Phoebe Dynevor, known globally for her breakout role in Netflix’s Bridgerton, is currently making waves with a demanding turn in the Adam McKay-produced, Tommy Wirkola-directed shark thriller Thrash, premiering April 10 on Netflix. This role, marked by intense physical discomfort and harrowing survival scenarios, underscores a deliberate shift in Dynevor’s career toward more challenging and diverse projects. Concurrently, anticipation builds for her role in Remain, a unique supernatural love story born from an unexpected collaboration between acclaimed genre filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and celebrated romance novelist Nicholas Sparks, now slated for a February 2027 theatrical release.
Enduring the Deluge: Dynevor’s Gritty Performance in Thrash
In Thrash, Dynevor embodies Lisa, a heavily pregnant woman abandoned by her fiancé and trapped in her Mini Cooper during a devastating Category 5 hurricane in a South Carolina coastal town. The rising floodwaters bring an additional, terrifying threat: ravenous bull sharks. The premise alone suggests a high-stakes thriller, but Dynevor’s on-set experience painted an even starker picture of the production’s rigorous demands.
The filming, unexpectedly set in the Australian winter, subjected Dynevor to consistently freezing conditions. She described an arduous daily ritual of donning three wetsuits, a prosthetic pregnancy belly, a maternity dress, and a trench coat before being submerged in frigid water. "The process of getting into a wetsuit is already quite difficult, but putting on three and then a belly is virtually impossible," Dynevor recounted to The Hollywood Reporter. The necessity for the water to remain cold, to prevent visible heat distortion on camera, meant a constant battle against hypothermia, leading to a reliance on "a hot hose that would go into my wetsuits in between takes." This candid detail highlights the extreme physical commitment required for the role, a stark contrast to the elegant, albeit restrictive, corsetry of her Bridgerton days.
The confined space of the Mini Cooper, submerged and surrounded by debris, also triggered moments of claustrophobia for the actress. While aware of the safety measures in place, the simulated life-or-death situation profoundly affected her. This level of immersive, physical performance is a testament to Dynevor’s dedication to authentically portraying Lisa’s desperate fight for survival.
Thematic Depth and Production Challenges
Beyond the visceral thrills, Thrash touches upon timely themes. The film’s backdrop of a Category 5 hurricane, a phenomenon characterized by sustained winds of 157 mph or higher and capable of catastrophic damage, subtly weaves in concerns about climate change. Adam McKay, known for integrating social commentary into his productions (e.g., Don’t Look Up), brings an environmental consciousness to the project, as noted by Dynevor. The presence of bull sharks, known for their ability to thrive in both saltwater and freshwater, including rivers and estuaries, adds a layer of ecological realism to the fantastical scenario, albeit with cinematic liberties taken for dramatic effect.
The film’s journey through various working titles—The Rising, Beneath the Storm, Shiver, and finally Thrash—reflects the iterative process of film development, with the final choice aiming for maximum impact. Netflix’s acquisition of Thrash from Sony further signals the streaming giant’s strategy of investing in diverse genre content and maintaining relationships with actors like Dynevor, whose previous independent projects, such as Fair Play, have also been picked up by the platform, indicating a mutual confidence.
A particularly memorable moment for Dynevor in Thrash is an iconic line where Lisa declares, "Mommy’s just gotta fight some f***ing sharks." Dynevor admitted the line carried the risk of being "really awesome or really awful," but ultimately embraced it as a "cherry on the cake" for a role she’d long desired, allowing her to explore a pure genre film. Her research into childbirth and "hysterical strength"—the phenomenon of individuals exhibiting superhuman strength in life-or-death situations, often cited in stories of mothers protecting their children—deepened her portrayal of a mother’s primal fight for her baby.
A Blended Vision: The Anticipated "Remain"
While Thrash plunges audiences into immediate peril, Dynevor’s next major project, Remain, promises a different kind of suspense and emotional depth. The film’s delayed release from October 2026 to February 2027, strategically positioning it for Valentine’s Day audiences, underscores its romantic undertones despite its supernatural elements.
The announcement of Remain initially raised eyebrows due to its unlikely creative pairing: M. Night Shyamalan, a master of psychological thrillers and shocking plot twists (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), collaborating with Nicholas Sparks, the bestselling author renowned for emotionally charged romance novels (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember). Dynevor herself expressed immense excitement, calling it an "unlikely duo" but one that perfectly aligns with her personal appreciation for both romance and thriller-horror genres.
This collaboration, however, is not without precedent. Shyamalan famously turned down the opportunity to script The Notebook in the late 1990s, prioritizing his work on The Sixth Sense. Both decisions proved serendipitous, with The Sixth Sense becoming a monumental box office success, grossing over $670 million worldwide, and The Notebook cementing its status as a romantic classic, earning nearly $118 million worldwide on a modest budget. The success of both films, despite their vastly different genres, highlights the commercial acumen and distinct artistic visions of their creators.
For Remain, Shyamalan and Sparks jointly conceived the story, with Sparks primarily penning the novelization (released October 2025) and Shyamalan adapting it for the screen, receiving co-credit for his contributions to the book. Dynevor plays Wren, a mysterious woman who challenges the melancholic world of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Tate Donovan, a grieving architect on Cape Cod.
A fascinating aspect of the production was Dynevor’s directive not to read Sparks’s novel prior to filming. This was a deliberate choice to accommodate the "deviations in plot and character" between the two versions, which Sparks himself described as "fraternal twins" rather than identical adaptations. Dynevor followed this instruction, reading the novel only after wrapping production. She affirmed the wisdom of this approach, confirming significant differences while praising the book’s brilliance.
Dynevor believes the film strikes a "perfect blend" of both creators’ signature styles, promising "romance, but there’s definitely a lot of horror and twists." This unique fusion is expected to satisfy both Shyamalan’s dedicated fanbase, who anticipate his characteristic narrative surprises, and Sparks’s audience, who seek profound emotional journeys and compelling relationships. Working alongside Shyamalan and Gyllenhaal was a profound learning experience for Dynevor, who lauded their extensive knowledge of filmmaking and acting, calling them "two real icons of cinema."
A Career Defined by Bold Choices and Critical Acclaim
Dynevor’s trajectory from the global phenomenon of Bridgerton, where she navigated the intricacies of a 19th-century debutante, to her current slate of physically and emotionally taxing roles, showcases a determined evolution as an actress. Her decision to move beyond the comfort zone of period drama highlights an ambition to explore diverse characters and narratives.
A significant milestone in this journey was her performance in Chloe Domont’s 2023 psychological thriller Fair Play. Dynevor portrays Emily, a financial analyst whose relationship with her fiancé unravels amidst a cutthroat corporate environment. The film, which garnered significant critical attention for its sharp commentary on gender dynamics and power struggles in the workplace, was a deeply cherished experience for Dynevor. She expressed immense pride in the movie, particularly due to her inability to promote it extensively during the 2023 strikes.
Dynevor notes a surprising audience response to Fair Play, with many viewers sympathizing with Emily despite the character’s controversial actions. She speculates that the film’s unflinching portrayal of workplace injustices resonated deeply, particularly with women, who might identify with Emily’s ultimate stand. This feedback, she acknowledged, was both "relieved and glad" to receive, reinforcing the film’s impact and her own investment in its challenging themes.
Reflecting on her career path, which began at 14 in British television, Dynevor discussed the learning curve of navigating a film set. She credits her decade in television for providing a "learning ground" to observe and absorb industry practices. Her lead role in Bridgerton was a turning point, offering the experience and confidence to advocate for her character’s integrity. She emphasizes her role as "a cog in someone else’s vision" in film, respecting the director’s medium, but also highlights the importance of understanding her character deeply enough to make informed contributions.
When asked about the common industry observation that a screenplay can sometimes be superior to the finished film, or vice versa, Dynevor offered a nuanced perspective. She admitted she hadn’t experienced a screenplay being unequivocally "better" than the film, believing that a strong cast and crew typically elevate the written word to life. However, she acknowledged the more common experience of a film not entirely matching her initial mental vision, a natural consequence of the collaborative and unpredictable nature of filmmaking.
As Dynevor awaits the release dates for her other anticipated genre films, A24’s Famous and Black Bear’s Pendulum, her current projects clearly mark a fascinating and bold chapter in her career. From fighting sharks in freezing waters to navigating a supernatural romance co-conceived by two disparate storytelling titans, Phoebe Dynevor is not merely accepting challenging roles; she is actively seeking and mastering them, solidifying her position as a versatile and compelling force in contemporary cinema.
Thrash streams globally on Netflix from April 10. Remain is scheduled for theatrical release in February 2027.
