When my screen flickers to life on a grey Monday morning, actress Immy Waterhouse appears in soft focus, sitting cross-legged on her bed, her hair pulled back loosely, leaving a few strands to frame her makeup-free face. She’s dressed in a printed white tee, a silver chain resting at her collarbone, and a stack of books in the background. I spot Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and smile. It feels like a fitting detail considering this paperback also sits atop the book pile next to my bed. This is my first proper introduction to Waterhouse, though she already feels familiar; that rare kind of person who gives you the full, unguarded shape of herself from the outset.
We are speaking just a few days ahead of our Who What Wear UK cover shoot, set to take place on the Eastbourne coastline. The weather, naturally, is forecasted to be the kind of damp, wind-whipped British summer reality we know all too well, but Waterhouse, in true form, isn’t phased. “I’m actually really excited,” she says. “You know, that kind of rain-and-romance [atmosphere] feels really true to what our summers are like here.” When shoot day rolls around, the forecast delivers—overcast skies, relentless rain—but Waterhouse arrives calm and bright, easing everyone on set into the day with the same serene energy she brought to our call.
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Dress, Stella McCartney; Earrings, Dinosaur Designs)
Waterhouse is often introduced in tandem with someone else, her sister, Suki, a model-turned-actor-turned-singer and fellow member of a family of creatives, but what strikes me most is how firmly rooted Waterhouse is in who she is; someone who has learned to tread their own path confidently, calmly and authentically.
Whilst she may be visibly relaxed now, she’s no stranger to emotional intensity, particularly through her character, Jinny St. George, in The Buccaneers, which has since returned for its second season on Apple TV+. “I think it’s a really good season,” she tells me. “It takes the best bits of season one and runs with them. There’s still the drama, and it’s seductive and all of that, but there’s also this groundedness. You get to go deeper with everyone.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Jacket and skirt, Noon by Noor; Bikini, Nou Nou; Sunglasses, Gucci; Shoes, Ancient Greek Sandals)
Jinny, one of the show’s American socialites navigating British high society, began as a girl chasing status and stability through marriage. But season two sees her living with the consequences of her choices. “She’s had to flee everything she’s ever known. She’s isolated, with a baby, trying to survive—it’s a lot,” says Waterhouse, describing the arc with the kind of care actors often reserve for roles that have moved them. “There’s this statistic that it takes a woman, like, seven times to leave an abusive husband, and I really held onto that when I was playing her. Because it’s not always a clean break. There’s so much guilt and confusion in that process.”
It was important to Waterhouse that Jinny never feel like a caricature. “On the page, she could seem a bit bitchy or hard to root for. But I wanted to play her with empathy—like, here’s this young woman who’s been told her whole life that if she doesn’t get married and succeed in this very specific way, then she’s a failure. So when she loses that version of herself, she doesn’t know who she is anymore.”
During our conversation, Waterhouse’s clarity never veers into cliché. She talks about complex things plainly: difficult storylines, self-worth, female friendship, and yet never makes them feel weightless. There’s a level of emotional attunement to her that makes it clear why The Buccaneers team handed her such a delicate storyline.
Filming season two also brought a geographical shift. Whilst the first was largely shot in Scotland (a treat, especially as I live just outside Edinburgh and most of the filming locations were within a 15-minute drive of my house), Jinny’s escape took her—and Waterhouse—to Croatia, doubling as Italy. Needless to say, I can think of worse places to work. “It was just stunning. Colourful little towns, cobbled roads. It weirdly felt like a whole other project, almost like we were filming an indie.” With fewer cast and crew around, she describes it as intimate, a rare moment of breathing space. “It was such a special experience. I’m really grateful I got to be in that part of the story.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Kaftan, Taller Marmo; Bracelet, Dinosaur Designs; Shoes, Ancient Greek Sandals)
And though the work is immersive, Waterhouse doesn’t sugarcoat its emotional toll. “To get into Jinny’s headspace, you kind of have to think her thoughts, and a lot of those thoughts are really self-critical. After a while, I’d finish the day and feel just… low. Your brain doesn’t always know the difference between ‘this is a character’ and ‘this is me.’ It made me realise how powerful our internal monologues are and how important it is to be kind to ourselves. Because those thoughts stay somewhere.”
It feels as though this mix of reflection and resilience sums Waterhouse up. She’ll make space for the hard bits but won’t stay stuck there. She also knows how to have fun. “I still do,” she laughs when we talk about her twenties. “I just think I’ve let go of a lot of things that used to hold me back. And maybe that’s just getting older, hitting 30 and realising everything’s a bit calmer. You kind of stop caring about the wrong things.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Shorts and top, Miu Miu)
Acting isn’t the only string to Waterhouse’s bow. She’s stepped behind the camera, too, first directing three episodes of The Outpost (in which she also starred), then helming music videos for sister Suki, two of which younger sister Maddi, another impressive Waterhouse creative multihyphenate (DJ, photographer and model are just some of her credits) also worked on as an editor. “Directing was something I always wanted to do, but didn’t quite see as an option for a long time,” she says. “But then I started watching how directors work and began to tell myself, ‘I can do this.'” With the support of a tight-knit crew she already knew well, her directorial debut unfolded as something both creatively fulfilling and confidence-building. “There was a moment where I was looking at the [monitor], and all these ideas I had were right there. It was surreal.”
Now she’s writing more, too, working on short films and dreaming of directing a feature or series down the line. “In this industry, especially as an actor, you don’t always have control. So, creating something of my own, that keeps me sane.”
Her creative drive doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s been shaped by the people closest to her. “Watching Suki succeed definitely gave me a boost,” she says. “I saw her do it and thought I could too.” The sisters, along with Maddi, collaborate often, even if just as sounding boards. “We’re each other’s first audience. When one of us finishes something, we’ll send it to the group chat and ask, ‘What do you think?’ It’s always met with honesty. Brutal, sometimes, but with love.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Top and skirt, Sportmax)
Her family unit keeps growing, too; Waterhouse is an auntie to Suki and her partner, fellow actor Robert Pattinson’s, first child, a daughter who already has a slew of strong female role models around her. I ask Waterhouse what type of auntie she wants to be, and we share a laugh about the pressures of being a “cool aunt.”
“It’s hard, kids just know how to make you feel really uncool,” she quips. “They bring you back down to earth. But I love being an aunt. It’s amazing, and it only gets better as time goes on.”
Sticking with the concept of sorority, our conversation shifts to include her friendships. When I ask what sisterhood means in her own life, given how central those themes are in The Buccaneers, she lights up. “It’s everything,” she says. “I’ve got friends I’ve known since I was a kid, and they’ve seen me grow into who I am now. When life gets messy—and it does—they’re the ones who are there. You go off, do your thing, and when you come back, it’s like nothing’s changed. That kind of grounding is so precious.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Top, skirt and shoes, Alexander McQueen; Bangles, Dinosaur Designs)
A phrase Waterhouse uses during our chat sticks with me: “Following the fun vibe.” It’s how she explains getting into acting in the first place; not through some grand career plan, but because it was always what felt most natural, the most “her” thing she could do. That spirit still guides her, whether she’s directing, writing or just trying her hand at pottery or tennis (two current hobbies, she says, where the success rate varies but the joy remains high). “I’m all about balance,” she says when I ask what this summer looks like for her. “Hopefully, a hike in the French Alps—though I’ve only ever really walked up Hampstead Heath—and definitely Glastonbury. So, you know, a bit of everything.”
And fashion? “I’m probably due a style upgrade,” she laughs. “I’ve been trying to wear fewer tracksuits out of the house. But I do have a Miu Miu bag I love—I’ve held onto that one.” She’s the first to admit that fashion didn’t fully click for her until she started modelling, a part of her career many still associate her with, but that she sees as something of a past life. “I didn’t grow up obsessing over magazines or designers. But once I started wearing those pieces and felt what they were about, I got it. I feel like I’ve closed my modelling chapter now, though.”
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Jacket and skirt, Noon by Noor; Bikini, Nou Nou)
Our shoot, however, is a far cry from her former modelling days. This time, she’s not just the face, but the subject. “It feels more personal now. More creative. More me.” It’s a distinction that matters, because Waterhouse isn’t just part of the cast; she’s shaping the story. Her story.
When I ask her, finally, what she would tell her younger self if she could, she pauses, thoughtful. “I try to remind myself how proud she’d be of what I’m doing now. It’s so easy to focus on what you haven’t done yet. But this, all of this, was a dream once. You have to celebrate all the little stages because they’re all leading you somewhere. You don’t know where, but it’s somewhere.”
Season two of The Buccaneers is now streaming on Apple TV+.
(Image credit: Phil Dunlop Styling: Shorts and top, Miu Miu)
Photographer: Phil Dunlop
Stylist: Sophie Robyn Watson
Hair Stylist: Linnéa Nordberg
Makeup Artist: Eoin Whelan using Luminous Silk Cheek Tint Shine by Armani Beauty
Editor in Chief: Hannah Almassi
Creative Director: Amy Armani
Executive Director, Entertainment: Jessica Baker
Editor: Maxine Eggenberger
Video: Natasha Wilson
Photography Assistant: Gareth Williams, Luke Simmonds
Digital Technician: Jakub Gloser
Styling Assistant: Brittany Davy
Editorial Assistant: Grace Porter
With thanks to Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
