In Shrill [1]'s latest season, E.R. Fightmaster joins the full-time cast as Em, a love interest for Lolly Adefope's Fran, and as it turns out, they make a perfect addition to the already-stellar cast [2]! There's a good chance you might not be familiar with Fightmaster quite yet — the writer-producer hasn't been involved in many high-profile projects before Shrill. Hopefully, though, that's all about to change, thanks to their breakout role on the Hulu comedy [3].
We're pretty sure they're going to be a big star, and we're excited to see what they do next! For now, start getting to know them a bit better with these six fun facts.
They're All In on Making the World a Kinder Place
In an interview with The Cut, Fightmaster explained their current philosophy of living in general [4], and it's putting kindness and connection above all else.
"I do look at periods in my life when it was so much fun to be sardonic and now, I'm actually like, NAH. Life is hard enough, and I want everyone to know that I love them, I want everyone to know that I'm having a nice time. This is my goal: When people leave a conversation with me, I want them to think, What a kind lovely person, I really felt connected to them, and DONE."
They Performed With an Iconic Comedy Company
Fightmaster's top-notch comedy skills earned them a spot in the ensemble of the famed The Second City troupe, where they performed in the Chicago and touring companies.
They've Gotten Very Into Fitness
Aside from acting, Fightmaster told The Cut, one of their other passions is fitness — both getting fit and sharing it with their friends.
"I'm a little fitness freak," they joked. "I'm a woman and queer-strength supremacist. Not only do I believe we are naturally and mentally stronger, I believe it's our duty to help each other get stronger. I think my attitude towards fitness is contagious because my friends have been asking for workout plans."
They Didn't Study Showbiz in College
While many performers started out with acting or other performance degrees in college, Fightmaster went another route. They studied women and gender studies at DePaul University, according to their old Second City bio [5] (written at a time when they used she/her pronouns and the first name Emily).
They Already Have Another Dream Role in Mind
"A thing I've been thinking about, too often, is I want to play a gentleman from the 1920s. I'm a big history buff," Fightmaster told The Cut. "I'm reading books from that era: Oh, the glamour! But I want to do it in a format where the whole show is genderless. We just get to have the outfits."
They're Thrilled to Tell Nontragic Stories
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Fightmaster explained the joys of working on Shrill [6] and how much they enjoy telling stories of marginalized people that don't end in trauma or tragedy.
"When I think about the kind of 'gay programming' that I was brought up with, it was like, Brokeback Mountain . . . On a show where all of those bodies are involved and none of those bodies are in danger, you just get to actually be funny, and actually get to enjoy the experience. And you're not channelling trauma . . . I feel like queer actors are constantly just put in roles where they're like, 'Channel your trauma! Again!'"
