Brian Ach/Getty Images for STARZ(NEW YORK) — Get ready for a taste of Sweetbitter, a new series on Starz based on the best-selling book by Stephanie Danler.
British actress Ella Purnell stars as Tess, a 22-year-old who moves to New York and is thrust into the world of high-end restaurants. With help from a diverse group of co-workers, Tess learns how to get more out of life.
“Tess is one of the most relatable characters for myself that I’ve ever played,” Purnell told ABC Radio at the show’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere last week. “She is constantly messing things up and trying to stay afloat and she’s also just very fearless in the way that she unapologetically doesn’t know what she’s doing or where she’s going or who she is.”
Purnell adds, “I found that refreshing and beautiful and really honest and it really attracted me to the character, as well as, I love the book.”
Much like her character, Purnell says her motto is “fake it ‘til you make it.” She applied that motto while going through “restaurant bootcamp” with the cast, where they all had to learn serving skills.
“I’m pretty much the worst at everything,” Purnell laughs. “The three-plate carry killed me. I suck at that. It is so much harder than it looks. I’m pretty good at opening a bottle of wine. I’ve had some experience doing that. I dunno, we got better at everything all together as we went along.”
Sweetbitter debuts Sunday at 8 p.m. on Starz.
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