Here’s a burning question: Who plays Reese Witherspoon’s too-cool daughter in the new Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere? Her name is Megan Stott, and though filming has wrapped on the show (her first ever!), this actress is just getting started. We talked with her about baking, emo music, and what you do when you’re on a TV set all day. (Hint: Nintendo.)

How long have you been acting? 
It’s been about five years. For a while, I didn’t really get anything… A few short films and student films. It was the moment when I said, “Mom, I don’t want to [keep auditioning] and not get anything,” when I got a call about Little Fires Everywhere.

What was your reaction to landing such a big project?
I always thought I would build my way up to working with someone like Reese. She is someone I wanted to work with forever, and then it became my first job! In the beginning, I was intimidated because I didn’t know her and I was new to the industry. But [the team] really wanted to embrace the young actors and support what we did.

In the first episode, your character chops her hair off. Did you know that was going to happen beforehand?
Not exactly! The first day on set, they were like “We’re gonna give you a haircut,” and I just said, “Okay!” I actually had wanted to do it for a while. My original dream had been a pixie cut, and I ended up with a cool diagonal cut instead. When you really want to be a character, you kind of have to be willing to do whatever it takes to become her.

Did you read the book before you auditioned?
Yes. At first, I didn’t really see myself as Izzy because I’m very, very different from her.

How so?
Izzy is super complicated. So getting into her headspace is hard because we are so different. I had to immerse myself into what she was thinking, wearing, and listening to… She wears a lot of black, which is so not me. She listens to music I don’t listen to, like Alanis Morissette and My Chemical Romance. But she and I both play violin, and it’s been really cool to get back into my love of that instrument through her.

Did you have any sort of ritual for preparing a scene?
Some people would probably say this isn’t good [laughs], but I would sit in my trailer and listen to music in my Izzy outfit and isolate myself. I would just be in my own little “Izzy World” so I could get to that zone.

What about when you weren’t working?
Because we had so many kids on set, we were able to hang out. Gavin Lewis, who plays my brother on the show, had a Nintendo Switch. We hitched it up to the TV in our trailer, and we would play Mortal Kombat between scenes.

Do you feel famous?
I don’t really know. When it first came out, a few people here and there recognized me. But now I’m at home, and I can go to the store and just be in my PJs. But right now, I’m doing a lot of baking (mostly butter cookies and chocolate lava cake for my brother, who is gluten free) and I’m starting school again online.