Uglies Isn't About 'Condemning Surgery' but 'Fighting for Self-Worth,' Says Star Brianne Tju (Exclusive)

Brianne Tju loved the Uglies book series in elementary school.

Even though she says she didn't have a sense of self just yet, the actress tells PEOPLE that Scott Westerfeld's popular books about an unlikely heroine and the friend who helps her see the truth resonated. Now, Tju — who got her start as a child actor in the family sitcoms Cory in the House and So Random! — stars as that lovable, scrappy bestie Shay, alongside Joey King as Tally Youngblood, the YA dystopian novel's conflicted lead.

In the new Netflix film, which faithfully adapts Westerfeld's first book in the early 2000s Uglies series, Tally and Shay are among the group of "uglies," otherwise known as teenagers before their 16th birthday who have yet to undergo their society's mandatory cosmetic procedure to make them "pretty." Although they're both somewhat rebellious, Shay has actual designs to escape their fate and join "The Smoke," a group of detractors who refuse to live within the dystopian binary of ugly and pretty.

"When I was younger, it was more Tally's journey that I was getting lost in. Now I can really appreciate her journey and the fact that yes, she's the hero, she's the lead of this story, but she doesn't start out with kind of this hero mentality," Tju tells PEOPLE.

Becoming these heroes is an action-filled journey taken on by Tally and Shay to unlearn the beauty standards and values of their dystopian society, something Tju says was a perfect parallel for modern society's fixation on social media, filters and cosmetic surgery.

"This movie is a great reminder to be critical of these things that we do automatically or feel obligated to do. Whether that be following trends in terms of beauty standards or using filters and Facetune on our Instagrams," she says.

Warning: Uglies spoilers ahead!

Pinpointing these beauty standards was a part of Tju's filming process as her character goes through a radical transformation near the end of the film, getting caught by government leaders and being forced to undergo the "pretty" surgery. Tju says "nitpicking" her own appearance with the film's team to decide which features to change to make her societally appealing was "jarring" but ultimately served a bigger purpose.

"I basically had a completely different body. I had a pushup bra that had like cutlets in it, and then we put a silicone butt on me and sewed me into the dress every day," Tju says, adding that a wig, multiple hours in the makeup chair and CGI added to the transformation. "I wasn't comfortable in that outfit. And I just love the prior version of Shay so much better."

Showing this "dramatic" transformation on-screen may have been difficult at times for Tju but the Light as a Feather actress says she hopes it helps viewers see that in this society, people do have a choice and should think critically about why they want to alter their appearances.

"This movie isn't condemning surgery, it's just saying that you have a choice. In no way do you have to follow these beauty standards in order to be valuable," Tju says. "I think the greatest freedom that we can have is fighting for self-worth and autonomy for one another."

Calling out the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which rolled back federal protections of the right to an abortion, Tju says that working on Uglies reaffirmed to her that having power over one's own body could not be more important.

"We're sometimes seen as objects that are malleable and can be changed, but it's in our individuality and it's in our own self-love that we have the power," she says. "The factor of the female friendship in Uglies is also really important. Tally and Shay really revealed to one another that they are lovable and valid and capable as they are."

Uglies is now streaming on Netflix.