Though not quite 24, Brianne Tju is a Hollywood veteran, having made her acting debut at age 9 on Disney Channel’s Cory In The House. Having subsequently guest-starred on numerous kids’ shows as well as more grown-up fare, the Los Angeles native has graduated into teen and young adult roles in recent years.

The petite yet feisty actress had a recurring role on MTV’s Scream series and most recently starred in the small screen adaptation of the horror thriller classic I Know What You Did Last Summer. She now has the leading role in Unhuman, an EPIX and Blumhouse Television-produced thriller with a nod to John Hughes high-school-themed classics including The Breakfast Club, but with a zombie twist. (The film’s tongue-in-cheek tagline is “The Dead Will Have This Club For Breakfast.”)

The Chinese/Indonesian-American actress plays Ever, a high schooler with self-esteem issues. She literally thinks she is nothing and worries that her best friend Tamra (Ali Gallo) is going to dump her to join a cooler crowd. The girls embark on a school-sponsored field trip with a bunch of other students who comprise various stereotypes: the popular girl, the cute boy, the weird kid, the heavyset kid, the mean boys, along with the annoying adults—a bossy physical education teacher/chaperone and the put-upon school bus driver.

Things go awry when something hits the windshield of the bus, sending it careening over an embankment and into the woods. The survivors realize soon enough this is no simple accident but a zombie apocalypse in which their very lives are in mortal danger. Finding shelter in an abandoned building, the motley crew of misfits realize they must work together to survive. They also realize there may be more to this catastrophe than meets the eye. Shy and insecure Ever discovers inner strength—as well as physical prowess—that make her a true leader in the group.

Blumhouse Television and EPIX’s Unhuman is directed by Marcus Dunstan (the Saw franchise), which he wrote with Patrick Melton (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark). Alongside Tju, the horror film also stars Benjamin Wadsworth (Your Honor), Uriah Shelton (Freaky) and Peter Giles (Into The Dark).

Unhuman will be available on Digital June 3 on Paramount Home Entertainment.

Reached in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where she is on location shooting the TV series High School, based on the 2019 memoir of pop duo Tegan and Sara, Tju spoke about headlining Unhuman and her long-term goal of bringing more inclusivity and diversity to Hollywood.

Angela Dawson: I see that you’re keeping the close-cropped hair style that you had in Unhuman, though your hair’s now orange.

Brianne Tju: Yeah, it’s for the project I’m doing now. I was really excited to change (from black to orange). But, after a while, you kind of get sick of it. Maybe I’ll go back to it. I just need a little bit of a break.

Dawson: You rocked the pixie cut in Unhuman. Did you choose that look yourself?

Tju: I didn’t specifically have it for Unhuman. I did it for a TV show right before in Hawaii called I Know What You Did Last Summer. Honestly, I cut it as a personal choice but it really worked for the character’s storyline for that show. I had only about two weeks in-between wrapping that show and starting (Unhuman) so we decided to keep my hair short. I thought it really worked for (my character) Ever, anyway. She’s someone who isn’t glamorous. She’s not caught up in how she looks. So, whatever was the least maintenance made the most sense, and this was it.

Dawson: In this contemporary horror movie, the lead not only is female but also Asian American. Was the character written specifically as an Asian American?

Tju: In the audition process and the character breakdown that I got, her race wasn’t specified which, honestly, kind of excited me, because whoever was writing it or directing it wasn’t going to have any preconceived notions about what an Asian main character is “supposed” to be like.

It could have been anybody and, luckily, Marcus (Dunstan, the director) thought I was the right person for the job.

Inevitably, we’ve all grown up watching these quintessential ‘80s films with a very stereotypical group of what high school looks like. In none of those films do you see a person of color as a lead character, let alone an Asian woman. For me to be able to take that on, whether intentional or not, because it’s my life experience, I brought that to the character.

Ever describes herself and other people describe her as “nothing.” She not only feels like an outsider but she also feels as though she’s nothing. A lot of people of color can, unfortunately, relate to that. Especially in high school, they feel like there is nothing they can do to fit in because of the way they were born, how they look or how they speak. To be able to play a character that starts that way (lacking self-confidence), and overcomes that and succeeds in every possible way, is great. She goes through a badass transformation, which was really cool for me. It was honestly cathartic.

Dawson: Speaking of transformation, can you talk about the fight choreography you learned for the role?

Tju: I’m proud to say I did most of my own stunts but I definitely didn’t do all of them. We had a great stunt team.

The physical aspect of it was so fun and I really liked trying to do my own stunts, especially in horror and thriller genres. I did so much work as an actor in terms of preparing and emotionally getting into this character, and then I got into the steps of what does this character look like, physically. Of course, I do that with wardrobe, hair and makeup, but you also have to remember there is a physical aspect to it. So, getting to do that was really exciting. Seeing Ever start as a very meek character and then get not only physically powerful, but also emotionally and mentally powerful, was great. The whole package was very exciting and fun to portray.

Dawson: You and co-star Ali Gallo play best friends but their friendship is tested. Did you two become real-life friends while making this?

Tju: Yeah, we were so lucky with the casting. (Our bond was) pretty instantaneous in terms of us getting along. It was a tough shoot. It was really hot and very fast-paced and, at times, emotional and physically draining. We really were there for each other as a whole cast. Drew Scheid, who plays Steven, Ever’s love interest, was so lovely. He was just so supportive and kind. I feel so lucky that I got to work with all of these people and I still have friendships with many of them to this day.

Dawson: Do you have a memorable school field trip story?

Tju: I went to high school, only partially, though, because half of the time I was home-schooled and the other half I was on campus. That just allowed me more time for auditions. But I do remember in elementary school we would go on quite a few field trips. There was one where we went to the mountains—I think it was Mt. Baldy (in Southern California)—and we were learning about the Gold Rush. They let us pan for gold, and we got these fake nuggets, or fool’s gold, to take home. Luckily, we didn’t end up being chased by zombies or being drugged by our classmates. It was far more wholesome than what happens to the kids in Unhuman.

Dawson: What can you reveal about the project you’re working on now?

Tju: I’m currently in Calgary shooting (musicians) Tegan and Sara’s show based on their memoir, High School. It takes place in the ‘90s. Clea DuVall is the director. I’m having such a great time with the people I get to work with. It’s predominantly female-based, in terms of our producers, director and cast. It’s been a really great situation and I’m having a really good time. I think people are really going to love the show. It’s like a modern-day My So-Called Life. I’m a huge fan of that show.

Dawson: You’ve been acting for quite some time now. What are your long-term aspirations?

Tju: I feel lucky that I found my passion at such a young age. Overall, I really want to have more of a hand in making the decisions and telling stories that I want to be told. I’m very passionate about diversity, inclusivity and highlighting women. That’s the main part of why there’s such a disparity in terms of diversity—because there’s not enough people behind the scenes and in positions of power. I’d like to be someone who can give myself as well as other people in marginalized group the ability to tell interesting stories. I want to be able to highlight people of color—their talent and their stories.

I would like to be a writer. I write a little bit now. I’d like to produce. I don’t know if I’d want to direct. I don’t know if I’d be capable of it. I guess you never know until you try, so we’ll see.