Hunter Schafer, Zendaya. Eddy Chen/HBO
Hunter Schafer made her Hollywood debut playing Jules on Euphoria, but an acting career wasn’t something she was seeking out.
During her “Call Her Daddy” podcast interview, released on Wednesday, August 7, Schafer told host Alex Cooper that she didn’t tell anyone while going through the audition process.
“I really wasn’t sure that I was going to do it, because once again, I didn’t think acting was my calling or anything,” the actress explained. “It’s not my plan. It wasn’t my plan.”
When Euphoria premiered in June 2019, Schafer was an unknown face next to the recognizable Zendaya and Jacob Elordi. Now, she has roles in major franchise films — The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes — and networks begging her to star in their TV shows. (Schafer is set to star in Prime Video’s upcoming Blade Runner 2099.)
HBO Euphoria has made headlines since it premiered on HBO — but not always in a good way. The teen drama followed troubled teen Rue Bennett (Zendaya) as she struggled to remain sober while adjusting to her return to high school after rehab. In addition to Zendaya’s character, the series offered a large focus to […]
“I feel like I did TV and that was such a great intro to acting, but since moving into films, I realized I love the film format so much more,” Schafer explained. “TV, it’s a beast. I was really under the impression with myself that I was not gonna do TV again after Euphoria is over.”
Technically, Euphoria isn’t over just yet, with a third season on the horizon, but Schafer doesn’t have any details about the new episodes.
Keep scrolling to read the actress’ quotes about Euphoria on “Call Her Daddy”:
Telling Her Parents About the Role
Schafer explained that her parents are Christian pastors — noting that their church is “on the chiller side of Christianity” — but she was still nervous about offering details about playing Jules.
“I had to tell my parents that I was doing a TV show and in the first episode, I’m having anal sex with a 45-year-old and cutting myself in the arm,” she said, referring to a sex scene with Eric Dane, who plays Cal Jacobs on the show. Schafer waited to tell her parents until she actually booked the role.
Becoming Jules
Initially, Schafer was hesitant about taking a trans role because “it’s not written by a trans” person, but she got her audition through her modeling agency.
“I have no acting experience. I have no idea what I’m doing. So, I get in and the great thing is that they essentially just wanted me to play myself,” she recalled. “It worked for them, so I keep getting callbacks. … Eventually they fly me out to L.A. for a final audition in front of all these HBO execs in this crazy room. I find out later that afternoon that I got the role.”
Why She Took the Role
After seeing what her paycheck for each episode would be, Schafer was more interested in playing the part.
“I was like, ‘This is more money than I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life. I don’t think I can say no to this,’” she continued. “At that point, I had also read more of the episodes. I really liked the show.”
Plus, Schafer started to form a connection with Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson. All the stars aligned, and she signed on.
Her Friendship With Zendaya
Schafer referred to Zendaya as “one of my best friends in the world to this day,” explaining how the actress helped with the transition to fame.
“Thankfully, she had had some experience with fame already. We were really close by the time we really fell in love with each other as friends in the first season,” Schafer shared. “She was able to help me through all of that.”
The Tea About Season 3
“The real tea is I have no f–king idea what’s going on,” she admitted. “You can ask literally all of the cast. The real tea is that a lot has happened.”
Schafer got emotional remembering the death of Euphoria costar Angus Cloud, who died last year at age 25 from an accidental overdose.
“If we do go back, that’s gonna be tough. I think there’s a world in which we can channel that into making it a beautiful season 3 — if it is supposed to happen,” she continued. “I think that s–t really threw everyone for a loop.”