Interview: Kaitlyn Dever on a Powerful Role in ‘Dopesick’ and Her Many Other Projects

Hulu’s new series Dopesick adapts Beth Macy’s nonfiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, shining a light on the human cost of the opioid epidemic. Among its many potent storylines is that of Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever), a miner struggling to hide her sexual orientation deep in Appalachia.

Dever is an accomplished actress who made an early impression at a young age with TV roles in Justified and Last Man Standing. Her recent work in high-profile films like Booksmart and Dear Evan Hansen has shown tremendous range, and she continues to turn in excellent dramatic work in projects like the Netflix limited series Unbelievable, which earned her Golden Globe and Television Critics Association nominations. In fact, our own editor Joey Magidson has long been a champion of hers.

Awards Radar had the chance to speak with Dever about what attracted her to this story, the character of Betsy, and how this project compares to the many other things she’s been a part of over the years.

The first three episodes of Dopesick debut on Hulu on October 13^th, with one new episode premiering every Wednesday after that.