Anna Van Patten Interview

To some, acting is a game of make-believe. But Anna Van Patten treats it as something far more exacting.

She’s in London this week, speaking to me over Zoom from her hotel room in Hackney. The other day, she visited the Tracey Emin exhibition at the Tate—a hobby Anna often returns to in her downtime, she tells me. “I’ve just always been really interested in confessional art. Tracey and Sophie Calle are some of my favourite artists—and I also love diaries. For the past couple of years, I’ve been reading all different types of diaries and texts,” she adds.

It’s a fascination that dates back to Anna’s childhood, where she found herself inspired by “all different kinds of art”. Paintings, sculptures and “anything that involved storytelling” were her bread and butter. From re-enacting films her father would play for her and her sister to transforming her action figures into ogres, princesses, ghosts or elves, she learned early on that imagination wasn’t just an escape—it was a way to locate herself in the world.

“Even just in life, it’s so important to always be putting yourself in other people’s shoes,” she explains. “And I try to do that all the time, just as a form of connection.”

A recent example came just last week at her Rollacoaster shoot. “I really love shoots that feel like you can play more of a character,” she recalls. For Anna, slipping into a role – on set or off – has long been second nature. She took on countless parts in the acting classes she attended as a child, and even more during her time at a performing arts high school, which culminated in a showcase that led her to her manager. From there, it was audition after audition: model by day, acting student by night. Not long after, she landed her breakout role as Grace Byron in HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot—and suddenly, her favourite pastime became a full-time profession.

“It felt like I was ready for that momentum,” she states. “Because it felt like I had been going at it for a while already. To me, my career didn’t feel like it suddenly picked up—I was definitely ready for it and eager to start working.”

And work, she did. After serving two seasons in Gossip Girl’s high-school halls, she graduated with a thirst to tell a different kind of story—one that came in the form of a real-life case: The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. The series, which aired last year, centres on the wrongful imprisonment of its titular figure (played by Anna’s real-life sister, Grace Van Patten), tracing a harrowing story of injustice and the fight for freedom. But for Anna, it was the parts of the story that never made headlines that proved most compelling—making her a natural fit to play Amanda’s sister, Deanna Knox.

“Of course, the project meant I was able to work with my sister, which I knew would be a dream come true,” she says. “But I realised that Deanna is such a unique character. This is something that affected her life so deeply, yet she was never really spoken about—her life was put on pause for years because of something that happened to someone she loves.”

Getting into character was “definitely different” this time. Without the same level of public record to draw from, Anna approached the role from a more instinctive place. “Rather than thinking, ‘How can I be Deanna,’ I thought about how I would show up for my sister—and what I would feel as a member of that family,” she explains. Acting alongside Grace only deepened that emotional instinct—sometimes to an overwhelming degree. “Oh my gosh, the lines were always blurred,” she responds. “Grace is so good that when she would start crying on set, my natural instinct was to run to her as her sister.”

The project proved to be a turning point. Not only did it confirm that her sister makes for an exceptional scene partner (she now hopes to act in a project together in a world where they are “not sisters”); but it also helped Anna discover the kind of actor she wants to be. “I love projects that kind of make you think a little bit and ask uncomfortable questions,” she reflects. “That’s the beautiful thing about art: it opens your eyes and makes you look inward and outward.” 

And on that same set, Anna’s eyes were already wide open for her next opportunity. 

“I remember getting the call and I was in a hotel room because we were still in the middle of shooting Amanda Knox. I was alone and just said to myself, ‘This is so crazy!’” 

The call – one Anna never expected to receive – informed her she was cast in Euphoria’s highly anticipated third season, something she admits she’s still wrapping her head around. “I had my call back like three weeks before that and as time went on, I was just like, ‘Ah, it’s probably not my part.’ But I was always holding onto this secret hope like, ‘Please, please, please’,” she laughs.

There wasn’t much time to celebrate, however. A week after the call, Anna was already on a brand new set. Her first day consisted of chats with Show Creator Sam Levinson about her character Kitty – the newest dancer at the infamous Silver Slipper – and the next thing she knew, she was filming her first episode alongside Zendaya. 

“It was definitely nerve-wracking because the cast has such huge names,” she shares. “But when you’re working opposite these actors, it’s easy because they’re so great and talented. Right from the second I stepped onto set, I was very calm because everyone was so welcoming—especially the crew who have been there from the beginning.” 

Beyond the atmosphere, it was the world of Euphoria itself that drew her in. “I mean, I think Euphoria is so successful because – just seeing the first two seasons – we’re able to watch the characters and even though their decision-making skills can be dark, we still have empathy towards them. I think the world is just so emotionally rich.” 

At the time of our conversation, the details of the upcoming season are still being kept firmly under wraps—even to Anna herself. “I don’t even know what happens—other than with my character,” she reiterates when I press for more details. But just like her days on set playing Deanna Knox, Anna found that to play Kitty was a game of introspection and instinct over research. 

“I just wanted to know, ‘What were her dreams?’ I feel like that’s always a good place to start,” she says of getting into character. “But the first thing I did to play Kitty was to work on her voice. She has this quiet, soft voice – and I have a soft voice myself – but I was kind of leaning into that further and thinking about who she is by having this voice. And also, I focused on her physicality. She’s a dancer, but I think that that tension is so beautiful of playing opposites—her elegant movement compared to leaning into more physical comedy.” 

The third season, airing on April 12th, is one long overdue—four years, to be exact. Yet as the teasers continue to drop, and with a special playback during Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2026/2027 Paris show, audiences are still hungry as ever for the next instalment that promises to dive even deeper into themes of faith, redemption and the problem of evil. “I can definitely see the theme of faith playing a role in Kitty’s journey,” Anna cautiously shares. “I think she puts her faith into a lot of different characters – for better or for worse – but I think there’s a naiveness to her that I actually think is one of her greatest strengths.” It speaks to what she finds most compelling about the series as a whole: “There’s no light without darkness—the show captures that so well.”

It all circles back to Anna’s earliest instinct: using art as a lens—one that allows her to interpret and make sense of the world around her. To understand something, she embodies it. But while her work calls for that kind of emotional exposure, her instinct off-screen is far more contained. She’s less interested in being seen than in seeing—preferring to let the character take focus, rather than herself.

“Maybe at one point I thought to be an actress, you also have to be outgoing in your real life—and sometimes now it feels like it’s not just about the acting, it’s about the actor too. It kind of makes me nervous because I am maybe more reserved and quiet and would rather be focused purely on the character than myself,” she confesses. Growing up, Anna found herself drawn to movies like Mean Girls, She’s the Man and Aquamarine—“anything with outspoken characters.” Being a naturally shy child, she looked towards characters embodying opposing qualities—finding comfort in their courage. “Looking back now, I was definitely a quiet and shy child, but I think I’m also someone who just really likes to observe and I always take a position as more of a listener,” she clarifies before adding with a smile, “I guess that’s just who I am!” 

As the 27-year-old actor continues to explore the world around her, both real and fictional, she remains firm in one constant: acting is the perfect avenue to do so. “The biggest privilege is getting the opportunity to see the world, travel a lot and learn new things—you have the opportunity to really delve into certain topics that you wouldn’t give yourself the time to ordinarily. It kind of feels like everything you’re doing has a purpose because you’re always searching for inspiration and references in the world around you,” she argues. Sure, it comes with some setbacks, namely “the unknown and having a lack of control”, but Anna’s learned to get just as comfortable with the unknown as she is with the characters she plays. 

“I’m a patient person,” she explains. “I’m lucky that I have so many interests that if I’m not working on something, I’m writing or reading or painting. I believe that everything you do matters and I don’t want to be sitting around waiting, so I think I’m always moving forward and dreaming as big as I can and working on myself—and always trying to become the best version of myself. There’s always time to grow and learn your craft more.” 

What the next chapter holds for the actor who loves storytelling? For now, she’s content not knowing—so long as there’s a character waiting for her on the other side of it. 

We just have to keep watching.