Bootleg Betty
Video Interview: Thora Birch on Taking Career Risks — From Hocus Pocus to The Chronology of Water
By Collider Ladies Night
Jan 6, 2026
Thora Birch reflects on career-defining roles, creative risk-taking, and what drew her to Kristen Stewart’s feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water. From Hocus Pocus and American Beauty to Ghost World and beyond, Birch has built a career defined by bold choices — and in this episode of Collider Ladies Night, she opens up about the realities behind those decisions. I’ve interviewed many incredible actors on Collider Ladies Night, but Thora Birch is different — I grew up watching her. 00:00 Dicey Questions 07:54 Introduction 08:29 Filming with Don Johnson & Melanie Griffith 10:31 Thora’s Parents 13:00 American Beauty 15:08 Harrison Ford, Bette Midler 17:00 Hocus Pocus 20:33 Owning Her Talent Without Apology 23:14 Thora’s Acting Techniques 25:45 Imogen Poots 27:19 Being Accused of Stealing a Bit 28:25 Ghost World 30:06 What a BAFTA Nomination Didn’t Prepare Her For 31:50 Why She Started Choosing the Unexpected 33:22 Put Thora in a Comedy! 33:42 Taking a Break from Acting 36:42 Making Her Directing Debut 38:48 Self-Care as an Actor 39:49 Chronology of Water 43:35 Kristen Stewart 45:55 Imogen Poots 47:13 20 Second Rehearsals 48:37 Immersive Sets 49:52 Thora Wants Projects to Surprise Her 51:01 Now and Then & Chronology of Water #hocuspocus #americanbeauty #kristenstewart #ghostworld #acting
