Hunter Schafer started out as a model working for big luxury names like Marc Jacobs and Dior - but her acting career took off after landing a role on the hit HBO show, Euphoria. Since it was her first time ever acting on-screen she admitted that it was difficult at first to play the part of Jules. Here's what she shared about her experience.
"I was getting ready and gearing up for fashion school I saw this casting call floating around on Instagram. It was for trans girls, who didn't have to be experienced," Schafer told Entertainment Weekly about how she landed the gig. And now, she's opened up even more about the struggles she faced during an interview with i-D magazine. "Season one was like a super intense acting course," the 23-year-old said. "Even in the pilot, I remember in between takes being like, 'Oh my God, this is so... hard. I have no idea what I'm doing."
Luckily for her, her nerves have come down, and she's gotten the hang of being in front of the camera. I think "I'm finally at a place where I'm like, OK, I like this, I can keep doing this," she said. "There's something really special about acting. There's nothing quite like it as far as making art goes." But it wasn't the only firsts she had while on the set of the show. Schafer also worked behind the scenes when she co-wrote and co-produced one of the episodes. Specifically, the one where her character, Jules, has an intense conversation with her therapist. "I feel like it really just gave us room to go deeper into her mind and her subconscious and her headspace," she gushed about the episode. Schafer also admitted that working on that episode helped her mental health. "I was in a very... raw place, you know," she explained. "Probably coming out of the worst depression I've ever had, and needing somewhere to put all of that energy. When I say that episode really became a lifeline, I mean it."
Sponsored
The writers focused on portraying a "17-year-old trans girl, still figuring out who she is, and debating queerness within her head." Schafer said. "This is a really good opportunity to put some s*** on TV that has not been on TV... what's actually going on in young trans people's heads beyond 'Oh, I'm scared what people are gonna think because I'm trans.'" Tune into new Euphoria episodes each Sunday night on HBO.
