Interview: Brittany Snow Reaches New Heights With ‘The Hunting Wives’ and ‘The Beast in Me’

Brittany Snow continues to change the trajectory of her career with the different roles she tackles. Both The Hunting Wives and The Beast in Me provided the performer with the opportunity to develop captivating characters who take on unconventional challenges. These television shows weren’t made solely to position Snow as an awards contender, but the depth reached by the actor made it clear that her range can include Sophie O’Neil and Nina at the same time.

The Hunting Wives brought May Cobb’s book to life. The Netflix series took Snow out of her comfort zone, with the artist explaining how the adaptation challenged her: “So many scenes took me out of my comfort zone! I guess I’ve never done the amounts of vulnerability, in terms of intimacy before. Having to be really free with some of those intimate moments, that was sort of new for me. I think I had done a little bit of that on X, but it was a different kind of character because on X, I played a woman who is very confident. With Sophie, on The Hunting Wives, a lot of that character led with her vulnerability. It was very contained. When I had to be in those moments, the balance of being vulnerable and shy, while I (Brittany) had to be bold and brave. Finding that balance was difficult. But it was challenging and fun.” The successful Netflix adaptation was renewed for a second season, which will feature the return of Snow as Sophie.

Throughout her career, Brittany Snow has shown profound interest in mental health awareness. The actor was recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2015 due to her efforts. More than a decade later, the topic of mental health and how the world’s youth connects to their own emotions remain a priority for the artist.

Even if Snow’s fans are mostly younger members of the audience, she doesn’t her devotion to mental health awareness as an ideal she must live up to at all times: “I don’t necessarily see it as a pressure that I am aware of. I just try to be really honest with the huge platform that I get to have. I’m so grateful that I got to share things that have happened to me. I’m a person who understands and happens to be vulnerable. I have also selfishly thought to myself, while going through hard times, “I hope this is worth something to someone else one day. I hope this is all not for nothing.” When I’ve gotten through those tough times, I hope to give back the fact that I’ve been resilient enough to get through it.” I think it’s just so beautiful that, as people, we get to share our stories and be honest so other people don’t feel so alone. I’m just in a really great opportunity that people are willing to listen to my story. Everyone should be willing to listen to others.”

Snow continues to run September Letters, the nonprofit created to raise awareness when it comes to mental health issues, cementing the young star as someone who deeply cares about the world that surrounds her impressive career.

The Beast in Me tells the story of an author who writes a book about her neighbor, a man who is accused of murdering his wife. In the Netflix crime thriller, Snow portrays Nina Jarvis, the second wife of the suspicious man in question. When Snow got the opportunity to read the premise of the story, she was drawn to her character for a very particular reason: “I think she was immensely important because she’s the unexpected third point in this triangle you don’t really see coming. I think, obviously, it’s Matthew Rhys and Claire Danes’ story.

But when you have a girl who is underestimated, and underdeveloped in a lot of ways. But then you realize there’s a beast in her, just as in the title, because she’s the one you didn’t see coming. That plays the question to people. Did we not want to see that coming? Because we’ve just thought of her as one type of woman. She just serves this type of point in a story. The question should be answered. Maybe she was a part of this narrative from the very beginning as well, because she wanted this, and she got what she wanted. I really like playing the kinds of characters who are underestimated and can do some damage at the end because no one saw them coming. I think that’s what Nina represented. She’s the silent assassin in this story. She won at the end of it all. She got what she wanted.”

Brittany Snow gained a lot of fans thanks to her role as Chloe Beale in the Pitch Perfect franchise. The actor has also demonstrated a sensitive nature through her work at September Letters. Years later, the recent Netflix series allowed the performer to introduce her talent to new audiences. What’s next for Brittany Snow, then? “I think it’s always a challenge to do better things. I want to be inspired by things and to do roles that feel more symbolic of what I’m going through in my life. I think I want to direct more. I did a movie called Parachute a couple of years ago. I found the love of using that part of my brain, and writing. I definitely want to do more of that! Do more Hunting Wives, of course, but also do more shows. I’ve been developing a couple of things that are really exciting. I just feel that they are indicative of the work I’ve done on myself. and that’s nice.”

The different aspects from Snow’s career have come together to create a heartwarming trajectory. There isn’t a challenge the actor wouldn’t want to tackle, and the sky is the limit when it comes to the potential Snow possesses to carry on with her remarkable portfolio.

Both The Hunting Wives and The Beast in Me are now available for streaming on Netflix. This interview was edited for length and clarity purposes.