Hunter Schafer Tackles Her First Starring Role in New Horror Film Cuckoo
Hunter Schafer takes on her first lead role in the new horror film Cuckoo, pushing the actress to take off her training wheels and perform on a whole other level.
Schafer’s fame jump-started after her first role, portraying transgender high school girl Jules in the hit series Euphoria, working alongside well-known movie stars like Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, and Sydney Sweeney. This role left her in the spotlight, receiving numerous offers, including starring in the 2024 horror film Cuckoo, directed by Tilman Singer.
In the film, Schafer portrays Gretchen, a closed-off 17-year-old who has recently lost her mother and is forced to leave her home to live with her father and his new family. The film’s synopsis explains how her father lives in a resort in the German Alps, and although the word “resort” sounds tranquil and relaxing, there’s something eerie and not quite right about Gretchen’s new residence. During her time at the resort, Gretchen is haunted by strange noises and nightmarish visions, along with a shocking secret that the film will reveal on its release date, May 3.
Cuckoo – Oh YES some fresh new campy horror to rock us!! LOVED this!! Eerie atmospheric mountain resort setting, incredible use of shadows, creepy screaming sound, Dan Stevens is hilariously iconic, Hunter Schafer is a badass switchblade hero. This film totally slays!! #Berlinale pic.twitter.com/RBvUMEv8Yl
— Alex B. (@firstshowing) February 16, 2024
The film’s story is based on the lore of the cuckoo bird, known to be what many call “nest parasites.” The famous European bird’s specific call, coo-coo, is what cuckoo clocks imitate, hence the name. Some of the Cuckoo’s species are well known as brood parasites, which means they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, hoping to deposit parental responsibility onto another. Schafer comments on this bizarre phenomenon in an interview with Variety, stating, “It’s really a freaky thing that that’s just in nature, and birds are just out here being complete dicks to other birds and giving them their own babies to raise. Are you kidding? That’s psycho!”
The lore of the cuckoo bird isn’t the only thing that shocked Schafer as she encountered this character. After Euphoria, she faced brand new learning curves, having to become proficient in new skills for the project and even incorporating her music capability. The film’s soundtrack includes a song by Schafer, where she performs the bass and even sings a little.
Schafer reveals this in the same interview with Variety, “I wasn’t anticipating it being a whole recording moment, but it ended up happening,” Schafer laughs. “I mess around with music casually in my personal life. It was another one of the skills I had to pick up for this movie — I had to do sign language, I had to learn the butterfly knife, and then I had to do bass lessons.”
“I had to do sign language, I had to learn the butterfly knife and then I had to do bass lessons. As far as the singing goes, it’s not like she’s trying to do vibrato or whatever, it’s just kind of scratchy, maybe a little punky.” – Hunter Schafer on her role in @CuckooMov. pic.twitter.com/edrw3UjqoS
— NEON (@neonrated) February 16, 2024
Cuckoo had its world premiere at the 74 Berlin International Film Festival on February 16. Schafer wore two back-to-back looks at the festival, both bringing more gasps than the horror film itself for how stunning they were. While promoting Cuckoo, she wore a graceful white feathery maxi dress that accentuated her overall elegance as a woman and actress.
Hunter Schafer rocks a feather-adorned dress for the debut of her new movie "Cuckoo" at Berlin Film Festival. https://t.co/ibaBOIRYGR pic.twitter.com/Vvlueh7KPu
— Variety (@Variety) February 16, 2024
She appeared on the red carpet the same day with her second look, a distinctive tonal fit consisting of a maxi skirt draped with olive fringe containing unique cut-out designs along the hips. Schafer’s look was completed with a taupe off-the-shoulder sweater.
You can watch the actress dive into the role on May 3. Check out the teaser for the upcoming film below.
