Britt Robertson Dishes on What Being a Girlboss Is All About

Before founding Nasty Gal in 2006, Sophia Amoruso was merely a dumpster-diving, hitch-hiking young adult—which she wrote about in 2014 in #Girlboss, a memoir that inspired generations of women to become the boss of their own lives.

The New York Times bestseller also serves as the basis for the new comedy series Girlboss, which chronicles the early days of Nasty Gal, back when Amoruso would frequent vintage shops in her Jeffrey Campbell Lita platforms and sell her finds on eBay.

Casting for the lead role was a make or break, says the series’ show runner, Kay Cannon. The part ended up going to Britt Robertson, a 26-year-old blond who blew the crew away during her audition despite not looking like Amoruso. “When you see your work elevated by an actor, it’s really exciting,” says Cannon.

Robertson, whose CV includes big-screen roles in The Space Between Us and Tomorrowland, says the driving force behind her decision to read for the part was the script itself. “I was really taken by the material,” she says. “And for me, that’s the mark of a great story—when you just feel the words come alive in you and you’re just like ‘How is this coming out of my mouth naturally?!’ I’d never felt that before.”

Nevertheless, while Robertson nailed Amoruso’s confident and fearless attitude onscreen, she says the role has taught her that in life you need to take risks. “I’ve always been someone who’s fearful; I’ve not auditioned for things because I was afraid that they’d hate me and I’d never be an actor,” she says. “What I have learned on this show is [to ask myself] ‘Why?! What the heck is going on that I can’t take these kinds of risks?’ To not be fearful is what being a girlboss is all about.”

All episodes of Girlboss drop on Friday, April 21. In the meantime, watch Britt, Sophia and Kay define what the word “girlboss” means to them in the exclusive video below.