Adult as they are, with their overlapping dialogue and muttered offhand remarks, the Dahl children wear their childhood wounds on their sleeves, even as the family spontaneously breaks into song. The audience stand-in is Loren (Ferreira), a young woman Johnny sponsors in Narcotics Anonymous. A complete stranger to the family, she is intrigued by the Dahls and is not afraid to ask direct questions.

Ferreira, who played Kat Hernandez in HBO’s first two seasons Euphoriahadn’t done live theater in years when she accepted this role, but the challenge didn’t faze her. “It was so nerve-wracking and I like things that challenge me,” she says.

Vogue spoke to the New York native about the possibility of returning to her homeland, joining Cult of LoveIt’s a strange, sprawling family, and how they like to spend their time offstage. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Vogue: Tell me how you got to Cult of Love. Were you familiar with Leslye Headland’s previous work?

Barbie Ferreira: I love Leslie. Russian Doll! I had heard so many good things about it and when I got the script, I was in a place where I was making a lot of independent films and producing them. But then I got this opportunity, and it was something I hadn’t even planned on doing, but it was so wonderful and the script was so good. Meeting Leslye and Trip, everything clicked, and I said to myself: Oh my God, okay. I’m going to try myself on stage.

What were your first impressions when reading the script?

For me, what really stood out to me was how closely it matched the people I love and how their family dynamic is. I’ve been an outsider in a dynamic like that, that I came into, and I’m Brazilian, and there’s this sort of American Christianity and passive aggressiveness and politeness. So when I read it, it was so real. Especially my character, who is not part of the Dahl family and is an outsider going through this situation. I felt really connected to that, because I’ve been in situations where I felt like everything I said was wrong. Leslye writes from her heart, and (the storyline) is largely based on her upbringing, and those are usually the storylines that I gravitate towards because they feel moving and truthful. So reading it was absolutely wonderful. I laughed. I cried. I was blown away. She is such a wonderful writer.