Shannon Purser

“I was diagnosed with OCD and depression, and that was a huge relief, because now my struggles had a name and could be reckoned with. With a combination of therapy and medication, I got better. I learned to love life again. My problems didn't go away, but they became much easier to face.”

“I'm seeing a lot of roles written explicitly for plus-size women, which is so cool.”

“It's something that I feel every young person goes through, this idea that they're not doing enough, or that they're stuck. Definitely when I was in high school I was like, 'What am I doing here, I want to be an actor, instead I'm just stuck at school and I'm not doing anything.'”

“I was always taller than every other boy my age. So, whenever there was one boy who was taller than me I was like, 'Yes. He's the one.' Even if he definitely wasn't.”

“I did have an emo phase. It was sort of like armor for me.”

“I guess everyone's had an experience when they felt overlooked, ditched, hurt or taken for granted. Where they felt like the only one behaving with common sense but still got the short end of the stick. We all feel like the odd one out at some point.”

“There's this book that I love called 'Eleanor & Park.' It's an incredible story about these two misfit kids who fall in love. I've loved that book for years and I'd be so thrilled if I got to be in an adaptation of that.”

“I grew up in a house with all girls, so I'm used to having a lot of hormones around that can create craziness.”

“Everybody has had that experience where your friend drags you to a party because the person they're crushing on is there, and you don't really want to be there but you go there with them anyway.”

“I've been singing since I was a kid, but I take my voice a lot more personally than my acting. I feel a lot more personal criticism when somebody tells you that you don't have a good voice.”

“When I was a kid I was a huge reader, I always had a book in my hand.”

“Looking back on my wardrobe from 'Stranger Things,' I would probably wear a lot of it. I might style it a little bit differently but I like the pieces.”

“I love that 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' is an interracial couple.”

“With 'Stranger Things' especially, I couldn't expect the show to become what it was, and I definitely didn't expect the whole Barb thing to become what it was.”

“When I was a little kid, I used to get in trouble a lot for lying. Being raised religious, I believed that lying was sinful, so I felt guilty.”

“People have actually had my face tattooed on to their bodies, which is so odd.”

“I don't have a typical body type, and that used to be something that made me feel very alone and weird.”

“I was about 15 when I decided that acting was what I wanted to pursue professionally.”

“I do feel like young people feel pressured to be extraordinary in a new way. Of course everybody is extraordinary in their own special way... but not everybody has been an activist, or volunteered somewhere incredible, or has perfect scores. So it's a lot of pressure to put on young people.”

“Such a big part of acting is getting your face out there and getting recognized.”