is a tough cookie to crack,’’ Julia says with a lot of excitement in her voice. ‘‘I really have a great time working on her because it was tricky to figure out what’s underneath this facade that she has and [find] her vulnerabilities.’’ However, Alice’s persona goes beyond the ‘‘stone cold bitch with ice water in [her] veins’’ she described herself as in the fourth episode of season 1. ‘‘For me, I think the hardest to tackle with Alice was her coldness and her confidence. No matter how I was feeling — if I was feeling exhausted as Julia, or insecure, I had to show up on set and be this badass [character] that Alice Charles was, which is honestly an amazing lesson. [I have] so much more confidence in myself because of how Alice is.’’ On her favorite episodes to film, she enjoyed working with Janet Mock and Tina Mabry who directed ‘‘October Surprise’’ in season 1, and ‘‘What’s in the Box?’’ in season 2 respectively. ‘‘They are so amazing at what they do. It was such a creative environment and everyone was so excited to be in that space.’’ Moving forward with talks about season 3, Julia hopes to get the chance to round out their story. ‘‘I know that Ryan would love to do a season 3 and send Payton
to the presidential election, but I haven’t heard anything yet,’’ she reveals. ‘‘We’re all fingers crossed over here because we love each other so much and it’s the greatest gift getting to go to work every day together.’’ Until we know more about the future of the series, Julia mentions she is getting back to reading scripts and stays open to whatever comes her way after the pandemic. ‘‘People could be writing during quarantine so there’s so much material now to look at,’’ she says, before ultimately adding, ‘‘If Ryan Murphy calls, I’m answering — whatever he has in mind, I’ll be there.’’ Lastly, she tells us about being committed to using her voice for good, and telling stories that will start conversations. ‘‘It’s really important for me as a white person to be going back into that workspace and making sure that my colleagues who are people of color feel as though they have an ally in me, someone that they can come to if they ever feel uncomfortable or anything like that,’’ she says. ‘‘If I have any power on a set, I hope to do my part and continue to learn, listen, watch, and respect those around me. It’s going to be a lifelong journey, but I’m going to try my best and keep my brain open.’’
‘‘IT’S INSPIRING TO WATCH YOUNG PEOPLE KILLING IT OUT THERE, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW THEY GOT THIS’’
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