Think of your most awkward middle school moment—of which there are likely many—and now imagine being a teenager in 2018. Chances are, you’ll feel a kinship with 15-year-old Elsie Fisher, the actor who plays Kayla in Bo Burnham’s sweet directorial debut Eighth Grade (a movie Jezebel clearly loves). In her remarkable breakthrough role as a teen who serves as a stand-in for adults with maximum, incurable anxiety in the internet age, Fisher is simultaneously charming and socially clumsy. It’s a testament to her talent that even playing a purportedly non-cool teen, she doesn’t come across as a cornball at all, neither on screen nor in person.
“High school is terrible. Don’t do it. I don’t recommend it. It sucks, but that’s fine. You’ll get past it,” Fisher tells Jezebel. “Eighth Grade taught me that you can feel bad a lot and that’s still fine. It’s cool to not feel cool.”
She knows us so well.
Watch the full interview above.
Producer: Kayra Clouden, Creative Producer: Joon Chung