Photo: Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty ImagesSpoiler alert: This post contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of The Body.Anya Butler has been through it. By the end of The Body’s first season, the dance captain has covered up a (believed to be) lethal overdose and discovered her new ally has been hiding a darkly cult-ish past — and on top of all that, she’s torn between the loyal boyfriend who doesn’t really turn her on and the electric sex she’s been secretly having with her female bestie.It’s a tour de force of a breakthrough role for 19-year-old Kristina Bogic, who’s only previously starred in one other TV series. As I chat to her in the weeks leading up to The Body’s premiere on Netflix, the Australian actor becomes giddy when talking about her upcoming move to Los Angeles. But she’s even more excited to get into the nitty-gritty of Anya and the research into sexuality that went playing the closeted Catholic school queen bee.“I was reading a lot about this thing called comphet,” Bogic says, referring to the shorthand term for “compulsory heterosexuality” that’s become a popular talking point in queer discourse. “I don’t think being a lesbian is even a possibility or a question for Anya at all. I genuinely don’t think Anya would ever say she’s a lesbian, which is why she’s so repressed and feels so much guilt.”I’m always going to want Anya and Elise together. Always.Throughout The Body, Anya struggles to have an orgasm with her boyfriend Steven, all while testing the limits of her clandestine hookups with her bestie Elise. Sadly, because Anya has no framework for a nonheterosexual lifestyle, she constantly pushes Elise away when things start to get serious and stalwartly stays with Steven.“I think she does deeply care for Steven, and he’s a lovely boyfriend. He’s a bit oblivious, but he’s very kind,” Bogic says. “But I’m always going to want Anya and Elise together. Always. I hope Anya can come to terms with [her sexuality], but as of right now, I don’t think it’s in her vision.”NetflixThe love triangle gets seriously tested in Season 1’s finale, when Steven serves himself up as the perfect scapegoat to take the fall for Anya covering up the near-death of her classmate Grace. By that point, Elise had already deduced Anya was at fault, and finally put an end to the whole charade by making Anya admit she drove Grace home from their devilish Halloween party. With her secret out, Anya tearfully insists that she never would have framed Steven or Elise for her crime, which Bogic interprets as a partial truth.“No, I don’t think she would’ve let them take the fall. Well, maybe she can throw Steven under the bus, but not Elise,” Bogic says. “When it comes down to it, she will protect Elise. So, maybe she can let Steven go, and her and Elise can live a happily ever after. Much love to Steven; I do want to see an Anya and Steven best friend arc. That would be cute.”As she fantasizes about what could be in Anya’s future, Bogic hints at how she’d like to see Anya and Elise’s relationship evolve if Netflix picks up a second season of The Body. “It would be interesting for the role to be reversed, where Anya is yearning for Elise more than the other way around,” Bogic says.NetflixBelow, Bogic reveals the cheeky piece of wardrobe she stole from set, how she manifested Anya’s Halloween costume years ago, and her controversial mission to bring back skinny jeans.Elite Daily: Anya’s AIM screen name is 99per_cent_Angel. If you were a teenager in the early 2000s, what do you think your screen-name would have been?Kristina Bogic: I probably would have done something with “Xtina.” I was obsessed with Christina Aguilera when I was younger. The “Dirrty” music video changed my life. Maybe I shouldn’t have been watching that as a little girl, but I was just so obsessed.ED: You get to wear a ton of Y2K fashion in The Body. Is there a trend from that era you’d love to make a comeback?KB: People are going to hate on this, but I actually really love the look of low-rise skinny jeans with a knee-high boot over them. I know people hate on skinny jeans, but they just aren’t doing it right! I have a vision for making skinny jeans cool again.ED: Did you get to keep any of Anya’s wardrobe?KB: I actually stole something: her underwear from Episode 1. It’s when Anya’s wearing this sheer dress and her underwear says “Holy” on the back. I wish it had a bigger moment, because I thought that was so funny. They kept telling me, “Some of the underwear is missing,” and I was like, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”ED: What’s your favorite piece of pop culture from the early 2000s?KB: I’d listen to my older sister’s iPod on the way to school all the time, and she had a lot of ’90s hip hop and R&B on there. And Rihanna was my favorite.ED: The Lions go all out in dressing up for Halloween. Do you have a favorite Halloween costume that you’ve worn?KB: When I was 16, my friends and I took Halloween very seriously, and I was like, “I want to go as an angel” — which is so funny, since Anya dresses as an angel. But I couldn’t find wings I wanted, so I made them myself. But I was never satisfied with them, so I just kept making them bigger, and I rocked up to the party in maybe 2-meter-long wings I made with my mom. I couldn’t even fit through the door! It was ridiculous. But I kind of manifested Anya with that costume.NetflixED: Are you a horror movie girl?KB: I like the ones that are voyeuristic and feel real, like The Blair Witch Project. I was genuinely scared after watching that. I also love the Paranormal Activity movies.ED: What’s your favorite memory of bonding with your fellow Lions on the set?KB: Going to the spa after dance rehearsals. We were so sore from dancing together for seven hours a day for two months; it felt like bootcamp. So it was the Garden of Eden when we would all just lay in the sauna together afterwards.ED: Is there an actor you dream of working with someday?KB: I actually find it really interesting to work with up-and-coming actors. The tone on this set was so amazing and positive because all of us were so equally excited. There was not a drop of ego or competition. I haven’t really worked with bigger name actors or actresses, but I’d be excited to observe someone like that on a set and see their process.ED: Is there a type of role or genre you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try?KB: I would love to do a period piece. Or I’d also love to tell real stories. Something challenging with a lot of substance and real depth. Sometimes I’m like, “I don’t know if I want to do horror again,” and then I get a horror audition, and I’m like, “Wait, this is amazing!”ED: What are you manifesting for 2027?KB: This past year, I had written down that all I wanted to do was work and travel, and I did that. So going into 2027, I’d like to feel a bit more settled. I’m moving to L.A. in a couple weeks, and I think just having my own space and building a routine is all I’m manifesting right now. I just want to be peaceful, healthy, and grounded.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kristina Bogic On ‘The Body,’ Anya’s Sexuality, & Season 2
