Breakout stars Kristina Bogic and Sara Boustany are drawing widespread critical and viewer praise for their performances as high school dance team co-captains Anya Butler and Elise Zakaria in Netflix's new coming-of-age thriller, The Body. Streaming now as an eight-episode first season, the series follows an all-girls Catholic school dance squad in 2004 whose Halloween-night initiation sets off mass hysteria, ghostly visions, and intense personal fallout in their town, according to Netflix and Teen Vogue. At the center of the supernatural panic is the fraught, codependent bond between Anya and Elise, brought to life by two newcomers navigating their first major leading television roles.

A Pivot in the Audition Room

The central dynamic of The Body relies heavily on the contrast between Anya, a repressed leader preoccupied with outside expectations, and Elise, who masks her vulnerability with a sharp, unapologetic exterior.

Finding the right actresses required an extensive search by creator Quinn Shephard, co-showrunner Gina Gammell, and casting director Jennifer Venditti, who scouted dance schools, TikTok, and traditional talent agencies.

Boustany initially auditioned for the role of Anya after reading the pilot script, titled "Slutty God." However, Venditti quickly recognized that the actress was better suited for Anya's counterpart. According to Netflix Tudum, Venditti contacted Boustany after her initial read to redirect her toward Elise and offer pointers for a callback.

"At the callback, I read the same scene I'd auditioned with for Anya—the one where Anya and Elise kiss, and Anya's like, 'You can't kiss me'—but this time as Elise," Boustany told Teen Vogue. "And it just felt so much better. I remember thinking, I'm not Anya. I'm Elise, definitely.

I don't usually have that kind of confidence when I audition, so I knew this one would hurt if I didn't get it."

Once Boustany was locked in as Elise, the production team tested her opposite more than 20 actresses auditioning for Anya. According to GO Magazine, Boustany described her eventual chemistry read with Bogic as "electric," noting Bogic's expressive eyes and how naturally their working styles meshed. Shephard confirmed that the pairing was undeniable even over a Zoom call, stating that their connection was immediately palpable to the creative team.

Shaping Anya and Elise on Set

While the scripts initially framed Anya as poised, precise, and somewhat cold, Bogic actively worked with Shephard and Gammell to bring a softer edge to the character.

According to Netflix Tudum, Bogic wanted Anya to feel warm and kind at the beginning of the series before her anxiety and defensiveness gradually emerge as the plot escalates.

"She's not your stereotypical bitchy popular girl," Bogic explained to Teen Vogue. "She has an attitude, she's a leader, but she leads with kindness. I wanted to make her feel as real and relatable as possible."

That warmth directly contrasts with Boustany's portrayal of Elise, whose open dislike for the local priest's niece, new recruit "Amazing" Grace (played by Sofia Wylie, whom Gammell discovered via a TikTok dance video), puts her in jeopardy after an ecstasy-fueled initiation leaves Grace in a coma. Boustany noted that Elise's bluntness stems from having a stronger sense of self regarding her sexuality, whereas Anya makes mistakes because she is overly concerned with what other people think.

To film the emotionally charged and intimate scenes between the two characters, both actresses relied on mutual trust and a supportive production environment.

According to GO Magazine, Bogic highlighted that working on a set staffed mostly by women—including the core creative leadership—made choreographing and executing those sequences a positive experience.

Meet the Breakout Stars

For both leads, The Body represents a career milestone. As noted by Marie Claire, the Netflix drama marks Boustany's first leading television role and Bogic's first major Hollywood break, though both performers arrived on set with prior screen and stage experience.

According to Yahoo Entertainment, the 23-year-old Boustany was born in Lebanon, moved to Florida at a young age, and later relocated to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue acting professionally. Before landing the role of Elise, she appeared as Isabel in Hello Beautiful, Fourteen-Year-Old Lucy Jane in Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, and Miranda in the comedy series PEN15.

Bogic is an Australian actress and singer who had never performed an American accent on camera prior to booking The Body, according to Marie Claire.

While the Netflix series introduces her to a global streaming audience, a separate profile by Yahoo Entertainment notes that her earlier Australian credits include Playing Gracie Darling and the short film Howl. She also gained early recognition in music, winning the Wyndham Rising Stars Competition at age 12 with a performance of her original single, "Learn My Limits."

In The Body, Bogic and Boustany anchor an ensemble cast that, according to Variety, also features Geena Meszaros, Sofia Wylie, Shirley Chen, Jackson Kelly, Louisa Krause, and Nnamdi Asomugha.

What Viewers Want to Know About 'The Body'

Will Netflix renew 'The Body' for Season 2, and what have the stars pitched?

As of November 2026, Netflix has not officially announced a second season for The Body. While Netflix lists the show as an eight-episode 2026 release and Variety reviews it as an ongoing streaming series without labeling it a limited run, its future remains undecided.

However, according to TV Insider, both Bogic and Boustany have already pitched future character ideas and storyline directions to creator Quinn Shephard and producer Gina Gammell in the event of a renewal.

How does the show's setting shape Anya and Elise's relationship?

Set in 2004 within a Catholic school environment, the series uses religious guilt and small-town paranoia to heighten the stakes between the co-captains. As Yahoo Entertainment reports, the period setting and conservative surroundings amplify Anya's deep repression and fear of judgment, creating friction with Elise's willingness to be honest about her desires—even as the team attempts to cover up the truth behind Grace's coma.

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