‘I Put A Lot Of Pressure On Myself’: Sarah Hyland On Perfectionism & Her New Pitch Perfect Role

Mild spoilers ahead. It's been over a decade since Sarah Hyland became a star to watch when she landed the role of Haley Dunphy in Modern Family. Since then, the American actor has proved her versatility as a performer, singing on stage in various musicals and even hosting the US version of Love Island earlier this year.

The newly-married star is all to too familiar with facing pressure from others while trying to carve her own path — something she shares with her on-screen character in her newest TV gig.

In her latest role in Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin, Hyland combines her acting chops, sensational voice and comedic charm to play the character of Heidi. She's an ambitious American woman working as the personal assistant to a disgraced music manager in Germany, who befriends Adam Devine's Bumper (known to viewers from the Pitch Perfect films) when he comes to Berlin to become a musical star. Heidi takes Bumper under her wing and shows him the ropes of the local biz, all the while realising her own musical dreams and where her future could take her.

"I very much relate to Heidi in a lot of different capacities, one of them being I am a perfectionist," Hyland tells Refinery29 over Zoom. "I do put a lot of pressure on myself."

Whether one's a celebrity like Hyland or an assistant like Heidi, the external pressures of family, friends and social media can impact one's mental health or sense of self. Over the years, the actor says she's become less susceptible to taking other people's opinions as gospel.

"I’ve definitely learned as I’ve got older to care less about what people think and more about what is important to me, and [ask] will I make myself proud of myself," she says. "Just trying to be the best human being possible."

It's this determination we see in Heidi as she develops throughout the show. "I think people can relate a lot to Heidi," says Hyland, "and I’m so happy that we’re able to see her really come into her own and learn about herself."

In addition to Hyland and Devine in the six-part series, appearances from Jameela Jamil, Lera Abova and Flula Borg round out an entertaining cast. And with bright costumes, catchy tracks and a beautiful backdrop of Berlin, there's one way to describe this show in true Pitch Perfect style — it's ACA-AWESOME!