Sisi Stringer Spills The Tea On Vampire Academy

Sisi Stringer is getting ready for a big day ahead — she has a Christian Dior event, followed by a dinner hosted by Jimmy Choo — but before it gets started, she needs a cup of tea. “I'm just boiling the jug,” The Vampire Academy star tells Bustle over Zoom from Sydney, Australia. “You guys don't do tea in America. It's so bizarre. Every time I go to a hotel in Australia, they have a whole tea station. And none of the hotels in America ever have that.”

Growing up in Byron Bay and Brisbane, Stringer had never traveled outside of Australia until she went to Spain to play the lead role of Rose Hathaway in Peacock’s new supernatural series from The Vampire Diaries’ Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre. Based on Richelle Mead’s bestselling young adult series, Vampire Academy mixes supernatural drama with romance and intrigue, delivering a sexy and race-bending adaptation. The series follows a half-vampire bodyguard, Rose, and her best friend and royal vampire, Lissa (Daniela Nieves), who get caught in the middle of political and violent forces threatening to upend their vampire society.

The 25-year-old actor got her start in dance and musical theater before focusing on acting. A year out of drama school, she was cast as Mileena in the 2021 remake of Mortal Kombat. “And from there, everything just kind of took off,” she says. Her dance background was helpful when it came to martial arts training and learning fight choreography for Vampire Academy. “I love getting on a wire and getting to do flips and tricks and stuff,” Stringer says. One of her favorite scenes is the boxing match between Rose and her mentor and love interest Dimitri (Kieron Moore).

But Stringer enjoys playing Rose for reasons that go beyond getting to do cool stunts. “I essentially grew up with her,” she says of her character, whom she first encountered while reading the Vampire Academy books as a kid. “Rose Hathaway was a part of my life, and now she's a much bigger part of my life.” The similarities Stringer shares with Rose sometimes surprise her, too. “She's inappropriate, she swears too much, and she's just unapologetically herself. And that's something that I like about me, too,” she explains. “We'll be filming something, or I'm reading the script, and I'm like, ‘That's exactly what I would say. That's exactly what I would do.’ Sometimes the lines get blurred.”

By the end of Season 1, Rose and Lissa are on the run. “It feels so justified when they run away in the last episode, and then we get to continue from where the books actually start,” Stringer says. “There's a lot of trauma that these young women are going through throughout the story, and it's a blessing that they have each other. That's one of the most important takeaways from the entire series, the books, and the movie: no matter what, Rose and Lissa stick together. They are each other's family.”

With the open road ahead, there is a lot more ground for the characters to cover if the series is renewed for a second season, though Stringer doesn’t know when Peacock will make a decision. “I'm just hoping and praying that we get to go back and continue the story,” she says.

Until then, now armed with her cup of tea, Stringer is ready for a day of fashion events ahead. “Now that I'm back, and I'm not working every day, I have the time to be able to go to these lovely events,” she explains. “It's nice to enjoy those spoils.”

Learn more about Stringer in the Bustle Booth questionnaire below.

In The Bustle Booth

What's your coffee order?

I hate the taste of coffee, always have. But I’ve loved a good cup of tea since I was 10.

What are the saved weather locations on your phone?

Aruba. Jamaica.

What’s your sign?

Capricorn sun, Pisces moon, Leo rising.

Favorite overused movie quote?

(It)’s right behind me, isn’t (it)?

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

Sailor Moon. And The Simpsons, I had season one on DVD.

What’s one movie or TV show you're currently obsessed with?

Do Revenge. I did not have high expectations, but it was so great. It’s camp, and the twist had me gagged.

Who is your celeb idol?

Rosé from BLACKPINK. In another life, I was meant to be a K-pop star.

If you had to be on a reality TV show, what would it be?

The Kardashians. It would be surreal to witness all that.

Go-to karaoke song?

“Feelin' Myself” by Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. I’m Nicki, you’re Beyoncé.

What’s something that’s inspiring you lately?

I’ve been going to see a lot of theatre and cinema. And scrolling through TikTok live! It gives you a direct window into the real-time life of different people across the world. It’s the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen, and I recommend it to anyone lacking inspiration.

What is something you would want people to say about you?

A few months ago, a friend said I was kind. It made my heart swell, metamorphose into a butterfly and flutter up out of my chest. So that. Kind.