Since it’s debut on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why has been hit with a level of praise and controversy for the way it handles an array of heavy topics portrayed in the series.
Many of the show’s cast members, writer of the original novel Brian Yorkey, and even producer Selena Gomez have spoken out against the critics, and all the backlash that has followed.
With all of that controversy behind them at the moment, Katherine Langford who stars as Hannah Baker on the show opened up to Deadline in a new interview on what she's been able to learn from the show and from the character who put her on the map.
At the time of shooting, the two characters were facing similar struggles in their lives. Hannah of course dealing with being the new kid in school, and Katherine having just located to a new country and having the weight of this beloved series and character suddenly drop on her shoulders.
She admits, “I think I grew as an actor because there were so many things to learn, and so many hard parts of life to play out in Hannah’s journey. One of the challenges I overcame on 13 Reasons Why was just knowing the technicalities of what it’s like to be a working actor."
“It’s the first thing I’ve done. I moved over to another country and was living by myself for six months, so I felt like I grew a lot as a person. It kind of forced me to learn how to take care of myself,” she continued to say.
Though the best part of playing Hannah and the response of 13RW for the actress has been the connection she's been able to make with fans. She admits, "The special thing for me is that as someone who is in the show, even if I can’t necessarily understand the full scope or magnitude of the response, I get to hear individual responses from fans who come up to me and are able to share their stories. I feel like that’s very special, and I feel very privileged to be in that position."
No doubt there's going to be a similar if not larger outpour of support when fans finally get their first glimpse at season two. Katherine didn't share much about the continuation of Hannah's journey in the next chapter of the series, so for now fans will have to wait until an announcement of a release date hits the web.
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