Violet Young is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot about in the coming weeks. The 17-year-old stars as a young Beth in Amy Schumer’s new Hulu series Life & Beth, which premieres March 18 on Hulu. Violet perfectly embodies the younger version of Beth as she navigates a troubled family life, high school ups and downs, and more.
Amy showcases Violet’s talent in a major way, and it’s clear that Violet is a standout among Hollywood’s next generation. And she’s just a junior in high school! HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Violet about the journey to become Beth, winning the “lottery ticket” with Amy, and more.
This is such a personal project for Amy Schumer. She’s the writer, star, producer, and directs a number of episodes. What was the audition process like? What first intrigued you about this young version of Beth?
Violet Young: I mean, what really intrigued me about that was just that I haven’t read a ton of characters that are like her in auditions. I felt really connected to her in terms of just being a young girl and trying to kind of find your place in the world and also having to develop friendships and school dynamics and family dynamic life at home. So I really related to a lot of her experiences and just her values and her upbringing. I feel like I had a lot to draw from. She was super fun to play.
Did you know going in that this would be a young version of Amy Schumer?
Violet Young: I did know it was the young version of Amy. I was kind of freaking out and definitely was a little nervous. I couldn’t be more grateful that I got the role.
What was that first meeting like with Amy once you got the role?
Violet Young: My gosh, I remember I went in for the final callback, and she gave me a big hug. It was right before I did my scene. You could just feel all the love radiating off of her, and it made me feel really comfortable. On the set, she was such a dream to work with. I couldn’t be more lucky. She was so wonderful.
This was an all-hands-on-deck project for her. What was your relationship like with her as a director?
Violet Young: Oh my gosh, she’s like the lottery ticket of directors. She’s amazing and so nurturing.
Beth is at the center of the series, and she looks back at the highs and lows of her childhood, which was at times very complicated. Was there a scene for you that was particularly challenging or one that you remember that was difficult to shoot?
Violet Young: Beth for sure had a lot of moments, just hard moments in the series. I think the big fight with her really close friend was definitely tough because it’s something that a lot of people can relate to, and it’s sad stuff. That was definitely hard and her experience at school. It’s definitely tough to recreate those moments. Sometimes you go through that growing up, so it’s definitely something that’s hard to portray, but I’m so excited for people to see it. Hopefully, it makes people feel a little less alone.
You are right at the same age as young Beth in the series. When you were playing her, did you find that you had similar experiences with Beth or maybe were going through some of the same things or feeling some of the same things that she felt?
Violet Young: Absolutely. It takes place in the ’90s, but it’s so relatable to now with the high school experience and family dynamics and finding friends and keeping friends and nurturing those relationships. It’s weird to play a character when you’re kind of going through all of that yourself. It’s definitely weird, but it’s kind of healing and perfect and great.
You get to work a lot with Laura Benanti and Michael Rapaport, who play Beth’s parents. What was that experience like?
Violet Young: They’re both just so cool and awesome and just amazing actors and people. It’s crazy that I can even work with them. Laura’s a mom so that’s really cool. I felt like I was kind of like her second child. They were super nurturing and super loving. It was really fun to get to dive into those relationships for young Beth to kind of represent her relationships with her parents and her sister. It was really, really fun to dive into that, and I had a wonderful my co-star Lily [Fisher], who plays my younger sister. She’s so sweet. It couldn’t have been more fun.
Throughout this Life & Beth process, what’s something you learned from Amy that you’ll always take with you?
Violet Young: She’s just one of the kindest people and just the way that she ran the set was just so inspiring. I think I learned about just growing up, seeing other people on a set, and someone making you feel really special, which is so wonderful. I definitely learned a lot about just behavior on set and work ethic. She’s just an all-around really great person. I definitely learned a lot from her.