Britney Young Says GLOW Allows the Cast to Be ‘Strong and Beautiful at the Same Time’

GLOW star Britney Young is opening up about how the hit Netflix series embraces body positivity in new ways — and how it offered her unique opportunities as a “plus-sized” actress.

The actress appeared on PEOPLE’s Chatter on Wednesday alongside her costar Sydelle Noel ahead of the show’s season 2 premiere, and wasted no time in pointing out the things that make GLOW special.

“I definitely think it’s important at a time like this,” she told host Rocsi Diaz. “We’ve had shows like this. We have had Orange Is the New Black and Handmaid’s Tale. But our show is different because we’re bringing this empowerment now into a physical space. Taking over our bodies and using them the way we see fit and making them strong and beautiful at the same time instead of forcing us to pick between the two.”

Young, who plays Carmen Wade (wrestling name: Machu Picchu) on the show, said that she was interested in joining the cast of GLOW when she saw the casting breakdown.

“[It] said they were looking for a gentle giant,” she recalled. “As a plus-sized actress, you’re playing bullies, you’re playing women in prison, you’re playing aggressive characters.”

“To see that they were looking for someone to be kind and sweet, I was like, ‘I got to be a part of this. This sounds like it’s going to be out of the box in every way’ And it is,” she added.

Back in May, Young spoke to Entertainment Weekly about getting cast for the show, explaining that she was an assistant over at Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna at the time.

“I saw on Deadline about the show and along with it, a picture of the original GLOW. I saw Emily Dole who plays Mt. Fiji and thought: ‘You know what? There might be a role for me on this show,’ ” she said.

She also discussed the how the show centers around the idea of reclaiming your body.

“I think it’s so strange when you go to the gym in real life and you see women on the treadmill in full makeup,” she said. “Just think about the societal pressure that would have someone with a full face of makeup when really you should just be going hard. That’s what is so great about the show: we really put the pretty aside. We want to show our strength in its most natural state. Sweat away.”

GLOW season 2 premieres June 29 on Netflix.