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Hunter Schafer is vibrating on a higher frequency.
Photo: Felix Dickinson, Courtesy of NEON
Booked and busy ever sinceEuphoriawrapped its sophomore season, her latest project is Tilman SingersCuckoo,a horror film.
Working as a store clerk there, she slowly untangles a legacy of family secrets and terrifying visions.
So, is Schafer a horror fan?
Schafer as Jules inEuphoria
Ive definitely gone through big phases.
(Pressed for a favorite example, she identifies Andres Muschiettis supernaturalMama,from 2013.)
OfCuckoo,she adds: I wasnt really looking for a horror movie in particular.
I was just looking for a movie.
The two got to know each other over the phone for almost two years before they started filming.
He has this child-like excitement still.
Maybe its because hes still a younger, newer filmmaker and isnt quite jaded yet, Schafer says.
Theres something buoyant in Schafers voice as she speaks.
The North Carolina native is sweet and curious, thoughtful and measured.
I love that montage so much, she says now, laughing.
It felt really playful.
In some ways, Schafer is still finding her footing as an actress.
(Long before bookingEuphoria,shed hoped to pursue a career in the visual arts.)
Now, however, shes reading Philip K. DicksDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
There are still plenty of directors she dreams of working with.
Panos Cosmatos is one, and she lovesPonyo,by the great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
Would she ever want to voice one of his movies?
So Im hoping that keeps happening.
But Luca Guadagnino is at the top of her wishlist.
I love the way he does queer storytelling, she says.
Its really tricky, she says.
I know the position Im in.
Theres not a lot of us that have infiltrated [Hollywood] yet.
Its challenging, she adds, when you feel like youre not there yet.
Schafer as Jules inEuphoria
Schafer has also been working on channeling her own creative vision.
I feel this constant desire to put more energy into stuff behind the camera, she tells me.
A lot of my friends are in the DJ world, Schafer says.
Its something I play with on my own time.
I do have a dream of DJing one of my wrap parties.
I have to get good enough first.
Her favorite DJ at the moment is the New Yorkbased hard techno musicianKilbourne.
Lately, shes been messaging with Kilbourne about learning to use the popular music software Ableton.
Schafers own interest in the genre, however, took her by surprise.
At some point it stops becoming about the music, and its about the way youre participating.
Techno is an exciting space for that.
Wherever she goes, fans are certainly along for the ride.
Schafers horizon is undoubtedly bright, full of oceanic feelings and new frequencies just waiting to be tapped.
Cuckoois in theaters from August 9.
