was the last vampire show you watched or vampire book you read?

“What We Do in the Shadows” is probably the last vampire show I watched. Actually, that’s not even true; I just watched “First Kill.” I’ve now watched the whole season. So I guess we’ll say “First Kill.” [As for] the last vampire book, I read a short story the other day with Imani for one of the videos that we did. I’m really supporting “First Kill” right now.

What was the last show you binge-watched?

Oh, I just binge-watched “The Dropout.” I keep telling everyone to watch it, too. I was just on the phone with my brother, and I was like, “Why haven’t you watched this?”

What was the last book you read?

The last book I read was “Three Women” by Lisa Taddeo. I just finished it last week. I love her writing a lot. Her writing style is really special.

What was the last song that you listened to?

Harry Styles’s whole new album, “Harry’s House.” “Boyfriends” [was] the last one I was listening to. It’s Harry Day.

What’s the last photo on your phone?

It’s a screenshot on my Peloton app, and it says “20 Minute Harry Styles Core Strength.” I was sending it to my best friend because of Harry Day. This is proof that it is Harry Styles Day.

What was the last gift that you received?

My sweet publicist, Amanda, gave me these really cute earrings. Her roommate makes jewelry, and they gifted me these precious little heart earrings for press day.

What was the last thing you did for self-care?

I went to the gym today, and they have these hydro massage chairs – and I was like, “I’m going to do it today.” I haven’t done it yet since joining this gym, [but] I was like, “I’m going to give myself a nice 10-minute massage.”

What was the last trip you went on?

I went to Joshua Tree recently. I went camping there; it was for my birthday, actually. It was really beautiful. I’d never been. We had a tent, a fire, everything. Honestly, next time I go, I want to do a yurt. I’ve heard those are really cool, but I wanted to camp for my first time.

What was the last piece of advice you received that changed your life?

Honestly, I’ve been learning so much from my publicist. [She’s been saying], “You don’t have to give people your whole life. You decide what you want to share about yourself.” I liked that because sometimes, I genuinely don’t know. I’m very new to this type of stuff. I’m just learning how to be in this industry.