Sophie Nyweide, a former child actor cast in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah and Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding, died on Monday, April 14, her family
Sophie Nyweide, a former child actor cast in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah and Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding, died on Monday, April 14, her family wrote in an online obituary. She was 24. No cause of death has been shared, but authorities in Bennington, Vermont, tell Vanity Fair that they are “investigating this as a possible unintentional overdose.”
“Sophie was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, and new aunt,” the family wrote in her obituary. “Creative, athletic, and wise beyond her years, Sophie accomplished so much in the time she danced upon earth.”
The Vermont native, who split her time between Burlington and New York City, was only six years aged when she played the title role in her first movie, Bella. Nyweide went on to appear in nearly a dozen other titles, including 2009’s Mammoth, an indie family drama in which she portrayed the daughter of Gael García Bernal and Michelle Williams. “She seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else,” her obituary read.
“Sophie was a kind and trusting girl,” her family wrote. “Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others. She wrote and drew voraciously, and much of this art depicts the depth she had, and it also represents the pain she suffered. Many of her writings and artwork are road maps of her struggles and traumas. Even with those road maps, diagnoses, and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers, and others who tried to help her, are heartbroken their efforts couldn’t save her from her fate. She self-medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside, and it possibly led to her death. She repeatedly said she would ‘handle it’ on her own and was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life.”
The Bennington Police Department is conducting an investigation into Nyweide’s death, with final autopsy and toxicology reports from the Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner still pending. (Vanity Fair has also reached out to the Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for comment.)
On Monday, April 14, at approximately 4:10 a.m., authorities were dispatched to a wooded area along the banks of a river in Bennington due to a report of an unresponsive female, a representative for the agency tells VF. First responders attempted livesaving measures, but Nyweide was later pronounced dead at the scene. An individual who was present at the time of her death, and called 911, is cooperating with investigators. Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the Bennington Police Department.
“Sophie. A life ended too soon. May it not be in vain. May we all learn from her brief life on earth and do better. Yes, we must all protect our children and do better,” the obituary concluded. The family has asked that, in lieu of gifts, people donate to RAINN, the anti-sexual-violence organization, in Nyweide’s name.
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