Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Fear Street’s Julia Rehwald

A new scream queen has arrived in Hollywood, and her name is Julia Rehwald. The up-and-coming actress is delivering a performance for the ages in her breakout role in Netflix’s Fear Street.

Based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling series, Fear Street is a horror trilogy that’s quickly become the summer’s must-see hit.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Julia about Fear Street and how she prepared to play two different characters.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Julia: I’ve been acting since I was in the first grade. I was never good at sports, so I quickly turned to the arts. I found myself right at home there. I grew up singing, dancing, and acting. I fell in love with performing very quickly and haven’t fallen out of love with it since.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Julia: I’m not sure I had any specific influence/inspiration as an actor. Lea Salonga was a huge influence for me as a kid and definitely played a big part in making me realize pursuing a career in the arts was actually a possibility.

Also, Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. I watched that movie in high school, and it’s what made me decide I wanted to be an actor and specifically act in movies. Olivia Hussey’s performance was simply stunning.

Fear Street

PC: Tell us about Fear Street, your characters, and what drew you to this project.
Julia: I play Kate in Fear Street Part 1: 1994 and Lizzie in Fear Street Part 3: 1666. I was drawn to the project from the start. The writer-director of the films, Leigh Janiak, had mentioned she was working on these movies when we worked on a pilot together in 2018. It sounded awesome from the start as I’m a huge Scream junkie and love the horror classics, so naturally, this project appealed to me. I was also so invested in Kate from the start. It’s like, if you asked me to write myself the perfect character for me to play in a movie, Leigh already wrote it with Kate! It felt like fate.

PC: As part of the Fear Street trilogy, we see you embody two different characters. What was that process and preparation like? Which character did you relate to more?
Julia: I spent most of my time in pre-production working on Kate. While I spent a lot of time fleshing out the details of her character, she also came to me very naturally. When I read the script, I immediately had an understanding of who she was and how I wanted to play her. Once I fully knew who Kate was as a person, I had a blueprint to start working on Lizzie. They both have a very similar heart, and I love them both, but I’d say I see myself in Kate a little bit more.

PC: Across both films, which was your favorite scene to film? Which was the most challenging?
Julia: Definitely the grocery store scene. It was the most physically and emotionally exhausting day on set. Without giving anything away, the day we filmed the whole Kate/Skull Mask sequence was really challenging to film with all the stunts.

PC: Fear Street is your biggest role to date. Did anything surprise you about the process? What was the biggest takeaway?
Julia: In a way, everything surprised me about the process. I really learned how everything worked as we went along. I just had the mindset of like, I knew I was probably the most inexperienced actor there, but if I carried myself with confidence and professionalism, it would all work out well. I had to not psych myself out and get in my head about it. Luckily, the whole cast and crew was amazing and welcoming, so I never felt intimidated by the process.

PC: How did you celebrate landing the roles?
Julia: I had a big going away dinner with my friends at the restaurant I was working at at the time, and they totally spoiled us. We had a huge feast and went out for drinks after, so we could all celebrate together right before I had to move to Atlanta to shoot the movies!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Julia: Currently, I’m binging High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. My sister and I are absolutely obsessed. I’m also a huge fanatic for all things early/mid-2000s reality television. Tiffany Pollard is an icon.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Julia: Sex and the City. I re-watch that movie at least a few times a year. Also, Cruel Intentions. I made Olivia [Scott Welch] and Fred [Hechinger] watch it with me in Atlanta, too—they loved it.

PC: Favorite book?
Julia: Hmm…probably Ulysses by James Joyce. Close second choices would be Anna Karenina or Kafka on the Shore. For a more modern/recent option, I read The Son of Good Fortune by Lysley Tenorio, and I loved it. I would love to see it adapted to screen.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Julia: Favorite play would probably be Romeo and Juliet. It has a very special place in my heart. Othello, too, I love Othello. Favorite musical? Ah, that’s tough. Probably Hadestown or Sunday in the Park with George.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Julia: My playlists are completely all over the place. I’ve got K-Pop, Death Grips, a bunch of indie artists. But lately, I’ve been listening to “L to the OG” by Kendall Roy a lot in preparation for Succession season 3.

PC: Dream role?
Julia: I really want to do some film adaptations of Shakespeare someday. I’d love to play Juliet before I get too old to pass as a teenager, or Desdemona in Othello, or Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Those are my top three, probably, although I could continue the list more. My other dream is to be able to play a character in the Star Wars universe. I want to play a Sith Lord or a dark Jedi.

To keep up with Julia, follow her on Instagram. Watch Fear Street on Netflix today.

Photo Credit: Amy Sussman