Working with Dan Stevens on ‘Cuckoo’: Hunter Schafer Shares How Everyone Was Anticipating His ‘Weird Little Pockets’ Surprises

Hunter Schafer, known for her role in Euphoria and modeling career, found her first film role in Tilman Singer’s horror movie Cuckoo to be quite daunting. As the lead actress, she was apprehensive about the new medium and the pressure of being featured prominently throughout the film.

Schafer expressed to Yahoo Entertainment that the transition from television to film felt daunting, yet much of her anxiety dissipated upon arriving in Germany for the shoot and meeting Singer. The film, which was shot in 2022, was one of the first scripts Schafer felt deeply connected to.

She stars as Gretchen, a 17-year-old who, with her father, his new wife, and their daughter, relocates to the Bavarian Alps. Their stay at a mysterious resort run by Dan Stevens’s enigmatic character, Herr König, leads to unsettling occurrences.

The narrative includes illness, strange restrictions, and eerie phenomena that may suggest something more sinister than just Gretchen’s deteriorating mental state.

Stevens, who described the film as balancing horror with dark humor, found this mix crucial in keeping the audience engaged. He appreciated the film’s underlying humor, which made the intense scenes more enjoyable and less monotonous.

Schafer echoed this sentiment, noting that working with Stevens felt like a “summer camp” experience, filled with anticipation for his creative contributions and humorous antics.

Despite this being Schafer’s inaugural film role, Stevens, a seasoned actor known for Downton Abbey and Beauty and the Beast, felt inspired by Schafer’s enthusiasm and fresh perspective. He enjoyed the dynamic energy Schafer brought to the set, contrasting with his own more seasoned approach.

Unexpectedly, Schafer found the action sequences to be a highlight, reveling in the physicality of these scenes and the opportunity to immerse herself fully in the role.

Following Cuckoo, she has appeared in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Kinds of Kindness. Schafer is also involved in the sci-fi series Blade Runner 2099 and is preparing to return to Euphoria, which resumes production in January after a nearly three-year break.