If there is one book that has changed Shira Haas’ life we would hazard a guess it might be Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. The book is the basis of Unorthodox the hit Netflix TV series of which Haas is the breakout star gone stratospheric and the cover star of this week’s Stylist.

Written by Deborah Feldman and released in 2012, the memoir recounts how Feldman left the ultra-Orthodox Satmar community she had grown up in and moved to Berlin for a chance at a new life. Feldman’s experiences form the basis of the four part-drama, particularly the scenes set in Williamsburg Though Feldman did move to Berlin, it wasn’t to audition for a prestigious music school and unlike in the drama she already had a child when she left the USA.

Unorthodox has been raved about by critics and audiences alike. The drama is both a very specific story of Esty (Haas) a young woman growing up in a strict community where your life is planned out for you and a universal story of self-discovery and finding your own path. Haas is utterly mesmerising in the role with a unique ability to convey everything Esty is feeling and experiencing without ever saying a word. When we interview Haas she is at home in Israel wearing very relatable: “sweatpants and most comfortable T-shirt” and tells Stylist about how nervous she was to meet Feldman and what she taught her about Esty.

Netflix Unothodox star Shira Haas talks all-things Esty, Deborah Feldman and (of course) a second series