When Hunter Schafer was cast in Euphoria, she had no idea how much the very fabric of her life would change. In fact, when she learned she’d booked the role of Jules Vaughn, the show hadn’t even been picked up for a season order. Instead, the cast and crew focused all their energy on making the best pilot they could in the hopes that HBO would order more episodes. To say that they were successful would be a gross understatement. To date, Euphoria has become one of HBO’s most successful shows of all time, drawing in millions of viewers. But how has Schafer adjusted to the overnight fame that the show has brought her?
How did Hunter Schafer earn a spot in the ‘Euphoria’ cast?
Prior to joining the Euphoria cast, Schafer was making a name for herself as a model and accruing quite a bit of success. In fact, it was through her modeling agency that she learned about the role of Jules. Having had no previous acting experience at the time, the 24-year-old was hardly looking to break into that sector of the entertainment industry. But when the opportunity came about, she went for it.
“It was my agency that told me about the audition for Euphoria,” Schafer revealed to Elle UK. “I think every trans girl at the time got the call. They asked me to come in for a reading, but I wasn’t looking for it.” After multiple rounds of auditions, it was clear that Schafer was the choice for Jules. From there, she started shooting, learning about acting as she was in the process of filming.
The model got candid about adjusting to her immense fame
Certainly, acting without any previous experience was an adjustment for Schafer. So too was the immense attention the show brought her. In many ways, Schafer became an overnight celebrity when Euphoria began airing back in 2019. The talented writer went from living a relatively normal life to being photographed by paparazzi and approached by adoring fans in a manner of weeks. And it seems that Schafer wasn’t at all expecting that the show would become a part of the zeitgeist at the speed that it did.
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“From the airing of the first episode to my first million followers on Instagram, it was, like, a month,” Schafer explained. “It was a huge adjustment, for sure. Nobody really knew if the show was going to hit like that, you know? It’s strange because I thought it would kind of level off after season one, but season two felt like it doubled in size.”
Schafer had to adjust her way of dressing now that she’s famous
Schafer is certainly correct in that Euphoria only became more popular in its sophomore season. So how does the multihyphenate creative ground herself through all the life shifts that she’s experienced over the last five years? The model credits her Euphoria castmate Zendaya as being a kind of lifeline to her. The pair have become best friends over the years and are able to provide each other with support on and off set.
Schafer simply can’t avoid the fame that Euphoria has brought her. The actor admits that she is recognized nearly every day. However, she has adjusted parts of her life so that she can cope with constant attention. For example, she’s made changes to the way she dresses in everyday life. “I used to get really dressed up,” she explained. “I still love doing that. But I know that now comes with more attention. So I’ve learned to keep it a little more low-key.” Clearly, Schafer has found ways to cope with the changes that Euphoria has brought her way. Only time will tell if the attention will increase again or level off once Euphoria season 3 airs.
