Abigail Cowen on Self-Confidence, <em>The Ritual</em>, and Protecting Your Peace
With a slow-burning intensity and a gaze that pierces the veil between fantasy and reality, Abigail Cowen has carved out a space as one of Hollywood’s most magnetic rising stars.
Best known for her breakout role as Bloom in Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga, Cowen brought a rare emotional gravity to a world of elemental powers and teenage turmoil — transforming what might have been pure escapism into something darker, deeper, and unexpectedly intimate. But she’s no stranger to playing characters that walk the line between worlds: from the haunted Dorcas in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to her role as the mesmeric Lucy in Electra, Cowen has continually embodied roles that blur the line between the ethereal and the raw.
As she steps into a new phase of her career, starring alongside Al Pacino as Emma Schmidt in David Midell’s The Ritual, it’s clear that Abigail Cowen is no longer just playing with fire — she is the fire.
KP: We always hear the most interesting stories from actresses about what first got them into acting, so take us back to the beginning. What was your upbringing like, and when did you realize that you could act?
AC: I grew up in a small town, and there wasn’t a whole lot to do, which meant that I had to use my imagination a lot. That’s really where my love for acting came from. I’d spend hours making up characters or replaying scenes in my head, and at some point, it just became clear that storytelling was how I connected to the world.
KP: I read that you were relentlessly bullied when you were younger for the way that you looked, as was I. To be an actress, I feel like you definitely need a certain sense of self-confidence to both be in front of the camera and assuredly take on as many roles as you do. What was your experience with facing such relentless harassment, and are you thankful for it in any way? Do you feel that it informed your acting practice? If so, how?
AC: I went through a period where I was bullied, and it wasn’t easy, but looking back, it gave me a lot of empathy. It helped me understand that everyone’s carrying something and that we all process things differently. It also made me appreciate people’s differences and how powerful it is when someone leans into what makes them unique. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I do think it gave me a stronger sense of compassion, which feeds into everything I do — especially acting.
KP: I understand that completely. It definitely gives you an invaluable amount of empathy — we never want to treat anyone the way that we were treated.
As someone who built up so much self-confidence over the years, what advice would you lend to women who still struggle with their self-image? What helped you the most?
AC: It’s really hard being a woman in the world sometimes. We’re constantly being told what to be, how to look, and how to feel. What’s helped me is learning to separate my worth from any of that noise. My self-confidence started showing up when I stopped trying to perform and I started giving myself permission to exist fully on the good days as well as the bad ones. We don’t owe the world perfection; we just owe ourselves honesty.
KP: That’s an incredible perspective to have. Your newest film, The Ritual, releases theatrically on June 6th — congratulations! For those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little about it?
AC: Thank you! The Ritual is inspired by the true story of the exorcism of Emma Schmidt, a woman in the 1920s who underwent one of the most harrowing possession cases ever documented. I play Emma, and Al Pacino plays the priest who tries to save her. But it’s not just a horror film — it’s a deep psychological and spiritual drama about pain, belief, and survival. It’s about the things that haunt us, whether they’re literal or metaphorical.
“We don’t owe the world perfection; we just owe ourselves honesty.”
KP: And speaking of Al Pacino, as a New York Italian, I’m afraid of what might happen to me if I don’t ask you what working with him was like. [Laughs]. Are there any stories that you can share, or anything that you learned from him?
AC: It was incredible. Al brings so much presence and focus to every scene, but he’s also really open. There was this natural back-and-forth that made the work feel alive, and he’s so generous not just as an actor but as a collaborator. I learned a lot just by watching how deeply he listens and how much care he puts into the work. There’s nothing performative about it; it’s all heart.
KP: That’s amazing — what an honor. I always find it so interesting to hear the experiences of the casts from horror films — some say that it didn’t feel like filming a horror at all, and others say that it was terrifying! [Laughs]. What was your experience like, particularly shooting a film about an exorcism? Did it ever feel as eerie to you as it looked to us? Did you have any strange experiences on set?
AC: Honestly, no. We filmed a lot of the scenes in a basilica, and we all felt incredibly protected in that space. There was this quiet, sacred energy that grounded everything. But the story itself? That was eerie. Emma’s experience is dark and intense, and there were moments where it really hit you emotionally. But on set, we had a really safe environment.
KP: What has been the most emotionally challenging role that you’ve played so far? What did it teach you?
AC: Definitely Emma in The Ritual. It was challenging, in the best way. The emotional stakes were so high. Playing someone trapped in her own mind and body, fighting for her soul — that takes everything from you. But I love that. I love roles that demand total presence. It stretched me in a way that I’ll always be grateful for.
KP: If you could give one piece of advice to women who want to get involved in acting, what would it be?
AC: Don’t wait for permission. You don’t need someone to tell you that you’re enough — you already are. The more you live fully, love deeply, mess up, and get back up, the better actor you’ll be. And don’t lose your weird — it’s probably the most interesting thing about you.
KP: If you could give women one piece of life advice in general, what would it be?
AC: Protect your peace, always. You don’t have to explain your boundaries or apologize for outgrowing things or people. The more you start honoring what feels good to you, the more grounded and powerful you become. You deserve to feel safe in your own life.
Photography: Lenne Chai
