Say what you want about Euphoria, but there's no arguing its ability to catapult the career of an actor on the precipice of greatness. We saw it happen with the main cast — Jacob, Zendaya, Sydney, Hunter — who have all become mega stars since the show first began. But now we're watching a new breed of actors get their moment, with stellar performance after stellar performance from newcomers in season three. The latest to catch our attention? Anna Van Patten — aka Kitty.
If, like us, you were equal parts captivated and heartbroken by Van Patten's performance in episode three, we've got you covered. Here's everything to know about the actress behind the role.
Her sister is also an actress
Grace van Patten, specifically. If the name isn't familiar, you'll likely recognise her face from playing Lucy in Tell Me Lies, or Amanda in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.
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And the rest of their family is in the business, too
The Van Patten is actually pretty major in Hollywood. Her father, Tim, is the Emmy-winning director of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. Her mother, Wendy, on the other hand was a model and now works in her family motorcycle business.
She is also the niece of late actor Dick Van Patten, who starred in Eight is Enough.
Euphoria isn't her first time on screen
Van Patten's CV is already pretty impressive. You might recognise her from The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, in which she played the younger sister to real-life older sister Grace's character, Amanda. She also had a recurring role in Gossip Girl (the reboot), and has appeared in episodes of Law & Order SVU and FBI: Most Wanted.
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She took the preparation for the role very seriously
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Van Patten said she amped up her preparation as soon as she got a call back. "I had never been to a strip club in my life. But I've always wanted to try pole dancing so when I got the call back, I started taking pole-dancing lessons. I think I kind of manifested the part with those lessons."
She added, "And then, when I heard that I got the part, I was in Budapest, so I went to one club there and tried to ask the girls questions. There was a language barrier, but I got a lot of inspiration."
She's also tried her hand at modelling
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She wasn't always going to be an actress
In an interview with Who What Wear, Van Patten revealed that she originally wanted to pursue architecture. But after graduating from LaGuardia (a performing arts high school in New York), she went on to study film at The New School.
During that time she began auditioning while also taking acting classes and the rest, as they say, is history.
