As soon as Alyssa Jirrels read about her role in Paramount+’s new series Fatal Attraction, which premiered on April 30, she instantly felt connected. “I felt very curious about my character, and I had an innate understanding of her,” the actress, 22, exclusively tells GRAZIA USA.
In the series, which reimagines the classic 1908s psychosexual thriller film, Jirrels plays Ellen Gallagher, Dan (Joshua Jackson) and Beth’s (Amanda Peet) daughter who has a complicated relationship with her father for the potential murder of Lizzy Caplan‘s character, Alex Forrest. “When we meet Ellen in the first episode, she is just finding out that her father, who she has not seen in 15 years because he’s in prison, is getting out and she goes to his hearing, where he says he murdered Alex. The rest of the episode we see her grappling with that,” she says.
The original movie, which features Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, was instantly a hit, but the rising star doesn’t think you necessarily need to see the flick in order to understand the series. “It gives it context, but it explores the same issues of infidelity, marriage and gender equality,” she notes. “My character is a study on how trauma affects kids. She’s sort of the experiment that ties it all together. You get to see her as a kid and then how she experiences things as an adult as well.”
Though Jirrels has been in other shows including Boo, B**** and As We See It, this time around, she got to work with some incredible actors, including Jackson, Peet and Caplan. “I learned that I’m a different person after the show. Josh is definitely the one I work with most, and he’s so present and kind. He’s an amazing actor and very attentive and generous, but he also took his role of being number one on the call sheet very seriously. He’s really good at bringing the entire crew into every moment, whether it’s good or bad. He has this openness that everybody can feel when you’re around him.”
Since Jirrels is just starting out, Jackson, who got his start on Dawson’s Creek in the ’90s, would share stories from his past on set. “It was very formative. He was my age when doing that show, so we bonded about that,” she adds. “He knows everybody’s job, everybody’s name and is very connected to very part of the filmmaking process. It was really important to see since I’m just starting out.”
Unfortunately, Jirrels never got to work with Caplan, but she would often “check in” on her from time to time. “Amanda is also such an incredible person who is also so grounded. She’s the most authentic person to work with. She brings the best out of you,” she gushes.
To prepare for the role, Jirrels didn’t tune into the movie until recently. “I watched some of it before we started shooting and then finished it recently. It is a great movie. My mom was excited when I got the audition because the movie was iconic. I hope everyone is entertained. The show is quite riveting. It’s very psychological,” she shares.
Though Jirrels got a master class from Jackson and Peet, she says the scripts were “really dense,” which forced her to pay attention to the writing and wording. Also, she felt like she wanted to do the character justice. “You want to be able to play a character that lives in their head without being in their head as an actor,” she says. “That was the biggest challenge for me. After a while, you start to really care about this person. I didn’t get all the scripts at first, so I didn’t know the arc or where she was going, which gave me this amazing chance to dive deeper into her psyche and study her trauma. I feel like it enriched me as a person, and I became very aware of how I was really alike to her. By the end, we sort of merged, which was cool. It was a cool experience as an actor, and it definitely changed me for the better.”
Hair/Makeup: Aaron Barry
Styling: Jacqueline Zenere
When Jirrels saw her mom in a play at a young age, she always thought about getting into the field, too. “When I watched the behind the scenes footage of Harry Potter, I thought about making a movie. I saw there were people with cameras who were creating it, and I was blown away by that,” she recalls.
“It’s been an evolution,” she adds of seeing her career take off, including starring in This Is the Year, directed by David Henrie and produced by Selena Gomez. “It’s an ascending staircase, which is really cool. Every project I start, I feel like a different person each time. Every single project shaped me into who I am. I’ve been a guest star on shows many times, and it’s challenging because you’re coming into this machine and you have to fit in. But now being in a series and movies, I am learning how to be vulnerable and communicate.”
Now that Jirrels sees billboards all over Los Angeles, she’s thrilled to be on such a great streamer. “It’s special. It’s a cool time right now. I have a new tattoo on my arm and it says, ‘Enjoy it.’ I’m reminding myself to do that. I’m very happy,” she raves.
As for what’s next, she hopes to continue working on television since there’s so much good content out there. “I would do well in the drama space and with dense scripts,” she believes. “I love theater — that’s something I would love to do. When the material is good and interesting, that’s the first thing I gravitate toward. I just want to keep growing and learning and being in between those mediums for the rest of my life.”
Fatal Attraction is now streaming on Paramount+.
