Sinclair Daniel is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most compelling young talents, carving out a distinctive space with roles that demand psychological depth and fearless nuance. From her breakout performance in The Other Black Girl to the horror thriller Insidious: The Red Door, Daniel has proven her versatility across genres. Now starring as Parker in Peacock’s The Copenhagen Test, she navigates a character who operates in shadows while wielding quiet, devastating power. With a career launched in 2019 amid unprecedented industry upheaval, Daniel brings intention and intelligence to every project she touches.
You started your career professionally in 2019, which coincided with COVID and the strikes. How has that shaped your journey?
I still feel very much like a working actor. Starting in 2019 was a really interesting time to begin a career. COVID, the strikes, all of that created a lot of stop-start moments. But even within the past six years, I’ve been so unbelievably lucky and blessed with the projects I’ve gotten to be a part of. My hope is to just continue having the opportunity to contribute to this career I’m trying to carve out for myself.
When did you personally feel the shift from working actress to stepping into your era?
One of the biggest moments was getting to do The Other Black Girl. That was a beloved book that I had read, and to be trusted with something of that scale really made me feel like I’m starting to get recognized and stepping into myself. It wasn’t necessarily an “I’ve made it” moment, but more of an awareness that things were shifting.
Your projects are very layered and psychologically rich. What draws you to a script now?
Character. I’m not looking for somebody who’s perfect or has all the right answers. It doesn’t have to be the biggest role in the script. If the character is interesting and asks me to do something that scares me a little bit, that’s always a huge selling point. The Copenhagen Test was my first time working in a drama series that was heavy on the drama. I came from a comedy or psychological thriller background, so this was new and interesting and appealing to me.
Parker is our entry point into this intense, secretive world. What excited you most about her?
What really drew me to her is that you’re working in a world of secrets and closed doors. You have to know more than anybody, and nobody’s really going to help you figure that information out. It’s all instinct and know-how, and that’s a challenge for anybody. The task is set for her early on: you have to figure this person out, and we can’t help you all that much. That means she’s always curious, always in pursuit of something. There won’t be a moment where I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out how to activate her.
She scripts reality, predicts behavior and shapes outcomes while remaining unseen. What did that require of you emotionally and mentally?
A lot of alone time. Parker does a lot of her work on her own time or in her own head. As an actor, I was thinking about how it’s all happening in her head, but you have to see it on her face. Otherwise it’s just going to be exposition and talking through every single thought. It was a lesson in teaching the audience how to keep up with Parker’s train of thought so that when you see her do something, you understand what she’s up to.
Parker’s strength lives in restraint. How did you approach playing someone whose power is so quiet?
I appreciated it. The actors I admire talk about how the greatest gift you can sometimes be given is a scene without words. It’s purely your instrument and your interpretation. The restraint was the challenge but also the really exciting aspect of it. I leaned into it. Even if you don’t feel so great about a take, you know that something happened, and if other people are able to draw a conclusion or be interested in something you did, then I deem that as success.
What roles are you manifesting now? What scares you in the best way?
I want to do some type of period piece. The world of that is so vast and exciting. End-of-world scenarios where the stakes couldn’t be higher. As far as a challenge goes, why not go as far as it can? We’re headed there anyway.
The Copenhagen Test is now streaming on Peacock.
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