Paris Jackson on Reliving Teen Years for 'Sex Appeal' and Macaulay Culkin's Support (Exclusive)

Paris Jackson on Reliving Teen Years for ‘Sex Appeal’ and Macaul…

NeNe Leakes on Having ‘Great Support System’ Amid Lawsuit Agains…

‘Martin’ Cast on Reuniting 30 Years After Show’s Debut (Exclusiv…

'Top Gun: Maverick’s Jay Ellis and Glen Powell on Miles Teller's…

'The Sex Lives of College Girls' Star Reneé Rapp on Music and 'H…

Chris Hemsworth on Hitting the Gym With Natalie Portman for 'Tho…

JoJo Siwa on Working as an Honorary Dodgers Employee for New Ser…

'Boy Meets World' Cast on Reuniting for Rewatch Podcast and the …

Tessa Thompson on How She Got Into Shape for Her ‘Thor: Love and…

‘Father of the Bride’s Gloria Estefan & Andy Garcia Reflect on H…

Johnny Depp's First TikTok Is Love Letter to Fans After Defamati…

Zendaya and Andrew Garfield Interview Each Other About Tom Holla…

‘Jurassic World Dominion’: DeWanda Wise on If This Is Really Fra…

‘Moonhaven’ Trailer: Joe Manganiello Stars in the Sci-Fi Thrille…

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's Infamous Penthouse for Sale in Wak…

'Black Adam' Official Trailer

Penn Badgley on Where ‘You’ Season 4 Will Pick Up (Exclusive)

Johnny Depp's Lawyers Hint He Might Not Take Amber Heard's Payout

Rachel Brosnahan and ’Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Cast Tease Milo Ven…
Paris Jackson made her acting debut only five years ago, and in that short time, she's honed her craft to the point where she can now draw on personal experiences as a teenager to elevate her character in the coming-of-age comedy Sex Appeal.
The 23-year-old actress tells ET's Matt Cohen there were moments while shooting the Hulu Original Film where she harkened back to a heartbreaking experience during junior high school to help her emote her character's angst and first-love experiences.
"There's this one part where my character kinda expresses some of her emotions about some things that happened that led her to being the way she is now," Paris tells ET. "I definitely tapped into my experience with my first love in junior high. And, you know, it took me five years to get over that."
In Sex Appeal -- also starring Mika Abdalla, Jake Short, Margaret Cho and Fortune Feimster -- Avery is a perfectionist who wants her "first time" with her long-distance boyfriend to be nothing short of, well, perfection. Things quickly get complicated, as Avery's pursuit for perfection is so relentless, she resorts herself to interviewing her classmates and even experiments on her childhood best friend.
Paris' character is a "bad ass" helping Avery's pursuit, and the actress says she was very much reminded of herself playing the role.
"My character wears combat boots and listens to death metal," she said. "That's how I was in high school."
Paris hopes fans who stream the film Jan. 14 on Hulu take note of the message that women, too, are free to express their sexuality.
"Equality is a cool message that we can take from," she said. "That, and also just not take yourself or anything too seriously."
Paris also opened up about how her godfather and longtime family friend, Macaulay Culkin, helped her acting career, like helping with her American Horror Story: Double Feature audition last year. But while she's opened up about asking him for help on that end, Paris says seeking acting advice isn't something she's completely comfortable with.
"I usually don't ask the people in my life to watch the things that I'm in," Paris admits. "I usually get a little uncomfortable when they do. I did ask him for that kind of help because we were in the middle of the conversation. And he was on board in the AHS family. So, it was kind of like a casual thing, but I usually don't ask him about guidance too much. If he wants to offer it to me, great. But it's more so, just having that familial love."
RELATED CONTENT:
Why Paris Jackson Is the 'Happiest' She’s Ever Been (Exclusive)
Paris Jackson on Trusting Willow Smith to Tell Her Story and Wanting a Place in the 'Fast' Universe
Paris Jackson on How Family's Religion Affected Her Coming Out