Hailing from across the globe in Australia, budding actress Samara Weaving is certainly claiming her space in the American film industry. To date, the starlet already has an impressive repertoire of roles to her name, claiming the spotlight in a plethora of praised television and film productions including Home and Away, The Babysitter, Mayhem, and Ready Or Not, among many others. Now, the 28-year-old actress stars as Claire Wood, a dream-chaser caught up in the world of movie-making, on Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix series Hollywood, set to premiere this Friday, May 1. 

At the nexus of race, gender, and sexuality in the Los Angeles limelight, Hollywood follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in a Post-World War II Tinseltown. Shedding light on the hardships and injustices placed upon marginalized groups in mainstream media, the series provides an empowered storyline that showcases what the entertainment landscape might resemble if rid of toxic, decades-old power dynamics. “For me, the show is about honoring these people who paved the way for us for equality in the industry,” explains Weaving. “They started fighting a long time ago, and this show is a great reminder for us not to take that for granted and to keep fighting the good fight.” 

Weaving’s character, Claire, powerfully fronts the lead female archetype, unapologetically making her goals known and desires flaunted in a stance for female empowerment amid a male-dominated industry. “I really admire Claire in the way that she can just walk into a room and have the confidence to tell people her opinion,” says Weaving. “I think I need to take a page out of her book and stand up for myself in different situations. As a young woman, it’s easy to be overlooked. Sometimes I’ll be in a situation where someone will look at me at face value and not consider that I might have relevant ideas or they’ll see me as a naive young woman. I like that Claire makes sure that she’s heard.” 

Weaving’s badass female persona speaks volumes to the show’s forward-thinking agenda, and her story is only one of several given the spotlight on the series. A star-studded cast including Darren Criss, David Corenswet, Jeremy Pope, Laura Harrier, Jake Picking, Rob Reiner and Patti LuPone depicts the future of filmmaking through atypical characters that relentlessly fight for a place in an industry accustomed to conformity. “It’s pretty rare to love every single person on the set, but we did,” Weaving says. “We were so comfortable with each other. There’s a scene with Rob Reiner, Patti LuPone, and me, where we’re being so awful to each other. It would have been so nerve-wracking if I didn’t have the relationship I did with those two legends to pull that off completely. I call them the most awful things, but it was actually so much fun.”

As the highly-anticipated series’ debut approaches amidst social distancing orders, Weaving shared a few snaps from home with V in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton to celebrate the show’s release. An ambassador for the brand, Weaving shared fond words of the leading creative director: “Nicolas Ghesquière is the most kind man and he’s a genius when it comes to clothes,” she says. “He really has such a blazingly creative brain.” 

Gear up for the premiere of Hollywood this Friday, and take a look at Weaving’s self-styled and self-shot images, below.