*TV never looked so good. And women are the reason! Three badass standouts of the fall season—Taraj P. Henson, Gina Rodriguez, and Emma Roberts—show why smart actresses in smart roles win every time. *
A month from now most of your texts from your friends will be about who's going to die next on Scream Queens. (Fire up that knife emoji!) The show, which premieres September 22, was cocreated by Ryan Murphy, one of the geniuses behind Glee and American Horror Story, and seems to be the perfect mash-up of both—the horror comedy features a masked killer who stalks a college sorority. The result? A must-see, must-GIF, and must-google-that-outfit-oh-never-mind-it's-custom-Chanel. And speaking of Chanel: That's the name of the sorority queen bee played by Emma Roberts. At 24, Roberts (niece of Julia) has had a hit Nickelodeon series, portrayed Nancy Drew, and played a witch on American Horror Story: Coven. But there's no doubt that Chanel, who's like Mean Girls' Regina George on crack, will be Roberts' most iconic role to date. Even with her wicked tongue and very un-college fur collection, Roberts makes this sorority girl somehow relatable—and completely unforgettable. It's fair to say she's slaying it.
Read her cover interview below. For more, pick up the October issue of Glamour on newsstands, subscribe now, or download the digital edition.
GLAMOUR: You got your start in the movie Blow opposite Johnny Depp at age nine. How did you get the role?
ER: My mom didn't want me to act. I said to her, "You're not supporting my dreams!" She decided to let me go on one audition, thinking I'd see what rejection was like. That was Blow, and I got the part. I have an autographed photo from Johnny Depp that says, "To Emma, one of the most beautiful people I've ever met. Love, Johnny." At nine you don't know who Johnny Depp is—but at 16 I was like, "Oh my God."
GLAMOUR: What made you want to get into the business so early?
ER: My mom and I would stay with my Aunt Julia when I was really young, so I grew up on sets. I just found this old Polaroid of me on the set of Erin Brockovich, in one of my Aunt Julia's super-padded dresses from the movie, with the biggest smile on my face. I'd cry when I had to leave. I loved that it felt like camp.
GLAMOUR: You worked throughout your preteen and teen years on the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous and in movies like Nancy Drew and Hotel for Dogs. How did you approach the transition to adult projects?
ER: I think it happened naturally. Instead of trying to be like, "Look how mature I am—I'm going to take off all my clothes!" I pick roles based on what I love. I'm not picking roles based on what's going to prove to people that I'm older.
GLAMOUR: One of those roles I loved was the witch Madison Montgomery on American Horror Story: Coven. What's it like being in Ryan Murphy's fierce stable of actresses?
ER: Ryan makes all of his women smart. My character on Coven was a bitch, but she was articulate and on it. She was fierce. Only Ryan Murphy, in my eyes, can do that for a woman on television. After Coven I thanked him for believing in me, and he just said, "Oh, lady, don't even worry about it." He never makes me feel like I owe him anything.
GLAMOUR: Your Scream Queens costar Lea Michele played Rachel Berry on Glee. What has she taught you about leading a series?
ER: The way Lea carried Glee was unbelievable. When we were filming episode five [of Scream Queens], I was so tired and nervous, thinking, What if I can't get it right? I asked her how she did it, and she said, "You just do. You're going to do it, and you're going to be great." She definitely grounds me on days when it's crazy here.
GLAMOUR: You and the rest of the Scream Queens gang have been down in New Orleans shooting for months. What's it been like bonding with everyone?
ER: The first day I got to set, Jamie Lee Curtis [who plays the school's dean] had left me a handwritten note and books because she knew I love to read. I feel so safe when she's on set. Lea and I were just talking about the fact that [Jamie Lee] leads a normal life and has a family and a career, which is something I ultimately want. Lea and I keep each other in shape—we do Pilates. Billie [Lourd, who plays one of her sorority sisters] and I have sleepovers. We'll call each other and be like, "Hey, are you scared? Yep. Me too, I'm coming over." You always need that girlfriend you can get in bed with. Even though I'm 24, I still look under the bed every night before I go to sleep.
GLAMOUR: I now look under my bed for Chanel Oberlin. She's scary.
ER: She's so mean, but she's not just a bitch. As the show goes on, you see she's much more complex than you think. It's not so black-and-white.
GLAMOUR: Chanel's clothes are totally over-the-top—fur everything. In the New Orleans heat! How do you manage?
ER: Oh, I'm sweating all the time in those furs. But my dad's side of the family is from Georgia, so I have a little bit of Southern girl in me. I can handle it.
GLAMOUR: Chanel's best accessory has to be the snobby-girl walk you've given her.
ER: I can only do that walk when we're rolling. I can't do it any other time! She also loves a pouty cry, and I'm not going to lie—I've been guilty of a pouty cry. People who know me are like, "Yeah, we've seen that face before."
GLAMOUR: So much of the show is about how women treat each other. What do you need from your female friends at this stage of your life?
ER: To me loyalty is the biggest thing. My best friends are the kind of girls who, if I have something important to do, will come over and help me pick out an outfit while we drink a glass of champagne. My sister is 14, and I'm so protective over her. I tell her that if someone doesn't make her feel good, she doesn't need to be friends with them. I have four friends in the world I can call and tell anything, and that's all I need. In the past year I've done a serious clearing of people who didn't treat me the way a friend should treat you.
GLAMOUR: That's something lots of people dream of doing but never have the guts to actually do.
ER: It's hard. I think I've cried more about breakups with girlfriends than I ever have about boyfriends. But can I tell you: It's changed my life. I only have girlfriends now who make me a better person.
GLAMOUR: This feels like a very in-your-twenties-and-owning-it moment for you.
ER: There are a lot of growing pains in your twenties. But every single thing that's happened to me, even the bad stuff, I'm fine with it. If I can give myself credit for anything, it's that I do try to learn from the bad. I've never felt so sure that I'm in the right place doing what I'm supposed to be doing as I am right now.
Don't miss our cover interviews with Taraji P. Henson and Gina Rodriguez. For more, pick up the October issue of Glamour on newsstands, subscribe now, or download the digital edition.
