Megan Lawless has become a familiar face to horror fans this year. Her role in the 2026 hit Obsession has catapulted the indie actress into an unfamiliar spotlight. But the scale of the film’s success only truly hit her months after its release.
Megan Lawless says Obsession success still hasn’t sunk in
Lawless, who plays fan-favorite character Sarah Harper in Obsession, admitted she struggled to process the film’s cultural impact. Obsession has become one of the most discussed and top-grossing productions of 2026, yet she describes the experience as a blur. Variety recently asked how it felt to be in the hottest movie of the year. “I don’t know,” Lawless replied, laughing. “I am like letting it sink in, and I can’t wrap my head around it, but it feels fabulous, whatever it is,” she added.
That changed at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention, held from July 31 through August 2, 2026. Meeting fans face-to-face shifted something for Lawless. “That was the first time that it kind of sunk in that ‘wow, I have fans’ that I am seeing in real life, and I could actually digest it, I think. It’s great,” she explained.
Sarah Harper is a supporting character, but her emotional weight in the story is undeniable. Critics and audiences have singled out her death scene as the film’s true turning point. Lawless deliberately shaped Sarah beyond the initial brief. To Vogue, she recalled reading the character breakdown. “It was like ‘tattoo artist’, ‘edgy’— it tells it like how it is. I read that and I was like yeah I know this girl, but I want to bring a lot of heart to her,” she said.
That heart makes the character’s fate particularly cruel. A pivotal scene reveals Sarah’s acceptance into her dream art school, as future audiences know she will never reach. Lawless’ grounded performance makes the moment hit even harder.
Before Obsession, Lawless built her career through indie horror titles like Killer Rental and The Death That Awaits, alongside appearances in The Hate U Give, Table 19, and Hulu’s The Girl from Plainville. The Chicago convention was a clear inflection point.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu for Coming Soon.
