23-year-old actress Ella Stiller, daughter of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, is making her Off-Broadway debut in the new play 'Dilaria'. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Stiller shares her passion for telling unfiltered stories about young women.

"This is the exact kind of thing I've wanted to do my whole life," Stiller says. "I've always only wanted to do cool, gritty plays written by women and about young women. My whole goal in life, as an artist and a person, is to tell young women's stories in an unfiltered way, and to be a voice for young women who often don't get a voice."

In the darkly comedic play, Stiller plays the titular character, a wealthy young woman who becomes obsessed with the online attention her late classmate receives after her sudden death. The play, directed by Alex Keegan, began performances on June 13 ahead of its June 18 opening at DR2 Theatre in New York City.

Stiller, a recent Juilliard graduate, pulled together her role in just over a month and shares that she was drawn to the play because it would have meant a lot to her at a younger age. "I want to do work that when I was in high school, I would have watched and been like, 'I needed to see this.' I needed to hear and see girls who are like me and who I understand," she explains.

The actress also praises her two costars, Chiara Aurelia and Christopher Briney, saying she felt connected to them "within minutes" of meeting. "Chiara [Aurelia] and I was like love at first sight. We got so close over the first few days. And Chris [Briney] is just the sweetest, best guy. He's so funny. I think it's so underrated how comedic of an actor he is."

Stiller's advice to her teenage self? "Go on anxiety medication sooner?" she says with a laugh. No, I mean, yes, but also, it's all gonna be okay. Take deep breaths. It doesn't have to be so hard and scary all the time."

Tickets for 'Dilaria' are now on sale. For more entertainment news, check out:

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