JULIA GARNER

NEEDS NO ASSISTANCE…

The Assistant star is the next big thing.

With shows like Maniac, The Americans and Ozark, Julia Garner has already conquered our TVs. Now the 26-year-old New Yorker is fronting The Assistant, a #MeToo-inspired tale of a mistreated film company gofer who tries to speak out. “I haven’t seen a really great movie script until this one,” she says. After this, a few more might be heading her way…

What was the attraction of working on

The Assistant?

It was so clear in the writing. Kitty [Green] is such an amazing writer, as well as a director. She made it very clear what she was writing. Kitty interviewed a lot of women who were sexually assaulted. And even if they weren’t sexually assaulted, they were abused in some way or another.

Did anyone advise you not to do it?

No. This is the thing – I had no

hesitation that Kitty could deliver. I knew if I was going to work with a director… I knew she would be amazing. The script was amazing. The part was really interesting. Did I have hesitation, like was I scared to do it? Yeah, absolutely. But that’s also a reason why I did it, because I tend to do that.

Do you think the industry has changed for the better in the wake of #MeToo?

I think it’s much better than it was, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. It’s important not to forget about this topic, to keep the conversation going, and I think that’s why this movie is important.

You’re next up as the lead in TV drama Inventing Anna. What can you say about that?

It is about a girl… with an identity problem. She’s trying to figure out her identity, and she has a lot of bumps through figuring that out. She didn’t do great things, but I’m trying to portray her as a person rather than as a character.

ETA | 1 MAY / THE ASSISTANT IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW.