“The tenacity that Beth had made me feel seen. Having to force yourself to be bigger than you are just to get by – it was inspiring. She has a tenacity that I feel girls don’t get to show on screen enough. I really wanted to portray growing up as a woman and feeling the pressure to be molded into what other people want you to be.”

Violet Young

Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Stephanie Diani | Stylist: Andrew Gelwicks | Hair: Mitchell Ramazon | Makeup: Camille Thompson

Violet Young is an actress, singer, and songwriter on the rise who can soon be seen in Amy Schumer’s biographical series Life & Beth on Hulu. Young talked to NYOTA about what made her fall in love with the series, stepping into Beth’s shoes, and working on her first EP.

Growing up, did you often put on performances for your family?

My sister and I have always had a flair for the dramatic and desire for the lights of the stage and tried to bring that feeling to our living room. At the dinner table, my sister and I would perform dances as my parents tried to eat, or we would write songs together and perform them with our friends. We went to a really hippy elementary school, so we always had a song on our minds and my dad is musical as well and taught us to fall in love with music and performing. 

Tell our readers about Life & Beth. What drew you to the project?

I went in for the audition the first time and fell in love with the witty, wry humor, and sweetness of Beth. I felt connected to Young Beth and the way a girl protects her family and has to grow tough skin to survive in the world. The tenacity that Beth had made me feel seen. Having to force yourself to be bigger than you are just to get by – it was inspiring. She has a tenacity that I feel girls don’t get to show on screen enough. I really wanted to portray growing up as a woman and feeling the pressure to be molded into what other people want you to be. 

Did you and Amy Schumer work closely together to build out Beth as a character?

Amy was just the sweetest with answering my questions. I asked a lot about Beth’s struggles with family dynamics and friends. It was easy to relate to Beth, and Amy made sure that I could tell the most truthful reality of who she is. She trusted me and it made me trust myself. I was curious to know more about the ways in which Young Beth behaves and why, or how she sees herself and who she is to the people around her. Amy helped me to hold the character tightly and to weave my experiences with hers. It was quite beautiful. 

Young Beth is uprooted from her childhood home, navigating puberty, and her parent’s separation, which is not easy. What did you do to step into Beth’s shoes each episode?

I thought about my life and connecting Beth with my experiences. It’s funny because as we see the show progress, I could relate more and more to Young Beth. I used my own relationships, family dynamics, and school experiences to develop the character. Being a middle school or high school student is challenging! Young Beth helped me step out of my own comfort zone to find deeper parts of her and myself. There will always be pieces of me in Young Beth, and she showed me pieces of myself I didn’t realize were there. It’s healing, magical, scary, and amazing. 

Throughout the show, particularly in the episode titled “Leonard,” you worked closely with Michael Rapaport. Did you learn a lot from having him as a scene partner?

Michael Rappaport is hilarious on and off the screen and so fun to work with. I definitely learned a lot from him. I would watch how he prepared for a scene and approached his character, and that definitely influenced me. He has such an amazing work ethic and I was really inspired by that. The way he embodied his character pushed me to be better.

In the episode, “MRI” viewers get more insight into Beth’s home life and what led to her and Liz falling out. How did you prepare for that episode and the emotional weight of those scenes?

I put myself into Beth’s reality and tried to be as truthful as I could. It’s hard losing people you love and even the possibility of it is so daunting. People can slip in and out of your life in less time than you think. Just the thought of losing the people I love was enough to catapult me into Beth’s mindset. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my parents and sister, and Beth is all-encompassing with love for her family. It was easy to tap into love and hatred as they often go hand in hand, and Beth definitely walked the line between both of them. Betrayal and anger are feelings that can kind of easily be tapped into, unfortunately. 

Grabbing ahold of those familiar feelings, I just tried to conserve my energy and find the most immediate circumstances that could take my mind to that place of hurting. You definitely have to do the work, then let it go, and in the process protect your energy. 

Outside of acting, you’re also passionate about music and plan to release original songs this year. Who are some of your musical inspirations?

I love Amy Winehouse, Taylor Swift, our girl Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, Phoebe Bridgers, and Kacey Musgraves. 

You’re working with Dirty Canvas Music on your first EP. Do you feel you’ve grown as an artist by working on your EP?

Definitely. I’ve felt more confident about my songwriting and process. I feel like I can dive into a song and trust that it can become something great. Working with other people and learning from them has been such a blessing and I know I’m a better musician because of it. I can’t take credit for their influence, but yeah it’s been really thrilling. 

Could you see yourself tying your passions for music and acting together in the future by writing songs for soundtracks?

Wow, that would be really really cool! I would love to do something like that. I’d love to do the soundtrack for an animated film like The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’m in awe of that type of storytelling. It would also be cool to write for a character and get to play them.

What advice do you have for aspiring actors?

You are the only you in the room, so show people who you are and what you can do, and then let it go. Rejection can feel really personal, but it’s always another door to something else. Trust your instincts and follow the projects that you’re passionate about. Don’t let fear stop you and give yourself space to delve into the characters you play. Trust that you are enough and worth getting the job because you are! Never let a “no” stop you. Let it fuel you to be the best version of yourself and don’t let the voice in your head talk you out of the hard work you’ve put in.