Why Zoey Deutch Credits Ben Platt with Helping Her Land Her Role on The Politician

When one door closes, another opens — at least that was the case for Zoey Deutch!

The actress opens up to PEOPLE about landing her role on Netflix’s The Politician, saying it took a chance meeting with costar Ben Platt at a different audition to lead her to the part.

“I wouldn’t have this job if it weren’t for Ben,” she says. “I previously met him at an audition for a different project that ended up not working out.”

Deutch, 24, explains that while she didn’t get the other role, she made an immediate connection with Platt.

“After I auditioned for a movie that he was doing, he very kindly called me to tell me what a special sort of experience it was that we had together,” she says. “Being like, ‘Hey, they don’t want you, but I like you. I want to work together.’ That requires a lot of confidence. It requires a lot of compassion and it requires a lot of kindness, and it’s a testament to how thoughtful he is.”

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Deutch was so touched by the act of kindness that the two kept in touch in after the audition. And when another opportunity arose to work together, they jumped on it.

“He turned a negative into a positive — one of the bigger positives in my life, personally and professionally,” she says.

The actress stars as Infinity in The Politician, classmate Payton’s (Platt) sympathy-vote running mate in a school election who may or may not be faking terminal cancer.

“I love how smart Infinity is,” she says. “And yet she is truly a victim of her environment. She is not lying. She’s not putting on an act. This is her trusted reality.”

The eight-episode first season of The Politician is streaming on Netflix.

from PEOPLE.com https://people.com/tv/zoey-deutch-ben-platt-helped-her-land-the-politician-role/