Honestly, walking into a Wes Anderson movie is like stepping into a highly organized dollhouse where every piece of furniture has been dusted twice. You know what you're getting. The pastel symmetry. The deadpan delivery. The feeling that everyone on screen is just a little bit lonelier than they’re letting on. But in the 2023 desert-bound fever dream that is Asteroid City, it wasn't the usual suspects like Jason Schwartzman or Scarlett Johansson that felt the most grounded.
It was Sophia Lillis.
You probably know her as the girl with the short hair and the heavy stare from the IT movies. Or maybe you caught her as the telekinetic teen in I Am Not Okay With This before Netflix unceremoniously pulled the plug. In Asteroid City, she plays Shelly, one of the Junior Stargazers. And while the movie is packed with about fifty different Hollywood A-listers all competing for your attention, Lillis does something remarkably quiet. She just... exists.
Who exactly is Shelly Borden?
Shelly is the daughter of Sandy Borden (played by Hope Davis). Within the weird, meta-layered onion of the film, Shelly is a Junior Stargazer awardee. She’s part of that group of hyper-intelligent kids who converge on a tiny town in the middle of nowhere to show off inventions that probably shouldn't be possible in the 1950s.
She’s a genius. But she’s a Wes Anderson genius, which means she’s also a bit of a social misfit.
The thing about Sophia Lillis in Asteroid City is that she isn't there to chew the scenery. She’s a "brainiac" kid who looks like she’s seen a bit too much of the world already. In a cast that features Tom Hanks as a grumpy grandfather and Jeff Goldblum as—well, an alien—Lillis manages to hold her own by doing less.
Breaking down the Junior Stargazer vibe
There’s a specific energy required for this movie. You have to be able to say things like "I think I might be an astro-geologist" with the same emotional weight most people use to order a coffee.
- Lillis wears the uniform like it’s her second skin.
- She nails the "thousand-yard stare" of a kid who understands physics better than feelings.
- Her interactions with the other kids (played by Jake Ryan, Ethan Josh Lee, and Aristou Meehan) feel like a weirdly intellectual summer camp.
Most critics didn't spend pages talking about her, which is kinda a shame. If you look closely at the scenes in the crater, Shelly is often the anchor. While the adults are busy having existential crises about their dead wives or their failing acting careers, the kids are actually dealing with the fact that a literal alien just stole their meteorite.
The "Shelly and Lucretia" Confusion
If you’ve spent any time looking at the credits of the film, you might notice something weird. Some sources list her as Shelly, others as Lucretia Shaver.
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Here’s the deal. Asteroid City isn't just a movie about a town. It’s a televised production about the making of a play called Asteroid City. It’s a play-within-a-show-within-a-movie.
Basically, Sophia Lillis is playing an actress who is playing the character Shelly. In the "real world" of the film (which is shot in black and white), her name is Lucretia Shaver. In the "play" (the colorful desert scenes), she is Shelly.
Confused? Don't worry. Everyone was.
That’s the beauty of Wes Anderson. He doesn't want you to just watch a story; he wants you to watch the construction of a story. Lillis fits this aesthetic perfectly because she has an "old soul" face. She looks like she could have stepped out of a 1950s theater troupe. She has this naturally cinematic quality where she doesn't need to speak to tell you that her character is probably overthinking everything.
Why this role was a pivot for Lillis
Before this, Lillis was the "horror girl." She was Beverly Marsh. She was Gretel. She was always the kid in the middle of a nightmare.
Asteroid City allowed her to be funny. Or, at least, Anderson-level funny, which is a very specific type of dry, observational humor.
It was a total departure from the blood-splattered bathrooms of Derry. Seeing her in a scouting-style uniform, arguing about scientific theories, proved she has the range to be a character actress, not just a genre star.
The Dungeons & Dragons Connection
Interestingly, 2023 was a massive year for her. She didn't just have the indie-darling Asteroid City on her resume; she was also Doric the Tiefling druid in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
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Think about that range for a second.
On one hand, she’s a shapeshifting warrior in a massive blockbuster. On the other, she’s a deadpan teen in a stylized art-house film. Most actors would struggle to balance those two worlds, but she makes it look easy. It’s that New York acting training, probably. She’s an alumna of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and it shows. She has that discipline.
What most people get wrong about her performance
People often say that Wes Anderson "washes out" the personality of his actors. They claim everyone just becomes a puppet for his symmetry.
But if you watch the way Shelly watches the sky, it’s not robotic. It’s curious. Lillis brings a specific kind of wonder to the role that balances the cynicism of the adults. She’s part of the "brainy kid" collective that ultimately acts as the heart of the film.
They are the only ones who aren't afraid of the unknown.
When the alien shows up, the adults freak out or try to monetize it or hide it. The kids? They just want to document it. Shelly is a huge part of that dynamic. She represents the side of humanity that just wants to know why.
A quick look at her 2023-2025 run:
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023): Playing Doric. Total badass.
- The Adults (2023): Playing Maggie. A much more intimate, family-focused drama with Michael Cera.
- Asteroid City (2023): Shelly/Lucretia. The quirky intellectual peak.
- Trap House (2025): Deni Matthews. Moving into more action-oriented territory with Dave Bautista.
Why you should rewatch it (just for her)
If you’ve already seen the movie once, you probably got distracted by the vibrant orange sand and the sheer number of famous faces. It’s easy to do.
The second time you watch it, pay attention to the Stargazers.
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There is a scene where they are all sitting together, testing out their inventions. The way Lillis delivers her lines—fast, precise, but with a hint of teenage awkwardness—is a masterclass in tone. She knows exactly what movie she is in.
She isn't trying to be the "lead." She’s trying to be a part of the ensemble, and in a Wes Anderson world, the ensemble is the star.
Final takeaways for the Sophia Lillis fan
If you're tracking her career, this movie is the moment she became "industry-certified." Being cast by Anderson is a badge of honor. It means you’re "actor's actor" material.
So, what’s next?
Check out her performance in The Adults if you want to see her do something grounded and raw. Then, go back and watch Asteroid City again, specifically the scene where the kids are in the classroom with Maya Hawke's character.
Watch how Lillis reacts to the chaos around her. It’s in those small moments—the tilts of the head, the slight adjustments of her glasses—that you see why she’s one of the best of her generation.
She doesn't need to scream to be heard. She just needs to look at the stars and tell us what she sees.
Next steps for your viewing list:
- Compare her performance in Asteroid City to her role in I Am Not Okay With This to see how she handles "smart but awkward" in two totally different genres.
- Look for the behind-the-scenes footage of the Asteroid City set in Spain; it gives a great look at how the young cast bonded.
- Keep an eye out for her 2025 projects like Trap House and the series All Her Fault to see her shift into more "adult" roles.