It’s been two years since we lost this wonderful show to the #CancelYourGays trend. Let’s take a look to see what our faves have been up to since
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY PRIME VIDEO
Back in 2020, the first episode of Prime Video’s The Wilds premiered and it became a huge hit with audiences. The thrilling story follows the lives of a group of teenage girls who are forced to band together when they find themselves stranded on a deserted island. But everything is not as it seems at first and there’s a big mystery to unravel.
The show really struck a chord with LGBTQIA viewers due to it’s wonderful WLW storyline and diverse casting. We are of course talking about #Shoni (Shelby and Toni) who are some of the many sapphic couples we won’t be seeing more of due to the rampant rise of the Cancel Your Gays trend.
It’s been two years since the sad news that The Wilds had been cancelled. Let’s take a look to see what our favourites have been getting up to since saying a premature farewell to the show.
Erana James (Toni Shalifoe)
We, of course, have to get things started with one half of one of our fave WLW onscreen couples. While at first glance, Toni is a lesbian with serious anger issues, she has a softer side that we get to see more as the episodes progress. Erana did a brilliant job of portraying the complex character. But what has she gotten up over the last two years?
She portrayed Ronnie in the four episodes of Bad Behaviour, Samantha in the 2023 Uproar and Nellie in the 2024 film We Were Dangerous. She’s set to appear in one episode of an Alien episode that is in production and expected to release next year.
Mia Healey (Shelby Goodkind)
When we first meet Shelby, she comes across as a God-fearing pretty privileged princess. While life stranded on the island is far from easy, it does enable her to let the parts of her that she keeps secret to come to the surface – including her lesbian identity. Thank you Mia for bringing Shelby and #Shoni into our hearts forever.
We have good news for Mia Healey fans – she’s got three completed upcoming projects in the works. She’s set to play Alicia in the TV series Motorheads, Marci in the film Black Spartans and Vivienne in a short titled My Heart Calls For You.
Sophia Ali (Fatin Jadmani)
While Fatin’s sexuality is never labelled onscreen, she’s been open with her past relations with men and is often seen flirting with other girls on the island. In one episode, Shelby tells Fatin that she will never stop loving Toni, despite the challenges they are going through at the time. Fatin replies to this with “Ditto bitch, different her.” This has led many fans to believe this is in reference to Leah whom we saw Fatin get much closer to over the two seasons. It would’ve been great to see Fatin’s sexuality explored more in future seasons, but alas…
Since saying goodbye to The Wilds, Sophia has voiced Khushy in Mira, Royal Detective, has starred in the short films Mouthpiece and The Sperm Bank and most recently as Dr. Zola Ahmad in six episodes of Chicago Med. She’s also expected to appear in four upcoming projects, Concrete, The F*** Happened, Above The Line and Find Your Friends.
Sarah Pidgeon (Leah Rilke)
If only we could’ve seen what could’ve happened between Leah and Fatin if the show hadn’t been cancelled. Sarah did a great job at portraying this bookworm and creative who finds herself having to survive on the island.
Since the show was cancelled, we’ve seen her in roles in the 2023 TV series, Tiny Beautiful Things and the 2024 film Lazareth. She’s also set to appear in an upcoming film titled The Friend.
Shannon Berry (Dot Campbell)
The openly queer actor did a marvellous job of brining Dot to life onscreen. Unlike many of the other girls, Dot has had to deal with a lot of responsibilities before the hard life of the island. She often finds the other girls looking for her to take up some form of leadership position.
Since saying goodbye to the character, Shannon has portrayed Samantha in the 2022 film Slant. She portrayed Sophie in four episodes of the 2023 series High Country. Plus, she’s set to portray a character called Maebel in an upcoming short film Skin To Skin.
Jenna Clause (Martha Blackburn)
It was great to see Jenna bring indigenous representation to the screen. Martha is a very lovable character with a deep appreciation for her Native American heritage. She’s also Toni’s BFF and it was interesting to watch their dynamic throughout the series.
While it’s been a little quiet for the actor over the last two years, from her Instagram it looks like she was having lots of fun on set of the upcoming series Welcome To Derry.
Reign Edwards (Rachel Reid)
Reign is a singer, songwriter and actor who has proven that she is an artist with range. Her performance of over achiever Rachel Reid was powerful and offered up representation on what it is like to suffer with an eating disorder.
Since saying goodbye to The Wilds, we’ve seen Reign portray Mackenzie Schaffer in the 2022 Love You anyway and Britney in the 2023 film Old Dads. She’s also appeared as Rochelle in five episodes of Truth Be Told and starred in a 2023 short film titled Dropping.
Helena Howard (Nora Reid)
And we can’t talk about Rachel Reid without talking about her mysterious twin sister, Nora. Her character adds to the mystery surrounding the show’s first season as she is hiding a big secret from the others on the island which all results in a very dramatic season one finale.
Since saying goodbye to the character, she’s appeared in a 2023 short film titled Reunited and portrays Isabel in the 2024 film I Saw The TV Glow.
Rachel Griffiths (Gretchen Klein)
Rachel did a marvelous job at portraying the show’s main antagonist. Since saying goodbye to the #GirlBoss, Rachel has added many acting credits to her already impressive resume. Most recently, she was cast in the 2023 romcom Anyone But You and as Rachel Anderson in 18 episodes of Total Control.
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