Still, there\u2019s a good reason for this. Di Martino filmed Sweetheart in September 2019, months before anyone had a hint of her starry superheroic future. Since then, she\u2019s had a baby, gained a Marvel wiki page and (more or less) overnight superstardom. Suffice to say, she\u2019s ending her Sweetheart journey in a very different place from where she began it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just goes to show how long it takes to get an indie film made!\u201d Di Martino laughs when I bring this up over Zoom. \u201cObviously COVID has slowed things down. But it\u2019s actually really nice to have gone away and done Loki, and then come back, and to promote this indie film, which is a super-important story. It\u2019s nice. It\u2019s great to have both things going on.\u201d<\/p>
Certainly, Di Martino\u2019s elevated profile will have brought more attention to this film than it might have otherwise had, a fact she\u2019s sanguine about.<\/p>\n
\u201cLoki has possibly helped, yeah,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd anything I can do to promote an indie film\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
A personal project from writer\/director Marley Morrison, Sweetheart follows a young girl called AJ (Nell Barlow) who\u2019s forced onto a dreary holiday with her family, only to discover love and self-confidence with a female lifeguard working at the camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a heart-warming, funny, cool film, and unlike the usual coming-out story, or your usual coming-of-age story,\u201d Di Martino says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a tiny budget, and I think six years of Marley Morrison\u2019s life have been spent trying to get this film out there. So much blood, sweat and tears have been put into this. Anything I can do to support it and get it out there is just wonderful.<\/p>\n
![\""Sweetheart\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/Sweetheart-cast-5a2c40a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Sweetheart\\"")
<\/div>\u201cI also really believe in the film, because I think it\u2019s just a triumph, especially knowing how little they had to make it. Michelle, the producer, is just a genius. I don\u2019t know how they managed it, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the film, Di Martino plays Lucy, who she describes as the \u201cpregnant princess of Dunstable\u201d and \u201ctotally in her own world\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucy is the elder sister of AJ, who\u2019s the main character,\u201d she explains. \u201cShe\u2019s the centre of the universe. She\u2019s kind of just exasperated by her annoying teenage sister. She\u2019s kind of ridiculous but a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helpfully, at the time Di Martino was actually pregnant in real life, which presumably helped with the film\u2019s micro-budget \u2013 though surprisingly, this was a complete coincidence, and didn\u2019t influence Lucy\u2019s character as written.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a real bump!\u201d she tells me. \u201cIt was just really good timing. Just a happy sort of coincidence that I was actually pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\""Sweetheart"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/Sweetheart-cast-2-ff9d4a7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Sweetheart\\"")
<\/div>She added: \u201cWhen Marley told me there was a part in her feature, I was super-excited to do it, and to work with her again. But I was a little bit worried because I was, you know, three months pregnant, and I didn\u2019t know if that would sort of ruin things, because I would have a bump by the time we were filming.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then she went on to explain that the character is also<\/em> eight months pregnant. I said,\u00a0\u2018I have to play this part! I\u2019m going to save you money on a prosthetic bump!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n More recently, Di Martino made headlines when she revealed that her costumers on Loki had helped design her outfit to help breastfeed her newborn. Despite her positive experiences on Loki and Sweetheart, she notes that, on the whole, the TV and film industry isn\u2019t set up too well for new parents (her partner Will Sharpe is also an actor, and directs for film and TV).<\/p>\n A post shared by Sophia Di Martino (@itssophiadimartino)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \u201cUnfortunately, the workplace isn\u2019t set up for parents at all,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that includes breastfeeding mothers. It was a challenge to do that, and it was all about just figuring out what we needed to do to make it happen. But I think most workplaces are not set up for parents.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that includes men as well. Trying to get home for bedtime isn\u2019t always possible. So much needs to change. I could talk about it all day with flexible working hours, and the cost of childcare, which is a big thing at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to keep people working in any industry, you\u2019ve got to make it more accessible to people who have children, because, otherwise, you know, you\u2019re going to lose them. And it doesn\u2019t need to be that way.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds: \u201cI\u2019m very lucky in the way that my job on Loki supported me as much as they could, from the costume to, you know, actually being able to bring my baby to work.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people can\u2019t do that. So we\u2019re super-grateful and lucky, even though things still need to change and more needs to be done for the majority of people.\u201d<\/p>\n While she\u2019s happy to broach all sorts of topics in our conversation, Di Martino is more guarded speaking about her future in Loki. When I bring up the already-confirmed second season, her smile drops, and she retreats into herself, clearly weighing what she can and can\u2019t say about it.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I know very little,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t think \u2014 I don\u2019t even know if they\u2019ve started writing it yet. Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, I\u2019d love to be involved, but I\u2019m going to kind of\u2026 I\u2019m going to have to wait and see, just like everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Certainly it seems impossible that her character, Sylvie \u2013 an alternate-timeline version of Tom Hiddleston\u2019s Loki, and essentially the co-lead of the series \u2013 will take a back seat when it returns, especially given where the series ended (spoiler alert \u2013 Sylvie may have accidentally created the multiverse).<\/p>\n And even if she hadn\u2019t had such a central role in the story, the fast-rising popularity of the character means Marvel would be fools to sideline her whenever Loki does come back.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was surreal and overwhelming at times,\u201d Di Martino tells me, \u201cbut really lovely, just to see how much the fans were engaging.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd a new audience has been brought in as well. You know, lots of people watched Loki that don\u2019t usually watch that kind of show. That was really nice to see. People seem to really like Sylvie, and it inspired a lot of fan art and kind of edits that people do. It\u2019s just amazing to see it all, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Presumably it couldn\u2019t be further away from a project like Sweetheart?<\/p>\n \u201cObviously there are differences, working on an indie film,\u201d she agrees. \u201cIt\u2019s a much smaller crew. There are less people. So you get more chance to spend it with everyone. You know, you get to hang out with everyone, really, that\u2019s on the cast and crew.<\/p>\n \u201cWhereas on a bigger show, there\u2019s just more people. You just don\u2019t get to spend that much time with people. You don\u2019t get to learn everyone\u2019s name, which is a shame, really. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s quite similar, because it\u2019s just people who are really clever and talented and passionate about making it as good as possible. The process is similar.<\/p>\n \u201cYou all just want to make it as good as you can. You muck in, and you work hard, and then you\u2019re just trying to make the days.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, she\u2019s generally quite cagey about what\u2019s next for her career, whether that means more Loki, or other roles she\u2019s been offered in the wake of this new success.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m allowed to talk about,\u201d she laughs. \u201cI mean, there are exciting things coming, but I can\u2019t really blab about anything. Yeah \u2013 so, there will be stuff. I\u2019m not going to disappear.<\/p>\n\n \u201cThere might be a little thing that [Sweetheart director] Marley and I are working on, yes. There\u2019s definitely been some conversations, some meet-ups. Yeah, definitely, I\u2019d love to work with her again. I think she\u2019s brilliant. I\u2019m definitely along for the ride with Marley.\u201d<\/p>\n Presumably, some of these secret projects are on more of a Loki scale \u2013 and who knows, maybe Bond 27 or AC-12 have her card marked already \u2013 but for now, fans will just have to wait and see what\u2019s next for the erstwhile Lady Loki. Certainly, she\u2019s not keen on giving up her indie movie credentials just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the dream, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she says. \u201cTo be able to, you know, pay the bills, and, at the same time, work on really wonderful films and important stories like Sweetheart.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, the writing on Loki is great as well, though,\u201d she adds hastily. \u201cI just want to work on great projects, and to do a mixture of things is always great.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughs a little. \u201cThough I mean, I just take what I\u2019m given.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, being an actor, or any kind of artist, I guess you can\u2019t really have a plan. You never know what\u2019s going to happen. You just have to go along with it, and keep working hard, and keep hoping that you\u2019ll be offered work, and you can pay your bills. When something like [Loki] happens for me, it\u2019s always just a really lovely surprise and opportunity. I just run with it, and say yes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just been a really lovely surprise, really. The whole thing. The whole career, from the first time I got paid for acting, right up until now \u2013 it\u2019s just been a really nice surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n Sweetheart is in UK cinemas now. For more, check out our dedicated Movies<\/a> page or our full TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Loki star is the \u201cpregnant Princess of Dunstable\u201d in new movie Sweetheart \u2013 but she\u2019s keeping quiet about her MCU future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":4897,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/sophia-di-martino-on-playing-a-pregnant-princess-in-sweetheart-and-whats-next-for-loki.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Loki star is the \u201cpregnant Princess of Dunstable\u201d in new movie Sweetheart \u2013 but she\u2019s keeping quiet about her MCU future.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/4896"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Tom\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/loki_sylvie_tom_hiddleston_sophia_di_martino-1-64a4b07.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"loki_sylvie_tom_hiddleston_sophia_di_martino\\"")
<\/div>![\""Loki"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Lady-Loki-cropped-4d7f671.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Lady\\"")
<\/div>
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