Lately, Julia Butters's life has been full of firsts: She flew to London for Freakier Friday's summer press tour; worked alongside a woman director, Nisha Ganatra; and, upon our meeting, wrapped up her first New York Fashion Week. It's a rainy September morning in Lower Manhattan, the first of many mornings that will usher in colder temperatures, but the dreariness outside has no impact on the actor's verve.
Butters, a junior in high school, made her acting debut at age four on Criminal Minds, followed by a breakout role as the ever-so-spunky Trudi Fraser in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and a representation of Steven Spielberg's sister Anne in The Fabelmans. Most recently, she co-starred in the Freaky Friday sequel as Harper, angsty daughter to Lindsay Lohan's Anna. At age 16, Butters knows her way around a set and has the experience to prove it.
Whether singing in backyard shows for friends' bands, chipping away at passion projects, or delving into the lives of long-ago stars of celluloid, Butters' interests are united by a deep love of storytelling for the sake of storytelling. And the actor's greatest power speaks to that: She is eager to learn and bring all these elements back to acting, but also knows when to step away from the job. To Butters, it's not so much about memorizing lines as it is understanding a character; never just observing, but also making time to live.
As she settles into her junior year of high school, we speak with the actor as part of Teen Vogue's New Hollywood Class of 2025.
Julia Butters: It's all felt very surreal, like a dream sequence, so it's been interesting waking up to the aftermath. When the movie came out, we got a lot of great feedback from fans who wanted [it] in the first place. They were very vocal, [had been] always asking Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan if it would happen. To be a part of it was really exciting, because I knew it was something so heavily anticipated.
JB: I was in the middle of tutoring…. I saw a call from my manager and was like, “Oh shoot, I can't, I'm in math.” I hung up, then later I called her back, and she was like, “Well, we just wanted to say you got the part.” I ran out and told my dad, called my mom and my acting coach.
JB: It was so hard to process as it was happening. I live a very normal life outside of work and had been in that world for so long — hanging out with my friends, singing in their bands at parties. Then, all of a sudden, it was game time. [The press tour] was a lot of dressing up, a lot of interviews. It was such a different thing than what I was used to.
JB: I understand myself better and [have] learned to trust my instincts. When you're nervous to take on a huge responsibility, you either “release your inhibitions / feel the rain on your skin” or crumble under pressure. I was able to relinquish myself to the character and let her find me.
As the production went along, I learned so much from Lindsay and so much about myself. I was the same age [Lindsay] was when she filmed Freaky Friday…. I was a teenager — I mean, I still am — but I was 15 filming. It was a vulnerable time that [I was] able to share with people who understood it. If I needed a break or a snack, [production] was like, “We get it. You're a growing girl.”
JB: The most important part of my career has been pacing myself so I don't burn out. If you don't have that life outside — that foundation, blueprint, and normalcy — it's so easy to get swept up in everything.
It is really hard to wrap a project; you get close with all these people, [and] if you just go right into the next thing, it's tricky to keep yourself sane. For so long, I just wanted the next thing, [but] I realize I work better when I'm able to have a little bit of a break in between.
JB: School has been crazy! As a junior, you get so many more subjects, [including] art and music appreciation. I'm taking those right now, and I think that's perfect for me. For my last [class], I did jazz appreciation. I sing a lot of jazz in my personal life, but it's interesting to learn more about it and use what I know already.
JB: With acting, I'm saying words that someone else wrote for me. With singing, I'm giving myself to the art. It's much more personal, because it's coming directly from me. I used to perform almost every single night for my friends. They would throw parties, and we would do duets.
I've always wanted to sing, [but] haven't had the bravery to put it into the public world. As time goes on, I get a little braver and dip my toes in the water. Maybe one day we'll be able to go for a swim.
JB: I'm such a cinema girl, and learned the most about directing during Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with Quentin Tarantino, a director who's passionate and excited to share his vision with everyone. Since I was so young, everyone wanted to teach me, and what better movie to learn about film than that?
JB: Greta Gerwig — like, please, take me at any moment.
JB: In Freakier Friday, it felt like I was playing a real person because the character for me was so real. For The Fabelmans, it was very different because it was loosely based on Steven Spielberg's life, and they wanted to have a character represent [his sister] Anne. Love her, by the way. We have dinner every four months at a French restaurant. She's one of the people I've kept the most in touch with after filming.
I remember Steven saying, “I don't want you to watch too many videos of my sister. Just read the script as a girl in the '60s trying to go about life.” That gave me the freedom to take initiative and create a character.
And if I were to do a biopic — I mean, I'm working on a few things now — I would just start reading my butt off.
JB: Without specific names, I have such an interest in the silent-film era, the generation of Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, and Louise Brooks. They're so mysterious and so many of them have stories that haven't been shared yet. So, we'll see.
JB: I'm excited for the holidays. My friends are coming back [from college], and I'll be able to sing again. I have little passion projects I'm always giving my time to… things that wouldn't even come to life until 10 years later.
For the rest of 2025, I'll enjoy the year I've had and get to know myself more. People always ask, “What do you see yourself doing in 20 years?” I hope I'm just content and know where I'm going in life. For anyone starting out who comes to me for advice, I always say make sure you know yourself. You can't play a character if you don't know who you are underneath it.
JB: Don't lose the part of yourself you cherish so much, which is your eagerness to be creative. As I get older, I would love to have that same child-like wonder, that kind of curiosity.
JB: I feel like I am my younger self right now. But if I could tell myself, right before Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I'd say, “You're about to learn so much and see yourself in such a more valuable way, because you're going to be treated like a filmmaker.” That is honestly the biggest blessing: to be so young and feel so respected by such respected people. So, "Get ready," I guess. “Get ready and learn a lot. And I am very proud of you.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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