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Q&A: A NC Teen And Her Parents On The Transition From Male To Female

Hunter Schafer is one of several North Carolina residents challenging the state’s controversial new discrimination law in federal court.

Schafer, 17, is a junior at the UNC School of the Arts high school, and she’s transgender. She was labeled male at birth, but transitioned to female her freshman year of high school. Her parents are Katy Schafer and Mac Schafer, a pastor at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Jess Clark sat down with the three of them as they share the story of Hunter’s transition.

When did you first realize you didn’t identify as a boy?

Hunter: I’ve always had this persistent need for femininity and expressing that—like ever since I was a teeny, tiny toddler.

Katy: I would say age two. We would show Hunter all the superheroes and he would want Catwoman or Hawkgirl… And I’m saying “he” because he was our oldest child and our son….

We made a point to see a preschool teacher when Hunter was three… I remember asking her “Is this ‘normal’ that our kid comes to school every day and puts on a pink dress, when all the other little boys have on plaid vests and fireman coats?” And that was not what our kid did.

Hunter, you came out as gay before you came out as transgender?

I came out to my parents as gay in seventh grade—like a gay boy at this time. And so they were beginning to understand where I stood as to where my sexual orientation was at the time. But gender identity was still a very separate thing from that. But coming out as gay—that set me apart enough for me to think about what else set me apart.

Katy and Mac, how did you react to Hunter coming out as gay?

Katy: We were going to love our kid no matter what. Everybody was on board. But it didn’t move forward from there. I just didn’t understand why it was still so difficult to buy clothing. If I took Hunter to the mall I didn’t understand, if Hunter is a gay male, why can’t you walk into something like the Gap and buy clothes? Like why is this always an issue?

Hunter, can you describe how you were feeling in your eighth grade year, and why you were so anxious?

It was later in the year and I could start to see peach fuzz on my upper lip… I was just really worried that I was starting to develop these secondary sex characteristics— especially facial hair just terrified me. That was something that just did not resonate with me at all, and I don’t really know why… [Gender dysphoria] is mostly this feeling of just dread and wrongness.

How did you come to learn about transgender identities?

I met some really open minded people that were educated in all the LGBT terms and what it was. And they were “fangirling” over people, Curt and Blaine on Glee... It was, like, a really positive new image of that whole community that kind of let me explore that part of myself. And so it was in seventh grade that I came to terms with the idea that maybe I wasn’t a boy.

Katy and Mac, Hunter says she tried to come out to you twice as transgender before her message finally hit home for you. Why do you think it took so many tries?

Mac: For me it was harder than Hunter being gay because I thought, this is not something that will just be who Hunter is on the inside and may be expressed in relationships, but how Hunter even appears has the potential to change.

Katy: I remember saying to Hunter, “Well just because you’re an artist and just because you like pretty things, that doesn’t mean you’re transgender. It doesn’t mean you’re a girl.”

Mac and Katy, What was it about that third attempt that finally allowed Hunter’s message to get through to you?

Katy: The anxiety level in Hunter was so apparent that I know that we could not continue kind of turning an eye or not listening. I felt like we were reaching a crisis point, because we had kind of lost our kid. I think Hunter was just really struggling inside, and the anxiety was coming out. I remember there were lots of tears. It was kind of just this reality of we were going to have to let go of who we thought our kid was going to be… There were some things that had to be put away.

Mac, was there an important moment for you when you realized Hunter was transgender?

Mac: I remember going to pick Hunter at fashion-design camp. And they had a fashion show the final night of camp. And Hunter came up to me the morning before the fashion show and said “Dad, do you mind if I wear heels?”… Inside everything in me was going “no, no, no,”…but outside I said, “Yes, you can.”… I think that’s when everything became real. And I thought, you know, the ideas I’ve had in my head of raising a son, in a sense, I’m putting those away and have grief in saying goodbye to that idea, but joy in sense of Hunter being birthed into who she was created to be.

Katy and Mac, how did you know this wasn’t just a phase, or that it was serious enough to take a medical intervention?

Katy: As a mom, I look over this trajectory of 17 years, and the draw to what is traditionally feminine has always been there. Since Hunter could express any kind of option for one thing or the other, maybe from 18 months on, it has always been the thing that you would have thought a girl would have chosen. So I can’t look at the arc of Hunter’s life and deny that that hasn’t been there always… It was always there. We just didn’t know what to call it.

Was it hard to start using the pronoun “she” for Hunter?

Katy: Some of Hunter’s friends really showed us—they were so far ahead of us. Kids would get in the car, and then one of them would say something about Hunter and use the pronoun “she.” And I would think, “Is this kid talking about Hunter?” And so I realized most of Hunter’s friends used “she” for a pronoun… Instead of going straight to a feminine pronoun, I really found myself as a mom just focusing on using Hunter’s name. If you hear me talk a lot I won’t use the pronouns, and I will just say “Hunter.”

Mac: When Hunter expressed that female pronouns were important to her, that was a game changer. And that’s when we really started using the female pronouns. And we would make a lot of mistakes, but eventually at least for me it became very natural to this point where I don’t think twice about it.

Hunter, you use hormone therapy so that your body matches your gender identity. Does it ever validate you in some sense when someone just assumes you are a cisgender girl (designated female at birth)?

It used to, because I was like “Ooo! I’m passing! I am looking more feminine than masculine!” But now as I’m exploring the nonbinary part of myself, it’s becoming almost—not annoying—but like I just wish that some people could see more to me than that right away …

I do like people to know that I’m not a cisgirl because that’s not something that I am or feel like I am. I’m proud to be a trans person.

What does it mean to explore a nonbinary self?

I just feel like I don’t really need to be put in the male or female box… Taking myself out of the binary is something that’s appealing to me, and not having one of those labels. Because gender has kind of been this crazy thing that I’ve had to—not defy—but move past and through because I’ve moved from male to female and now I’m swinging back to somewhere in between. So kind of existing without that is appealing to me in a lot of ways.

How Transgender Teens Are Fighting Against Bathroom Laws

Every time I use a public bathroom, I have to make a choice: Do I break the law, or do I disregard my comfort and face the risk of harassment and violence? As a 17-year-old transgender girl who began transitioning at 14, I’ve been wrestling with my gender ever since I was a child. At school, I’ve become accustomed to using the women’s restroom, where I feel safest and most comfortable. I’ve finally begun to accept myself as more than what is stated on my birth certificate. But a new law in my home state of North Carolina rejects all of this.

Except it doesn’t make sense to invalidate my identity and put me in possible danger by forcing me to use the men’s restroom. I was appalled and desperately wanted to fight back. A few weeks after the bill passed, I joined a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, and several other plaintiffs challenging HB2. I did this not only in the hope of reversing it but also to represent other transgender youth in North Carolina who are as hurt as I am, and to raise awareness and acceptance for transgender individuals.

HB2’s supporters argue that they’re protecting girls from men entering women’s restrooms. But they’re actually labeling transgender people as predators. Forcing us to use bathrooms that run counter to our identity is incredibly damaging. We already face a disproportionate amount of violence, discrimination, and bullying, and are vastly more likely than the general public to attempt suicide. Laws like HB2 promote false stereotypes that perpetuate these dangers. When we use the bathroom, we’re there to relieve ourselves, not attack others.

Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Justice is on our side, having deemed the law a violation of three civil rights statutes, including Title IX. The Obama administration also recently issued guidelines for schools to allow transgender students to use our correct restroom, and for staff and contractors to respect our name, gender, and pronouns. This national recognition that transgender youth exist was enormous. While we still face opposition, I’m confident that we’ll overcome the hateful legislation that North Carolina has imposed with HB2. We deserve equal treatment — that is “common sense” to me.

Hunter Schafer on why she’s fighting for much more than bathrooms

On March 30 2017, North Carolina nominally repealed HB2, the state’s so-called ‘bathroom bill.’ But the compromising conditions of the deal still leave the transgender community vulnerable to discrimination.

As a transgender teenager who grew up in North Carolina, navigating bathrooms on my own was an extremely difficult journey, particularly at public school. In early high school (during a more primary stage in my transition), I felt safer using the women’s restroom and locker room. But I was often met with compromises, like being told to use a staff bathroom or the men’s room, which was basically a sentence to eternally hold it in. I felt like an outlaw every time I had to pee, as if I this natural bodily function were some unforgivable act.

Later, when I began to pass as a cis-woman, I was able to start using the women’s restroom without question — because I didn’t “look like a man.” This change signified to me that my peers and society cared more about how I appeared than how I openly identified. That same mentality is embodied in HB2, the so-called “bathroom bill” that North Carolina lawmakers supposedly repealed yesterday — a bill that continues to prove the state’s legislature has no regard for the identities of North Carolina’s trans community.

What exactly is House Bill 2? Passed in March, 2016, HB2 states that users of public restrooms must visit the restroom that corresponds to their assigned sex at birth, rather than the room that corresponds to their gender identity. The law was created as a speedy and fearful response to an ordinance protecting trans/LGBTQ individuals passed in Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city. The legislature argued that protecting the trans community would legitimize a hypothetical sexual predator dressing up as the “opposite gender” in order to peep or commit other crimes. (This was never a problem in the state to begin with.)

Making this dangerous and discriminatory portrayal of the trans community even worse, the only way to enforce HB2 is to profile trans individuals who don’t pass as men or women. Meaning that while some trans people might be able to avoid the consequences of breaking the law — because they pass as a cisgender man or woman — much of the community risks being profiled, facing harassment, and potentially violence. The bill doesn’t just present external dangers either; the internal detriment that trans individuals endure, by being forced into facilities and boxes in which they don’t belong, is excruciatingly painful. The trans community is no stranger to this kind of treatment. Transphobic bills like HB2 have been bubbling up in state legislatures all over the nation. Transgender students in public school systems like Gavin Grimm are being denied access to necessary gendered facilities. And just this year, eight transgender women of color have been murdered.

Much of the media’s reporting on HB2 implies that bathroom access is all that’s at stake — as if the restroom is the only space where transgender people face discrimination. While the fight for the trans community’s just use of restrooms is urgent and essential, the core issue is the deep-rooted transphobia that lies beneath this “bathroom bill” controversy. Transphobia resides at the heart of HB2, a bill which appeals to a public still clinging to the gender binary and fearful depictions of those who reside outside of it.

In the court and in the media, the conversation about HB2 continually comes back to gender expression — a sort of mirror to how surface-level “bathroom bills” have become. The most vulnerable victims of the law aren’t even all trans men, women, or non-binary individuals, they’re the people who don’t directly fit into our idea of what a man or a woman looks like, whatever their identity may be. Our society assigns an overwhelmingly high value to other people’s perceptions of us, rather than emphasizing the importance of our own sense of self. The discussion around bills like HB2 spotlights how uncomfortable so many people are without the social crutch that the idea of a gender binary provides.

Yesterday, the North Carolina legislature made the decision to repeal House Bill 2 in order to make a “compromise.” While it might have seemed like lawmakers were providing instant relief for the transgender community of NC, this compromise produced the exact opposite effect. The new House Bill 142 perpetuates the damage that North Carolina has endured, leaving the LGBTQ community without protections and local governments unable to pass nondiscrimination ordinances until 2020.

Why did the NC GOP go to all that effort just to make an arbitrary change? Considering the monetary impact of the bill is a good place to start. As the NCAA tournaments approached earlier this month, the state was under pressure to repeal HB2 in order to keep the privilege of taking part in the events and enjoying their enormous financial returns. This “fake repeal,” as Simone Bell, Southern regional Director at Lambda Legal, named it, proves that North Carolina’s legislature doesn’t care about transgender people, it cares about profit.

To combat laws like this, organizations like Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and Planned Parenthood have been taking action by filing lawsuits against North Carolina and providing services that help the trans community. Services such as providing hormone replacement therapy or lawyers to change gender documentation. Trans youth have also taken to the internet, using their own platforms to share their stories and spread awareness about the discrimination that they face on a daily basis.

I hope that my community can advance discussion and provoke thought when we confront transphobia like we are experiencing in North Carolina. In my own experience, creating artwork that reacts to HB2 has not only alleviated my pain but also become a form of protest. I have found, too, that it’s useful to simply be a presence and give testament to my community’s existence, whether through showing up to anti-HB2 rallies or acting as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against North Carolina. Ideally, we can use the state’s oppression as a vehicle to initiate a global conversation in which we are redefining many people’s understanding of gender and making our society a more tolerant space for all.

This “bathroom bill” goes far, far beyond North Carolina’s public restrooms. It touches the founding tenets of our country’s social structure, and the ideas of gender within which our society functions. Trans youth and activists are slowly but surely breaking down the social binary through our own empowerment, thanks in part to the conversations created by our oppression. We are on the forefront of a revolution in which identity and expression will take priority over the labels assigned to us at birth. In which self-identification will take priority over perception. In which gender will fall away entirely.

Hillary Clinton Discusses Equality and Feminism with Teen Vogue’s 2017 21 Under 21 Nominees

Hillary Clinton Discusses Equality and Feminism with Teen Vogue’s 2017 21 Under 21 Nominees

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the guest-editor of our Volume IV issue, on newsstands nationally December 5. She will keynote at the first-ever Teen Vogue Summit in conversation with actress, scholar, and activist Yara Shahidi. The Teen Vogue Summit will take place on December 1 & 2 in Los Angeles.

Here, meet five members of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 Class of 2017. The full Class of 2017 will be profiled in Volume V.

What would you tell the first female presidential nominee for a major party if you could? Five trailblazing talents from this year’s 21 Under 21 list sat down with Hillary Clinton to tackle the issues facing women and girls around the world.

Hunter Schafer, Mari Copeny, Muzoon Almellehan, Nadya Okamoto, and Simone Askew. These are just a few of the exceptional individuals on Teen Vogue’s annual list of the young women and femmes who are changing the world — all under the age of 21. Taking action in STEM, the arts, social activism, and beyond, they are the brains, voices, and visionaries whose brilliance is helping to shape our future for the better.

Eighteen-year-old Hunter Schafer has made waves both in the courtroom and on the runway. As a trans model and activist, she’s walked for some of fashion’s most high-profile designers while also advocating on behalf of LGBTQ youth. In 2016, she served as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the discriminatory bathroom bill HB2 in her home state of North Carolina.

At 20, Simone Askew has already made history. Earlier this year, she became the first African-American woman to be named first captain of the corps of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the highest position in the cadet chain of command.

Harvard sophomore Nadya Okamoto is working to normalize the conversation around periods, and through her nonprofit organization, Period, she provides menstrual products to those in need. But that’s not all. At press time, the 19-year-old was also running for city council in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after deciding the best way to effect the change she wanted to see in government was to be the change.

In 2016, then president Barack Obama visited Flint, Michigan, at the request of Mari Copeny. The pint-size activist, now 10, wanted to draw attention to her hometown’s water crisis and went on to become the youngest Women’s March youth ambassador, the national youth ambassador for the People’s Climate March, and youth ambassador for Equality for Her, proving that no voice is too small.

After fleeing Syria’s civil war and spending nearly three years in Jordanian refugee camps, 19-year-old Muzoon Almellehan settled in the U.K. and decided to dedicate her life to advocating for girls’ education. She has traveled the world on behalf of her cause, and this year she became the youngest-ever goodwill ambassador as well as the first with official refugee status.

Here, in an intimate conversation with Hillary Clinton, these five young game changers discuss everything from how more women can break into politics to the ongoing fight for female equality.

MARI COPENY: How did you know when you had found your purpose? Was there a moment? Did you have other childhood dreams?

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: I had a lot of dreams when I was a child, but I think I found my purpose pretty early, which was to help other people in my community and make my world a better place. When I was little, I thought, Well, maybe I’ll be a reporter, a journalist, a doctor. I ended up becoming a lawyer. And I never stopped thinking about what I could do to give back to people. I think that’s the best way to have a meaningful life.

NADYA OKAMOTO: In the U.S., less than 20 percent of [elected congressional] positions are held by women. And when it comes to advocating and fighting for progress — whether it be reproductive rights, equal pay, or talking about menstruation — how do you approach working for that progress in a male-dominated space?

HRC: There’s that great line by Shirley Chisholm, who ran for president back in the 1970s: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” And that can be in terms of activism, building a platform for yourself, or in public service, government, or running for office. And there’s no substitute for being prepared, knowing what you want to say, and being brave enough to say it. It can be groundbreaking, and you might receive backlash — as I know you have online — but you just have to keep persevering.

SIMONE ASKEW: We had a women’s equality lunch at West Point a couple of weeks ago, and the speaker, in a very positive light, noted that women are required to perform twice as well as men for half of the credit. How do you acknowledge that but also balance the value of nonbiological ideals and capabilities when you are a leader?

HRC: This is the highest, hardest balancing act, Simone. I just finished writing a book about my life, but in particular my experiences in the 2016 campaign. In it I said I thought it mattered if we were pre-pared. And I worked really hard to prepare for the three debates because tens of millions of people were watching us. And one of the reporters who judged me as having won the debates actually said, “She seemed too prepared.” And I thought to myself, How do you seem to be too prepared to do the hardest job in the world? I want to underscore the importance of preparation and hard work. There’s no substitute for that. But I want us to get to a point where women are judged fairly and equally. You don’t have to be twice as good to do the job. You have to be good enough to do that job. Society has to recognize that we are losing a lot of great talent in elected office, in the military, in business, in every walk of life, because women are made to feel that they aren’t good enough.

HUNTER SCHAFER: I want to address how public schools in America are continuing to struggle with accommodating the bathroom needs of gender-nonconforming and trans young people. This was made evident in my home state of North Carolina when they passed the bathroom bill, House Bill 2. How can we as a society and even on institutional levels ensure the safety and comfort of gender-nonconforming students and children as they continue to come out?

HRC: It is an issue that really calls on people to be compassionate, kind, and understanding. We are at our best in our country when we treat people with respect as individuals and worry more about the content of our character, as Dr. King said, and have an open education system, an open society. I was very disappointed when the decision was made to reverse the openness of our military for trans soldiers who are serving our country. I think what happened in North Carolina should give you some measure of hope because there was such an outcry. It fundamentally struck people as wrong to discriminate like that, and there was an effort made to reverse the legislation. That doesn’t change attitudes overnight, but you’ve got to have the institutional barriers like the legislation and regulation come down first. Then you begin to hope people will be more under-standing and compassionate. In schools [is] where all of this has to start.

NO: Running for office is the most terrifying experience ever. It’s been challenging; I’ve dealt with everything from racism to constant questioning about my qualifications, even from my peers. How do you stay close to your values, stay confident in yourself and your motives, and avoid the superficial claims made about you, from what you’re wearing to your hair and makeup?

HRC: Whoa. How much time do we have? It can be, and usually is, terrifying the first time you run for office. And you’re knocking on doors, you said?

NO: Every day.

HRC: Then there’s a very simple answer: If you’re eligible to run for office, you have every right to run. You’re making your case. You are presenting yourself. And people have the opportunity to support you or not. And at the end of your campaign, you’ll find out whether you were successful. But you shouldn’t allow anybody to undermine you and go after your confidence or your commitment to doing this. Easier said than done because it is incessant. It’s hard for any first-time candidate, but it is harder for women. Wear what you want to present yourself to the voters because that’s who you are. You will be criticized no matter what you do. The fact is, people should be much more interested in hearing what you would do, so you have to get through the superficial judgments and constant second-guessing. That’s one of the reasons when I started running for office — and the whole time I’ve been in the Senate, secretary of state, running for president — I adopted a uniform. For me it was pantsuits. After a while, people get bored talking about it and don’t really pay much attention to it.

SA: You are a leader, and I am the commander of the entire corps of cadets. And there is value in your being a woman and in my being an African-American as well as a woman. How have you aimed to be an inclusive leader expressing and promoting the value of all people while acknowledging your personal connection to minority groups?

HRC: Well, it’s really an important question, Simone. And you’re living it. So many of the articles that were written about your becoming the commander of the brigade pointed out that you were the first African-American woman to hold that position. It’s an important statement, but that’s not all of who you are. You are a scholar, an athlete, a leader. This new position gives you a chance to demonstrate the inclusivity, to demonstrate high standards without discrimination and bigotry.

I think it was clear to anybody in this past election: There are a lot of Americans who are uncomfortable with progress that’s made by African-Americans, women, the LGBTQ community, people with different ethnicities. We have to demonstrate that we’re better and bigger than that bigotry. Not by just talking, but by demonstrating. One of my favorite people that I’ve ever met and one of my favorite people in history is Nelson Mandela. I got to know him in 1992 alongside my husband and my daughter. We had watched him as he had come out of prison. [He] negotiated to end apartheid, and he could have been very negative toward the Afrikaner white population, justified on so many grounds. But he wanted to be a leader for all of South Africa. I was privileged to attend his inauguration on behalf of our country, and we were invited back to the president’s house for a lunch. There were hundreds and hundreds of leaders from around the world, and President Mandela stood up and said, “I’m very honored to have all of these VIPs, kings and queens and presidents and prime ministers and distinguished people from around the world here. But there are three people I want particularly to recognize. I want them to stand.” And he called out their names. They were three of his white jailers from Robben Island. He said, These men treated me with respect. I was a prisoner. I was working in the stone quarry. I was treated brutally and badly by many. But these three men showed humanity. And I want to thank them.” That’s leadership.

SA: It’s deliberately choosing to seek out the positive even in an adverse situation.

HRC: That’s right. And lifting people up. And you’re supposed to lead everyone, not just people who agree with you. And to bring people together, not further divide them. That’s going to be especially important in our country, but even in the world, in this century.

MUZOON ALMELLEHAN: When I was in the refugee camps, I saw many refugees who had given up on their dreams and become so hopeless. I told them that when we think this is the end of our stories, maybe it is the beginning of our stories. So if you had a piece of advice that you could provide to children all over the world, especially girls, what would this be?
HRC: Well, you said something very important, Muzoon, and that is everyone has a story. And history is about our collective story. We need to make sure people are given the chance to tell their individual story. Through your work with UNICEF, [people] see you. They listen to you and think, I didn’t know that’s what a refugee would say or look like. I went to a refugee camp when I was secretary of state in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a part of the country that had been subjected to a brutal conflict in which more than 5 million people had been killed. And girls and women were particular targets for abuse, and terrible atrocities were committed. I met with a group of adults there and asked them, “What is the most important thing that we could do for you?” One of the mothers in the camps said, “I want my children to learn. Their only way forward is if they get an education.” That is the fundamental hope of families everywhere — whatever your background [or] your income, people want the chance to see their children educated. So you being a voice for children who are living in refugee camps will make a big difference because people will see them as individuals, not just as numbers.

HS: On a different note, I wanted to address how climate change is affected by corporations and industries — particularly the food and drug industries — and how that is connected to our own government on a financial and social level. I’m wondering if you think we can create change through the government or if it needs to happen on a more social level?

HRC: It has to be both. And it has to be not only national governments; it has to be local governments. There has to be international cooperation. But it also requires that communities and individuals see this as the great threat that it is. As you point out, agriculture and pharmaceuticals have a role to play, but the principal problem is the way we produce and consume energy. The production of greenhouse gas emissions has been warming our climate and oceans, which contributes to more intense, stronger, and frequent hurricanes. Clean, renewable energy is the key; there are energy sources that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are more people [working] now than there were five years ago in solar and wind energy. And we need to keep up that momentum. I think there’s an unfortunate willingness by some in political leadership positions to deny signs in order to satisfy powerful interests that support their political ambitions. But we need to get back to addressing it with seriousness because we’re losing ground and time. I was very proud when the United States under President Obama’s leadership signed the Paris Agreement because I’d worked with the president when I was secretary of state to begin that process. I knew how hard it was to convince countries to get on board. Currently, our new administration is not abiding by it and doesn’t want to. I think even they are going to have to be realistic about what it’s going to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate our efforts, because we’re going to be paying hundreds of billions of dollars in storm damage and rising water damage.

MC: I want to run for president in 2044. Do you have any advice for me?

HRC: You’re doing so much of what you need to do. You are learning a lot, and that’s great preparation. I would be excited if you ran for president in 2044. Gee, how many years is that from now? I hope I’m around!

This Q&A has been edited and condensed for clarity.

21 Under 21 2017

“Girls are not just tomorrow’s leaders — they are speaking out, standing up, and fighting back today. From science to sports, all of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 honorees are solving some of our most pressing problems and encouraging others to join them.

I am inspired by their stories: Saanya Bhargava used her STEM skills and innovative ideas to reduce plastic waste in our oceans. Nadya Okamoto founded a nonprofit organization that provides menstrual products to homeless women and ran for office in her local government. Yusra Mardini, an Olympic swimmer from Syria, works to bring attention to the global refugee crisis. Aspiring astronaut Taylor Richardson helps other girls believe they can achieve their dreams.

These honorees prove that our generation is full of leaders, creators, and self-starters. They make the world around them — giant corporations, presidents, prime ministers, sports fans, art lovers, classmates, and people they’ve never even met — take notice and, hopefully, take action. Girls and women are doing amazing things. But we still have so much more to show the world — and many more fights to win.

Approximately 130 million girls are out of school today because of poverty, war, child marriage, or gender-based discrimination. From Pakistan to Mexico, girls are fighting for education and equality. What else could they give the world if they didn’t have to work so hard just to defend a right they already have? If one girl with an education can change the world, imagine what 130 million could do.

Seventy-six percent of men participate in the global labor market, but only 46 percent of women are employed. Around the world, I’ve met girls who want to cure cancer, run a business, or write books. I keep fighting because I want to see the future these young women can create. You are building that future, too. If you see a problem in your community, start solving it. If you have a dream, work hard to achieve it. Know that when you stand up, your sisterhood around the world stands with you.

If the women and femmes in this issue had not believed in themselves, if they’d thought they were too young to pursue their big ideas, they would not be in the magazine you’re holding right now. I know you’ll join me in celebrating their accomplishments — and I hope next year we will be reading your story.” — Malala Yousafzai

Hunter Schafer, 18

While Hunter Schafer’s modeling credentials are unde­niably impressive — she recently walked runways for Versus Versace, Helmut Lang, and R13 Denim and has been featured in Japanese Vogue and i-D — she is so much more than just a member of fashion’s cool new guard. “When the discriminatory HB2 bathroom bill was passed in North Carolina, where I’m from, I came onto the case as a plaintiff to be a testament to the trans and gay communities,” says the 18­-year-­old trans activist, who’s also involved with Arts Not Parts, which creates posters to fight transphobia in bathrooms. A talented illustrator (she regularly contributes to Rookie Mag), Hunter plans to study fashion design at London’s Central Saint Martins in 2018 — a sign her creative triumphs have only just begun. — AM

In Transition

In Transition

“I’m just an overall creative, trying to create worlds and pieces of artwork that reflect a world beyond gender and beyond hyper-masculinity that I would like to see.”

That is how Hunter Schafer wants her narrative to read. Refusing to be labeled or put in a box, Hunter has in fact spent the majority of her young life fighting other people’s perceptions. Carving out a fluid and authentic path for her work as an artist, a transgender rights advocate and a human in transition. And now, as a model with a break out runway season and scores of high profile editorials, she has the eyes and ears of the fashion world.

HER PERSONAL JOURNEY

“I’ve always had a sense of feminine expression, but it’s really just who I am and that did not fit the mold of what I was assigned at first, which was male. I don’t think I knew what being transgender was until middle school when I was around more open minded friends who introduced me to characters in the media who were of the LGTB community. That’s where I learned the language and the terminology which enabled me to label myself, and not be what people told me I was. That allowed me to start playing with my gender expression and sense of femininity in an outward direction.”

After coming out as gay in seventh grade, Hunter says she was “the only gay kid who took on that stereotypical role of being gay. Expressing some femininity really wasn’t enough and I wanted to keep pushing the envelope of what my gender could be. Eventually I started wearing makeup and sneaking high heels to school under my parent’s noses, they didn’t really know what was going on. It was only after I started experiencing gender dysphoria in high school, that I came out to them as transgender. I felt so overwhelmed and anxious that I needed their help. Of course, they were confused and angry but over time they came along and did their own research and got me to hormone doctors.”

“It was when I moved away from home to attend a fine arts high school that I was able to play with my gender expression. Away from the eyes of my parents and the church, both of my parents are pastors. Gender has always felt like a performance to me. Gender is a performance to everybody. It’s just like, how aware of the fact that you’re performing is what I think influences how you go about it. I’ve since graduated high school and now live in New York City, still exploring gender, still transitioning, I don’t think that’s ever going to end.”

ON BEING LABELED AN ACTIVIST

“I’m not sure how I feel about being called an activist. It’s a heavy word because I feel like I can be doing so much more on a political level. I understand that my existence is political in the world we live in –  but I don’t know if that justifies being called an activist. I’m just trying to activate other people in whatever way I can by being open and present with the following I have.”

Hunter’s journey was brought in to the political spotlight when House Bill 2 was passed in her hometown of North Carolina. HB2 legislates that in government buildings, individuals may only use restrooms and changing rooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. In turn, preventing transgender people who do not or cannot alter their birth certificates from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity. This legislation essentially removed anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Hunter was contacted by an ACLU lawyer at the time and joined a lawsuit against House Bill 2. 

Although the bill has since been repealed, the lawsuit is still in place because of the tragedy the trans community in North Carolina faced as a result. Hunter says, “the bill was not limited to discriminating against trans people, it was affecting people of color in neighborhoods below the poverty line. To see not only my trans friends, but trans friends who resided within those communities as well, being affected by the law was really frustrating.”

“finding refuge from the hella toxic environment that young people in masculinity can find themselves in. That gave me an idea of who I wanted to be, sharing the same space as them and everything.”

ON BRINGING FASHION AND ART TOGETHER

With Schafer slated to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins, the worlds of fashion and art seamlessly and politically manifest themselves into her work. “I want to make work that is physical and kinetic with other people. I use clothing as my main form of artwork and as a way to create conversation about the binary and social constructs that we are all navigating through, because the binary is so heavily enforced by clothing. The first thing you might see about a person when you look at them is if they are a man or a woman, because that’s all that we’ve been trained to do. I am interested in making clothing that contradicts that, and that may even literally talk about or in some way represent how it’s contradicted that immediate need to put a person in a box.”

“Art has always been if not a way to escape, then a way to approach things in my life that I either can’t have or am unfamiliar with. It was this idea of creating something that didn’t exist for myself and having it be a tangible product that I could touch and know is real and I think that is directly related to the fact that I never saw myself in a way that was represented in the media. Now it’s evolved to working through my head space, like in my Instagram bio I have “map maker” because I think that art work in all forms is like a form of map making and mapping out the self-conscious and how our minds are functioning. When I’m struggling with how I feel about my place within the gender binary, I can go to my journal and try to map it out and write words down and draw pictures to try to express some sort of feeling or emotion that I can’t really articulate.”

ON FASHION’S ‘NEWFOUND’ FLUIDITY

“Some of these genuine actions towards diversity are being taken at the same time as less genuine actions and it’s hard to make the distinction. A fast fashion brand came out with an A-gender line last year and it was literally blue jeans and sweatshirts. It was labeling the spectrum between being a man and being a woman as normcor. It was such a cop out.”

“It’s been interesting to watch because it points out the differences in how our society raises us, men and women. It is still unconventional for a man to wear a skirt out in public or honestly outside the fashion industry and even within some contexts. But with women, it’s fashionable to wear a suit or pants or whatever. I think it puts a spotlight on the masculine construct specifically and how oppressive that is. Which is just an interesting facet of gender that is getting some light right now.“

“I think I entered the fashion world at an interesting time to be a trans person – there is a lot of ‘openization’ happening within the industry so that brands can feel like they’re on board with diversity. But there is still definitely a sense of work that we need to do as an industry to be more inclusive, I don’t think that journey is over. I think I have gotten a lot of the jobs that I have because of my position in the industry as a trans person. I am cool with people casting me because I am trans, but I would rather the people casting me be trans as well or be from a community that can understand what it is like to be marginalized and excluded. Because it is really wierd entering this industry, walking around with this privilege and white privilege, and being thin and meeting the industry standards, but also having that kind of background and having been through that journey.“

ON MODELING

“Modeling is a window in to working in the fashion industry, something I’ve wanted to do since middle school. It’s like being an actor or having the opportunity to play with gender and make characters and play with identity and therefore, I do find it stimulating. But I’m not going to limit myself to being a model because there is so much that I want to do. But it is an interesting window and I am getting to work with people I really admire and have admired for a long time. Like Shayne Oliver from Hood by Air, absolutely one of my favorite designers and I think one of the most important designers of our generation. He knows what is up as far as how to play with gender in masculinity and race and how those all intersect in our day and age, in a way I kind of think is unprecedented. His runway shows are so performative and challenging to what the rest of the fashion industry looks like.”

ON HER PURPOSE

“I’m in a point of transition and I believe I always will be. But I believe my purpose right now is to use my platform as a model and as someone in the community who is fighting legislations. I feel like I need to be speaking my truth as much as possible and using my privilege to help others empower themselves to transition, move forward, and liberate themselves from the mess of our society. Honestly, I believe everyone is transitioning and some are just given more opportunities to do so. To outwardly and publicly transition is somewhat radical right now because we are expected to be the same person or the same entity or identity for our entire lives, and that is so not reflective of how human beings grow, void of gender or whatever else we are working through. And I guess most importantly, just be allowed to evolve and change and grow with it.“

From Transgender Activist to Runway Model

From Transgender Activist to Runway Model

Hunter Schafer, 19, is an A.C.L.U. plaintiff who has modeled for Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu.

Name: Hunter Schafer
Age: 19
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Currently Lives: In a four-bedroom loft in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn that “looks like it’s from a sitcom or something,” she said.

Claim to Fame: Mx. Schafer, who prefers that nongendered courtesy title, is an artist, designer and model who has appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue and in runway shows for Mansur Gavriel, Versus Versace and Helmut Lang. “Walking runway has been something I didn’t even think would be a possibility in my lifetime with my circumstances and my origins,” she said.

Mx. Schafer was assigned male at birth, but always found herself searching for and expressing femininity through art and fashion. She started transitioning during high school. “What I’m trying to do in all senses is deconstruct our idea of gender, and use the privileges that come with looking like a model to bring attention to that,” she said.

Big Break: Mx. Schafer first made headlines in 2016, when she became a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit against North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which forced individuals to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex assigned to them at birth.

“I don’t know if I would call myself an activist, as much as someone who’s just vocal about being trans, which sometimes can feel like activism, because just existing as a trans person can often be hard enough, particularly for people of color or people who don’t pass,” she said. After graduating from high school in 2017, Mx. Schafer moved to New York to sign with Elite model management.

Latest Project: During the recent fashion weeks in New York and Europe, Mx. Schafer did “almost a full circuit,” she said, by walking in nine shows, including for Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs and House of Holland. It was her first time traveling abroad. “I got myself there, and it was really exciting to know that I was doing this for work,” she said. “A lot of the designers that I admire are in those European cities that kind of seemed untouchable before.”

Next Thing: Mx. Schafer plans to open a studio and gallery in Manhattan specifically for trans artists, using grant money from Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 program, an annual contest honoring young trailblazers. Her exploration of genderless art extends to fashion. In the fall, she will attend Central Saint Martins in London, where she plans to focus on nonbinary clothing design.

Turning Point: Mx. Schafer is approaching the point in her transition when her hormone blockers will stop working, and she needs to decide whether to start taking spironolactone alongside estrogen to maintain her feminine body type. If she were to return to a more conventionally masculine body, her measurements would change, and she’d likely have a harder time booking modeling jobs. “I’m probably going to make art about it soon,” she said.

Meet Today’s Chic Crew of Change-Makers

Meet Today’s Chic Crew of Change-Makers

Those lamenting that the world is going to hell—what with terrorism, the risk of nuclear war, and environmental catastrophes—need only look to today’s youth for peace of mind. Indeed, they are an inspiring group, fighting for everything from gun control to gay rights, and effecting change where the older generations could not. And what style they have! In approaching fashion with the same fearlessness that they assume political matters, they make for a seriously radical lot. Take for example, the Japanese model Manami Kinoshita and her spiky red hairdo. She is among the handful of young people who were cast—many via Instagram—for this fashion feature. Also in the bunch: Ariel Nicholson, the six-foot-tall Pre-Raphaelite beauty who has become vocal in raising awareness for the trans community. We could all definitely take a cue from her, and her ability to turn a tough situation—in her case, coming out—“into something great.”

Hunter Schafer

With her spindly figure and mane of white-blonde hair, 19-year-old Hunter Schafer projects an otherworldly air. Raised in North Carolina, she began modeling in her final semester of high school, and moved to Brooklyn last year, after signing with Elite. An illustrator and activist, she came out at 13 and transitioned at 14, relying on the Internet to help her “put a finger on my identity, and discover small queer publications and Instagram ­presences, like Tavi Gevinson and Laverne Cox.” Being in high school as a trans teen was not without its complications. “Going to dances was weird,” she says, “because dressing up is always very binary.” She started out making “comics exploring my trans-ness and my sexuality” that soon drew the attention of Rookie magazine, Teen Vogue, and, eventually, her current agent. After modeling full-time for seven months and interning for the up-and-coming New York label Vaquera, she has her sights set on a degree in fashion design at Central Saint Martins, in London, where she’s moving this fall. “The influx of trans models is interesting, but, like myself, most of them pass as cisgender, meaning that someone on the street isn’t going to look at us and assume we’re trans,” says Schafer, who longs for a broader awareness. The Women’s March, she points out, “was applicable to the higher end of the privilege spectrum: white, cis, heterosexual women. But when it comes to Black Lives ­Matter or a trans intersection of that sort of feminism, people are not there in the same way.”

The Newest Generation Of Hollywood Is More Queer Than Ever

The Newest Generation Of Hollywood Is More Queer Than Ever

As Hollywood grapples with greater calls for meaningful diversity, it’s the next generation of LGBTQ+ actors who are the keys to true inclusion. And though they’ve traditionally been secondary or part of an ensemble, the queer characters they play are far from the stereotype. Check out eight actors taking the leap to center stage below.

Acting was not Hunter Schafer’s desired career goal. She was a theater girl, but lived backstage and actually wanted to work as a fashion designer. Making it to New York City from her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina wasn’t going to be easy (or cheap), but she knew she fit some of the standards of a “conventional” model, so she reached out to agents she found on Instagram. During a visit to the big city in her senior year of high school, the now 19-year-old signed with Elite Model Management.  “A little over a year of modeling made the camera a lot less intimidating,” she says. So when the audition for HBO’s Euphoria came her way, she was prepared. The drama, which is Schafer’s first role, follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma, and social media. “I thought I was gonna be in college right now,” she says. But when she discovered that some of her life experiences lined up with her character Jules, she felt she could handle it. As she looks to getting more involved in acting, “a huge motivator is just to create and world-build,” she says, “because I think trans and gender non-conforming people are the best at that.”

Hunter Schafer: final fantasy

Hunter Schafer: final fantasy

Ahead of her breakout role in Sam Levinson’s teen drama Euphoria, Hunter Schafer talks to Rowan Blanchard about her love of fantasy and moving to California

At a time when trans rights are more under threat than ever, the spring 2019 issue of Dazed takes a stand for the global creativity of the LGBTQIA+ communities and infinite forms of identity. You can pre-order a copy of our latest issue here, and see the whole Infinite Identities campaign here.

For her role in Euphoria, a forthcoming HBO show set to update the high school drama for 2019, Hunter Schafer had to make a few life adjustments. For one, she had to reconnect with what it felt like to be a sophomore, before she became the model and artist she is known as today. Secondly, it required a move from New York to Los Angeles. In the show, Schafer plays Jules, a new-to-town trans teenager navigating the trials and triumphs of coming of age. As the brainchild of Sam Levinson, director of last year’s gonzo big-screen satire Assassination Nation, the project is both the next stage of Schafer’s multiplicitous career, and the one which has felt like the most natural fit.

Schafer, 20, has always aligned herself with iconoclastic talents. Last September, she cut a spiky figure at Rick Owens’ SS19 show, striding around the designer’s blazing, witchy pyre in the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo. Her elven-like beauty – austere with flickers of a youthful sincerity – was the perfect foil for the designer’s meaningful severity. “Rick Owens is one of my absolute fucking favourite designers!” Schafer exclaims. “I had been wanting (to do) that show ever since I started modelling.” It was also earlier that year, at Miu Miu’s 2019 cruise show, where Schafer met kindred spirit and politically minded actress Rowan Blanchard – when they phone me while sitting next to each other one day in December, Blanchard interviewing Schafer, it’s a proper young actress summit.

“I was a fan of Hunter long before I actually met her,” says Blanchard, referencing Schafer’s work outside of fashion, which includes her stint as a contributing artist for the seminal, recently folded Rookie magazine. From the age of 15, Schafer created watercolour paintings, collages, sketches, comics, photos and essays displaying her romantic, buoyant touch for the website. It was a style in conversation with that of founder Tavi Gevinson, who has also parlayed her knack for world-building into fashion, then acting. Working for Rookie, Schafer says, introduced her to the idea of making art to a deadline and with an audience in mind.

When Schafer was 17, she was a plaintiff in the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against her home state of North Carolina regarding House Bill 2, which, per the ACLU, banned “transgender people from accessing restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity and blocks local governments from protecting LGBT people against discrimination in a wide variety of settings.” Schafer was, notably, the youngest plaintiff in the suit and her considered, heartfelt perspective cut through the noise. At the time, she penned a widely shared piece for Teen Vogue, explaining her position, writing that she was fighting not only to reverse the law, “but also to represent other transgender youth in North Carolina who are as hurt as I am, and to raise awareness and acceptance for transgender individuals”.

Three years later, the label of ‘activist’ feels a bit baggy on Schafer. She sees the course she’s charting as primarily an artistic practice, explaining, “When I took my place as a plaintiff in the House Bill 2 lawsuit, I did that because I could. I was in a really privileged place where I wasn’t struggling with my transness in the way I had been previously. I felt like I could be of use to my community, but before that it had always been my intention to be an artist.” For now, she’s relishing the chance to focus on being an actress, and is already thinking about the worlds she could create for herself on-screen. “There’s a lot of room for us to expand into roles that are completely out of this world,” she muses to Blanchard, in typically thoughtful fashion. “I think trans people know fantasy really well.”

Where in California are you guys right now?

Hunter Schafer: I recently moved to a house by Silver Lake.

Rowan Blanchard: Yeah, she’s in this cute townhouse in Silver Lake.

And Rowan, are you nearby?

Rowan Blanchard: I’m literally right next to her… (laughs) Oh, you mean in LA. Yeah I’m really close to Hunter! Like, 15 minutes away.

Did you meet in LA, or had you met through friends elsewhere?

Rowan Blanchard: I was a fan of Hunter’s long before I actually met her. I followed her on Instagram and was just really captivated by her art. Then she followed me back and we started talking a little bit, I think.

Hunter Schafer: We kind of mutually acknowledged each other.

Rowan Blanchard: And then we were both in Paris for Miu Miu! We were walking the show and I saw her backstage and I was like, ‘I am so overwhelmed and I’m freaking out…’

Hunter Schafer: It was so nuts!

Rowan Blanchard: Then we had a fun night in Paris and got close. We’ve been friends ever since!

Amazing. So, Rowan, I think you’re supposed to take over from me and be the journalist?

Rowan Blanchard: All right! Can I go in?

Thora Siemsen: Go for it!

Rowan Blanchard: I guess the first thing I wanted to talk to you about, Hunter – seeing as we’ve gotten closer since you moved to LA – is how LA has impacted you as an artist, as opposed to New York?

Hunter Schafer: It’s hard for me to compare the two cities from a neutral perspective because my circumstances were just so different. When I was living in New York I tried to make it work for a year but I didn’t really have my own space to be creative. It was really inspiring, but I think that coming to LA has allowed me to take a breath. Having a job is a different circumstance. I get allotted time off and I only have to really focus on one consistent thing, which is being this character. I have room to grow here. I think there’s more contrast between the circumstances of my being in those cities than the cities themselves. They’re both really lovely and I love them both in their own ways.

Rowan Blanchard: Did you ever see yourself coming to LA until you had booked Euphoria?

Hunter Schafer: No, I thought I was going to be in school in London right now. I was on my way to Central Saint Martins (to study design). I had wanted to nurture that practice with my gap year in New York and make a little money to help pay for school, and make contacts in the fashion industry. LA was never part of the plan.

Rowan Blanchard: I feel like you’re responding so well to it. How did Euphoria come into your life?

Hunter Schafer: I saw the open call over Instagram. A lot of trans women I know in New York were sharing it, trying to get each other to audition. So I saw that and then a few days later I got a call from my modelling agent saying they were asking if I would be interested in going in for the audition. I took a look at the people involved and was like, ‘I don’t know, this looks kind of weird. This is a white, cis, straight man writing what seems like a really intense show about a lot of different intersections of various identities that aren’t directly related to him.’ But I decided to give it a shot because I had been interested in performance art and acting and hadn’t really been given an opportunity to try it. I went in, got asked to come back, and kept getting more and more of the script.

Rowan Blanchard: When I’m auditioning for something over and over again, I start developing this connection to the character that gets very possessive in a way. When did you start feeling that connection to Jules and her inner workings?

Hunter Schafer: At one point in the audition process, I got all four of the first episodes. A lot happened in those first four episodes that I, as a transfeminine person and a queer person, really identify with. Seeing the arc of what she’s going through really clicked with me. I could start seeing her in my brain and I sketched her out.

“No matter what I’ve worked on or what art practices I’ve delved into, they’ve always been an attempt to world-build” – Hunter Schafer

Rowan Blanchard: How old is Jules?

Hunter Schafer: She’s a sophomore in high school, 16 or 17. I was looking back to when I was a sophomore and putting myself in the situations she was in. That’s when it clicked. It’s the way Sam writes and the way he writes music into the script – and which music correlated with Jules’s scenes. I could see her and feel her.

Rowan Blanchard: Even though this is your first time acting, it doesn’t feel like a big departure from what you’ve been doing before. I was looking back at your performance art and the photos you take of yourself. It’s all performative, in a way.

Hunter Schafer: No matter what I’ve worked on or what art practices I’ve delved into, they’ve always been an attempt to world-build. Whatever was not in my direct vicinity that I needed in order to feel fulfilled, I tried to create. When I decided to start acting it just felt like another level of world-building, because the way I’ve been approaching acting and this role, I feel like I’m living in two realities right now. This is the most fully realised world I’ve helped build or create.

Rowan Blanchard: Those worlds can start to feel confusing, especially when you’re doing TV.

Hunter Schafer: I’m definitely still in the thick of that. I just got a separate journal for Jules, so I’m not journalling in my own journal as Jules any more.

Rowan Blanchard: That’s a really healthy update! (laughs)

Hunter Schafer: I’m starting to develop my practice, learning how to come home after a really long day of shooting and letting myself breathe. I’m drawing and painting and listening to my music and keeping those things separate.

Rowan Blanchard: The way that Jules’s character is set up in the pilot is so beautiful. She’s very fully formed, even in how she does her hair and the clothes she wears.

Hunter Schafer: One of my favourite things about working on this show is the fact that it is so collaborative. We had sessions where we just tried on outfits for hours – it was like playing dress-up at home! I think earlier in my transition, where Jules is right now, I definitely relied on clothes and dressing-up as a way to affirm myself. More than I do now, I think. Being in high school and having that many eyes on you, or feeling like you have that many eyes on you, and sticking out like a sore thumb. I feel less pressure to dress for the eyes of other people now. I think that happened once I started modelling, near the end of high school.

Rowan Blanchard: Tell me, what was it like walking the Rick Owens show?

Hunter Schafer: Oh my God, it was just magical. Rick Owens is one of my absolute fucking favourite designers! I had been wanting (to walk) that show ever since I started modelling. The space that he used for the show – the Palais de Tokyo – was magic, and they had this giant, burning, witchy sort of totem in the middle. I really was feeling what I was wearing – I felt like myself. It was the closest I felt to myself while on the runway.

“I come from a background of working in modelling and high fashion… Not a lot of transgender women are able to occupy that space” – Hunter Schafer

Rowan Blanchard: I feel like as an actress you do interact with fashion in a different way. Do you see acting as something you want to do for a long time?

Hunter Schafer: I think so! Jules is an amazing place to start, because she is so close to home for me, but I would love to delve into something that’s not so close next time. I think that’s something trans women in this industry might be able to identify with, because we have a sense of adaptability that a lot of cisgendered people might not have to think about. There’s a lot of room for us to be able to expand into roles that are completely out of this world. I think that trans people know fantasy really well. That’s something I’m really interested in, a fantasy role.

Rowan Blanchard: You want to do it all! Let’s talk about your relationship to Sam (Levinson). I spoke to Hari (Nef, actress in Levinson’s film Assassination Nation) about him, too. How did you come around to accepting that a cis straight person was able to portray (a trans woman)?

Hunter Schafer: In the final audition for Euphoria, when it started getting serious, I had to sign something saying that if I got this role, I was going to commit. That meant I wasn’t going to school and was fully committed to filming this entire show. It was an intense moment, but I came out to that audition in LA and that’s when I met Sam, and we became really close. We had a five-hour meeting on the day that I got the role. We met at this coffee shop; he really wanted to listen to me and my thoughts. He’s writing these roles around all of us. He’s listening and using his privilege to uplift our stories and make them complex.

Rowan Blanchard: It feels good that he was able to write these characters with identities that are different from his without trying to make them represent the entire community.

Hunter Schafer: I was worried about that. I come from a background of working in modelling and high fashion, which has a pretty toxic set of standards. Not a lot of transgender women are able to occupy that space. I have a lot of privilege working in an industry like this and I was putting pressure on myself, worrying about how many facets of the trans community would not be represented by this one singular trans character.

Rowan Blanchard: Well, there aren’t a lot of trans roles in Hollywood right now, so of course you’re going to feel that pressure and expectation.

Hunter Schafer: That’s a really good point. There’s much more freedom in the idea that people can represent themselves instead of feeling that pressure to represent others.

Rowan Blanchard: Did you see the Hilma Klint show (at the Guggenheim) yet? I was thinking about her, and (feminist filmmaker) Barbara Loden…

Hunter Schafer: Yeah, I feel like we all identify with (Loden’s 1970 film) Wanda!

Rowan Blanchard: I wanna remake Wanda with you in it! (laughs) Yeah, I was just thinking about all these women who made work that was never seen at the time). Even though I never feel like things are changing, it does feel nice that we’re making things that get to be seen in our own lifetimes, and we don’t have to hide them.

Hunter Schafer: That’s a huge thing. Just think about all the beautiful things that are made behind closed doors, the things that haven’t been seen yet or are still to come – especially from your brain! Women are fucking powerful.

Thora Siemsen: You’ve both just said some really lovely things to each other and I feel lucky to have talked to you. Rowan, come and take all of our jobs, please.

Rowan Blanchard: Oh God, no, I couldn’t! I can’t.

Hunter Schafer: Yeah, this is the best interview I’ve ever had.

Rowan Blanchard: Aw, I love you!

Getting Ready With Hunter Schafer, Euphoria’s Breakout Star, Before the Show’s Big Premiere

Getting Ready With Hunter Schafer, Euphoria’s Breakout Star, Before the Show’s Big Premiere

It’s just a couple of hours away from the red carpet premiere of HBO’s next big show Euphoria, and star Hunter Schafer is debating whether or not she should get bangs. It’s her first premiere, and instead of having meticulously mapped out every detail, Schafer is following her instincts, moment by moment—and keeping calm, cool, and collected throughout. Take this, for example: Despite being in the middle of makeup and hair (she ultimately opted for wispy baby bangs left loose from her pulled-back hair), it was Schafer herself who ran out of her Silver Lake apartment to open the building’s door for me when I arrived, rather than send out one of the many people buzzing around her apartment. Despite staring down the biggest night in her career thus far, the Raleigh, North Carolina, native is still keeping it real—just one of the many reasons she was cast alongside stars like Zendaya in the upcoming gritty teen saga.

The actress, who earned fame as a model prior to the show, posing for the likes of Dior, Miu Miu, Rick Owens, and Marc Jacobs, also happens to be exceedingly relaxed about what she’s wearing on this special evening. “I’m going to be honest and say that we did the fitting this morning,” she says, before adding that, like with the bangs, she had one thing in mind but ended up going in a softer direction, with a floral Rodarte dress in a muted palette, paired with metallic combat boots. You could say the whole night is an exercise in restraint, something Schafer is now getting used to. “I’m lucky to have a solid team to keep me in check and say, ‘You probably shouldn’t wear head-to-toe Comme des Garçons sculptural shit on your first premiere,’” she jokes. So she settled on Rodarte, a brand with punk roots that has perfected the red-carpet realm. “I feel really happy about the piece we choose,” Schafer says. “And Rodarte is obviously really special.”

“Special” is a word that gets thrown around a lot when talking to Schafer about the premiere, to which she is bringing her mom and sister as her dates. (Her brother and dad are back in Raleigh, as her brother finishes his eighth-grade finals, which her mom lovingly asks me to mention.) But so is the word “scary.” That and similar descriptors have been used an awful lot by those close to the show, from the costume designer Heidi Bivens, who recently told W it’s more intense than Harmony Korine’s teen classic Kids, to, now, Schafer. “As far as the realness, it’s comparable [to Kids], but Euphoria is specific to 2019,” Schafer says. “I don’t think Euphoria can capture the entirety of the teen-in-high-school experience, but I think it is realistic. It’s scary in that sense because I don’t think we get to see a lot of depictions of high school this raw. I think that truth might scare people.”

In the show, Schafer plays Jules, a transfer student in her junior year who “frequently affirms herself through a toxic relationship with men,” as Schafer describes, which gets “challenged from the get-go,” thanks to her relationship with Zendaya’s character, Rue. “Rue doesn’t so much help Jules get out of the toxic pattern as much as Rue becomes an alternative,” Schafer explains. For the role, Schafer ended up drawing “a lot from her own experience” and lending the sensitivity with which Jules is portrayed. “It was a very collaborative process, and Jules had a similar storyline to my life, at least as far as transition timelines—not what happens within Euphoria,” she says. “Also, [writer] Sam Levinson was really open to collaboration because he can only write to some identities, so it was up to us to help him fill in little pieces.”

As much as Schafer tried to step back out of the character when she returned home from work each night, she says it was a struggle: “The lines got blurred.” But her castmate Zendaya offered support and plenty of laughs to lighten the heavy mood. “I remember one of the first days Zendaya and I shot together we were filming in a blanket fort that the crew had built and she has glitter tears in this scene so we basically got to act really high together, which was fun, and that sort of began the glitter-absolutely-everywhere spiral that continued for the rest of season,” Schafer recalls. “Because Zendaya was my main scene partner throughout the season, we’ve seen each other in about every emotional state that we have. It kind of puts the friendships on hyperspeed.”

As for how that onscreen vulnerability compares to stepping onto the runway, Schafer explains, “I think the anticipation is similar. When you’re anticipating a scene, you get nervous for it and you’re trying to combat it so you don’t fuck up. It’s similar because you have to have your guard down for these scenes and let yourself be.”

But one is definitely harder for her than the other. “I would say runway is easier because your job is to look good or play a character that is just going somewhere,” she says. “It’s rather physical, whereas acting is terrifying because you’re dealing with your subconscious and those can be murky waters. But I definitely can say that I enjoy acting more as an artist.”

What might be hardest of all, though, is letting her mom watch every moment of her screen time in the show. “My mom has seen the pilot. We had to skip through one scene, but overall she reacted well to it,” Schafer says. “She wanted to see the next episode, which was a good sign. But that was a scary scene. I don’t know if she’s seen these sides of me.” So will she get to see that scene tonight? “I might have to cover her eyes for it. We’ll see. We’ll probably have to decompress. We’ll have to talk about it a little, and maybe order some ice cream at home and let it out.”

Hunter Schafer: Leading the Charge for Femme Representation

Hunter Schafer: Leading the Charge for Femme Representation

We live in tumultuous times. On one end, hate and right wing extremism have suddenly plunged itself out in the open. Then on the other, there’s the so-called ‘woke culture’ that comes with its own set of pitfalls, namely the tokenization of minorities and marginalized communities that for so long have been erased from mainstream pop culture.

The films, shows, and books that attempt to ignorantly tick boxes under the guise of ‘representation’ are usually led by a cluster of cis heterosexual white men in boardrooms. And understandably, they usually fail to accurately depict the intricacies of their “diverse” characters.

Euphoria, HBO’s upcoming teen drama that follows a group of younglings — as they navigate a world of drugs, sex, and bullying — has Sam Levinson as its creator, also a cis white man.

Except Levinson isn’t here to tick boxes or tell you the story of young Black teenager through his perspective. On the contrary, the show finds its strength in its collaborative format that channels the voices and traumas of its own actors to give you an in into the lives of multiple teenagers in suburban America today.

At the center of the saga is Zendaya’s Rue, a recovering drug addict who is back in town (and on drugs) after a brief stint at a rehab. Levinson primarily uses his own experiences with addiction to carve Rue’s arc throughout the show, sprinkled with input from Zendaya herself.

As it progresses, the drama delves deep into its range of assorted characters, including Hunter Schafer’s Jules — a young trans woman who transfers to a new school and actively seeks toxic relationships with really fucked up men.

A trans woman herself, Schafer drew on her personal life to painfully dissect the struggles of coming to terms with your own identity all the while dealing with the emotional trauma dumped on you by your closest family and friends. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s worth it, as Schafer’s character is a striking example of the collaborative process employed by Levinson to tell individual stories.

“Hollywood is beginning to recognize the [trans] community a little more, but we still have a long way to go.”

“[Levinson’s] ability to understand other people’s positions in life is really special,” Schafer tells PAPER. “However, some of these experiences that he is portraying are pretty specific. He has been great about listening and being collaborative in terms of our storylines and our backstories. I remember when I got the role, they kept me in LA for a few extra days. We would have a meeting with him. We went to this cafe and talked for hours about our lives and how his life can mix with my own experiences to creates Jules. Ultimately, Jules is a combination of him and what he wrote for her before I was in the picture. Then, we added some of my own stuff in as well. So, it’s a mixture.”

This relentless dedication to authenticity is also what has led fans to draw parallels between the series and Larry Clark’s 1995 classic Kids, ahead of its premiere this weekend. And though Schafer’s character mirrors her own reality in many ways, portraying her hasn’t exactly been straightforward.

“It was intimidating as a new actor,” the novice actress says.

Although the 20-year-old has walked the runways for some of the biggest designers (including Miu Miu, Maison Margiela, and Tommy Hilfiger) across the world, Euphoria marks her acting debut, something that will be hard for viewers to tell from the get-go.

“Filming the pilot, I was definitely nervous and anticipating some of these more intense scenes, but the entire cast is just so warm and gentle,” she says. “I think the thing that surprised me most about acting is how you really have to go back into archives of your own mind and think about a lot of things that you might have been pushing down for years. But to be able to work through that stuff again has also just been incredibly therapeutic and rewarding.”

Euphoria brings a level of realness to the table that maybe other teen dramas haven’t in a while.”

In pushing its young and fairly new actors to performances that even experienced actors might find challenging, Euphoria also emerges as an outlier that skillfully avoids the familial teen drama tropes of high school cliques, mean girls, and an outcast protagonist that ultimately triumphs against it all. There are no winners in this story: only the gritty, hard truth.

“I think Euphoria brings a level of realness to the table that maybe other teen dramas haven’t in a while. Mostly because we are really focused on what it’s like currently to be a teenager,” explains Schafer. “That’s why the several storylines are so important, because it’s panning out across several different experiences. Of course, it can’t encapsulate the entire teen, high school experience, but I think it covers some ground.”

Led by its powerful Gen Z, cast the show also makes the case for LGBTQ representation, something most Hollywood executives and TV producers have only nodded at in the past. “As a trans feminine person, I had a really good experience portraying a trans feminine role. I think it’s just how it’s going so far. Hollywood is maybe beginning to recognize the community a little more, but we still have a long way to go. I think we will for a bit, but change is happening.”

As we pave the way for a more inclusive and unerring visual interpretation of a generation that continues to puzzle older millennials and Baby Boomers everywhere, understanding the role of social media plays in their lives is no doubt top of the list.

“I think what makes this show the most distinctive to now is the aspect of social media and phones and how that influences almost all of the storylines, because it’s a new reality that we’ve added to our lives,” Schafer adds. “It makes everything more complex and fast-paced, which I think the show pays attention to as well with its pace and its vicariousness. A lot of people or parents perceive teenagers’ use of social media as lazy.”

“That’s our main goal: to create a mass sense of empathy for each and every individual that is going through these experiences.”

She continues, “I think this show gives some light to the fact that it really is just a level of reality and perhaps their involvement in this digital world is more active than their real vicinity that is right in front of them. They can jump around to all these different locations on the internet and find communities. They can have completely separate lives than what’s in front of them. I think from maybe a parent’s view, you don’t see that. You just see a child going into their own zone, on their phone, when this kid is really somewhere else in the world right there.”

Euphoria doesn’t hold back on pulling any punches and gives you a modern day teenage saga that’s perhaps devoid of the charm of predecessors like Gossip Girl or Skins. And that’s okay, because it’s not a story of misfits trying to fight their way in.

The teenagers on the show and IRL today are more than okay with doing away with the stale notion of ‘fitting in.’ Beyond anything else, Euphoria is a cry for empathy for a generation that continues to navigate the banalities of life and growing up in a highly politicized climate where some of their basic rights are challenged everyday. “The show can be for everybody and I think everybody can take something away from it. We made a piece of art and we feel one way about it, but we are really interested in how it’s perceived among other people,” adds Schafer. “I just hope that people stick with it and ride all the way through the season, and let it hit them — and really empathize with all of the characters. I think that’s our main goal: to create a mass sense of empathy for each and every individual that is going through these experiences.”

With HBO’s ‘Euphoria,’ Zendaya and Hunter Schafer aren’t afraid to raise eyebrows

With HBO’s ‘Euphoria,’ Zendaya and Hunter Schafer aren’t afraid to raise eyebrows

“Nobody is getting their head cut off,” Zendaya says. She’s referring to the hubbub over her latest project: “Euphoria,” HBO’s unflinching portrait of teen life.

It’s true. There aren’t the beheadings viewers came to expect from “Game of Thrones.” But that doesn’t mean the new HBO drama isn’t raising eyebrows. The first episode includes a drug overdose, an unsettling statutory rape scene, and a sexual encounter involving unsolicited choking. ”Euphoria” has spurred controversy ahead of its Sunday premiere for its gritty use of sex, drugs, and nudity to illustrate the grown-up situations Generation Z must navigate. While such mature content has become a hallmark of HBO, adding teen characters to the mix has provoked criticism.

Inside the energetic Crossroads restaurant on Melrose Avenue, Zendaya and her costar, Hunter Schafer, are deep in discussion about the need for a dark, uncensored exploration on teen life — an antidote to the glossier version typically pushed on television.

“This show is in no way to tell people what the right thing to do is,” Zendaya, 22, says. “This is not ‘The Moral Message Show.’ This is to inspire compassion among people for other human beings and to understand that everyone has a story you don’t know about, a battle that they’re fighting that you don’t understand. I don’t find the show shocking, but there will be people who do.”

“But I also think that’s what being a teenager is,” Schafer, 20, adds. “Finding the middle ground between being an adult and being a kid and that transition. I think that’s one of the hardest parts, is finding yourself in adult situations but not knowing how to navigate them. And that makes people uncomfortable — because it is uncomfortable. So, yeah, it’s not easy to watch, but to some degree, everyone will be able to relate to it because everyone has experienced what that’s like on some level.”

Based on the Israeli series of the same name, “Euphoria” was adapted for HBO by Sam Levinson (the son of filmmaker Barry Levinson) and counts rapper Drake — a graduate of the more wholesome teen series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” — as an executive producer. Levinson, 34, pulled from his own troubled youth and battle with anxiety, depression and addiction to opiates in creating the series.

“I think people like to kind of put their head in the sand when it comes to some of these conversations,” Levinson says in a telephone interview. “And there’s such a generational disconnect. It’s not like 30 years ago, when one generation could provide at least a bit of a road map for the next generation. Life now moves at such a fast speed. I think we’re all adapting at the same time, so it’s difficult to give any kind of real advice to the younger generation about how to navigate the world.”

While “Euphoria” features an ensemble of teen characters, it centers on the intimacy that develops between Rue and Jules, who become each other’s confidantes and advocates amid the pressures of adolescence. The series is full of hefty material for Zendaya and Schafer to dig into: Zendaya’s Rue is a high school student fresh off an unsuccessful stint in rehab who can’t stop her destructive compulsions — “I know you’re not allowed to say it, but drugs are kinda cool,” Rue confesses while riding a high. Schafer’s Jules is a trans girl who recently moved into town and is battling her own demons, including a habit of spending her nights having sex with closeted older men and a harrowing past of self-harm.

“I think Rue and Jules are soul mates,” Zendaya says. “Whether that’s healthy is questionable. But I think that at a point in time, there’s a connection that nobody else will be able to understand but them and they’ll always have it. … There’s a lot of beauty in it, but there’s also a lot of toxicity. They’re both leaning on each other in a way and finding comfort or safety … or a bit of a new addiction within each other.”

“They become each other’s alternative to the toxic elements in their lives” is how Schafer describes the relationship between the characters.

Stepping into the roles was its own coming-of-age tightrope for the young actresses.

A Disney Channel darling since the age of 13 in 2010’s “Shake It Up,” Zendaya (whose last name is Coleman) was facing a transition in her career. During breaks from her subsequent Disney gig, “K.C. Undercover,” she built a list of credits that took her beyond the bounds of Mickey Mouse. She appeared in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as Peter Parker’s love interest, MJ — a part she’ll reprise in the forthcoming sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” She also starred in 2017’s big-screen musical “The Greatest Showman.” But plotting her post-Disney career after “K.C. Undercover” came to an end in early 2018 proved daunting.

“It’s very hard to go from what feels like elementary school and feels like the same grade over and over and over again to finally being able to go to college and then having to go back to the same [elementary] grade,” she says. “It was just tough. I’m not saying it made me sad or anything. But it didn’t feel great. And after [“K.C.”] was done, it was weird because I’ve had a consistent job, or that kind of schedule, since I was, like, 13. So then to face the fact that I didn’t have that anymore was a little weird. And all the scripts I was getting just did not feel right to me because they were with the pretense of what I’d done already, still in that world. Nothing fit. Nothing worked.”

For Schafer, “Euphoria” marks her first TV series. The Raleigh, N.C., native had been working in New York as a model for fashion heavy-hitters like Dior and Marc Jacobs. She was set to go to fashion design school when she saw a casting call on Instagram seeking a trans actress for the series.

“I was a little scared about being trans and falling into an archetype,” she says. “But after getting a few scripts, it started to make more sense to me and started to resonate even more.”

On the day of this interview, the two are nestled side-by-side in a booth at the celeb-spotting restaurant (on this visit, Tobey Maguire and Sara Gilbert). There’s talk of whether oat milk is worth the hype — Zendaya is skeptical, while Schafer touts it as the “whole milk of the non-dairy milks” — and a duet of Cher’s “Believe” as it blares through the speakers.

When the conversation turns to whether they share any similarities with the characters they play, the two become contemplative.

“One of the first things that lined up was just that we had similar transition timelines — we both transitioned on the earlier side of high school,” Schafer says. “I kind of could see her from the beginning, as far as what she looks like and what her energy was like, and it wasn’t that far off. But I would say [Jules] was probably a little more confident than me in high school. Where we really differ is the way we coped and the way we survived high school. Because my way of coping was fantasizing about where I could get myself in the future. [Jules] wants to have relationships and go to parties and has built these toxic relationships with men that she turns to for affirmation.”

Zendaya says it’s hard to explain how she relates to Rue. Unlike the character, the actress says she has never done drugs or consumed alcohol. “I know in that sense people kind of assume this is a huge acting stretch for me,” she says. “But as a human being, I think Rue is very similar to me. She’s a good person. There’s an innocence to her.”

Beyond the shocking nature of the series, the two hope “Euphoria” provides a sobering window into the anxiety and stress facing young people today. There have been a number of studies that assert Gen Z to be the most stressed and depressed generation.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand how intense and complicated it is to be a teenager today,” Schafer says. “I think a lot of parents see their kids on their phones and think they’re a [damn] zombie. That is an entirely alternate reality that they are immersed in in that moment that is probably way more complicated and fast-paced than [parents] even realize.”

“Even I don’t fully get it,” Zendaya says. “But I understand a good percent of it. Rue says in the first episode something like, ‘We just showed up here without a map or compass.’ And it’s true, because we don’t know what the … we’re doing. Nobody actually knows what they’re doing. Imagine growing up in social media and being a child. It’s not easy. It’s confusing. And it’s uncomfortable. It’s a lot of things. It’s created by the very people that call us the zombies or whatever. It’s like, we’re the byproduct of this … , you know?”

Hunter Schafer Prepped For “Euphoria” by Time Traveling

Hunter Schafer Prepped For “Euphoria” by Time Traveling

The 20-year-old actress and model Hunter Schafer stars this summer opposite Zendaya in HBO’s sex-and-drugs-fueled high school drama Euphoria. Off camera, the Raleigh, North Carolina native is interested in fashion design and has devoted her time to fighting the state’s House Bill 2, which forces individuals to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex assigned to them at birth. “Dude, acting has been a trip. I had never really acted before, so I really didn’t know what I was doing. The casting director for Euphoria set me up with an acting coach in New York, and he completely flipped my world around. The way you learn to utilize your brain and your emotions really freaked me out. We did something called Effective Memorization, where you put yourself into a relaxed state so that you can walk through a place from your childhood—almost like time travel.”

Euphoria’s biggest breakout stars Barbie Ferreira and Hunter Schafer reject the ‘activist’ labels they’ve been given

Both fashion models, spokeswomen, “activists” and actors, Barbie Ferreira and Hunter Schafer have had different journeys, but share similar experiences and views on how quick people are to thrust them into a specific role.

“In modelling and fashion, there’s this thing where everyone’s an activist or people put that label on people. That’s a lot of pressure and I think it’s not used correctly a lot of the time. People simply being themselves and having a political opinion doesn’t necessarily mean they’re an activist,” Ferreira says.

Ferreira is best known for being a champion of the body positivity movement. She first made waves in the fashion world when unretouched images of her for Aerie (American Eagle’s lingerie brand) went viral. This led her to being named one of Time Magazine’s “30 Most Influential Teens” and she’s since modelled for Teen Vogue, Nylon and Grazia as well as Adidas, Asos, Forever 21 and H&M, to name a few.

“I think that pressure that people view me or Hunter as someone who’s a spokesperson for people – not one person could ever do that! Real diversity and the real inclusivity would be an array of stories from these people,” she adds.

“Not one person can represent the entire community,” Schafer says, nodding in agreement.

“There’s so many experiences and stories that still need to be told and portrayed in so many forms of media.”

20-year-old international fashion model Schafer is frequently referred to as an LGBT rights activist. She’s open about her identity as a transgender woman on social media and through her art. Three years ago in high school, she protested in her home state against North Carolina’s House Bill 2, also known as the “bathroom bill”, forcing individuals to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. She’s also modelled for the likes of Miu Miu, Versace, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Dior.

In Euphoria, Schafer and Ferreira play Jules and Kat respectively. Based on an original Israeli series, the show centres around 17 year old Rue (Zendaya), a drug addict out of rehab who befriends and develops a crush on new girl, Jules. Meanwhile Kat is trying to navigate teen life. She’s yet to encounter her first sexual experience and is soon lured into a troubling online world.

The script and premise immediately appealed to both actors, because diversity isn’t what defines their characters’ narrative.

“One of my favourite things about this show is that while it’s representing multiple different identities and backgrounds, it’s not about that,” Schafer explains.

“The characters are allowed to be multi-dimensional and while their identities or backgrounds may influence them to act a certain way or make certain decisions – that’s not their arc. I think that’s something that a lot of communities who are underrepresented crave: a sense of normalcy and being able to have storylines that are just as, if not more complex than communities who are represented. So while it may not be about that, it does feel constructive,” she says.

“I think that’s really special about this show. Nothing is sensationalised in that way where it’s like, oh, let’s jab in that we’re diverse a thousand times!” Ferreira adds.

While Ferreira has a few acting roles up her sleeve, including a guest role on Sarah Jessica Parker’s Divorce, for both, this is a first major venture into acting. The transition from modelling to TV has been helpful in some ways, but mostly, it’s a new and welcomed change.

“I think we both are comfortable in front of cameras! That helps a lot in that respect,” Schafer laughs.

“In modelling you don’t really have to bare your soul in the same way. This was so much more collaborative.”

“It is very different, modelling and acting,” Ferreira jumps in.

“You’re literally a walking clothes hanger in modelling. I like doing something that people can really see in front of the camera, so this is a good dream to go from that to this because I’m already comfortable! I brought a lot of me six years ago into this role. I feel like a lot of young people are struggling with feeling like they’re worthy because of their body. I’m very blessed that my first role could be something I could bring a lot of my own experiences so directly into.”

Trans Superstar Hunter Schafer on Her Moment of ‘Euphoria’

With “Euphoria,” a drama about teens at an American high school, HBO has placed a bet on attracting a young audience that favors Instagram over TV. And the premium cable network’s greatest asset may be a digital-native star who never aspired to be an actress until the role found her.

As Jules, 20-year-old actress Hunter Schafer plays a part in a complicated Gen-Z story of love in the time of “likes”; her character (who, like her, is trans), embarks on a complicated friendship bordering on courtship with new BFF Rue (Zendaya). Jules is a habitué of the everything-on-demand web — which provides opportunities for self-discovery, at times through after-curfew encounters — and is unafraid to stand up for herself or to risk real danger. But there’s a core of unfulfilled romanticism at the character’s heart, a dreaminess that contrasts with Rue’s dour realism.

In conversation, Schafer is as light and airy as her idealist character. Describing how she ended up auditioning for an HBO drama — after experiencing the first blush of fame as a model for Christian Dior, Helmut Lang and Marc Jacobs, among others — Schafer says, “I was just like, ‘F–k it; why not? Let’s try!’ It snowballed from there.” Her reps suggested she attend the first audition, which Schafer had already seen posted on Instagram; she’d been planning to attend fashion design school. “Eventually, I did my final audition out in L.A., and I was filming a pilot a month later.”

The allure of HBO and Zendaya aside, it’s easy to see why Schafer disrupted her plans. Jules represents a too-rare opportunity — the character grapples with desire but not, in the show’s early going, with gender identity, in which she is secure. Playing a role in which gender was not the struggle was exciting. “There need to be more roles where trans people aren’t just dealing with being trans; they’re being trans while dealing with other issues. We’re so much more complex than just one identity.” “Euphoria” hasn’t just changed the way Schafer sees her career unfolding: “It’s altered the way I think, period. As a trans person I worked really, really, really hard to figure out who I was and solidify that and take hold of it. The idea of having to put that aside and create this new person is scary. But it’s also really exciting to me, continuing to morph and to evolve.”

Schafer comes by her wisdom about rapid change, and her knowledge of high school, honestly. She’s already experienced a few breakneck years of career evolution, and she was practically just a high schooler (she brought her younger sister to a “Euphoria” screening recently to verify that the series rang true). Growing up in North Carolina, Schafer was a named plaintiff in the ACLU’s lawsuit with her home state over the “bathroom bill,” which sought to prohibit expansion of protections to LGBTQ people and to govern who could use what public washroom. “I was in a place of privilege in my transition and felt like I could handle making myself visible in order to help my state understand why what they were doing was detrimental to my community,” Schafer says. “But I don’t think that makes me an activist.” As for whether she’s a role model to young teens, Schafer says, “I don’t feel prepared or mature enough, but I think it’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few months of the show airing. It might not really be up to me anymore.”

Euphoria breakout Hunter Schafer on daring show: ‘There’s a lot of stuff that hasn’t been on TV before’

While HBO’s Euphoria has garnered a lot of attention for its explicit content, it’s the sweet, moving relationship between teens Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) that is truly the heart of the show.

The 20-year-old Schafer has never acted before onscreen which makes her almost ethereal performance as Jules even more remarkable.

EW talked to the model about this groundbreaking role and what she hopes viewers take from watching Euphoria.

EW: Euphoria is your first acting job, right? How did this come about?
HUNTER SCHAFER: Yeah, I have not acted before and was not planning on it really either. I was modeling for about a year in New York and had my sights set on fashion school afterwards and then as I was getting ready and gearing up for fashion school I saw this casting call floating around on Instagram. It was for trans girls, who didn’t have to be experienced and it didn’t say Euphoria or anything but I was like, “Huh.”

I had been interested in trying acting and like I went to school with actors and whatnot, and I was interested in the craft but, didn’t really push myself to do it. Then, my model agency rang me up a few days later and had me go in for an audition and it was the weirdest thing—it kept going. And they hooked me up with an acting coach through the audition process and he cracked me like an egg and I kind of, like, started falling in love with the script and, like, acting itself over that period of time and it happened, like, I got cast. It’s just the wildest process, over, like, a few months I would say.

So much of this show hinges on the relationship between Jules and Rue (Zendaya). Did you all do a chemistry read? Or meet before?
Thank you so much. We met after it had been cast and I think we got really lucky because we both love each other a lot and, you know, we feel like family and that makes it like the best work environment. It’s amazing.

It’s rare to see a show with a trans teen as the lead. Did you offer your own life experiences to the creator, Sam Levinson?
It was very important to me that he was collaborative and he has been amazing, everything I could wish for as far as listening to my story and my experiences and letting that influence the script, and, like, talking to me about it and wrestling together with ideas.

I remember the weekend I got cast, HBO had brought me out, me and Barbie [Ferreira, who plays Kat] actually. We both were staying at the same hotel and doing our final auditions together, and when I found out I got the role they kept me for a weekend just so that Sam and I could, like, sit at a café for, like, four or five hours and just, like, share ideas together so he could hear my story as a trans person. Because that’s another thing I was worried about, entering this project not only just being a completely inexperienced actor but also, like, the script was written by a white, straight cis man. And you know, there is only so much a white, cis, straight man can write for all these intersections that these characters fill as far as, like, Barbie is a plus size woman or me as a trans woman. So it was really important to me that he would listen to us and be collaborative. And he has been all that and more.

A lot of teens are going to watch this and connect to you and Jules’ story. How do you feel about that?
I think it’s cool as f—. I personally am thrilled about that, especially because of how it has lined up with my own feelings and experiences of, like, as a person. It’s diverse in some respects. It’s not about their labels, you know. It’s about them going through real wild teenage s— together and, like, experiencing that. It’s not about some discourse about them finding, like, their identity or, like, being comfortable with that. And so in a way, I think it strays from, like, the typical coming of age and it just lets them be three-dimensional characters. Because I think if it was about Jules, like, finding herself as a young trans woman, you can only get so much out of her with that. It’s so much more interesting to just, like, let her being a trans woman be a part of that and something that sways her in certain ways throughout the plot, but that’s not what it’s about. And that’s 100% my favorite thing because I think it can be easy to fall into, like, the whole identity discourse trap and they just get to be fully-rounded human beings.

What do you hope people take away from Euphoria?
I mean, more than anything, I just want people to, like, let themselves be taken on the ride that Euphoria will be over eight episodes and just, like, let it, like, hit them. There’s a lot of stuff that hasn’t been on TV before or at least not to the degree that Euphoria is putting it out there. Just watch the whole season, don’t give up on it and, like, let yourself find love for these characters who are going through a lot. Or hate them. I just want people to, like, let themselves be affected by it. Despite the fact that lot of this stuff they might not have seen before and that might make them feel uncomfortable, I want them to stick through it and witness a transformation and, in my opinion, a beautiful, tragic story.

Euphoria’s Breakout Star Hunter Schafer on Playing an Unprecedented Character

Hunter Schafer is not your typical tween starlet. For one, her most recent endeavor—a breakout role in HBO’s Euphoria as Jules, whose life is complicated not only by being the new girl in town but by also being trans—is something of a second (or possibly third) career for her. Before she starred in the suburban dystopian drama of millennial life, she was a model, photographed by Inez & Vinhood for Vera Wang, and stomping down the runway for Rick Owens. And before that, she was on her way to Central St. Martins, where she planned to study fashion design. Before that she was an activist, joining in the ACLU and Lambda Legal’s lawsuit against HB2, North Carolina’s so-called “bathroom bill” that prohibited transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identities. It’s a hefty resume for someone who has not yet entered her third decade of life. And it’s understandable that she’d prefer to focus on the direction her career has taken her recently, not her activist past. Doesn’t three years ago seem like another lifetime when you’re in your teens?

But it’s not just her perspective that makes Schafer seem to want to steer the conversation toward her latest work. It’s the sense that the making of Euphoria has been an all-consuming, high-stakes, intense experience for her (not unlike teenage life itself). When I speak with her, she is just coming off a two-week break from filming the final episodes of the show’s first season, and she says she’s been in “a moment of decompressing and letting that part of my life go.” Not that she has been slacking off. It’s hard to tell exactly how she’s been spending her days, but it sounds as though there have been some projects in the works. “It’s cool how to see how my creative juices have shown themselves when they’re not being used for Euphoria every day,” she says, speaking from L.A., where she’s currently living. “I’m trying to find a new rhythm as to how I’m going to externalize my artistic energies. It’s a moment of re-formation.”

But before the re-formation, though, comes the formation: a sharp-yet-tender performance that becomes something like the shining light at the center of the increasingly dark world that Euphoria depicts. “I’d never known anyone like Jules before,” comments the character of Rue, played by Zendaya, the narrator and protagonist of the show. If Jules is a beacon, Rue is a dark pit, her trajectory toward self-annihilation seeming to know no impediment. Schafer is captivating in the role not because she’s a purely sunny antidote to the depravity and confusion surrounding her, but because she’s sometimes subject to that confusion (and violence) herself, and she still looks at life as an optimist and romantic.

I spoke with Schafer about the show, the controversial reaction its extremes have elicited, and what it’s like to portray a nuanced trans character in popular culture.

So what kind of creative work are you most interested in now that you’re not working on the show anymore?

I’m interested in everything. If I had enough time on this earth, I’d like to learn every art practice. But recently, of course, I’ve been transfixed with acting. Ever since I can remember, I drew, and visual arts have been my main way to express myself. I like dancing, although I’ve never done that very seriously. It’s something I’d like to explore more. I almost went to Central Saint Martins for fashion design. I deferred for a year when I graduated high school so that I could go model and make some money and immerse myself in the fashion industry for a year. I needed a break from school. But I was set to go there until this role came up and turned my whole life upside down. I don’t think I even told them I wasn’t coming.

You don’t come from a typical acting background. You definitely weren’t a Disney kid! How did the casting come about?

I saw a casting call floating around on Instagram last year, and then a few days later, my model agents told me that I’d been asked to come in for it. I’d heard that other trans models were doing it, so I was interested. I could have never really seen myself taking on such a performative art practice, because I’m pretty shy, but I went in and gave it a run, and they asked me to come back and come back again. Eventually, I got a few scenes and then more and more of the script, until I had the first four episodes. Having those first four episodes made me fall in love with the project.

The show has been criticized by some for its violence. The Parents Television Council condemned the show for “overtly, intentionally, marketing extremely graphic adult content—sex, violence, profanity, and drug use—to teens and preteens.” What’s your take on the level of violence in the show.

This is the first whole script I’ve ever read, so I didn’t really have much to compare it to. But I think I found it really exciting to read, and there was a realness to it that Sam Levinson [the show’s creator] brought that was really appealing. Yes, I was definitely intimidated by some of the scenes, particularly those in the pilot that get pretty graphic. I was definitely intimidated, asking myself, can I do this? I’ve never acted before, and these are really intense scenes.

And then as a trans girl playing a trans character, I had to ask, where is this going, what’s her backstory? Is this going to depict a trans girl in a weird way that I think needs to be in the world? But as I got more of the script and witnessed her arc develop, I became more confident in the way she had been constructed. And I really fell in love with her and Rue and their overall trajectory.

What about the script made her character not a caricature and gave you this confidence?

When I got a few more of the episode, and I read her backstory, I started to understand where all this shit that she’s pulling was coming from. By the end of episode four, we begin to see her sexuality take a turn, and I identified with that shift, in terms of having a toxic idealization of men, and then letting that fall away and putting more value in relationships with femme people who you trust and love deeply. That was something I hadn’t really seen on TV before: a trans girl in a non-hetero relationship, in a queer relationship. Seeing that spoke to me as a queer trans woman.

Enthralled by ‘Euphoria’? Hunter Schafer Knows Why (It’s Because of Her)

Enthralled by ‘Euphoria’? Hunter Schafer Knows Why (It’s Because of Her)

The transgender actress talks about her newfound fame, raves about Zendaya and explains why she doesn’t want to be called an activist.

It’s hard to upstage Zendaya, the Disney Channel star who soared through “The Greatest Showman” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” into the Hollywood stratosphere.

But in HBO’s “Euphoria,” Hunter Schafer has done just that, in what is remarkably her debut acting role.

Schafer plays Jules, the new kid in town — a trans girl with a dreamy Sailor Moon vibe and a self-destructive yearning for affection — who becomes best friends with Zendaya’s addiction-tormented Rue at their sex-and-drugs-deluged high school.

Her performance as a sensitive, stabilizing force amid the insanity has captivated viewers and critics alike, who’ve anointed her the series’s breakout star. And its fourth episode, on July 7, explored Jules’s story, following her harrowing journey from a depression-filled childhood into a psychiatric hospital — and, eventually, a happier transition.

Shafer was modeling in New York, with plans to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, when her agency informed her that she’d been asked to audition for “Euphoria.”

“I gave it a shot just because I had been mildly interested in acting, but it wasn’t something that I thought I would be pursuing seriously in any way, shape or form,” she said. “Then I just kept going back in and getting more of the scripts and eventually started to fall in love with my character.”

After landing the role, she spent hours with Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, helping to fill out Jules’s experiences transitioning. “We were just telling each other stories and bringing forward timelines that we thought could make sense for Jules and then conceptualizing and sharing ideas, and that was the beginning,” she said. “I feel like Jules was being built until the last day we wrapped.”

“Euphoria” may be her first on-screen gig, but Schafer is no stranger to attention. Raised in Raleigh, N.C., she was a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union’s 2016 lawsuit against North Carolina House Bill 2 that required people to use the restroom for the gender they were assigned at birth. She wrote about the experience of navigating bathrooms in her public high school for i-D, and for her convictions made Teen Vogue’s 2017 list of “21 Under 21.”

In a phone interview as she shuttled between a photo shoot and her New York hotel room, the sunny Schafer, 20, talked about her newfound fame, representation in entertainment and why she doesn’t want to be called an activist.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

How does it feel to be having this moment as a breakout star?

It’s pretty surreal. I feel so lucky to have “Euphoria” as a first experience with taking on a character and exploring acting, and in having this group of people as well. I couldn’t be happier about the situation, and so whatever people are calling me is just the cherry on top.

You’ve said that your life was similar in certain ways to Jules’s. How?

I transitioned in early high school, and her transition might have been a little bit earlier than mine. But transitioning while you’re in public school is a pretty intense experience, so I knew I could bring that to her. And then Jules’s drive and motivation for the way she acts from the start, as far as a desire to be treated “like a woman.” And I’m saying that with quote fingers because that’s a loaded term. But I think one of Jules’s main battles is her desire for romance and normalcy and love, which I think she’s kind of locked down a routine as far as getting some form of that. But of course it’s not healthy, and I can relate to that point in my life. I didn’t act out on it, but I certainly desired to be treated a certain way in order to affirm my femininity.

What’s it like working with Zendaya?

She’s amazing. Z was my main scene partner for most of this season and I just feel so lucky to come out of this experience with a new best friend.

As an aspiring fashion designer, did you have any input into Jules’s distinctive style?

Some of Jules’s looks were already written into the script, and it was clear that she was expressive and stood out at her school. But as far as narrowing down what that aesthetic was, that was something that was really fun to work on with Heidi Bivens, our costume designer. I remember she let me make mood boards coming into filming. Then throughout Jules’s arc I think we start to witness a little bit of a change in style, which was fun to navigate as well. Heidi and I were just constantly sending each other references and photos and general guides that we think Jules could inhabit so it was really collaborative.

The Parents Television Council issued a warning about “Euphoria” before its premiere, calling it a “grossly irresponsible programming decision” for its graphic content. Does the show ring true to your memory of your own high school experience?

I can’t say I lived the way these characters do, just because my default is to be internal and stay home. Making artwork was my saving grace in high school. I didn’t really go out to parties very often the way these characters do. Oftentimes their actions make their experiences kind of messy where there’s no parents involved. But it’s interesting because my siblings have recently seen it, and I think they have a different experience of high school than I did. And they found it extremely true or relatable. It just sort of clocked high school in a way that they hadn’t seen before, which I was really excited to hear.

You’ve been what most people would consider activist, and yet you say you don’t like that word. Why?

When I think of an activist, I think of a community organizer who is working every day and directly with community members, and making it a job to take care of and speak up for a community in some way. So as an actor and an artist whose primary focus is making artwork or world-building, I don’t think I fall into that category. There might have been a point in my career where, because people have been telling me I’m an activist, I took on that label. But in retrospect, I don’t think that’s what I am — or what I’ve been — just because I’m vocal about my identity sometimes.

You’ve listed “Pose” as one of your favorite shows. How do you feel about trans representation and opportunities in Hollywood?

I think it’s always preferable that a trans person plays a trans person — one, because there’s enough cisgender actors in Hollywood, and two, because trans people can bring levels of experience to the trans experience that they might be portraying. A cisgender actor might be able to conceptualize and get it down to a T but won’t have the experiences in their back pocket that they can bring forward to use for that character. Trans people deserve to see themselves represented on their own TV screens, not being inhabited by people who might not completely understand them.

You’ve walked the runway for Helmut Lang, Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs, to name a few. Any plans to return to modeling?

I think I’ve taken a step back for now just because I really liked the way I felt in front of the camera acting and I want to keep exploring.

Are you auditioning for other parts, and do you have a dream role in mind?

I’m still kind of winding down from “Euphoria.” It’s taking a bit of time, just because we were doing this for eight months and I’m very immersed in that world, and I’m still in the process of letting it go. But I think I will start auditioning soon, and I’m really interested to explore what other characters I could inhabit. Jules was so parallel to me in a lot of ways. I would love to branch off to someone who is cisgender or a fantasy role. There are many different ways to go and I feel so new to acting and really excited about the art form. I’d love to just keep exploring.

In a 2016 interview, you said you came out first as gay, and then trans. Then you began exploring non-binary identity. Could you explain what you mean?

Earlier in my transition, I think I relied on a vantage point of the world that was very close to the gender binary and was only able to be myself in the gender-binary viewpoint. And as I’ve learned more about my community and come to understand gender as a spectrum, and the gender binary as something that’s nonexistent and a construct and a product of colonialism, I have sort of let go of the idea that I need to do the one or the other — and just let myself be.

In Episode 4, we see Jules admitted to a psych ward as she struggles with body dysmorphia and self-harm, and her desire to transition initially treated as a mental illness. Was that something you could relate to?

That experience is something from Sam’s life actually, something that really happened to him, not necessarily because he was trans but because he was dealing with similar symptoms of anxiety and depression that I think Jules was dealing with at that time as well. He was talking about being on the set and how it looked exactly the same and how intense that was.

I remember when I was early in my transition and had just come out and was starting to get help, I had to meet with a therapist for a year and have that therapist confirm to doctors before I could have access to hormones — have that therapist confirm to them that I was, in fact, female in my head, which is nuts just to have to have some doctor making decisions about your identity when you know the whole time. I don’t think it’s like that everywhere but that’s one experience that I remember specifically that was just really weird and not affirming as far as people believing me when I’m saying who I am.

This episode is also the moment we see Jules rethinking the ways in which she has pursued affection. And then that kiss with Rue as they’re lying in bed …

What I just loved about the script is that we see her start to recognize [her reliance on men] and eventually move away from it, particularly with her relationship to Rue, which I found really exciting as well as a young trans girl in a not-heterosexual relationship.

‘Euphoria’s’ Hunter Schafer on Exploring Trans Identity Onscreen

Schafer also discussed working with a trans consultant and shooting those sex scenes with Eric Dane.

Hunter Schafer takes on her first acting role in HBO’s boundary-pushing drama Euphoria as Jules Vaughn, and on Sunday night’s fourth episode, the show dives into her character’s past and current traumas.

Over the course of the episode, the audience learns how Jules struggled with depression as a child and was forced into a psychiatric hospital by her mother, eventually leading to a suicide attempt. After leaving the facility, she begins to transition into a woman, and by high school is sleeping with a constant stream of married and unavailable men as an emotional escape. That seems to finally stop when she meets Tyler online and quickly falls for him, only to find out that it was really Nate (Jacob Elordi) pretending to be her dream man, blackmailing her to keep quiet about sleeping with his father, Cal (Eric Dane). The final moments of the episode are of Jules being comforted by best friend Rue (Zendaya), resulting in a passionate kiss between the two.

Schafer, who is also trans, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her character’s emotional backstory, that Nate face-off and working with a trans consultant on set.

In this episode we see a young Jules tricked into going to a psychiatric hospital and becoming suicidal. What was your reaction when you learned about her past?

Her backstory is really emotional and not something that I necessarily expected when reading the first three episodes. I was really curious as to how that formed her into the person we’re introduced to at the beginning of the series. Talking to Sam [Levinson, Euphoria creator] about it some, a lot of this he’s pulled from his life directly. As we’ve said as a cast before, each character is, in some ways, different facets of Sam and I think Sam brought a really potent moment of his childhood into Jules’ backstory. Obviously it’s sad and you really learn that she’s been through something transformative. I think it was something that intended to make her better but might have made her worse or made her feel more conflicted than she already was at the time.

Jules’ dad is really accepting of her transition as a teenager. Why was that important to show that she had one supportive parent at home?

For Jules, it says in her story that she begins transitioning at 13 years old, which is pretty young in the scheme of trans people. To transition that young, you need the support of a parent or guardian because it’s hard to acquire the resources at that age to move forward with that process and be able to recognize all of your needs, mentally and physically. I think her dad being supportive allows her to be where she’s at when we first meet her, so it’s pretty vital.

As a trans woman yourself, why was it important to you to shape this character and have this deep, emotional backstory?  

I think there might be some confusion about why she’s acting the way that she is from the first episode, why she’s putting herself through that, from an outside perspective. So to know where some of that is coming from and to understand that some of her issues run really deep and formed when she was maybe even too young to clearly remember or too young to make that connection, that’s insightful and necessary.

Jules has a confrontation with Nate’s dad, Cal, at the fair after their hookup. Why does she protect him and promise not to share their secret?

I think she understands the parallels between her life and her search for that feeling that she can often only find in hotel rooms with these other men, and that they’re looking for the same thing. And while her experience with Cal might not have been great, I don’t think she’d use him that much differently than any other man she’s hooked up with, until she’s made the connection that he’s Nate’s dad. Even so, I don’t think she’d stir anything more up or make anything more complicated by trying to out him because she’s scared of Nate from the get-go. Nate is pretty scary.

Speaking of, you have an intense scene when Nate reveals he is actually Tyler. How did you and Jacob prepare for that?

I remember coming to set that day, and Jacob and I were really tight throughout the series and filming but that day was hard for us because we knew what was coming. I remember both of us staying in our own headspaces and we said, “Hi,” to each other but didn’t really move beyond that until we were filming. Which I think helped create some tension which was palpable. I just had to go back into a place in my head, a loss of love or a realization that this person wasn’t who you thought they were, and that’s a pretty hard moment for lost people.

What is that realization like for Jules?

I think one, all Jules really wants is romance despite the constant highly sexual hookups she has. I think the way she wants to engage people is with some form of love and care. She thinks she’s really found it with Tyler, she believes she has a chance to push into that feeling with another person — physically or face to face — with someone who can give that to her and that she can make someone feel the same way, which is exciting because I don’t think she’s ever really had an opportunity like Tyler presented her. When Nate reveals that it’s actually him, everything comes crashing down in that moment and it’s a major turning point for her to sort of distrust not only in herself, but also in this system.

Your character has had some fairly intense sex scenes so far this season, especially with Dane’s character. How were those to shoot and how did having an intimacy coordinator on set help with those moments?

The intimacy coordinator was amazing as far as being able to create clear boundaries and navigate a scene. Not everything would be scripted and you’d have to feel things out in a scene like that. Eric was amazing and very accommodating, I think we had a good thing toward each other in making sure we were both OK, but having that extra layer of protection and navigation for a scene like that was really helpful and comforting, as far as getting down to specifics.

Sam has also talked about having a trans consultant on set to help with your storyline. Was he available to you as well?

Yeah he was on set, Scott, he was on set usually when I had a scene where something about my trans identity would be more prevalent or he felt that I might need him there. And he was always available to me, I could always ask him to be there if I wanted him there. That was really nice to know that I had another trans person around to be able to support me through moments where there might be a lot of other cisgender people around who might not be able to completely understand where I’m coming from. I think having some sense of community, even on a super-safe space like our set, it’s really important and that should be involved on any set.

This episode continued to explore the relationship between Jules and Rue. Why are they so connected and mean so much to each other?

I think Rue and Jules represent a home that only they can really bring to each other, which of course has its complications and will continue to grow more throughout the series. I think more than anything, they can make each other feel safe and when they’re together or making each other laugh or in each other’s arms, nothing else really matters, which I think to some degree is what they’re looking for. I think they’ve used different vices to acquire that feeling, but when they’re together the vices don’t matter as much and they really can just push into each other.

The episode ends with a passionate scene between Jules and Rue, which is the culmination of a lot of buildup between them. What’s next for those two?

In episode three, Rue kind of makes it clear that she feels something more than a friend toward Jules, and I think between three and four Jules has processed that, and then also while she’s still invested in her relationship with Tyler, she’s now more aware of that and knows that that’s there. So when she has this final straw with Tyler/Nate, Rue is there yet again to turn to, and I think Jules’ understanding in that moment that she can find the feeling she’s been searching for in all of these men with her best friend who knows, loves and supports her and would love and support her through anything, is so exciting. I think we can expect Jules to continue to understand how to find that feeling with Rue and then also dealing with Rue’s desire to use or desire to not use in the name of keeping Jules around will come into play.

Beyond all of the sex and drugs, what do you want people to take away from this show?

I don’t think our show is trying to teach anyone how to act or set an example, but I hope for people who are going through experiences that feel parallel to the ones on the show that they can feel a sense of comfort or a little less lonely, not feel normalcy but some sense of recognition in the fact that they aren’t alone in the experiences they’re going through.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

‘Euphoria’: Hunter Schafer and Barbie Ferreira on Making Their Characters Personal

From show creator and writer Sam Levinson (who also directed five episodes), the eight-episode HBO drama series Euphoria follows 17-year-old Rue (Zendaya, in a haunting and heartbreaking performance), a drug addict who’s just out of rehab and trying to figure out what’s next. As she comes to terms with how deeply her addiction affects her mother (Nika King) and sister (Storm Reid), she forms a deep connection with Jules (Hunter Schafer), a trans girl who’s new to town, and the two search for where they belong among the minefield of high school life.

At the Los Angeles press day for the series that’s a shocking, beautiful and uncomfortably honest look at teenage life, Collider got the opportunity to sit down with co-stars Hunter Schafer and Barbie Ferreira (who plays Kat Hernandez, a body-conscious teen who’s finding power in her sexuality) to talk about what made them want to be a part of Euphoria, what they were most concerned about with their roles, being new to acting and what they learned on set, working in a very safe and collaborative environment, having a voice in their characters, the relationship dynamic between Jules and Rue, the most challenging and most fun days on set, and where they’d like to take their careers next.

Collider: Great work in this! You guys are all fabulous.

BARBIE FERREIRA: Thank you!

When you read material like this, do you just immediately want to be a part of it?

FERREIRA: Yeah. It was fun to read a script like this. I haven’t read many scripts before, but it just took you for a ride, with every sentence. There was like a hundred and something scenes in each episode. It was incredible.

HUNTER SCHAFER: It was fascinating because this was the first real script that I ever read. In that sense, I’m spoiled because it was deeply relatable and lovable, and such a joy.

Actors talk about how they want to find roles and projects that challenge and scare them, and it seems like there were so many scary things that were scary, when it came to this content. Were there things that you were most concerned or worried about?

FERREIRA: Mostly just like for personal reasons, putting myself out there, in a way that I wasn’t used to felt very vulnerable, but so like right for this. I knew it was gonna be great, but I had to put a vulnerability out there that I’m not used to. That was scary to feel and have out there, for other people to consume, but I got over it. After like seeing it, I was like, “Okay, that makes sense!”

SCHAFER: Especially with not really having a background in acting, the idea of externalizing emotion, in that way, was really frightening, but I also wanted to give it a shot, just to see what would happen. It turns out that that’s enthralling, and I’m obsessed. But some of these scenes were really intimidating.

Did Sam Levinson create an environment on set that felt very safe?

FERREIRA: Yeah, we’re spoiled for that, too. Everyone is best friends, on the cast and crew. It was just a comfortable environment, to do all of these things. When we were doing it, it didn’t even seem like it was especially explicit because it just felt so necessary to the story and so real. There’s a reason for all of it. It just felt right.

SCHAFER: It was a massive bonding experience in that sense, too, ‘cause we just had to be real with each other and see the whole range of what we’ve all got inside of ourselves. We all have a lot of respect for each other, and love.

FERREIRA: And support.

Do you feel like you had a voice the process of figuring out who your characters are?

SCHAFER: Yeah, definitely. Sam was really good about that. He’s an amazing listener, and he was very open to sitting down with us and talking through what we thought about what he wrote, and then he’d talk about what he thought about what we would share with him.

FERREIRA: When they were auditioning, the descriptions were so vague that we created our own characters from ourselves, with the looks to the hair, to everything. I’d call Sam and talk for hours about my life experiences, and then have that incorporated into the script. It was the most collaborative work. One person can’t understand everyone, but Sam understands so deeply that he listens and takes his talents and really brings a real authenticity from us to it because we’re the ones who lived it. That’s really dope.

And it definitely shows on screen because it makes it all feel that much more real.

FERREIRA: It’s honestly weirdly fun to delve into these like deep, dark places in you. I’ve never really had an opportunity to do that, and it felt really good after, but it was awhile after. I was like, “Yeah, I did that!” It came out of me, and it was really fun to do it.

SCHAFER: It’s like affected my real life. At one point, in my life, I hadn’t cried for three months. Now, I’m worried, if I haven’t cried like in the past three days. I’m not holding back. It’s normalized feeling things ‘cause we’re forced to feel everything, so frequently, on this show. It’s been beautiful.

Hunter, what’s it been like to explore the relationship between Jules and Rue?

SCHAFER: It’s a really special arc and journey that they go on. They both have pretty unique circumstances that are affecting them, individually, and that they bring to each other. They find solace in each other, from those situations, and that’s part of the beauty of their relationship. They just have something special and palpable. And I couldn’t have been more thankful to have like an awesome scene partner like Zendaya for that.

Sam Levinson directed five of the eight episodes, but you also had three woman – Pippa Bianco, Augustine Frizzell and Jennifer Morrison – come in to direct the other episodes. What was it like to have their voices and perspectives on your characters?

FERREIRA: It was really fun. It was also fun because we’re new actors, so it was really interesting to see how different directors work. With the heavier scenes, when there’s a female director, they bring their own thoughts into it and it’s very collaborative. It was great.

SCHAFER: It was nice to like see the different directing styles and how that can change the entire experience. Everyone was really talented and had their own frequency. It made it fun to explore that, and to have different perspectives on the show.

The tone changes a little bit, depending on which characters are being spotlighted in each episode, so it seems like those different perspectives could really help and make an impact on a show like this.

FERREIRA: I feel like every episode is so different, in its own way, and it’s all visually stunning and compelling. It really brings that energy for each of our characters into each of the episodes, which is super fun to see, especially when you see little us. That was so fun. We loved that.

What did you grow to appreciate about your characters, the more you got to know about them?

SCHAFER: As you learn their story, they become relatable because you can see yourself in each character. While you might find one more relatable than another, there is a level of empathy and feeling for that person that comes in when you see the reasons why they act the way they do and what brought them to where they are now. That’s really special because it blurs the lines between right and wrong, and it’s conflicting.

FERREIRA: For me, when Kat starts going through her changes, I learned a lot about having the physical change represented inside and how she deals with it. From the outside perspective, you may see her becoming more confident or less insecure, but there’s a complexity to it, where it’s just a shield and not the solution to the problem. Her insecurity is still there, and she has sadness and pain from having things taken from her without her permission. So, I had to learn how to balance that, where she’s getting more confident, but it’s also affecting who she is as a person.

And with Kat, she’s not just getting more confident, but she’s also learning how she can use it to manipulate people.  

FERREIRA: I think it’s super interesting. There’s power in never being seen as someone who is “sexy,” or a sexual being, and having all of these anonymous, random men that you don’t know, saying all of these things that you would never associate with yourself. Having that burst of confidence to do that and having that permission be consensual, and to like it and want it, and incorporating that in her real life, so that she can feel in control of something, is really what Kat wants. Kat just wants to feel control of herself and how she’s perceived.

Which is impossible to do when you’ve got things, like social media, where everybody has an opinion.

FERREIRA: Exactly! There’s only so much you can do.

What would you say was the most challenging day, and what was the most fun day of this shoot?

SCHAFER: The most challenging day, for me, was probably the kitchen scene in the first episode because I was still feeling brand new to acting. I really worked myself up for that scene because I had been anticipating it, and that was a rough night. That was not easy. It was a lot, and a massive learning experience for me, as far as how to move forward with preparing for something. But also, shooting that party was really special because everyone was there. When we weren’t shooting, we were all on the couch together.

FERREIRA: My favorite parts were always when everyone was around. Doing the little fantasy scenes were always fun. What was challenging for me, emotionally, was in the last episode. I’m not used to getting there, as a new actor. I had a few scenes where I had to experiment on how to get myself to really feel the emotion without over-thinking or under-thinking. Finding that balance was a challenge for me.

Did a project like this, where you’re doing so much, as actors, give you a real perspective on where you want to take your career next?

FERREIRA: I’ve known, since I was a little kid. I’m very goal-oriented. This just makes me feel more confident in my dreams because now they’re reality, which is nice, and I feel like I’m worthy of it. I put in some work and I’m like, “This could actually happen.” It’s hard to feel that way, when it’s so in the distance. But I definitely have a clear vision of what I want to do. It’s things that I love, so I’m excited.

SCHAFER: I thought I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a fashion designer and was going to go to school for that, until this audition came up and changed everything. Learning how to access my mind and use my brain, in the way that we’ve picked up, in this experience, has been life-changing, in every sense, as an artist and as a human being. I’m addicted to. I can’t wait to like get back to work.

‘Euphoria’ Star Hunter Schafer on What That ‘Completely F–ed’ Nate Twist Means for Jules – and Rue

Actress tells TheWrap “traumatic” backstory episode is based on creator Sam Levinson’s own childhood

(Warning: This post contains spoilers for Sunday’s “Euphoria”)

The fourth episode of HBO’s “Euphoria” finally slipped in to actual euphoric territory Sunday, when the ending saw Rue (Zendaya) and her best friend Jules (Hunter Schafer) kiss while romantic, instrumental music swelled.

And this kiss, unlike the one from the previous episode — which was initiated by Rue and caught Jules completely off guard — was an act of mutual affection that occurred as the two 17-year-old girls held each other in Rue’s bed after an installment packed with trauma, both in the past and present.

But what does this mean for the BFFs — and possibly lovers — going forward, seeing as it occurs just after Nate (Jacob Elordi) has revealed himself to be Tyler, the boy Jules was falling in love with over a dating app, and threatened to ruin her life if she tells anyone she slept with his father, Cal (Eric Dane)? Schafer says “something really exciting.”

“I think Jules, from the first episode, knows Rue is there for her and would do just about anything for her,” she told TheWrap. “And while I don’t think she necessarily suspected a romantic side of that from the beginning — that we first get a glimpse of in Episode 3 and even before that — I think after her heart is broken in this moment with Nate. She knows Rue is there and that Rue loves her on multiple levels, and so of course that’s who she turns to.”

“And in some respects, I think this is such a beautiful moment for Jules, because I love this idea of her turning away from this really repetitively toxic relationship she has with men and that she turns to her best friend,” Schafer continued. “And she finds something really beautiful and meaningful and intimate, and somewhat physical, with one of the people she feels closest to in life, who happens to be a femme person. And I think that’s really exciting for how it might affect her vantage point on her own sexuality and sense of romance.”

And that beautiful moment comes when Jules is in a very fragile state, having learned “Tyler” is actually Nate, a guy who has been out to get her since he found out she slept with his father — one of many married, older men she’s had sex with since hitting puberty.

Oh, and Nate tells Jules he’s prepared to turn her in for distributing child pornography — her own nude selfies, that she sent to “Tyler” — if she reveals Cal’s infidelity and act of statutory rape. And this move is “completely f–ked,” according to Schafer.

“I think more than anything, Jules was so excited to delve into a romance that felt real and was more than just some hookup in a motel room,” she said. “And I think she’s never really had much of an opportunity to experience that before, or even let herself experience that. So the fact that she’d gotten this far with Tyler was really exciting for her. And then to find out that Nate was catfishing her or playing her was heartbreaking just by itself.”

“And then he goes on to explain why, like, his intentions behind this, and it’s completely f—ed,” she continued. “So I think it’s another pretty traumatic experience as far as really letting her guard down with this person and for them to expose themselves to be different from who they were portraying them to be. And it’s a major turning point for the character.”

That twist comes toward the end of an episode in which we learn Jules’ childhood was riddled with dark moments, including her own mother driving her hours away from home and tricking her into being admitted into a facility due to Jules (whose gender at birth was male) starting to identify as a girl.

Schafer told TheWrap this storyline of Jules’ time spent at this center where she slices her wrists open after the doctors try to “cure” her came in part from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson’s own childhood experiences.

“From the get-go I could understand how deeply emotional it was, and I was curious as to where it came from and it started to make sense as to why she acts the way she does,” Schafer said. “And the way she’s acting out as a 17-year-old, you wonder where that’s coming from. And so to make that connection with this traumatic, at least one traumatic event in your life, it started to make a lot of sense. And then later on, after I’d been cast, and Sam kind of got into it more with me and we talked about it a bit, it turns out this is a true story for him and this is part of his experience, at least what happened to Jules earlier in her childhood and with her background story spending a lot of time in the hospital. It was really emotional learning the connection between her and Sam and where we’re seeing her now currently.”

“Euphoria” marks Schafer’s first on-screen role, one she “had a really beautiful time delving into” as she, a trans feminine person, was playing another trans feminine person and what was “true to the trans experience.”

“It was really exciting from when I first read the scripts to read about a trans femme girl who is battling battles outside of trans-ness and that she can be trans while exploring a multitude of other facets of her life,” Schafer said. “And I think that’s true to the trans experience. Being trans does influence just about everything in your life, but from a trans person’s perspective, that’s just your everyday and there are so many other parts of life that we struggle with or push through and those deserve stories on their own. So I think it’s really exciting to watch that now and have it be subtle.”

HBO’s Euphoria Is The Real Talk We Need

HBO’s Euphoria Is The Real Talk We Need

As high-chasing bad girls on HBO, IRL pals Barbie Ferreira and Hunter Schafer recast the archetype.

When HBO’s Euphoria hit screens in June, filling the network’s GoT-shaped void with a pure-cut dose of contemporary teen life, its trippy dramatics and issue-tackling realism had been preceded by a much-publicized production. While Zendaya’s lead role as the high-chasing Rue and Drake’s attachment as executive producer accounted for much of the buzz, the show’s unorthodox recruiting tactics didn’t stop there. Hunter Schafer and Barbie Ferreira, both non-professional actors who happen to deliver two of the show’s most surprising and complex performances, each came across the show’s open casting call on Instagram.

On paper, Schafer plays Jules and Ferreria plays Kat, two ennui-stricken friends in Rue’s orbit. The first episode establishes their respective archetypes: Jules the put-upon transfer student and Kat the posturing bad girl. But each of their storylines touch on distinctly of-the-moment themes, from body shame to identity politics to app hookups gone wrong. While the show, trafficking in narrative clout and meta-narrative social savvy, may seem particularly suited to both Schafer and Ferreira’s progressive modeling tracks, their well observed performances suggest major dramatic careers to come.

Ferreira says 16-year-old Kat reflects much of her personality pre-modeling. “[16] was a special age for me, because that’s when I started breaking out of these insecurities, and just thinking that I am not worth it,” says Ferreira, who, after being scouted by American Apparel in high school, became an early drumbeater of the body-positivity movement. After she and her recently divorced mom moved from Queens to suburbia, Ferreira, like Kat, put up walls around her creative impulses. “I mean, I am like a theater kid; all I wanted was to be on Disney Channel. I would try my hardest to see managers by myself without my mom,” she says. “[But] I started isolating myself even more after [I started modeling] because my classmates never really gave a fuck about me… Our experiences aren’t identical, but the feelings are all the same. The lines are blurred between where Kat ends and where I begin.”

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Schafer harbored no such showbiz dreams. “I was never really into acting; I was so shy and not sure of myself. I didn’t ever see myself being able to do [this],” says Schafer. After being diagnosed with gender dysphoria in ninth grade, Schafer’s first taste of the spotlight was as a plaintiff in the ACLU’s lawsuit against the state’s anti-LGBT law HB2, which forced trans people to use public restrooms according to their assigned gender. Before serving as the face of the “bathroom bill” and then as a model for the likes of Versace, Helmut Lang and Miu Miu, Schafer says she experienced some trauma similar to that of Jules, which the role brought back to the surface. “Of course, it was uncomfortable to revisit those places in my life because I was pretty insecure at the time and I did not really know who I was,” she says. “The way I have functioned, as a human being, is to push through [painful experiences] and work really hard, so that I had a good future. [But] a hundred percent, Jules and I have a similar transition timeline, as far as [being] in high school and dealing with that in front of your peers.”

Ultimately the similarities between Schafer’s past and Jules’s present endowed her with a whole new outlook. “Acting blew my mind,” she says, recalling her first session with an HBO-enlisted coach. “It’s definitely been therapeutic to look back at those points in my life and to relive them,” she says. “It’s like picking old scabs on purpose because you want to bleed a little again.” Acting out the first episode’s climax, which takes place at a crowded party, was a learning curve, Schafer adds: “Frankly I was terrified for that scene because I never had to be that open in front of a camera before and there were like 200 extras watching it happen… I had never screamed at anyone like that before in my real life.”

Between filming or rubbing shoulders with Drake (“It was fun to be in the middle of work, and then be like, ‘Oh, Drake’s here,'” says Ferreira of set life), Schafer and Ferreira, who had briefly met in New York, found a chance to reconnect on set, free from modeling-world varnish. “We [met] at some random fashion-y event, some award show, so we didn’t really hit it off,” Ferreira recalls. “But now Hunter is like my best friend. We had two very different spirals in high school, but the bottom line was that we both needed to get out of wherever we were. To this day, we’ll be in the car together, and just scream, like, ‘Sis… What is going on?!’ She is the only [other] person who gets it.”

Whatever turbulence they experienced in high school has made multi-hyphenate status that much sweeter. “[We] both are so thrilled about the transition [to acting],” echoes Schafer. “While modeling was fun and we got to travel and make some cool work, doing this project together and getting to be artists together is immeasurably valuable.”

With Euphoria mid-season and continuing to garner buzz, the saga of Ferreira and Schafer has only begun to take shape. But as their characters and careers illustrate, stories are best when you don’t know the ending.

Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer reveals fate of TV show

HBO’s Euphoria will be returning for a second season but star Hunter Schafer isn’t certain about the show’s future beyond that because creator Sam Levinson wants the show to stick to the confines of a high school, and most of the characters are close to graduation.

The series – produced by Drake – has been met with critical acclaim and some controversy, confronting sensitive issues such as drug abuse, underage sex, webcam sex, slut-shaming, and the general horrors of growing up in the social media age.

Hunter Schafer plays Jules, best friend to Zendaya’s Rue, and the season concluded on a cliffhanger with Jules running away from home and leaving Rue behind, while Rue falls back to drugs again after a brief spell of sobriety.

On whether the series could continue beyond season two, Schafer told Digital Spy: “I think Sam said he didn’t see it going on for too long logistically. The story this season followed a semester of school. Rue and Jules and most of the cast are juniors and so it’s like we maybe get two school years, or one more school year.

“The early adult years would be a different story. That’s another show maybe.”

Speaking about what could be next for Jules, the 19-year-old LGBTQ+ activist recently told Elle UK: “It’s a hard question because the part of me that loves her and wants to protect her, wants wholesome things to happen to her. And then the part of me that loves Euphoria wants an interesting story. And it’s hard to choose which direction to go.”

Schafer also revealed that she could personally relate to her storyline with Zendaya’s Rue, which progresses from friendship into something more, because she’s a trans girl “moving into queerness”. It also goes against preconceptions of trans women “lusting after men”.

“I remember I got the first four episodes when I was auditioning, and that was definitely an intriguing part because I think we’ve seen the trans girl lusting after men, that narrative has been available,” Schafer recalled.

“And this was something I’m more interested in portraying because, number one, it’s had less screen time, and number two, it relates to me more personally as a trans girl moving into queerness. Once I saw a glimmer of that, I was really excited and it’s kind of what drove me toward going back to more auditions.”

Hunter Schafer Is the 2019 Breakout Star We Didn’t See Coming

Hunter Schafer Is the 2019 Breakout Star We Didn’t See Coming

We’re four episodes deep into HBO’s polarizing new series Euphoria, and it’s all any of us at Who What Wear can talk about. “Did you watch last night’s episode?!” “Can we please discuss that one scene?” “I’m officially shook.” Yes, it’s dark and controversial and oftentimes uncomfortable to watch, but truth be told, it contains some of the best performances from a young cast I’ve seen in a long time. One such performance is that of Hunter Schafer. As new-to-town outsider and transgender teen Jules, Schafer has some of Euphoria’s most shocking, gut-wrenching, and beautiful scenes. But here’s the mind-blowing part: This is actually Schafer’s first-ever acting job.

While Schafer reads like a seasoned actress on screen, it wasn’t too long ago (just last year, in fact) that acting wasn’t even on her radar. The North Carolina native and LGBTQ+ activist (she appeared on Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 list) was thriving in New York City, changing the face of fashion one runway and major editorial at a time, when an open casting call and the local transgender community led Schafer to her next big calling: Hollywood It girl.

It’s easy to see why Euphoria casting director Jennifer Venditti gravitated to the 20-year-old for the character of Jules. When we meet Schafer on the set of our Who What Wear shoot in New York last month, she exuded a cheerful, ethereal energy that could not be ignored. I had to make a point not to stare at the delicate features that have made her muse-worthy to such industry elite as Dior, Miu Miu, and Marc Jacobs, to name just a few. But it’s not until I sat down with Schafer, feet up on a plush leather couch in the corner of Root Studios in Brooklyn, and we chatted about everything from breaking down emotional barriers to bringing normalcy to trans people on screen, that I was treated to Schafer’s true potential for greatness. Watch out, world: Hunter Schafer is here, and she isn’t going anywhere.

You went from fashion girl on the rise last year to Hollywood girl on the rise this year. Can you connect the dots between the two?

I got into modeling, because I wanted to be involved in the fashion industry. That was my goal since middle school. I wanted to take a gap year and make some money before going to the next round of school. So when I kind of figured out that I might be able to model and made the right connections through Instagram and photographers I knew, that became a reality. Modeling for a year taught me a lot. I got very involved in the fashion industry and met a bunch of people who I admired. Acting happened because Euphoria was casting all over the country and they were looking for people who were inexperienced. I was lucky enough to be interested in the idea of acting and not really knowing how to navigate that I was given the right resources from Jennifer Venditti, the casting director, and really great writing and scripts from [creator] Sam Levinson. The whole Euphoria team to work with was amazing.

How did you hear about the open casting call?                                                        

I saw it floating around on Instagram, because a bunch of trans girls in New York were trying to get each other to audition and everyone was going in for it. I heard buzz about it, and then I got a call from my model agents a few days later saying that the casting people had asked for me. So I went in and it kind of snowballed.

Most might dip their toes into the acting pond with their first role, but you plunged head first with Euphoria, a role that puts you in some pretty exposing and vulnerable situations. Did you have any fears or hesitations going into this project?

Absolutely! I got three scenes to audition with, and one of them was the kitchen scene, and one was the motel room scene with Cal, which are two of my most intense scenes. And that was really intimating. I was definitely worried about my ability to put myself in an emotional place like that, because I’ve never explored using my mind in this sort of artistic realm. And I was not sure I could do it. I was definitely anticipating these auditions and was nervous. Also, having not seen the character arc, I was a little worried this character might just be really messy, but I got more of the scripts and began to see where Jules moves throughout the story and that was really exciting to me, to be able to know that she is changing.

Did you work with anyone to prep for the auditions?

Jen Venditti recommended me to an acting coach, and he was really helpful in sort of breaking the ice or like cracking the shell that was naturally around my emotional headspaces and being able to pull from those and immerse myself in them. It was really a mindfuck but also really exciting and some of the most visceral artistic experiences I’ve ever had, which obviously drew me into really wanting this.

I love how spirited Jules’s wardrobe is. It is in direct opposition to the dark things she is experiencing. Did you have any involvement with the wardrobe?

Yeah, Heidi Bivens, the costume designer, was super down to collaborate. And even before I think we started filming the pilot, she texted me and was like, “Send me ideas, and let’s talk about it and have a really solid idea of what we want Jules to look like by the time we start filming.” So we would send each other references; she let me make mood boards, which I love. It was really exciting to be able to have a hands-on experience in molding her look.

What did you, in particular, want to bring to her look?

I mean, I had a relatively clear picture of what she looked like from reading the scripts. One of the first things it said about her is that she is this Sailor Moon–looking chick, and then also I think just because how similar our drives are as people and how I can see myself in her, I was like, okay, I can bring what I was wanting to look like at 17 years old to her. So it was that and sort of the idealism of having access to clothes that Heidi does that I might not be able to in the actual setting, which was fun.

What is your favorite Jules look?

It hasn’t had its moment yet. It’s near the end, and it’s poppin’.

You mentioned in another interview that Jules is a combination of you and creator Sam Levinson. What was important to you to get right or include in telling Jules’s story or that of a trans person?

I think I wanted to bring a relatability as far as portraying a trans person with a sense of normalcy. And despite Jules sticking out like a sore thumb at her school and having a sort of out-there personality and presence, I think for her to be relatable to everybody was important. I think cis people should be able to see themselves in a trans person on screen—that should be something. Obviously, I place more value in trans people seeing themselves on screen, but I wanted her to be relatable to some extent and then also to honor Sam’s experiences that he was bringing to Jules specifically, while bringing my own trans experience to that. He has experiences with gender nonconformity and how that affected his high school experience. And it has been interesting to watch it become sort of an “us” soup.

What do you think parents will take away from the show?

We get asked what we want people to take away from it a lot, and it’s hard to answer that because I don’t think we are trying to teach a lesson here. I don’t think you should be looking up to any of these characters or following their example, because they are all messy and all a little broken. Our slogan is Feel Something, and I think that we made a piece of art that is eight episodes long, and more than anything else, we want viewers to feel it and let it hit them.

Now that you have your first acting gig out of the way, what’s next? Do you want to keep doing this?

I’m fascinated with acting now. In retrospect, I was only beginning to chip off the tip of the iceberg with how far I can go or what I was exploring inside of me that I hadn’t touched in a while as far as emotional headspaces. And I really want to keep going and keep pushing and see what can happen. I hope, I really hope, we get a season two because I love this story so much, and I love these characters, and I want to keep watching them grow. But I’d also love to explore a character who is less parallel to who I am and maybe something where I would have to transform myself more. To play a cisgender person would be interesting or someone older or a mythical creature. I’m down; I just want to keep going.

What about modeling and fashion?

I mean, I still love fashion, and I definitely would like to keep interacting with that world. As far as doing all four fashion weeks and going to every casting that I can, maybe not that again. But I think it’s kind of exciting to be able to interact with it in a way that isn’t relying on necessity or money and more because I love it, which goes back to the roots of I why I got into it in the first place.

Let’s talk about working with stylist Petra Flannery. How did the relationship come about?

My publicist just called me one day and was really excited about this new opportunity because she had apparently reached out. She sent me her information, and I took a look at her work, and it was really beautiful and exciting, and so I wanted to give it a shot. We’ve only worked together on a few looks now, but I’m excited to see where it keeps going and what we can make in the future.

This being your first acting project, was there a specific fashion plan in mind?

Not necessarily. I know for myself, I have a very distinct style, and I know what I like, and I know what I don’t like. But it has been a process of learning how to cater to the different events that happen with Hollywood and how you might want to dress for red carpet and what things photograph well. There’s definitely more strategy involved. It’s a challenge; it’s fun.

How would you describe your off-duty style?

I don’t really go out in LA, but when I have I usually keep it pretty dressed down. I’ve gone clubbing in an oversized t-shirt and my Dr. Martens and little tiny shorts and that’s felt good for the night.

So you are pretty casual?

Definitely more casual than when I lived in New York, just because I went out more there and the functions are a little more extravagant, especially in the LGTBQ community. I think the LA energy kind of rubbed off on me and now I don’t care as much.

You’ve had the opportunity to work with some notable designers, walking in shows and in editorials. Who in the fashion space do you think is doing really cool and exciting things right now? 

I think some of the newer designers, like Luar, Vaquera, and No Sesso. I really love Lou Dallas. [Designers] who are taking a more DIY approach or a less conventional beauty approach and have diverse casting with diverse bodies are really exciting, because I think that’s where we are headed and what I’m excited to see on a runway.

You yourself have created some pretty incredible, thought-provoking designs. Are you still making these kinds of pieces?

When I moved to LA to film Euphioria I took all my creative energy and poured it into that, and since we only wrapped a few weeks ago I’m still coming out of that. I’m looking forward to channeling that creative vibration somewhere else. So yeah, I would like to get back into making garments and stuff. When I commit to something, I’m putting everything in it.

Okay before you go, what’s the plan for summer?

I’m taking it easy. Barbie [Ferreira] and I might try and take a vacation, but we still need to plan it. But mostly just coming down from this wild ass high that was filming Euphoria and learning how to be in just one reality again is my goal.

Hunter Schafer, Hollywood’s New Obsession From the Fashion World

Hunter Schafer, Hollywood’s New Obsession From the Fashion World

Hunter Schafer, the trans model who broke barriers on the runway and as an ACLU plaintiff, has quickly become the scene-stealer of HBO’s “Euphoria,” her first acting job.

Hunter Schafer has recently come to the realization that she’s a New York person. Despite having lived in Manhattan for only a year, it’s taken just a short four-day trip to remind Schafer of all the city’s magic — and flood her with memories from her time rising in the modeling world, when she was a recent transplant from North Carolina with dreams of attending fashion school.

The New York dream will have to stay on hold for a bit, though — Hollywood has caught up with Schafer, and as the breakout star of HBO’s controversial, sexy new show “Euphoria,” Schafer might be calling L.A. home for the near future.

She first ventured to New York while touring colleges, stopping by Elite Models at the suggestion of a local photographer from her native Raleigh.

“And they wanted to sign me!” she says. “I was like ‘OK, that’s my ticket to New York. That’s going to pay my rent and I am going to make it work and figure it out.”

She spent the next year modeling full-time, doing a full circuit in Europe and walking for brands like Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu. She also interned with Vaquera before modeling took over full-time.

“My plan was to model and pay the rent and then intern with designers and work on the other side of the industry however I could,” she recalls, “but then it just got to be too much, especially with casting, fashion week and also working for a fashion designer.”

She was gearing up to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London when her agents at Elite called to say HBO was interested in her for the role of Jules in “Euphoria,” which stars Zendaya alongside a who’s-who of rising Hollywood stars, from Sydney Sweeney and Maude Apatow to Alexa Demie and Algee Smith.

While Zendaya is the big name on the project — and billed as the frontrunner — audiences have quickly identified Schafer as the reason to keep coming back each week (the season’s fifth episode premieres on Sunday). Jules is a young transgender woman who has recently moved to town with a complex past and a desire to fit in; she and Zendaya’s Rue immediately become friends, and navigate their respective chaos together.

Like Jules, Schafer transitioned in high school, and says she was interested in the role — which is her first acting job — based on the similarities they share.

“I just relate to her deeply, as far as being trans in high school and what that does to you and how it affects the way you navigate life and romance and sex,” Schafer explains. “The more time I spent with her the more complicated she got, which is really exciting. By the end of the season it was like I would just go there and I wouldn’t even have to substitute emotions anymore, because hers felt that real for me.”

Schafer, who is taking a beat before auditioning for new projects — though “Euphoria” was just confirmed yesterday for a second season — says her experiences on the runway helped her to be comfortable in front of the camera when it came to filming — and it also helped steel her for Hollywood.

“That year of modeling, I grew up a lot — I was alone in New York and just grinding and making it work, and I feel it kind of prepared me for the responsibilities of being an actor alone in L.A. and taking care of yourself,” she says. “Which I am still working on.”

Being a trans woman portraying a trans woman on a major platform such as HBO comes with responsibilities, which Schafer takes to heart.

“There is always the thing of ‘am I going to properly represent my community in this role?’” she says. “And there was also the thing of young people who are watching the show can look up to Jules and want to be like her and that’s a really scary thing [because of the show’s extreme nature], but just getting messages from other trans people or people relating to her shooting her estrogen before she goes out for a night with a man — people found that relatable, which is good.”

In 2016, Schafer was a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit against her home state of North Carolina’s House Bill 2 regarding bathrooms — but she doesn’t see her role in “Euphoria” as a kind of activism.

“I think the term activism has been sort of watered down,” she says. “Because when I think of an activist I think of a community organizer who’s doing that every day of their lives and working with the community, and for this job I have been inserted in a very cisgender, very white, very straight world that is Hollywood, and I don’t know how much that does for the community. I don’t think it is activism.”

That said, she does point out certain acting choices she made to bring a level of authenticity to Jules.

“It felt important for me and felt exciting, as far as that imagery on the TV screen, whether it’s a young trans girl who’s not tucked and has her bulge out and seeing that on TV and what that could do,” she says. “Or a trans girl being in a queer relationship — I don’t really think I have ever seen that imagery on TV either. But I still don’t think that’s activism. I think that’s just you wanted to see yourself represented on TV.”

Hunter Schafer, a genuine new kid in town

Hunter Schafer, a genuine new kid in town

It’s hard to upstage Zendaya, the Disney Channel star who soared through “The Greatest Showman” and “Spider- Man: Homecoming” into the Hollywood stratosphere. But in HBO’s “Euphoria,” Hunter Schafer has done just that, in what is her debut acting role.

Schafer plays Jules, the new kid in town — a trans girl with a dreamy Sailor Moon vibe and a self-destructive yearning for affection — who becomes best friends with Zendaya’s addictiontormented Rue at their sex-and-drugsdeluged high school.

Her performance as a sensitive, stabilizing force amid the insanity has captivated viewers and critics alike, who’ve anointed her the breakout star of the series.

Shafer was modeling in New York, with plans to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, when her agency informed her that she’d been asked to audition for “Euphoria.” “I gave it a shot just because I had been mildly interested in acting, but it wasn’t something that I thought I would be pursuing seriously in any way, shape or form,” she said. “Then I just kept going back in and getting more of the scripts and eventually started to fall in love with my character.”

After landing the role, she spent hours with Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, filling out Jules’s transition experience.

“We were just telling each other stories and bringing forward timelines that we thought could make sense for Jules and then conceptualizing and sharing ideas, and that was the beginning,” she said. “I feel like Jules was being built until the last day we wrapped.” “Euphoria” may be her first onscreen gig, but Schafer is no stranger to attention.

Raised in Raleigh, N.C., she was a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union’s 2016 lawsuit against North Carolina House Bill 2 that required people to use the restroom for the gender they were assigned at birth.

She wrote about the experience of navigating bathrooms in her public high school.

In a phone interview as she shuttled between a photo shoot and her New York hotel room, the sunny Schafer, 20, talked about her newfound fame, representation in entertainment and why she doesn’t want to be called an activist.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

How does it feel to be having this breakout moment?
It’s pretty surreal.

I feel so lucky to have “Euphoria” as a first experience with taking on a character and exploring acting, and in having this group of people as well.

You’ve said that your life was similar to Jules’s.
I transitioned in early high school, and her transition might have been a little bit earlier than mine. But transitioning while you’re in public school is a pretty intense experience, so I knew I could bring that to her. And then Jules’s drive and motivation for the way she acts from the start, as far as a desire to be treated “like a woman.” And I’m saying that with quote fingers because that’s a loaded term. But I think one of Jules’s main battles is her desire for romance and normalcy and love, which I think she’s kind of locked down a routine as far as getting some form of that. But of course it’s not healthy, and I can relate to that point in my life. I didn’t act out on it, but I certainly desired to be treated a certain way in order to affirm my femininity.

What’s it like working with Zendaya?
She’s amazing. Z was my main scene partner for most of this season and I just feel so lucky to come out of this experience with a new best friend.

The Parents Television Council issued a warning about “Euphoria” before its premiere, calling it a “grossly irresponsible programming decision” for its graphic content. Does the show ring true to your memory of high school experience?
I can’t say I lived the way these characters do, just because my default is to be internal and stay home. Making artwork was my saving grace. I didn’t really go out to parties very often the way these characters do. Oftentimes their actions make their experiences kind of messy where there’s no parents involved. But it’s interesting because my siblings have recently seen it, and I think they have a different experience of high school than I did.

They found it extremely true or relatable. It just sort of clocked high school in a way that they hadn’t seen before, which I was really excited to hear.

You’ve been what most people would consider activist, and yet you say you don’t like that word. Why?
When I think of an activist, I think of a community organizer who is working every day and directly with community members, and making it a job to take care of and speak up for a community in some way. So as an actor and an artist whose primary focus is making artwork or world-building, I don’t think I fall into that category. There might have been a point in my career where, because people have been telling me I’m an activist, I took on that label. But in retrospect, I don’t think that’s what I am — or what I’ve been — just because I’m vocal about my identity.

How do you feel about trans representation and opportunities in Hollywood?
I think it’s always preferable that a trans person plays a trans person — one, because there’s enough cisgender actors in Hollywood, and two, because trans people can bring levels of experience to the trans experience that they might be portraying.

Are you auditioning for other parts, and do you have a dream role?
I’m still kind of winding down from “Euphoria.” It’s taking a bit of time, just because we were doing this for eight months and I’m very immersed in that world, and I’m still in the process of letting it go. But I think I will start auditioning soon, and I’m really interested to explore what other characters I could inhabit.

How Euphoria Taught Hunter Schafer to ‘Feel Everything’

The first-time actress opens up about her groundbreaking, life-changing role.

In one of the best scenes from last night’s episode of Euphoria, Jules — the trans high school student played by breakout actress Hunter Schafer — drunkenly floats in a pool while reciting lines from Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to her recovering drug addict girlfriend, Rue. Though Jules isn’t the type to drink in excess, everything she’s been forced to endure since moving to town only a few months ago — falling for a guy on a dating app who turned out to be her psychopathic classmate, Nate; being subsequently blackmailed by said classmate; then falling in love with Rue, only to crumble under the crippling pressure of shouldering her partner’s newfound sobriety — would be enough to drive anyone towards potential self-destruction. In that pool, as Jules slurs through lines about “summer’s ripening breath” and “a beauteous flower,” Schafer’s performance manages to balance the fabricated ecstasy of intoxication against the pain she’s so clearly trying to cover up. It beautifully answers the question of what does a girl suffering in silence look like when she finally lets loose? It’s spellbinding work. You’d never guess this was the 20-year-old actress’ first role.

Schafer was already a rising star before nabbing the part of Jules. After graduating high school in North Carolina — where she had already made a huge imprint as one of the teenage plaintiffs in the ACLU’s lawsuit against the infamous HB2 “bathroom bill” — Schafer became a major fixture on the modeling scene. She quickly signed with Elite Modeling Agency in New York, and was soon strutting down the catwalks of designers like Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, and Rick Owens, while also appearing on the pages of W and Dazed and in campaigns for Vera Wang. A little over a year ago, the young artist was all set to immerse herself even further in the fashion world by studying design at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins University. She only decided to put that goal aside when Euphoria came knocking.

Luckily, the decision was not made in vain. “This project has been one of the most fulfilling artistic experiences of my life,” Schafer told me over the phone last week. “I feel so proud of it and could not have asked for a better experience.” As Hunter enjoyed some time off before filming the show’s upcoming second season, the multi-hyphenate artist opened up about what initially drew her to Euphoria, why acting can be therapeutic, and how she prepared to film that terrifying lake scene with Nate (Jacob Elordi).

Euphoria is one of the first shows I’ve seen where a central trans character’s storyline isn’t actually focused on her transition. Was that part of your connection to the script?

When I got the script for the first four episodes and was able to see the arc, that’s when I got really excited about Jules. In episode four, we get her backstory and it’s sort of confirmed that, in a lot of ways, Jules’ transition has been resolved and it’s not at the forefront of her life anymore. While it may influence the way she moves throughout the world, she doesn’t even really talk about it. It’s nice because then you can begin to figure out how it all relates to the way she’s acting or some of the decisions that she’s making. I think that’s a lot more interesting as far as delving into her psyche. Also, the fact that we begin to see her move into some form of queerness as an alternative to straightness was another thing I was excited for as a queer trans person. I didn’t feel that I had really seen that before on TV. I was just so pumped. That’s something that I went through myself, figuring out how to move away from straightness as a trans person — that’s the part that really sold me, I think.

What was the biggest difference between acting and modeling?
Modeling did not feel as artistic as this job has felt, at all. In a lot of ways, the cool thing about modeling is that other people and artists I look up to are able to project their artistic visions onto me, and it was really exciting to be a muse in that way and carry out a vision. Playing Jules is similar in a way, because the director of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, created this character before I was ever a part of this project. But once I was attached to it, he really let me help build her. I was making mood boards for her and her outfits, talking to the makeup artist, and Sam and I were sharing our life stories and figuring out how they could fit together like puzzle pieces in order to fill her out properly. As far as collaboration goes, acting has been so fulfilling.

I’m also still doing visual art, which I felt was my main art practice before going into acting. In that sense, I think it’s just been figuring out how to channel the vibration that would go out through my hand and onto a piece of paper and dispersing that in my body through a character, through these lines I’m given. I use that to externalize my feelings in a completely different way.

“[Euphoria] has changed my life and the way I navigate emotions, even just in how I let myself feel things. Between getting the role and filming the pilot, Sam Levinson gave me a key piece of advice: ‘Feel everything.’ That’s something I’ve carried with me.”

Episode four is Jules’ spotlight episode, and its climax comes when Jules finds out that her dating app crush, “Tyler,” has been her classmate Nate the whole time. How did you prepare to film that scene, which finds your character expressing fear and then rage?

This episode was a big one for Jules in that she also finds out, like an hour or two before, that the guy she fucked in the first episode is Nate’s dad. So I think that, in that moment of seeing Nate’s face at the lake, it all clicks for her — he knows. And then it gets really scary, because we already know he’s violent and has issues with anger.

I’m not super experienced in relationships, so I, as an actor, had to go back to a place where I found someone to not be who I thought they were or had been misled, and kind of access that sense of betrayal I felt. That was a really hard day for me because rage is one of the harder emotions for me to tap into, too. But Jacob Elordi, the actor who plays Nate, is a brilliant, amazing scene partner. He really gave himself to that scene. [There is] this moment of elongated eye contact, where we were just staring into each other’s eyes, and he was in that character, and I could see the confusion. It was really interesting since we’re not sure of Nate’s intentions. He’s talking to Jules in a way that sounds like Tyler, but is also Nate. It seems scary to be in this very vulnerable situation, and to sense that confusion in his eyes, that really helped me.

Do you think this role has helped you grow as a person outside the show?

100 percent. It has changed my life and the way I navigate emotions, even just in how I let myself feel things. Between getting the role and filming the pilot, Sam Levinson gave me a key piece of advice: “Feel everything.” He meant that I needed to get myself to the emotional places that I need to for this show. I was nervous about being able to deliver, since I’m new to this. That’s something I’ve carried with me. It’s pretty wild how a job can trickle down, even being therapeutic in a way. Just trusting your subconscious, which can be a really scary place. Letting go, that was one of the biggest things. All of the cast has to go through emotional moments with their characters. I think Sam was so good about making the environment with him comfortable enough to let us feel like we could let go of anything that was holding us back.

What was the most rewarding part of the whole experience for you?

Just emerging from this with a family. The cast went through so much together and we had to be so vulnerable with each other. It’s one of the fastest friend groups I’ve ever made, and it’s so rewarding that we got to make something beautiful together. That’s one of my favorite ways to make friends with people, to make beautiful things together.

You must be really excited about reuniting with everyone for the recently announced second season. What would you love to see for Jules moving forward?

It’s hard to say because we’re not at the end of the first season yet. But personally, I want to see Jules continue her path away from the toxic routine that she enters the first season with. She’s starting to explore a new part of her life that is void of toxic masculinity; continuing that would be great.

What do you want people to get from this show?

We get asked this question a lot as a cast. While I don’t think we have a singular mission or a revolution that we’re pursuing, I think we just want people to feel less alone in their experiences or simply be able to identify with what they’re seeing on screen. That feeling of looking at a piece of media or a work of art and feeling seen by it is incomparable. I hope that’s what the show is accomplishing more than anything — just creating a sense of empathy and acting as a mirror in some ways.

Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Hunter Schafer Swears She’s Not as Cool as Jules on ‘Euphoria’—but We Strongly Disagree

Hunter Schafer Swears She’s Not as Cool as Jules on ‘Euphoria’—but We Strongly Disagree

On getting cast from Instagram, cuddling with Zendaya, and bringing a different trans narrative to the screen.

Hunter Schafer was walking into an unmarked building in downtown Manhattan to do an interview when she was caught off guard by a ton of flashing lights. She was wearing a full lewk—a pink-and-lime-green striped skirt with a matching cutout top and green saddle shoes with a heel. But it was a hot July day, and she was totally unprepared for the person with a camera who called out her name and snapped a bunch of photos. That’s when she knew it was official. She had just been paparazzi’ed for the first time.

“It was so insane,” she says a day later. “They knew where we were going. I don’t know how, but they did. It was one of those moments that’s very fast, when you realize, Oh shit, that’s never happened before.”

Hunter has experience in the spotlight: She spent a year as a runway model for designers like Marc Jacobs, Helmut Lang, and Miu Miu, and when she was still in high school, she was one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU’s case against the North Carolina Bathroom Bill, which led to her writing viral op-eds and landing magazine covers. But none of that compares to the attention the 20-year-old actor is experiencing now because of HBO’s breakout phenomenon Euphoria. Ever heard of it?

The HBO series, led by Zendaya and featuring Jacob Elordi, shows teens posing as cam girls, snorting fentanyl, vaping too many Juuls to count, rocking hipless pants, and wearing dreamy neon eye makeup that has basically started a movement. It’s the show where Zendaya tells the world “nudes are the currency of love” and that counts Leonardo DiCaprio as a fan—and the Parents Television Council as a hater (the true sign of legit-ness). The series made hilarious headlines earlier this summer for showing 30 penises in one scene.

Despite all the charisma onscreen, Hunter is the show’s breakout star. She plays Jules, the sweet new girl in town who just wants to find love, make friends, and have so much freaking fun. Oh yeah, and she’s trans. But unlike most other trans narratives onscreen, Jules’s transness doesn’t define her—nor is it the most interesting thing about her. In fact, Jules never even says she’s trans until episode 3. Until then, there are quick visual cues that hint at her identity but don’t overpower her story line.

“It’s not that a transition story doesn’t make a character whole,” Hunter says while sitting in the backseat of a black SUV. We’re heading to her hotel after seven hours of photo shoots and interviews. It’s a moment of rare downtime, and she leans against the window, folding her arms around her waist. She is wearing a sleeveless lace turtleneck with bold orange, blue, and black stripes, has barely any makeup on, and has fastened her long platinum hair into a messy topknot. “It’s like, in my life, my transness may affect the way I move throughout the world, but I’m dealing with a whole lot of other shit too.”

You know, like dating apps (“the longest I’ve lasted on one is about six hours”), what to do when she’s not filming a hit TV show (“I want to get a sewing machine as soon as I get home”), and her recent move from New York to Los Angeles to focus on acting full-time (“I haven’t really experienced neutral life in L.A. yet”). And then there’s the whole I’m actually famous thing too. Although that doesn’t seem real yet. “I don’t feel like I’m changing as much as the other elements of my life are changing,” she says. “I want to be very purposeful and not let that change me, but it’s a scary thought.”

Acting was never part of Hunter’s plan. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Hunter and her family moved from the Northeast to Arizona and then settled in Raleigh, North Carolina, when she was still a kid. She was always obsessed with drawing, sketching fashion designs, and making all kinds of visual art. “I was not as cool,” she says when asked how it compared to Jules’s high school experience. “But I snuck out one time to go to a college party.”

Instead, she spent most of her teenage years with a sketchbook and posting her work on social media, which eventually drew interest from Tavi Gevinson, founder of the now-defunct website Rookie. “I tagged Tavi in a happy birthday post because Rookie meant that much to me,” Hunter says. “She found my Instagram where I had been posting my work and invited me to start contributing.” Soon, her line drawings, tender comics, and style shoots about high school graduation, friendship, and love began appearing on the website. They were earnest and sweet, peppered with themes of identity and connection.

In 2016, when she was just 17, Hunter also became the youngest plaintiff in the lawsuit against North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which said people had to use the public bathrooms that corresponded to the sex on their birth certificates, not their gender identity. “I just wanted to be an example of who the bill was affecting so the lawmakers could see that,” she says now.

But the experience also gave her national attention, and in her final year of high school, a North Carolina photographer suggested she reach out to Elite Models. After a trip to Manhattan, she signed with them. “By the time I graduated, I had this nice little check and I was like, okay, this is my ticket to New York,” she says. “Since middle school, all I wanted was to be in a city, particularly New York. I just wanted to be immersed in [the fashion] industry that I looked up to for so long.” That same year, she started walking in shows for top-tier designers at New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week and booking shoots for ASOS’s magazine and Vogue Japan. Casual, right?

The idea was never to jump into acting. Instead, she had plans to go to Central Saint Martins fashion design school in London. But while HBO was casting Euphoria, it ditched the TV world’s traditional way of doing things and went more rogue, choosing to pluck unknowns from the street and blast out ads on Instagram. That’s how Hunter first heard about the gig. Her friends passed around a post looking for femme trans actors, but Hunter didn’t think to audition until her agency suggested it. Once she did, casting directors said she “won it in a beautiful way.”

After she was offered the role, she spent about five hours with creator Sam Levinson at a coffee shop, spilling her guts. She says she told him basically everything about her life so he could understand what it was like to grow up trans and how Hunter’s experience could inform Jules as a character. “Sam really ripped himself open to write this story,” she says. “Seeing his commitment made it easier to put my own love and full self into what I was doing.” Although Sam had an idea of who Jules was, viewers can spot shades of Hunter throughout the show, inspired by her real life.

“Jules’s transition toward queerness is definitely something that I felt like I could bring to this story,” says Hunter. “I wasn’t acting like Jules, but some of the frameworks in my head are around being a femme person and how I relate to the world that way. But they weren’t necessarily healthy or accurate for who I am as a person or who I want to be around. I can relate to Jules deconstructing and starting to do what feels better.”

She hints at that idea in her art too. Back in January 2018, she posted a sketch to Instagram where she wrote, “My gender was so influenced by a need to be used by men.”

Which, yep, sounds like Jules. In the most recent episode, she talks this out even more explicitly. When a new friend asks her about her relationship to men, Jules responds, “In my head, it’s like, if I can conquer men, I can conquer femininity.”

But TBH, Jules really just wants “a cute-ass relationship,” says Hunter. And true stans aren’t into her dangerous trysts with rando men in town (or that whole Tyler catfishing story line that we don’t even need to go into, but damn you, Jacob Elordi!). No, they ship Rules, aka Jules and her best-friend-turned-romantic-interest Rue, the drug-addicted, potentially bipolar star of the show played by Zendaya.

Although their relationship throughout season 1 has been full of glittery highs and depressing lows, it’s in these scenes that Hunter shows her low-key incredible range as an actor. With a slow, coy smile, long platinum hair, and limbs that stretch into eternity, Hunter commands your attention onscreen. Her face moves in tiny motions. A lip tremble or a narrowed eye can make you truly feel all the feels. Her warbling voice, which is the same onscreen and off, feels so genuine and authentic that you almost forget Hunter isn’t Jules IRL. While watching, you have to remind yourself this is her first acting gig. You’d never know by how she and Zendaya, a bona fide movie star who’s been on camera basically all her life, play off each other.

“We’d spend three hours just cuddling in bed together as our characters,” Hunter says about acting with Z (yes, that’s what she calls her). “There are a lot of scenes where Rue and Jules are just in bed talking and holding each other. Shooting that broke down a lot of the physical intimacy barriers.”

But let’s be real, there were basically no walls left between anyone by the end of filming. It was an intense experience that went on for eight months. “At some point, it felt like we were never going to finish,” she says.

Hunter only met the rest of the cast when they began production in Los Angeles. While filming the pilot, the studio put them up at the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood. That’s where they all got to know each other. (Your visions of room service and slumber parties are correct.) “We would just go swimming and hang out,” she says. “It was also during Pride, so the Standard was just absolutely nuts. We watched from the sidelines, but to witness that together was wild.”

Once they started filming, the whole group grew to have a “familial vibe,” she says, and spent their time between takes riding bikes around the Sony lot or sunbathing on a concrete slab between their trailers. “Every once in a while, we’d manage to steal a golf cart and take that for a ride,” says Hunter.

Her favorite day happened at the end of the shoot at the wrap party, during which Drake reportedly handed out wads of cash to the cast. “It was such a surreal moment, and a lot of people hadn’t been partying for so long because we did so many night shoots,” she says. “People couldn’t really go out, so I think everyone just went really hard that night, as they should.” How hard, you ask? She’ll never tell.

Now that Euphoria is out in the world (the finale airs this Sunday), Hunter says the cast has a near-constant group text where they keep in touch and talk about basically everything. Today’s topic? Leo professing his love for the show. “That’s been the past 24 hours for us.”

Next, though, Hunter will head back to Los Angeles, prep for Euphoria’s second season, and figure out what other kinds of acting roles she can get into. “I’d love to try playing a character who is a stark difference from me,” she says. “Fantasy would be fun.”

But as we weave through downtown Manhattan in Hunter’s ride, she turns to the window and shrieks. “Ah, look!” I follow her gaze as she presses her hand to the window. There goes a New York City public bus with a Euphoria poster plastered on its side. Hunter turns back to me with a full, wide smile. “Oh, that’s so cool.”

Hunter Schafer Says This Was the Hardest Euphoria Scene for Her to Shoot

Hunter Schafer Says This Was the Hardest Euphoria Scene for Her to Shoot

The first-time actress discusses her hit show, the power of art that makes us uncomfortable, and what’s next.

Before the end of the first episode of HBO’s Euphoria, I’d already looked up Hunter Schafer’s name online. Much to my surprise, I discovered her role in the series was her first acting credit — an impressive feat given the dynamism of her performance in a bleak high school melodrama that touches on rape, drug abuse, and self-harm.

In one of Schafer’s early scenes, her character Jules is cornered and threatened by football player Nate (Jacob Elordi) at a house party. Jules retaliates by pulling a butcher’s knife on him, and then cutting herself across the arm. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but Schafer’s delivery is somehow both savage and totally vulnerable.

Given her stunning performance on the show, it’s no surprise that Schafer now has an Instagram fanbase of over 400,000, or that she was greeted by enthusiastic young fans just moments before stepping inside the InStyle studios.“I don’t know how to process that,” she tells me with a grin. She arrived on set wearing raw-hem pastel Thom Browne separates, looking like Gen Z Cher Horowitz. She also brought an entourage, including her mom.

Schafer sat down with InStyle to discuss her hit show, the power of art that makes us uncomfortable, and what’s next.

InStyle: Euphoria deals with a lot of tough topics in a realistic way, which isn’t always easy to watch. Do you think it’s important to face art that can make us uncomfortable?

Hunter Schafer: I think art should function as something that catches you off guard or makes you feel seen in a way that you might not normally be seen, and that’s an uncomfortable experience. It’s kind of similar to acting in that you have to embrace the discomfort in order to go where you need to go. And so I think for it to be effective, people will have to be uncomfortable — and people don’t like being uncomfortable sometimes, but that’s the tricky part.

The fact that Jules is trans isn’t made verbally explicit until several episodes in. Was it important to you for Jules’s depiction break the norms of trans representation?

I don’t think we were even trying to break the norms. I think we just wanted to tell a good story and a story that let Jules as a character breathe and be complicated, and be messy outside of an identity, which I think it accomplishes.

Considering the nature of the show, are there any scenes that were particularly difficult for you to shoot or go to mentally?

The kitchen scene [in the first episode] was difficult for me. I had been anticipating it a lot, and maybe overthought it, and also it was just scary. It’s a scary situation to be in and there were like 200 extras on set. [Scenes] with lots of extras is kind of scary because you just have everyone looking at you.

You were a model before you started acting. Did the fashion industry prepare you for this new career path at all?

I think it got me comfortable in front of the camera, which did take a minute. Having this object recording your every move or moment is a weird thing to have to get accustomed to, so in that sense I think it prepared me. But then I don’t know, acting itself is a whole other beast.

As a first-time actor, have your co-stars given you any advice or helped you navigate the industry at all?

Yeah. Some of us are new [to the industry] and some of us aren’t. Like in the way that families function, we were all helping each other out and I definitely received some awesome advice from my castmates and director.

You and Jules are both extremely fashionable — how does your style differ from hers?

I think, especially in the past year, going to work and not having to get dressed nicely because you’re going to change into costume anyways, I like sweatpants now and that was not a thing before. And I don’t know if Jules is a huge fan of sweatpants either, or just kind of wore streetwear. Maybe she will be, I don’t know. But, yeah, I think I’m definitely a little more chill, sometimes a little more masc than her.

In addition to the modeling and acting, you’re also a visual artist and a published writer. Are there any other creative outlets you’re eager to explore?

I’d love to get in some dance classes. One of my love languages is touch and movement —and love as in like romantic or platonic. I find that a really beautiful way to connect to people. And so I think that is really fun to explore through dance. It’s something I would definitely love to delve into, like FKA Twigs.

What are you looking for in future projects?

I don’t know if I’m looking for anything in particular. I’m mostly just excited to keep trying acting and I think maybe for my next role I’d love to try someone who’s a bit further away from who I am, whether they’re cis or like an alien or something. I don’t know, I just want to keep exploring.

SMALL TALK

Who was your first celebrity crush?

I was a One Direction fan. I think probably Zayn Malik.

What’s one food you’ll never get sick of?

Spaghetti.

Astrology, yes or no?

That’s a hard one! I don’t know, I don’t personally look into it, but a lot of my friends do.

What’s your favorite item of clothing that you own?

A sweater that’s sort of been through like a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants thing, but like with a bunch of trans women that I love.

Who have you been the most starstruck to meet in Hollywood so far?

Mj Rodriguez.

What’s an account you’re obsessed with right now?

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

I don’t really feel guilty about anything that I do. If I’m doing it, I’m doing it.

What’s one thing you wish people knew about you?

I feel like sometimes people are intimidated by me. Maybe because I’m tall, I don’t know. But I am probably just as intimidated by you because I’m a shy person.

Hunter Schafer On Transitioning In High School And Working With Zendaya

She’s in summer’s most controversial TV show and is part of a new wave of trans actors and models carving out careers on their own terms. This is her first big UK interview.

“Did you see last night’s episode of Euphoria?” In juice bars and nail salons, Uber rides and yoga classes, it’s all anyone in Los Angeles is talking about. Tonight, American audiences will be watching the final episode of HBO’s controversial eight-part drama, which charts the drug-addled sex lives of a group of high-school teenagers with unflinching honesty (and approximately 423 close-up shots of penises). Since its US premiere in June, Euphoria has become a monster hit, racking up millions of views and downloads and becoming the main topic of water-cooler conversation. In LA, where the show was filmed, giant billboards of its lead, the former Disney actress Zendaya, loom from the sides of buildings. But while Zendaya’s portrayal of troubled teen Rue might be the reason people started watching the show, it’s the newcomer Hunter Schafer’s heart-wrenching depiction of transgender Jules that keeps them coming back.

When you see the 20-year-old Schafer starring in graphically intimate scenes portrayed with nuance and emotion, it’s hard to believe this is her first acting gig. She has spent the past two years on the fashion scene, breaking barriers to become one of the first trans models to walk for the likes of Dior, Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu. When we meet for oat milk cappuccinos in Beverly Hills, I expect a flurry of fans to run up and demand selfies with her, but Schafer’s profile is mostly under the radar — for now.

“I’ve only just started to get recognised,” she says. “I went for a walk the other day and this guy in his truck rolled down the window and was like, ‘Yo, I love your show!’ It’s the strangest thing.” Said show has divided American critics, with some praising it for its bravery and hyper-stylised beauty, while others dismiss it as needlessly shocking and provocative, yet its success is uncontestable: HBO has commissioned a second series and, over here, Sky Atlantic has rescheduled it from autumn to start this week.

How does overnight success feel? “I’ve had a few offers off the back of it, which has been cool,” she says. “But I’m just trying to take it slow, because it’s a lot of change and it’s happening really fast. I just don’t want to go insane.” Schafer is disarmingly sweet and sensitive in person, smiling goofily when talking about something she loves, fiddling with a strand of her pale blonde hair when facing a question she’s not sure how to answer. She admits she found the audition process for the show “intimidating”, especially after she learnt that her first scenes would include portrayals of violent, abusive sex with a much older man and cutting herself. “It was quite the first impression of the show,” she says with a wry smile. “And, yeah, I was a little concerned. But then I got the scripts for the rest of the episodes and that’s when it clicked for me that, wow, this would actually be a really cool thing to be a part of. I like where this story is going.”

While many of the scenes are extreme in nature, Schafer insists she never felt uncomfortable on set and says there was nothing she refused to do, except take her bra off during a sex scene. “I trusted Sam [Levinson, the show’s creator] from the get-go and I trusted the vision. And if there was an instance when I wanted to say no to something, we had the intimacy co-ordinator there and I had a trans co-ordinator. That support made me even more willing to go to places that I might not be comfortable with.” The show’s trans co-ordinator, Scott (a fellow trans person), was on set for Schafer to consult whenever there were scenes focused around her trans identity; she has said that he was a vital support to her on an otherwise cisgender set. But her biggest encouragement came from her castmates, whom she grew extremely close to during filming — particularly Zendaya, whom Schafer refers to as Zee: “We were actually hanging out last night, just chilling on her sofa.”

Schafer grew up in a quiet suburb of Raleigh in North Carolina. She is the oldest of four siblings. Her father is a pastor and her mother also works in the ministry. She’s diplomatic when I ask her what it was like growing up in that environment. “It’s not my favourite place in the world. It’s in the Bible Belt, and it’s normal to be backwards there. I was living there when they passed House Bill 2, which excluded trans people from public bathrooms. Growing up as a young trans person and having your own legislature telling you that you don’t exist, or that you’re a danger to society, that sucks.”

She started to transition when she was 14, and kept it a secret from her family at first. “I would get mascara from my friends and put it on in the bathroom at school and then take it off before I got picked up. I bought a pair of $20 heels from Sears and would sneak them into my backpack to wear at school. My close friends knew, but a lot of people in my community didn’t.” She describes her experience of transitioning as a slow, drawn-out process. “A lot of it was in a stationary moment, waiting, trying to figure things out. Then I got approved by a therapist to start hormones.” She was still in high school at the time, so how did her parents react when she told them? Schafer squirms in her seat. “I don’t know if I want to get into that.” She stresses that her parents are supportive now. “I presented more androgynously in high school, when my parents and I started becoming more on the same page with being trans. At that point in our lives, none of us knew what being trans was. We had to YouTube Jazz Jennings and Laverne Cox. That’s all I had. They have come such a long way from where we were at that point.”

It was in Raleigh that she was discovered by a photographer, who put her in touch with her current agents. At 18 she moved to New York and quickly fell in with the fashion set, interning for the irreverent “anti-fashion” label Vaquera. She hadn’t considered acting until she spotted Euphoria’s open casting call on Instagram; a few days later she got the call, via her agent, to come to an audition. She moved to LA in October, when filming started, and currently lives on her own in Silver Lake, though she doesn’t feel settled yet. “We started filming before I could really settle in, so I don’t have a couch, I don’t have a TV — it’s literally a bed and a desk,” she says. “Now I want to start again so that by season two it feels like a proper home.”

Schafer got to relive her high-school years in Euphoria. “It was therapeutic in a lot of ways,” she says, “and fun, because I got to be in high school again and feel more like myself than I ever did in my real life, and looking the way I wanted to.” She was closely involved with creating her character’s wardrobe, which consists of a succession of tiny miniskirts, fluffy backpacks and glittery neon make-up. “If I was 17, that is exactly what I would be wearing,” she says. The day we meet there’s more than a touch of Jules to her outfit — a multicoloured, oversized Versus Versace T-shirt worn as a dress and a pair of chunky black Dr Martens that make her long legs look even more Bambi-like.

She struggles with the idea of being a poster girl for the trans movement, or even an activist, yet she has been outspoken in the past about trans rights, particularly in relation to House Bill 2, which she speaks about to her more than 300,000 Instagram followers. “I feel way too young to be a role model,” she says. “I still have a lot of messiness to get out of my system. I’m 20! Trans people have come up to me and shown me pictures of their pre-transition selves, sharing these moments with me that felt really private and personal. That’s been very affirming. But it’s frustrating because I will talk about being a trans person, which is a normal, everyday part of my life, and merely being vocal about it will have cis people thinking I’m an activist — just because I talk about who I am. Being an activist has never been my goal. My goal has always been to be an artist.” She still comes across prejudice, particularly on social media. “There’s been a lot of discourse about my anatomy, which is dumb.” When I ask how she feels about Donald Trump, she splutters into laughter. I’m guessing she’s not a fan? “No! F*** Trump. F*** the administration.”

Schafer says she’s no longer interested in modelling: “It’s safe to say I was only modelling because I needed to pay the bills, but I loved the fashion industry.” She had a place to study fashion at Central St Martins, but gave it up for the part in Euphoria. “Acting feels a lot more fulfilling right now,” she says. There were some high points during her fashion career, though, like walking for Miu Miu alongside Naomi Campbell, Gwendoline Christie and Chloë Sevigny: “That was an insane cast. We were all lined up in this hallway waiting to walk and I couldn’t speak. I was sweating so hard — it was unreal.” Now her downtime is spent drawing in coffee shops or dancing. “I used to do contemporary dance and I love improvisation — it’s my favourite way to have a conversation with somebody.” Is she dating at the moment? More squirming. “It’s complicated,” she says with a laugh. “I look at someone like FKA Twigs, who’s learning how to sword fight, do ballet, pole dance, and also being a musician — that’s goals. That’s what I’m working towards. I want to give everything a shot.”

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer on that finale and the future of Rue and Jules

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Euphoria season 1 finale, “And Salt the Earth Behind You.”

HBO’s wild new series Euphoria came to a dramatic end in its season 1 finale last night. The final moments involved a breakup (Rue and Jules, a.k.a. Rules), a breakdown (Nate), and full-fledged musical number (Rue).

While Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) had a magical moment at the dance and their first big romantic kiss, the pair ultimately parted ways as Jules headed to “the city” and Rue returned home and relapsed.

EW talked to Schafer about that tearful train station goodbye and her hopes for season 2.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s talk about the finale: What did you think of Jules leaving Ru at the train station?
HUNTER SCHAFER: Yeah, I mean, it’s complicated and hard to just feel one-sided because there’s a lot going on right there. I think Jules is sort of wrapped up in this idea of the city, especially after her most recent trips there and having this wild experience and feeling the energy that she craved. And then coming back home and missing that, but also while she was in the city, she was missing Rue. So when Rue offers or sort of just throws the idea out there that they could run off and just go to the city and be happy now that they’re in this place of sort of an understood reciprocation of their love for each other, of course Jules jumps at that.

So I understand Jules as being upset and getting all wrapped up in this idea of being able to return to one of her favorite places she’s been to in a long time. In another sense, it’s the first time we see Rue really making a decision for her sister and her mom, which is really, really important, I think. And while she does relapse, I think that that decision can sort of be seen as a glimmer of hope maybe, and that she’s not making decisions around this sort of toxic idealization of Jules. So yeah, I don’t know. It’s hard to say.

I know you and Zendaya have gotten very close. Was that hard shooting a goodbye scene not knowing what the future holds for Ru and Jules?
Yeah. It was really emotional. It messes with me to see my friends in pain and I can’t do anything. When we we were shooting that scene, it’s just like we were standing on that train platform and the train for hours, but all I could do as my character was just try to coax Rue onto the train. And it was just heartbreaking to just feel that distance already there between the train platform and the train, and then knowing that we don’t know what the future holds for them.

But actually the last scene that we shot as Rue and Jules was the one in the hospital bed at the beginning of the episode. So that was also another emo one.

Are you being stopped by people on the street now? What is the fan reaction like?
Yeah, it’s been, it’s only really felt like it’s actually started to affect my day-to-day life in the past two, three weeks. It’s starting to happen where every time I go on walks around my neighborhood all the time, and I have been since I lived there. But now it’s like I can’t really do that. I just am still getting used to the idea that people are going to interject and say hi and stuff.

Before the winter formal, Rue and Jules catch their parents drinking wine together. Are they becoming a couple?
That’s a good question. I think it’s definitely, like, they were drinking wine together. I guess that could be something. I do not know how Rue and Jules would feel about this, though. That could, whoa, that would be a little messy.

Nate’s motivations and intentions toward Jules are still confusing. What is your take on their relationship?
Yeah, I mean, the really interesting part is I don’t think anybody knows. I think Jacob [Elordi, who portrays Nate] has even expressed not knowing what Nate’s intentions and feelings are, which has kept the interactions they’ve had a little ambiguous in that sense. But I mean, I think based off of his f—ing amazing scene this episode with his dad that was horrifying, he sort of experienced a mental break. I think you can tell that he’s not, like he’s not complete sociopathic or psychopathic in that I don’t think a psychopath would have lost his sh— and tried to bust his head open.

And so I think that is really telling, that he has an unbelievable amount of inner turmoil and conflict and a civil war going on inside of him, which I think is understandable or relatable to a lot of people. But I think for him, it’s astronomic inside. So I don’t think Nate knows. I think Nate probably has feelings, like little tinges of feelings that sometimes we’ve seen him let out but quickly met with self-suppression and killing that feeling, which is sort of internalized in a violent form, which is his favorite way to make a point.

Do you have a scene or episode this season you’re particularly proud of?
Let’s see. Yeah, I mean, I’m still pretty pumped about the club scene. Yeah, the scenes in episode 7 I feel really cool about because it was really special just having trans presences to do scenes with. I think was really fun and it allowed me to enter a headspace for those scenes. It just felt really nice to be in an environment where I was surrounded by people who shared an identity with me.

I loved the scene where Anna [Quintessa Swindell] is applying makeup to Jules and Jules is kind of, that’s a true story of mine Jules is telling about buying the shoes from Sears and sneaking them home. And so Sam [Levinson, the series’ creator] kind of let me interject my own story there. And the scene after where it’s sort of all flashing between Nate and Rue and Anna. I loved working with all of them. So they’re kind of all complied into one moment. And then when Rue says this isn’t going to end well.

There’s a rumor that Rue is actually dead and narrating this from the afterlife. Have you heard that?
Yeah, I’ve heard about it because it got pretty popular. I guess you could apply that perspective if you wanted to. But I don’t really see anything that confirms that.

Has Sam told you anything yet about season 2?
We’ve talked about it a little, but I absolutely can’t say anything.

Is there something you’d personally like to see happen with Jules in season 2?
I think I want to continue to see Jules work on herself in that she’s still got some major issues, and to continue to dissect that and feel it out. I think she learns from experiencing things. And so to experience what she needs to, without being messy, that’s from the sort of loving parent/sister relationship I feel like I have with her. That’s what I want for her, although who knows how it will play out. I’m sure it will be more messy than I would hope for her.

Hunter Schafer Isn’t So Sure About Being a Role Model

Hunter Schafer Isn’t So Sure About Being a Role Model

The 20-year-old breakout star on grappling with Instagram, trans visibility, and newfound fame.

This summer, millions of people tuned in to Euphoria to watch Zendaya depart from her squeaky-clean Disney Channel image once and for all. She plays Rue Bennett, a 17-year-old drug addict fresh off an unsuccessful stint in rehab, on the Drake-produced HBO drama series. But it was 20-year-old model Hunter Schafer, making her acting debut, who stole the show. Schafer plays Jules, a trans girl who has just moved to town from the big city and quickly befriends Rue while also inadvertently winning her romantic interest.

As one of just a few visible trans actresses in Hollywood, Schafer gives a performance that has been hailed as revolutionary for the way it casually presents her gender identity. Jules isn’t a token character. Notably, her plotline is largely devoid of any pat explanations about her transition (though there is one frightening flashback to Jules’s childhood stint in a psych ward), and Schafer plays her with captivating vulnerability.

“I certainly wasn’t living my life the same way Jules was in high school,” the actress says with a laugh, presumably at the thought of sleeping with a parade of married men in sketchy motels—something Jules does with alarming regularity. “The environment I was in at her age differs, but the headspace felt accurate. I could definitely relate to her motives.”

To say Schafer grew up in a different environment is an understatement: She was raised by conservative parents (her dad is a pastor) in the South. But as far back as middle school, she knew she wasn’t long for small-town life. Schafer’s dreams of fleeing her native North Carolina to pursue a career in fashion began in middle school, and by the end of high school she was watching each season’s runway shows. Her future started to take shape when, on a college tour of New York City at 18, Schafer met with an Elite Model Management agent she’d met on Instagram. A self-professed late bloomer, she credits a growth spurt as one of the reasons she decided to go on the meeting. She was signed on the spot.

In a way, filming Euphoria was like a year of college.

By Schafer’s third season of modeling, her career had seemingly taken off: She was walking in Paris and Milan for the likes of Dior, Miu Miu, and Helmut Lang and appearing in fashion magazines all over the world. While the fashion industry embraced Schafer for her ethereal yet edgy look and cool-kid versatility, she refers to her ascent as a “slow burn.”

For the most part, she saw her foray into modeling as a postponement of her real-life plan. She’d deferred her acceptance to the renowned Central Saint Martins in London—where she hopes to study fashion design eventually—in order to save for tuition.

As a model, she says, “I worked with some of my favorite designers on the planet, but I never really made a lot of money. I was living paycheck to paycheck.” But just as she contemplated leaving modeling and heading to school, she saw another opportunity: auditioning for a then–unnamed HBO series. “I had seen the casting call floating around on Instagram,” she recalls. “A few days later, I got a call from my agent saying that the network requested I come in [and read] for it. So I decided to give it a shot.” She continues, “I didn’t know what I was doing. I had never been on an audition before.” Nonetheless, she dove headfirst into the material, and with every callback (there were “at least five”), she grew more attached to the role.

Even though her college plans were derailed once again, Schafer doesn’t feel as though she’s missing out on an education. “In a way, filming Euphoria was like a year of college, learning this new craft and getting to build on it every day,” she says.

In the wake of Euphoria’s June debut, there’s been a flurry of sensational reviews, most of them either celebrating the breakout cast’s portrayal of such complicated and wildly attractive high schoolers or criticizing the show’s explicit content. (There’s a fair amount of nudity, hard-core drug use, and explicit sex, even in the first episode.) Whether viewers were moved by each episode’s brutal honesty or overwhelmed by the barrage of gaspworthy scenes, Euphoria had everyone talking.

Since then, Schafer has been trying to get used to the spotlight. “It’s really wild to be at this new level of visibility,” she says. “It’s something I’m still adjusting to and trying to understand.” For example, she’s made a conscious effort to keep what she calls “a pretty solid distance” from social media. “I’ve received quite a few messages from trans people who are excited about the representation on the show,” she says.

Because of the palpable realness Schafer brings to her character, members of the trans community have been quick to crown her a role model. “I think that [term] has a lot of weight to it,” she says, admitting she’s unsure she can live up to their expectations. But ready or not, it’s happening. “I don’t really know if it’s up to me anymore.”

Euphoria’s Breakout Star Hunter Schafer On Her Hopes For A New Era In Hollywood

Following the success of her acting debut alongside Zendaya as Jules Vaughn in Euphoria, Hunter Schafer reveals how her own life experiences helped shape the show that got everyone talking

Hunter Schafer blazed on to our screens in HBO’s groundbreaking teen TV series Euphoria, touching audiences worldwide through her portrayal of Jules, a 17-year-old trans femme. “She’s in high school and is navigating sexual escapades with older men, and trying to search for something less toxic,” explains Schafer. At just 20-years-old, the actor’s rise to fame as part of creator Sam Levinson’s no-holds-barred portrayal of modern American teenage life has been nothing short of meteoric. “I’m really new to this industry. I’m still kind of learning how everything works and the system, but I mean, I can’t say I’ve seen someone portray a character like my character on Euphoria,” she adds.

Vogue caught up with the actor at the Venice Film Festival, where she took part in a candid panel discussion in celebration of Miu Miu’s influential Women’s Tales film series revealing, in her own words, what opportunities there are for trans actors in Hollywood, and how she is striving for a healthier relationship with social media.

On opportunities for trans actors:

“This is my first time acting in Euphoria, so I’m really interested in just trying it again and seeing what happens. I don’t know if there are that many more roles of trans women that are for me. I feel like there is a place where I might be able to play cis roles and it’s something that I’ve been thinking about and [have been] conscious of as I enter the industry. I’m really excited about acting now and want to do more of it. There are so many talented trans women out there who have worlds inside themselves that deserve to be part of the filmmaking world, and we’re very capable of playing any acting role. So, yeah, [it’s] something that’s been on my mind, and it’s weird because it still feels like new territory for the industry.”

On how her own life experiences impacted Euphoria:

“The director/creator of Euphoria Sam Levinson is absolutely incredible. HBO kept me in LA for a few extra days just so we could sit down in a cafe and work through our lives together and see what kind of puzzle we could form — he essentially puts himself in all the characters as well, so it’s figuring out how we all fit together. As a man in the industry, it’s a responsibility you have when you hire talent with lived experiences you might not be able to identify with. He [Sam Levinson] is an incredible collaborator, and it made it all the more immersive to bring myself into [the character of] Jules as well.”

On cis actresses playing trans women on screen:

“In an ideal world, in a vacuum, anybody should be able to. The concept of acting could be applied to everybody. As far as the structure of the world right now and the sort of hierarchies that exist, I don’t think it’s justifiable until hierarchies are gone or levelled out.”

On social media:

“I think about it all the time because it’s such a surreal space, and I’ve had to take some distance from it recently for my head. But it’s a tool, and it’s so powerful and a lot can be done with it. It’s a matter of how much, and how we do that on a space such as Instagram, which I don’t think was intended for this kind of world-building and this momentum-building. It’s really strange how you can be scrolling and see selfies and puppies, and then death and violence and how those can exist right next to each other and how we internalise everything, which makes me question if Instagram or social media is the right place for that.”

Hunter Schafer Steals the Toiletries from Hotel Bathrooms Too

Hunter Schafer Steals the Toiletries from Hotel Bathrooms Too

Talking skincare, Rick Owens and head harnesses with the ‘Euphoria’ star.

By some stretch, the best looking programme on TV right now is HBO’s Euphoria. A kaleidoscope of enviable bone structure, inventive styling, and skin so glowing it made me actively annoyed when I initially tuned in, Euphoria has been cited for its sumptuous photography, and zeitgeist-defining hair and make-up. It’s also been celebrated, however, for the performances of its young cast, in particular those of two of its central actors – Zendaya, who plays against type as the smart-arse narrator Rue, and breakout star Hunter Schafer, who plays Rue’s best friend and love interest Jules, in her first acting role.

From Schafer’s scenes even in Euphoria’s very first episode, she is engaging and arresting, especially in a demanding moment playing against Jacob Elordi’s unhinged athlete Nate. Schafer wears Jules’ sci-fi Sailor Moon looks like both a second skin and a suit of armour, and – along with Alexa Demie who plays Maddy, and make-up artist Kirstin Sage Coleman – has inspired swathes of people online to try out the show’s style, which I’m going to go ahead and term “Instagram Psychedelic.”

Elsewhere, Hunter is a trans rights activist, and also a model who has appeared in campaigns for brands like Kenzo, Coach, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, and many more of the world’s most discerning fashion houses. With all that demand stacking up, and a confirmed second season of Euphoria on the way (the last instalment of Season 1 airs in the UK on Sky Atlantic on Tuesday the 24th of September), Hunter Schafer is almost certainly entering her imperial phase. But how does that feel? And what’s it like to be the person wearing those iconic Euphoria make-up looks? And – sorry – but do you have to cut some sort of deal with the underworld for your skin to look like that? I recently met up with Hunter in London to find out.

VICE: Hey Hunter! What’s your morning skin routine?
Hunter Schafer: I kind of only have one skincare routine. I just shower and I put on moisturiser after I shower!

It’s so in depth, I can’t believe it.
And that’s it.

What’s your nightly skin routine?
Same sort of thing. I think it depends on if I have make-up on from work – I take that shower, get it off, throw the moisturiser on. Same deal.

What’s the weirdest skin product you’ve ever used, or procedure you’ve ever had done?
Not that I’ve been conscious of using, but maybe one has fallen into my hands!

What’s the most expensive skin product or procedure you’ve ever used?
I don’t know if it’s pricey but my last hotel had really … I really liked the smell of the moisturiser. So I took it and that’s what I’ve been using. And maybe it is expensive. It could be – it’s Italian.

What does it smell like?
I can’t put a finger on it. The thing that’s coming to mind is, like, pears?

Yum. I love stuff like that because you smell yourself and you’re like, “What a delicious treat,” and then you’re like, “It’s me!”
Exactly. I’m the treat.

What was your most inconvenient zit?
Thankfully, I don’t deal with a lot of acne but every now and then, we get a little friend that pops up. I remember a few times during filming Euphoria, I got one right in the middle of my forehead. And also, I’m just really pale, so any kind of inconsistency is just gonna pop out. And we were shooting something that connected to a scene that we already shot a while ago, before I had the zit, so it was a continuity issue too.

But! The show is about teens, and it’s been praised for its relatability, so a zit––
Popping up in a matter of minutes!

What’s the best budget skin care product you use?
I mean, dentist’s chapstick! Which you know, you can just grab a handful of, have been lifesavers.

When do you let your skincare slide?
Yeah, I won’t beat myself up for falling asleep in my make-up if that’s where the night takes me. You know, if I have make-up on – I don’t usually wear it! But if I have it on and then I go out? Sure! There’s a chance I could fall asleep in it – fine!

It’s interesting that you’re not so into make-up, because obviously in _Euphoria_**, one of the big parts of the character is make-up. Was that a bit alien to you when you started the role?** No, because I used to be more concerned with make-up, and also I think if I did wear make-up, it would not be too far from what Jules does. Because yeah, I like that Jules is interested in shapes and colour and moods, rather than just trying to be, like, pretty. And that’s how I think I would want to approach it as well.

What’s the most outlandish piece of clothing you’ve ever bought?
I bought a head harness. It goes around, over your nose, and then around to the sides of your mouth. I think I wore it for a photoshoot that I creative directed back in New York, but that’s the only context I’ve worn it in. That’s not that outlandish! I don’t wanna make sex-centric stuff seem like it’s ‘out there,’ but yeah, I don’t see a lot of people wearing head harnesses out and about!

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever worn?
Usually, if I’m on a photoshoot and they have borrowed jewellery that’s really nice, there will literally just be six massive dudes in suits there to protect the jewellery. And I’ve been on a few shoots where that’s been the case. So I imagine that!

I bet that makes it kind of an intimidating vibe
Yeah, just a little! It’s not uncommon to lose an earring on set but you cannot – they’re not gonna let you off set.

What’s been your most High Fashun experience?
Walking Rick Owens will always have a warm place in my heart, because all of his clothes exist in this space between fashion and art that’s really yummy.

What did they have you wear?
I was in a coat with bat wings that I tried to accentuate with my walk so that they bounced when I walked. And then I had a giant crown on, and there was a burning witch totem in the middle of the runway, so it felt like a seance. It was wonderful.

What’s your favourite shoot you’ve done?
Probably my Dazed cover with Mario Sorrenti and Rick Owens clothes – as you can tell I’m a Rick Owens fan.

Did you get much say in the art direction of that?
No, I think I knew coming into it that it was a Rick Owens special, and I was really happy about that. And then also my PAPER mag digital covers were a lot of fun, and I loved the way they turned out as far as shooting vines out of my hands, I wish that was a thing I could really do.

I feel like PAPER always has really interesting concepts for those digital covers.
They go off.

Have you ever done a shoot with a funny or weird concept?
Oh yeah! The Kenzo campaign I did not too long ago actually. For the video portion, it was very improv-y – it was supposed to be chaotic, like that’s the energy of the video. But they were like screaming at us like, “OK, you’re on a boat! And you’re in the middle of the sea! And you’re protecting this box of lemons! And you can NOT let the lemons fall! And if the lemons fall, it’s the end of the fucking world!” So we’re on this make-believe boat like rocking and screaming and there’s like wind. It’s only a few flashes of it in the actual campaign but it was kind of exhilarating.

And there was another one where we were doing a make-believe aeroplane, and they asked one of the models to act like she can’t find her mom, and she’s like a six-year-old, and then the plane starts crashing. It was so intense. And she was like, screaming in these rows of chairs – and then I come in and I’m a doctor. Someone starts having a heart attack. I don’t know. It was wild.

What do you wear when you’re by yourself chilling?
Like, a hoodie and underwear.

What’s been your biggest fashion disaster?
I mean back when I was a lot younger, yeah. I used to wear really tight tops, and then really baggy basketball shorts together, because I liked the silhouette. In retrospect, I think I was trying to mimic a dress, but it looked awful. But I think it’s cute that I was trying to mimic that shape!

What’s your holy grail Only Celebs Know make-up tip?
Maybe they’ve used special tricks on me, but I wouldn’t know when they did, and when to ask! I wish I could tell you one!

What’s the most bizarre thing a make-up artist has done to you?
I think maybe – it wasn’t that wild – but when I walked Matty Bovan, we had giant blue squares on our faces, like smack dab in the middle of our faces. That was fun, and something I had never had on my face before! I think that’s the one.

And then finally a Euphoria bonus question: Which of Jules’ looks did you like best?
I’m pretty sure the club sequence, and I would say wearing the spikes in the fantasy sequence where we killed Nate is probably the most disorienting just because they reflect light.

Euphoria Star Hunter Schafer Has “Pretty Complicated” Feelings About Jules’ Final Scene

When I meet Hunter Schafer the morning after Burberry’s London Fashion Week party, she’s warm and sprightly. “Sorry, I was just popping some Tylenol,” Hunter laughs as she takes a gulp of water. I’d just interrupted to ask how she was doing. “I’m alright, yeah! I’m good. I had a fun night in London last night!”

Curled up on the sofa in a Soho hotel suite, I spot Hunter is wearing a cool pair of seemingly leather socks with metal zips. She’s also got thin green ribbon decoratively wrapped around each wrist and looped around her middle fingers. Her big, easy smile is welcoming, and though you may recognize Hunter from her impressive back catalogue of campaigns modeling for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Coach, Miu Miu and more, it’s the quiet, enigmatic energy that I immediately recognize from her debut acting role in one of the most talked-about TV shows of the year.

Hunter stars in Euphoria, the stylish and striking series that follows a group of Gen Z teenagers as they navigate sex, drugs and the turmoil of adolescence in 2019. In it, she plays Jules Vaughn, a new trans kid at their suburban LA high school. She’s magnetic, charming and has a troubled backstory that the first series only hints towards. Her parents divorced and she now lives with her dad; beyond that, we really don’t know what went down to prompt their relocation to the area.

Sleek as its aesthetic may be, Euphoria is intense and often difficult to watch. Revenge porn, sexual manipulation, graphic drug use and severe mental ill-health drive much of the narrative. From an actor’s point of view, it must have been hard to keep a distance from the relentlessness of these themes. How do you separate yourself when you have to be deeply immersed in such an overwhelming world to do it justice on screen? “It’s a good question and one that I’m still figuring out the answer to,” Hunter says. “I kind of feel like I’m only just now or a few weeks ago fully removed from a lot of where I was in my head because we shot for eight months straight, so a lot of it felt very real by the end. Constantly thinking about it and being in that world and shooting; it’s hard not to take that home with you and I think you end up taking it home with you whether you like it or not.”

Hunter stars opposite Zendaya, who plays the show’s cynical, straight-talking narrator Rue. We meet Rue following a stint in rehab after her younger sister Gia (Storm Reid) found her passed out from an overdose in their living room. Jules and Rue meet at a catastrophic house party in episode one and something special immediately clicks between them.

Remembering her early days on set, Hunter thinks that one of their shared drug scenes might’ve been the first thing she shot for the series, and as a new actress. “It was fun! It was just like a little blanket fort and we had glitter all over ourselves and got to act high together. I was like, ‘Okay, I can do this’,” she says. Rue offers Jules an unidentified pill, Jules hesitates about whether it’s a good idea (it’s not a good idea) and next thing you know, they’re in a tent made of blankets, giggling and marveling at the wonders of being super high. “And then the rest of the episode came,” Hunter adds thoughtfully. Unbeknown to Jules at the time, she’s being catfished by Nate (Jacob Elordi) who threatened her at the house party where she and Rue first met. “That was like, woah… I was experiencing a massive mixture of feelings about entering that space.”

She says there was a lot of care between the cast, which sounds crucial to the success and impactful nature of the series. “Just going through that experience together, and how wild it was and how immersive it was and how we all had to hold space for each other and just be open to whatever you were feeling because it was often an exposing set. I mean, if you weren’t literally naked you kind of had to be naked with your emotions or whatever. I think you come out of it either loving that group of people or hating them, and thank god the entire cast is so lovable.”

Exposure aside, Hunter says her favorite part of playing Jules was the personal journey of working on the character. “Throughout the season and near the end it just started feeling so natural. It was fun to watch her grow while growing as an actor. Like, growing together in a weird way.”

You might remember that the series finale left Jules’ future looking a little uncertain. Though a second season of Euphoria has already been confirmed, it’s unlikely that it’ll pick up with Jules and Rue in the same space. At the winter formal dance, Rue suggests running away and Jules eagerly agrees. They speed back to their houses on bikes to pack before heading to the train station where, on the platform, Rue decides that she can’t go. She needs her medication and stability at home, and so Jules rides away into the city on her own.

“I feel pretty complicated about it because I wholeheartedly understand Jules’ desperate desire to be in a city where queer communities are easily accessible to her, and an energy that matches her frequency is accessible and a train ride away,” Hunter explains. “But I also feel so much for Rue. It gets hard because their relationship was not necessarily healthy all the time and I think they both relied on each other in ways that made them want to be very close and far apart at the same time. But ultimately, like Rue, I understand why she left.” Hunter hesitates for a moment and grins, unsure of what she should and shouldn’t say. “I don’t know. I do and I don’t understand.”

I suspect there’s an allusion there to what might be coming next but, unsurprisingly, Hunter isn’t able to let on. When I ask whether she knows much about season two, or whether it’s even in the works, Hunter smiles again and gives a big, animated shrug. “I think that’s about all I can give you,” she laughs. For now, we’ll just have to ride the high of the first season and speculate where the show could take us next. One thing Hunter does have a hunch about, however, is why Euphoria resonated so deeply with so many viewers. “We brought realness to the table and a realness that maybe people have been afraid to bring forward, particularly with teenagers before and in a way that I think we only could’ve done on HBO, and it feels like now is the right time and it was the right place and the right channel and it just worked and people respond to realness – so, I hope that’s why.”

Hunter Schafer On Euphoria, Why She Loved Rue And Jules’ Storyline And Taking A Break From Instagram

The actress talks to ELLE UK about the show’s ‘controversy’ and why she’s taken on a social media hiatus

Zendaya might have enchanted audiences with her dazzling performance as drug dependent Rue, dealing with grief and growing pains, in HBO drama Euphoria. But Hunter Schafer’s breakout portrayal as her otherworldly best friend Jules is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

In the eight-part series, Rue and Jules act as each others’ anchor, in a whirling plot of high-school horrors and issues ranging from revenge porn, slut-shaming and underage sex, through to depression, addiction and the dark side of technology.

To look at, Jules is ethereal with her blonde hair, elfin features and trademark multi-coloured eye make-up – now one of the biggest make-up trends this year – with Schafer saying the eyeshadow was used to ‘reflect or or contrast the mood of the scene’.

But internally, Jules is struggling with childhood trauma, a dysfunctional family life, and a proclivity for sleeping with an undeserving older man.

Incredibly, Schafer is tackling all this in her on-screen debut. The 19-year-old model and LGBTQ+ activist has previously walked the catwalk for Dior, Miu Miu, Helmut Lang, Tommy Hilfiger, and Marc Jacobs. Her first ever acting audition was for Euphoria, giving her a 100% success rate when it came to trying out for roles.

‘Yeah, I mean, not anymore!’ Hunter laughs to Elle UK. ‘I’ve done auditions after [and not got the part].’

In the show, Jules and Rue are immediately drawn to each other, with their friendship eventually progressing into something more. The romantic development appealed to Hunter because it went against TV and film’s outdated vision of a trans woman ‘lusting after men’ and, more than that, she could relate on a personal level as a trans girl ‘moving into queerness’.

‘I remember I got the first four episodes when I was auditioning, and that was definitely an intriguing part because I think we’ve seen the trans girl lusting after men, that narrative has been available,’ Hunter recalled.

‘And this was something I’m more interested in portraying because, number one: its had less screen time, and number two: because it relates to me more personally as a trans girl moving into queerness. Once I saw a glimmer of that, I was really excited and it’s kind of what drove me toward going back to more auditions.’

Before the show reached UK shores, Euphoria had become a talking point across the Atlantic, primarily for the sheer number of naked penises displayed, during one particular locker-room scene in episode two (there are 30, no more, no less, and creator Sam Levinson says he actually compromised by editing out 80).

The excessive male nudity could be interpreted as an attempt to tackle the familiar gender imbalance when it comes to female versus male nudity on screen, as it is usually women required to show skin.

The locker-room scene in question also exposes the male form out of the context of sex, another anomaly, which felt like a statement against the dominant heterosexual male perspective in popular culture.

‘Amen,’ Schafer agrees. ‘Amen’.

Schafer also suggests the furore over the full-frontal male nudity was projected from an older generation whose antiquated views belong in the past.

‘I’m not surprised by the shocked reaction to the nudity, I think it’s a lot different for younger people to watch, and [all the fuss] was coming from an older, maybe more closed-minded, demographic,’ Schafer ruminates. ‘But I think, also, it’s HBO! If I learned anything about HBO, it’s that they’re going to serve the piece best as a work of art. That’s what we did.’

For Schafer’s sex scene with Eric Dane – a harrowing piece of viewing, which takes place in a dingy motel room, and for which Dane, as character Cal, wore a prosthetic penis – an intimacy co-ordinator was hired to ensure they both felt safe and comfortable.

‘She was really helpful, Schafer says. ‘I was really surprised to find out it was a new practice, because with something as fluid as sex and recreating that, you either have to let it happen and let your boundaries down, or have a pretty rigid understanding of what’s going to happen.

‘And, for the safety and well-being of the actors, the rigid way is the way to go. So that was taken on by the co-ordinator, which was really nice because it’s not necessarily something an actor should have to stress about. They need to be concerned with the emotions of the scene, so I’m glad [intimacy co-ordinators] are becoming more of a common practice.’

While the show handles tough and powerful themes, many of which are informed by writer Levinson’s personal experience of drug addiction as a teenager, Hunter doesn’t think Euphoria is trying to be the voice of any one community or aim at just one age-group.

‘I don’t think we were trying to be a voice for something,’ the star said. ‘I think it addresses addiction as it’s central plot-line really well, and mental illness and family dynamics, and puts it on display in a way that is smart.

‘I hope it can be digested by a wide audience because I think there’s something to be taken away by everyone.’

As the success of the series has catapulted Schafer into the mainstream, it’s been an overwhelming experience and one she is still adjusting to, hence her social media hiatus (she’s only posted once on the platform since July).

‘Yeah, it frankly has been overwhelming in a lot of ways, it’s been such a massive blessing and something I’m so thankful that has happened, but over the course of two months I went from 30,000 to 90,00o followers [she currently has 1 million], and it’s a scary transition.

‘I’m still trying to understand how that changes my platform and my responsibilities in trying to restructure my own time before I come back.’

As for what’s in store for Schafer going forward, the star says she doesn’t want to rush into anything too quickly, and besides, she’ll be busy reprising Jules in season 2.

‘I’ve been looking at some things and I’m really excited about acting and getting that ball rolling. I’m taking it slow. I don’t want to tumble into anything too fast. I’be been balancing new work and recovering from the old work and also now knowing that we’re going to do it all over again in a few months.’

As for Jules, like us, Schafer wants her to have a happy story arc, but accepts that could be quite limited and boring, which is everything her character is not.

‘It’s a hard question because the part of me that loves her and wants to protect her, wants wholesome things to happen to her.

‘And then the part of me that loves Euphoria wants an interesting story, so she would probably not have the same fate… And it’s hard to choose which direction to go.’

Hunter Schafer: On My Culture Radar

The Euphoria star on Spirited Away, David Rappeneau’s art and Moby’s vegan restaurant

Current favourite book

I’ve been carrying around The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, and it’s a little pick-me-up when I need it. It’s a collection of writings about queer people accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It was written in the 1980s, which was obviously an intense time for the queer community, and they’re delicious reminders of the magic of queerness.

Restaurant

I love [Moby’s] Little Pine in Los Angeles. It’s a vegan restaurant where they have incredible brunch and dinners. They have a really good scrambled thing, amazing pancakes, they have oat milk for coffee, and probably the best vegan pizza I’ve had in my whole life. I’m not a committed vegan, but I linger in the vegan area. It helps that it’s near to where I live, and I like the energy in the restaurant.

Comedian

Julio Torres. My friend told me about him, and a bit after that, his shows My Favourite Shapes and Los Espookys, both on HBO, came out. I don’t watch a lot of comedy but his perspective is genius and really fun to watch. He’s awkward but also he applies smart ways of thinking to nonsense. Like My Favourite Shapes is a conveyor belt of objects where he explains his relationship to them. It sounds mundane but he makes it so funny. It’s been a joy to get to know his work.

Play/musical

I just saw Slave Play, written by my friend Jeremy O Harris, on Broadway. It’s absolutely genius. It’s about the generational traumas of slavery in America, and how little has changed since then. I don’t want to give away too much about how it’s exposed, as people need to see it. The set was modern and beautifully done. At first it’s big mirror with doors, and then it starts to become activated by the actors and it transforms into different locations, like a laboratory.

Artist

David Rappeneau’s drawings are a joy to see on my Instagram feed. It reminds me of comic books a little, but I think the way he handles bodies and angles is especially interesting. He has a really beautiful hand.

Album

I’ve been going through an Antony and the Johnsons spiral recently, and Swanlights has been really good to listen to – it’s a beautiful sequence but Salt Silver Oxygen is next-level. Also, FKA Twigs has a new album coming out in a few weeks. The songs Cellophane and Holy Terrain are already out, and I’ve been listening to them non-stop.

City

I recently went to Venice for the first time, and I was absolutely blown away. I was there with Miu Miu for the film festival, so I got to know these incredible talents that work out there, but the highlight was being in a boat, travelling through the canals and getting to take it all in.

Actor

I was rewatching Russian Doll recently, and I love Natasha Lyonne. I’ve watched her interviews too, and her presence so clearly seeps into her character Nadia Vulvokov that she feels real.

Social media profile

Dara Allen (@dara._) is probably one of the most stylish people in existence. She works Instagram so hard it’s amazing. She’s a friend of mine and every time I see something she posts, I’m like, Wow, she’s so good at this. She’s smart and serving looks like nobody else’s.

Film

I rewatched Spirited Away when I was sick, and that always takes me far away from earth. It’s a treasure. I think it was the first Studio Ghibli film I watched, and my mind was blown. I was then very hungry to watch all the Studio Ghibli films all at once. It started a rampage.

Hunter Season!

Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer wears the most captivating looks of New York Fashion Week in—where else?—New York City.

Is there a city more associated with dreams than New York? Kurt Vonnegut came here “to be born again”; Joan Didion said in New York, “something extraordinary could happen at any minute, any day, any month.” This past New York Fashion Week delivered more of those extraordinary moments than we could’ve expected. They left us with feelings of joy and hope (even Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs refuse to be jaded, instead focusing on the new decade) and an unbridled, futuristic kind of beauty. “Futuristic” because these are clothes that will resist trends, time, and rigid “rules”; they’re meant to be worn and loved however and whenever you please. They also felt like they were designed for a whole generation of people who are blissfully unconcerned with societal norms and banal conventions; people of every age, race, class, size, gender, and sexual identity.

Who better than the newly-minted Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer to embody the optimism of New York’s very best collections? Just after the shows wrapped, director Gordon von Steiner and fashion editor Jorden Bickham met Schafer downtown with a gaggle of friends: Lili Sumner, Zsela, Grey…, Gogo Graham, Ruby Aldridge, and many more. They’re filmed here wearing Spring 2020’s most memorable looks, many of which seem plucked from different eras: Is that Kors outfit vintage or new? And is that CDLM dress really a “tablecloth,” as Schafer jokingly calls it?

Hunter starts out alone doing her favorite activity, sketching, explaining that she grew up drawing the things she “couldn’t have or be, like princesses.” Then she finds her crew on the subway platform, hops on a downtown train, and reunites with more friends over boba and dumplings. Their night ends on a rooftop as a late-night party starts up, this time wearing brand-new looks (Schafer is in Tom Ford’s electric-green bra and skirt, with Euphoria-level eye makeup to match). It looks like the party of your dreams, essentially, and captures the spirit of downtown New York in an instant.

“It’s less of a spirit and more of a current, an energy that never dies,” says Grey…, a friend of Schafer’s. “Hunter captures this because it’s who she is—it’s who we all are. When I’m downtown, I’m so at peace and there is so much inspiration everywhere. You meet people on every corner.” In the middle of filming, that actually happened: A woman outside the East Broadway station stops Schafer, Sumner, and Zsela to rave about their ’70s-meets-right-now Marc Jacobs suits. “Is this what you wear on a regular day!?” she laughs.

It was a serendipitous reminder of the power of fashion: It connects us, expands our world, and breaks down boundaries, whether they’re uptown vs. downtown or the socially-constructed barriers between strangers. In Schafer’s circle, making new friends with a woman on the street is hardly novel. Neither is wearing a velvet suit and cowboy hat on the subway, we’d imagine. It’s one of many reasons we’ll continue to be inspired by her (and all of her friends!) as we head into 2020, armed with a new cache of Spring’s colorful, confident, self-affirming clothes.

An afternoon of sketching and lounging at home calls for a slipdress—and if you’re really lucky, it’s a tie-dyed, curve-hugging one from Rihanna’s sensational Savage x Fenty show.

Schafer used to sketch to make things she “wanted to be, like princesses.” Let’s call CDLM’s wiggle dress in upcycled fabrics the modern girl’s “princess dress.” Now, she draws anything that catches her eye, like Apex Forte and Amelia Rami in cutting-edge Pyer Moss.

It doesn’t get more magical than Area’s gilded cage dress, which toes the line between “real” clothing and sculpture like something out of a dream. Dripping with crystals (don’t miss the face jewelry!), Schafer ducks into another world, if only for a moment.

And just as quickly, she’s on the subway… This time in a ’70s-ish shirtdress and cowboy hat by Marc Jacobs, with Zsela and Lili Sumner in similarly groovy looks. Only Marc can so deftly borrow from the past without losing any sense of the present.

On East Broadway, Schafer and her crew hatch their plan for the night—starting with dumplings, obviously—in a full range of looks, from polka-dots to gingham to florals, just like any other group of friends downtown. “It felt authentic, because we are those kids in real life,” Grey… says.

For the last party of the summer, you have “pull looks,” as Schafer says. She changed into Tom Ford’s electric-lime bra and trousers (with matching eyeshadow!); Ruby Aldridge sparkled in Rodarte; Olivier Wight wore tangerine sequins c/o Eckhaus Latta. In other words: not your typical “party clothes.” Not your typical party (or party people!), either, and thank goodness for that.

Next Gen Talent 2019: Hollywood’s Rising Young Stars Revealed

Next Gen Talent 2019: Hollywood’s Rising Young Stars Revealed

From HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ breakouts to a ‘Daily Show’ comic and the new Little Mermaid, meet 25 talents positioned for big- and small-screen stardom.

Get to know these names. Whether they’re leading tentpole films (Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu, Mulan‘s Liu Yifei) or fronting must-see-TV (Pose‘s Indya Moore, Unbelievable‘s Kaitlyn Dever), this batch of 25 rising stars are here to stay. They’re who every producer in town is looking to cast, agent is vying to sign and studio is hoping will carry their next franchise. From recent big-screen breakouts like Once Upon a Time’s Margaret Qualley and The Last Black Man in San Francisco‘s Jonathan Majors to a handful of stars from one of the year’s hottest shows (Euphoria), The Hollywood Reporter anoints the top emerging talent of 2019.

Hunter Schafer, 20

The breakouts in HBO’s Euphoria are almost too many to name individually, but Schafer deserves special kudos for the fact that she seemingly came out of nowhere. It’s the model and actress’ first acting gig — though landing a major role opposite Zendaya in the raw high school drama is hardly her first major accomplishment. While she was still in her early teens, the young activist rose to prominence when she and her father became two of the most outspoken protestors against North Carolina’s HB2 — the ultimately repealed “bathroom bill” that sought to keep Schafer and her fellow transgender peers from using the public restrooms of their gender identity.

I’D LOVE TO HAVE A CAREER LIKE 

“Tilda Swinton or Anohni.”

PERSON I’M DYING TO WORK WITH

Janet Mock

I’D LOVE TO STAR IN A REMAKE OF

Suspiria

IF I WEREN’T AN ACTOR, I’D BE 

“Pursuing fashion design.”

FIRST APP I USE IN THE MORNING

“The clock app to turn off all five-plus alarms I set.”

LAST SHOW I BINGED

Succession

ONSCREEN CHARACTER I MOST IDENTIFIED WITH AS A KID

“Raven in Teen Titans Go!

PERSON I’VE BEEN MOST STARSTRUCK BY

“Justin Leblanc from Project Runway when I was 15.”

Hunter Schafer reveals her hopes for the future of Hollywood

Actress Hunter Schafer reveals her hopes for a new era in Hollywood and how her own life experiences helped shape Euphoria.

Hunter Schafer blazed on to our screens in HBO’s groundbreaking teen TV series Euphoria, touching audiences worldwide through her portrayal of Jules, a 17-year-old trans femme. “She’s in high school and is navigating sexual escapades with older men, and trying to search for something less toxic,” explains Schafer. At just 20 years old, the actress’s rise to fame as part of creator Sam Levinson’s no-holds-barred portrayal of modern American teenage life has been nothing short of meteoric. “I’m really new to this industry. I’m still kind of learning how everything works and the system, but I mean, I can’t say I’ve seen someone portray a character like my character on Euphoria,” she adds.

Vogue caught up with the actress at the Venice Film Festival where she took part in a candid panel discussion in celebration of Miu Miu’s influential Women’s Tales film series revealing, in her own words, what opportunities there are for trans actors in Hollywood and how she is striving for a healthier relationship with social media.

On opportunities for trans actors
“This is my first time acting in Euphoria, so I’m really interested in just trying it again and seeing what happens. I don’t know if there are that many more roles of trans women that are for me. I feel like there is a place where I might be able to play cis roles and it’s something that I’ve been thinking about and [have been] conscious of as I enter the industry. I’m really excited about acting now and want to do more of it. There are so many talented trans women out there who have worlds inside themselves that deserve to be part of the filmmaking world, and we’re very capable of playing any acting role. So, yeah, [it’s] something that’s been on my mind, and it’s weird because it still feels like new territory for the industry.”

On how her own life experiences impacted Euphoria
“The director/creator of Euphoria Sam Levinson is absolutely incredible. HBO kept me in LA for a few extra days just so we could sit down in a cafe and work through our lives together and see what kind of puzzle we could form — he essentially puts himself in all the characters as well, so it’s figuring out how we all fit together. As a man in the industry, it’s a responsibility you have when you hire talent with lived experiences you might not be able to identify with. He [Sam Levinson] is an incredible collaborator, and it made it all the more immersive to bring myself into [the character of] Jules as well.”

On cis actresses playing trans women on screen
“In an ideal world, in a vacuum, anybody should be able to. The concept of acting could be applied to everybody. As far as the structure of the world right now and the sort of hierarchies that exist, I don’t think it’s justifiable until hierarchies are gone or levelled out.”

On social media
“I think about it all the time because it’s such a surreal space, and I’ve had to take some distance from it recently for my head. But it’s a tool, and it’s so powerful and a lot can be done with it. It’s a matter of how much, and how we do that on a space such as Instagram, which I don’t think was intended for this kind of world-building and this momentum-building. It’s really strange how you can be scrolling and see selfies and puppies, and then death and violence and how those can exist right next to each other and how we internalise everything, which makes me question if Instagram or social media is the right place for that.”

Bright Young Things: Meet the Rising Stars of 2020

Bright Young Things: Meet the Rising Stars of 2020

The rising stars of 2020 may be decked out in the sepia-tinged tones and free-spirited fabrics of the 1970s—but they’re ready for the future.

Hunter Schafer

Schafer, 21, has leaped from the catwalk (Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior) to the small screen, where her sharp-yet-tender performance was a bright point in the suburban dystopia of HBO’s Euphoria. Schafer is hard at work filming the show’s sophomore season (out later this year), and though she hasn’t put modeling on hold, she’s committed to acting. “I definitely want to try a film. I think there are a lot of genres I would love to hit. Like, I really love sci-fi. Period kind of scares the hell out of me, but that also might be a good sign.”

Hunter Schafer on Finding Comfort With Fame

Hunter Schafer on Finding Comfort With Fame

By staying true to who she is, actress and fashion magpie Hunter Schafer has emerged as the most exciting new face on TV

Whoever says overnight success doesn’t exist clearly didn’t watch the first season of Euphoria on HBO last summer. Before the show premiered, we were living in a world without Hunter Schafer. Now the zeitgeist can’t get enough of the gorgeous 21-year-old trans model and actress, who looks as if she’s the androgynous love child of Tilda Swinton and David Bowie.

In the show, Schafer plays Jules Vaughn, a transfeminine high school student who befriends slash has a romance with her classmate Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a 17-year-old addict just out of rehab. Euphoria marked Schafer’s first foray into acting after she responded to a casting call on Instagram. It wasn’t until filming started on the sixth episode or so that the former runway model (she has walked for Miu Miu, Dior, and Marc Jacobs) finally realized she could do it. “I’m comfortable with this,” she recalls thinking. “I know Jules.”

Telling stories that mirror her own journey was certainly part of the allure. “As someone who holds a lot of privilege, I definitely have the trans community on my mind,” Schafer says. “I want to use what I’ve done as a pathway for others.”

As for Euphoria’s graphic nature — one particularly intense episode features a younger version of Jules being checked into a mental institution, a sequence reportedly based on creator Sam Levinson’s childhood — Schafer doesn’t try to sugarcoat it. “Usually I’ll just say it’s a show following a group of high schoolers navigating love, sex, drugs, violence, etc.,” she says. “But I’ve had friends say they can’t watch. It might be triggering for them, and — hell, yeah — I understand. It’s not for everyone.”

Among those who were perhaps nervous to watch the finished product was her family back in Raleigh, N.C. While Schafer’s three younger siblings all loved it, the racy subject matter could certainly rattle the most liberally inclined parent. Fortunately, her mother and her father, a longtime pastor at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church, were equally supportive. “They watched it, and they’ve been really great,” Schafer says. “Though I don’t think it’s the kind of thing they’ll watch again.” Schafer admits she likely won’t be, either. It was hard enough to see herself onscreen once.

But that won’t stop her from stepping into Jules’s stylishly scuffed combat boots again when Euphoria returns for a second season this year. Though Schafer hasn’t seen any of the new scripts, she is in constant communication with Levinson, usually to send him music that she thinks would be good for the show. “Music is actually a very private thing for me,” Schafer says. Drawing and painting are also modes of meditation. They help alleviate her anxiety, something she has been working through since adolescence.

“Anxiety is a hard thing to describe,” she admits. “It’s a never-ending journey, figuring out how to reconcile some of that. Making art is definitely what I’ve used to find peace. It allows me to take something that I’m holding on to and release it in some way.”

Given her modeling background, Schafer has an artistic eye that extends to fashion as well, although she saves her most-transformative looks for red-carpet outings. One night it could be a pearl-encrusted skirt suit from Christopher Kane (paired with pearl face jewelry, naturally), another a black fringe halter dress by Loewe or a bold graphic cocktail dress by Mugler.

“I like the cross section of art and fashion,” Schafer says, noting that she favors outré labels such as Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, and Hood by Air. “You have more room to breathe when you’re not thinking about who you’re marketing to or how many pieces you’re going to sell. The designer sees a void in the world of fashion that they want to fill. They’re making these pieces because they are pushing themselves to do it. It’s much closer to art and more exciting than something that’s based off a trend forecast.”

One bonus of Euphoria’s doing so well is that Schafer is “actually able to afford things now.” Though the local Goodwill is a personal favorite. “The ones in North Carolina are better than the ones here in Los Angeles,” she says. “Not as picked through. I’ve found Comme des Garçons there for $5.”

Staying low-key off-screen also helps her to navigate her newfound fame — whenever she’s dressed-up, she gets recognized. (Jules Vaughn was a popular Halloween costume last year.) And forget about shopping at any Gen Z locale. Since the release of Euphoria, Schafer has had to rethink where she gets her undergarments after trips to Urban Outfitters resulted in her being mobbed by fans.

“It’s kind of crazy,” she says, shaking her head and letting out a quick laugh. “But if you have any ideas of where I should get underwear and socks, let me know!”

Hunter Schafer Covers V124

Model-turned-actress Hunter Schafer fuses genres this season, leaning into the fantasy and edge of the Spring 2020 collections. The Euphoria breakout star also talks defying norms, sci-fi, and trans- inclusive creativity with musician Arca.

Arca I am so happy to be interviewing you. [But] honestly, [also] freaked out that you were into the idea…

Hunter Schafer I am so excited to talk to you!

A It feels really serendipitous, because when I watched Euphoria…Your first scene, with Jules using the syringe [for hormone injections]…I was screaming so hard because I had never seen that on TV before, with proper production and cinematography. That was so moving and beautiful.

HS Oh my god, thank you so much. I mean, I’ve literally been listening to you since high school. Your sound so specifically represents my experience… “Saunter” is one of my favorite songs!

A I love that you know that song by name. Most people don’t bring it up! [Speaking of experience], I heard Jules was based on you. Is that right?

HS Yeah, that is correct!

A How was that? Transitioning is such a personal experience. Was there something redeeming about sharing it, and maybe demystifying it?

HS Yeah, right! It didn’t feel natural at first. Part of surviving [that] experience was just, like, getting through shit. Letting it rest, and not addressing it. I think that’s what I had been [doing] up to that point: just going and going, fighting to be on the other side of my transition. There was so much that I was working towards, and I was so excited to [be out of] North Carolina that I don’t think I’d ever looked back on [that experience].

A Wow! So powerful.

HS Very. That’s what felt unnatural, I was like, “Oh shit.” And remembering things that I hadn’t thought about until [that point]. That happened throughout the entire season: As we worked through different scenes, I’d have to remember a new detail, to dig up an artifact from within myself, and hold onto that moment for the scene. I imagine you do that in your work.

A That’s one way acting and making music could be similar: No matter how personal [it is] to you, there’s always this weird, speculative aspect to it. So it’s personal but not that personal; [For example] a love song can be about one person, but it can also be about multiple people.

HS That’s a mood… I think [the process of acting] can also be like writing a letter to someone—combining experiences that have a common thread.

A That reminds me of this interview with [science fiction writer] Octavia Butler—do you know her? I think you’d be into it. I’ll send it to you—it relates to what we are talking about. Are you interested in sci-fi? What gets you off when you think of your dream project?

HS Oh, yay! I haven’t heard of her, but I love sci-fi. I really want to do something sci-fi-related

A Yas…Go off!

HS That’s what I grew up on—comic books and Teen Titans. All of that was so important to me, so I feel like I owe it to my younger self. And the aesthetics would be sickening…Who’s serving better than a superhero with armor? That’s what I wish I could look like all the time.

A Let’s see if we [can] link up for a sci-fi collab. Actually, your last post is pretty superhero.

HS Thank you! That would be so sick. It’s always lowkey what I am trying to channel, in some way or another.

A To be real, transness is pretty sci-fi…

HS Yas. Period! I think that’s why a lot of trans people can tap into a certain aesthetic that has sci-fi elements [so well].

A And commit to it, too—it’s not something you [necessarily] take on or off. I support body-mod of all kinds. The vessel that you inhabit, your body, is the only thing that’s [truly yours]: It’s not property or money. Why not share your values and your beliefs through it?

HS Yeah, true…When I hear “body-mod,” I think of people putting, like, studs under their skin. But I guess it can extend to any alteration you put your body through, huh?

A Yeah, love it! I mean, the studs, the splitting tongues…I [support] all of it! …You passed through New York, too, right? I had a pretty formative part of my life there, so I was wondering what your experience was like.

HS I was in New York for a year and a half. I feel like I grew up there. Like, I don’t know how to quantify the amount of growth I did there, but I feel like I was such a baby [before]. I came straight from North Carolina, the summer after I graduated high school. I had utilized my modeling agency so that I was already employed when I got there. I just sort of figured it all out from there. I was in a place in Bushwick for a little bit. Like, a model apartment. So many “firsts” happened there. I am curious, when were you there?

My story is pretty similar, in that I went straight from high school. So, I was 17 when I got there, and it was like the same kind of thing [where] your mind just gets opened, in such an abrupt way, that you definitely grow quickly. If you go straight there after high school, you are brave. It’s pretty crazy.

HS Yeah.

I wanted to ask you about your visual art, too. I think it’s so sick.

HS Thank you, thank you! My original plan was to model in order to support my visual art. At that point, I thought, Damn, I wish I could be making money off of [my art] because it’s all I want to do. But then I got swept up in [acting], which is wild: I went to an arts high school, and was always focused on visual arts; [performing] was this exciting and tantalizing activity. Now it’s the opposite; I am monetizing performing. It’s wild!

A It’s beautiful to have that, no matter what medium you work in—anything that gives you oxygen, that [relieves] the pressure of monetizing your creative practice within a capitalistic system.

HS Now I am trying to lock down my [visual] art practice again. But it is a blessing to [be able to] have both—[acting] and art.

A Variety is the spice of life, for everything. I wouldn’t even want to use the same moisturizer every day!…Watching Euphoria, I was totally transfixed with the character of JulesIt’s a really special performance.

HS Aw, thank you, thank you!

A Who’s been your closest artistic collaborator, would you say?

HS I don’t know if I’ve ever worked closer with anyone than Zendaya on Euphoria. It was such an extensive process, and a very intimate one. And also Sam Levinson, [the creator], who helped me get to those places I hadn’t been since I was a teenager…

A Is there anything you imagine for the character of Jules, like in the long- term, hypothetically?

HS Ooh…I know she has dreams, [many of] which she stated in the first episode. Which is just what I did in a way: escaping to New York, and working or interning in fashion…And that was [part of the character] before I was even cast, so it was really freaky to see that written into the script. So, I feel like that’s definitely her path.

A I don’t have a vision for Jules—I’m just a bystander, finding out what happens with everyone else. But I love watching Jules, and will cheer her on in whatever she does. [She’s] just so fucking cool!

HS [Laughs] Aww, thank you. You are like her voyeur mother.

A I am so into that! That makes me so happy.

Hunter Schafer Reflects on Jules and “Euphoria”

While there’s many reasons to love HBO’s Euphoria (the makeup! the outfits! the music!), it’s easy to understand why so many fans are absolutely obsessed with Jules Vaughn, played by Hunter Schafer. As the new girl in school, Jules is a driving force of much of the HBO series’ plot — including a very shippable onscreen romance with Zendaya’s Rue Bennett — and her personal style is seriously inspirational. (Neon pink geometrical eyeliner anyone?)

It turns out that Jules, a trans teenager, and her story were somewhat based on Hunter’s own life, as she revealed in a recent interview with musician Arca for V Magazine. When asked what it was like sharing the experience of her own transition, Hunter explained: “It didn’t feel natural at first. Part of surviving [that] experience was just, like, getting through sh*t. Letting it rest, and not addressing it. I think that’s what I had been [doing] up to that point: just going and going, fighting to be on the other side of my transition. There was so much that I was working towards, and I was so excited to [be out of] North Carolina that I don’t think I’d ever looked back on [that experience].”

But Hunter also noted that, in playing Jules, she was forced to look back at her own journey, sometimes recalling moments that she previously had forgotten about. “That happened throughout the entire season,” she told Arca. “As we worked through different scenes, I’d have to remember a new detail, to dig up an artifact from within myself, and hold onto that moment for the scene.”

Her work certainly paid off; Hunter’s involvement in the series proved to be powerful for all fans, and especially those fans who are trans teens themselves. As one 15-year-old previously told Teen Vogue, “She’s introduced as Jules, not as the trans girl, but just a new girl who happens to be transgender…. Having a trans character being portrayed this positively in such a popular television series makes me feel so incredible.”

Fortunately for all, Euphoria is getting a second season this year — along with four new characters. And while little has been revealed regarding what’s in store for Jules, Rue, and the rest of the students at East Highland, Hunter has some hopes for her character. “I know she has dreams, [many of] which she stated in the first episode,” she told Arca. “Which is just what I did in a way: escaping to New York, and working or interning in fashion…And that was [part of the character] before I was even cast, so it was really freaky to see that written into the script. So, I feel like that’s definitely her path.” Well, we sure can’t wait to see what path Jules ends up following, whenever Euphoria comes back into our lives, glitter and all.

Hunter Schafer is mad at Jules for leaving Rue in the station on Euphoria

Hunter Schafer has a bone to pick with her character from Euphoria.

During a one-on-one conversation with EW editor-in-chief JD Heyman Friday at SCAD aTVfest, Schafer, 21, admitted that she wasn’t happy with how Jules abandoned Rue (Zendaya) at the end of the HBO drama’s first season.

“I was really mad at Jules for that,” said the trans actress. “You don’t leave your friend-slash-lover alone in a train station at 1 a.m. At the same time, she’s 17 and has been through this crazy shit and she needs to get out. I know where that all is coming from. She felt really stuck and Nate [Jacob Elordi] has been manipulating her and forcing her literally to do crime. And then Rue was sort of suffocating her. It was all too much.

“She can’t save Rue,” she added. “She can’t be Rue’s savior.”

Schafer sat down with Heyman to discuss her breakout role as a trans teen after receiving the festival’s Discovery Award. Euphoria marked her first acting job after growing up in North Carolina “drawing and doing a lot of painting.” In other words, Schafer wasn’t looking for a career on the small screen. “I wanted to be a comic book artist. Really, I just liked doing the costumes of comic book characters,” she shared with a room of students in Atlanta. “That got me into fashion design, I was really shy, too. I never saw myself performing or screaming in front of 200 extras. That wasn’t my vision for myself.”

The daughter of a pastor ended up modeling for the likes of Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Emilio Pucci before looking to attend fashion school in London. Then, she “got swooped up into the Euphoria gig” by replying to an audition call via Instagram. “I want to encourage everyone to sort of explore all the pathways that you may not think you are capable of. I’ve been acting for two years now,” Schafer told the SCAD audience.

She also noted that Euphoria creator Sam Levinson made her first acting gig a unique experience. “It feels more like a collaboration than someone giving me something to work with or become,” she said. “It’s a special feeling, I’m honored to take something on from him. He’s just really open.” He also knows how to relate to her and Zendaya. “He knows all of our tea and what gets us going.”

Though she’s set to return for a second season of Euphoria, Schafer said she’s not letting go of her visual arts dreams. She likes the idea of creating a TV show someday. “There are definitely worlds in media that I haven’t seen and what I would like to see.”

Postcards From Home: Creativity in a Time of Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed lives, disrupted economies, and changed daily existence as we know it. It has also shown us how strong we can be, and how creative, even in isolation. For this portfolio, part of our special June/July issue, we asked designers, photographers, artists, editors, models (and a few celebrities we love) to show us what their lives have looked like these past weeks. The result? An extraordinary document of self-expression, and a reminder of the resilience of hope.

Hunter Schafer, Los Angeles

“I’m taking lots of little dance breaks,” says the actor. “Finding new music to dance to. Printing out pictures to put on my wall. Writing a lot. Drawing a lot. I’ve been staying off my phone for as long as I can, then going on video-chat apps to see friends when I get lonely. I’m also figuring out how many variations of ‘X on top of bread’ I can do with my food, and thinking about everything I’m gonna do when we’re allowed to go out for fun again.”

Zsela Talks to Hunter Schafer About the Trick to Making Art in Quarantine

The post-millennial music landscape can feel like a tsunami, wave after wave of hitmakers in a constant state of crashing. TikTok stars, Bad Bhabies, and Soundcloud rappers become stars in the blink of an eye. But Zsela, the 25-year-old New York wunderkind , opted for a rather radical concept for her first EP, Ache of Victory. The singer-songwriter chose to be patient and developed her first body of work over a number of years, allowing the music, and her voice, to take shape, simmer, and eventually emerge as the eerie and soulful package that is her debut EP. It was worth the wait.

Zsela—neé Zsela Thompson, sister of the actor Tessa—decided to stick to her gut and release the EP mid-quarantine—which presents its own set of challenges—one of them being the lack of visuals to accompany it. But that didn’t stop her. The last track on the EP, “Undone,” is a siren-song about losing something, moving on, and the debris left behind from doing all that work. As it goes with quarantined creative minds, Zsela found a way to make a music video from home, with the help of her mother’s photography equipment, and a lot of free time. On a sunny California day, Zsela got on the phone with her friend, the model and actress Hunter Schafer, to discuss family board games, the fun in making music videos in quarantine, and Zoom church services. — ERNEST MACIAS

ZSELA: When did we first meet?

HUNTER SCHAFER: I feel like it must have been out. Was it in New York?

ZSELA: It was definitely out. Wait, was it at that weird party where we were on the roof?

SCHAFER: Oh, was it a fashion party thing?

ZSELA: I remember we didn’t want to be there, and we were hiding in the corner on the roof, escaping because it was so packed. It’s all a blur. How are you?

SCHAFER: I’m at home, just woke up an hour ago. How is quarantine right now?

ZSELA: Taking it day by day. It’s just weird, but right now I’m sitting in the backyard at my parents’ house in the sun and that feels crazy lucky. Where are you?

SCHAFER: I’m in my apartment in West Hollywood. I have a little access to the sun on my balcony, but I imagine you’re in grass. Grass sounds really nice. So you put an album out this month.

ZSELA: I did.

SCHAFER: It’s fucking amazing, first of all. Technically it’s your first one. How does it feel to release it out into the world, a full body of work?

ZSELA: It’s been so long in the making that it honestly feels really good to have this release in a physical sense, but also emotional sense. There’s something strange about releasing this now, but honestly, I found so much security in keeping the original release date. I just wanted to get it out, and if it’s healing for anyone, that’s sick.

SCHAFER: Was there a moment of feeling finished, when you knew you were ready to put it out?

ZSELA: I had to just fucking commit because otherwise, I’d just be messing with it forever. It’s been a labor of love because we’re working with such a small budget. Even the last song, “Undone,” I recorded in just a night because I wanted it to be on the EP so bad and didn’t want to waste time mastering it or tinkering with the sound.

SCHAFER: Wow. So that was one of the last songs you recorded?

ZSELA: That was one of the final touches, and I was like, “Okay, we should probably wrap this up before I’m like, “I can actually turn this into a full album,” and suddenly we’re recording five more songs.

SCHAFER: You’ve been working on this EP for a few years. One thing I’ve learned over the past year is that when you work on something so intensely for such a long time, you develop a really crazy relationship with the project. Then you put it into the world, and it’s such a strange processing moment, at least for me. How has seeing and hearing reactions been? Or do you even look at that kind of thing?

ZSELA: I definitely do. I look at the messages people leave me. I’ve been releasing singles over a year and a half, so it’s been cool to see how patient people have been with me—and to know that they’re still with me, and excited about this project. It’s been really special to hear people be like, “Worth the wait.”

SCHAFER: I think you reposted a story of someone dancing to one of the songs. Have you gotten a lot of those?

ZSELA: Oh my god that was so cute. Yes, a friend of mine does a drag show, and he performed to my song “Noise,” which was crazy.

SCHAFER: A drag show is not what I would expect for that song, but that’s magic.

ZSELA: Have you ever been to Hudson?

SCHAFER: No. I never went upstate for the whole year and a half that I lived in New York.

ZSELA: Wait, when did you live in New York?

SCHAFER: I went there right after high school. You’re in L.A. now, right?

ZSELA: I grew up in Brooklyn.

SCHAFER: Do you miss it right?

ZSELA: I do. It feels weird not to be there. But I also feel really thankful I can be close to my family right now. Where is your family?

SCHAFER: I miss my family a whole lot. They’re in North Carolina. I figured it’s not the best thing to try and go back right now, or leave the apartment at all. My family works in the church, so they had to start doing church on Zoom, which is a trip.

ZSELA: Wow. Do you attend?

SCHAFER: Fuck, I actually missed it yesterday. I wanted to tune in to one of the services.

ZSELA: I want to tune in.

SCHAFER: I’ll send you a link. I’ve only seen my dad preach from an actual preacher thing. It would be pretty wild to watch it on the computer. You released the first visual for the EP for “Undone,” right? Did you conceptualize that video? What was that process like?

ZSELA: Before everything hit with the pandemic, I was supposed to go to London because I had been wanting to work with this director for so long, and we had finally met and we were excited about this video. I was supposed to go to London to plot it out with him, but that all got canceled, obviously. When I came out here I was fine with not having visual for the EP. I figured I’d just let the music live on its own. But once I settled into my parents’ house I wanted to take advantage of the resources we have. My mom’s a photographer. She has all these cool studio lights and all kinds of equipment. Her friend Jasper Marsalis is in my family’s loop and he’s super talented. We were just joking around about making a video, he got super serious about it and just started writing out a storyboard, and suddenly we had this video.

“Undone” is about loss, and what it takes to move on, and what you lose from moving on. In the song, there’s this steady drone throughout. So, his idea was to have that drone take the form of the black fade in the video. It’s this recurring theme of emptiness. So, the three of us just banged it out in two days in my parents’s shed in the backyard. It was so nice because, for one second, we could take a breath from all the horrible news.

SCHAFER: Was your mom taking photos?

ZSELA: She was the assistant directing-lighting-art director. My brother was the PA. He was running around like, “We need water.” Then the three of us: me, my dad, and my mom, just sat on the computer and edited it all together. We had to be unanimous with every decision.

SCHAFER: It’s mind-blowing that you did this with just a few people in two days because it’s gorgeous. Do you think about visuals a lot when you’re making music, or does that feel more symptomatic?

ZSELA: Not so far. I’ve just been so invested in the songs and getting them right. But maybe that’ll change in the future.

SCHAFER: I guess that’s why a lot of musicians blow my mind. When I listen to a song or try to make music, which has been a disaster, the only way I can think about it is to see it. Or, I see what it would look like and then I try to figure out what that sounds like.

ZSELA: But you paint and stuff. That comes into play when you’re thinking about music, too. Sometimes I think in colors with music, but I’m not so visual. I’m very insecure about any sort of drawing and painting. I went to an alternative school, and we did a lot of our learning through art. You had to draw your textbooks, things like that. It had to be perfect, so that was a little school trauma of mine. Maybe during this quarantine I’ll start drawing again.

SCHAFER: Who are your biggest musical influences? Is there anything you consumed that directly influenced the album?

ZSELA: The EP, as you know, spanned a few years. I definitely went through a lot of different music. It’s hard to go back there, to remember what I was listening to.

SCHAFER: I think the last interview I did, I was asked to name some of my favorite movies, and I was just like, Teen TitansParis is Burning, and that’s all I got.

ZSELA: I was recently asked to recommend a book, and I literally couldn’t think of one book but the dictionary. I was like, “Don’t say dictionary. Don’t say a dictionary. Don’t say dictionary.” One influence of mine is Anohni. I grew up listening to that first album.

SCHAFER: I’m a massive Anohni fan.

ZSELA: You too? Oh my god. I also grew up loving Martha Wainwright.

SCHAFER: Which Anohni albums did you grow up listening to?

ZSELA: I Am a Bird Now. On repeat.

SCHAFER: That’s the magic. You could listen to anything she makes on loop. I also find that in your music, actually. Have any hobbies resurfaced during quarantine?

ZSELA: I love games. My family loves games too. We have a game night every week and my sister comes over. My brother made a ping-pong table on our dining room table and we have ping-pong tournaments. We set up badminton in the backyard.

SCHAFER: Whoa. These are sporty games. Are you thinking about what you want to do next, after all of this?

ZSELA: I’ve been working on ideas for my next project. I’m just excited to dig into that. I’m going to try and make another video since, you know, I have the crew here.

Hunter Schafer Talks About Her New Role As Shiseido Global Brand Ambassador

Shiseido Makeup has announced that its newest Global Brand Ambassador is actress, activist, and model Hunter Schafer. Shiseido selected Schafer because the brand believes “that beauty comes alive when inner and outer beauty are in dynamic harmony. Nobody embodies this concept better than actress and artist Hunter Schafer.”

Best known for her debut on HBO’s Euphoria, Schafer inspires, ignites change, and transcends boundaries by celebrating individuality on and off the screen. Here, she shares the details of her partnership in this interview with Shiseido:

What made you want to partner with SHISEIDO?

When I look at SHISEIDO, I see a level of artistic energy that is really unique. As someone who likes to be artistic with makeup, that was something that instantly attracted me to the brand. SHISEIDO is about more than trying to look pretty or appeal to a specific standard of beauty. SHISEIDO is parallel to art.

What do you hope to accomplish by partnering with SHISEIDO?

By partnering with SHISEIDO, I want to bring more visibility to the notion that you can move beyond one beauty ideal or standard. I’m about leveling up and finding your own frequency in makeup.

How do you create harmony between inner and outer beauty?

It starts by looking inward and expressing that feeling on the outside. At the same time, I feel like you can play and use makeup to discover things about yourself that you may not have seen otherwise.

What are your favorite avenues of self-expression?

Acting. I didn’t realize how much I started to depend on it until we stopped filming and I missed it so much. I really have a deep feeling that I need it. Before acting came along, it was visual arts. I still like to draw and doodle. There’s definitely a common thread between all of those things in that you’re pulling from a creative place.

How does makeup play a role in your life?

For the past two years, I’ve started wearing less makeup on my own time. As far as developing a character, however, makeup was vital and something I really enjoyed collaborating with our makeup artists on. There’s so much that lies within makeup—it’s a storytelling device. Earlier on in my life, I used it to affirm myself. I needed something to make other people understand how I felt on the inside.

How has your relationship with beauty changed as you’ve gotten older?

My relationship to beauty has definitely become more nonchalant. When I was younger, I was more concerned with looking pretty or trying to be something. Whereas now, when I do wear makeup, I’m using it to bring something internal into the external world.

How do you think beauty is evolving and being redefined?

I can only come at it from my perspective, but from what I’ve seen in the beauty world, I think we’re experiencing a massive movement toward something more artistic and non-binary. I think that’s important because makeup is for everyone if they want it. It’s an exciting tool. There’s a greater understanding of the universalness that can be attached to makeup.

The actress and artist will first appear in a brand campaign beginning in 2021.

Hunter Schafer: “Trying to Feel Seen Has Been the Project of My Life”

Hunter Schafer: “Trying to Feel Seen Has Been the Project of My Life”

AT 21, HUNTER SCHAFER IS ALREADY AN ACTIVIST, MODEL, ARTIST, AND BREAKOUT STAR OF EUPHORIA. AND SHE’S JUST GETTING STARTED.

Hunter Schafer recently saw something magnificent.

But first: She bought a truck.

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Schafer found herself alone in Los Angeles. As one of the lucky Americans who could afford the pause in work, she spent those initial weeks in excited, nocturnal bursts of creative writing. (She took Shonda Rhimes’s TV-writing course on Masterclass.) “But I couldn’t handle the severe sense of isolation — being alone in the apartment and having no mode of transportation,” she says. (“Outside of a skateboard,” she adds, like a cool teen.)

So she bought the truck, and then drove across the nation to her sister’s house in North Carolina. “It was probably the most stable I felt throughout all of quarantine,” Schafer says. “I just had one objective, which [was] stay on the road and follow the map and drive. And it was great.”

She drove through Arizona to see the preschool she attended. She stopped in Memphis to visit the Lorraine Motel, the place where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated that has since been converted into the National Civil Rights Museum. But she was in Texas when, on a road that stretched through open country dotted with windmills, she saw it: a very big, bad cloud. It was a fluffy tempest, as vast as a city, crawling across a sea of grass. It was a cumulonimbus cloud. Schafer is sure of it; a cloud cooked by the hot Texas wind into something magnificent, terrifying, and massive, and capable of sneezing out a devastating tornado at random. This is all an extended metaphor to say that Schafer knows what it is like to drive right into the eye of a storm.

For an audience of millions, Schafer appears in the highly stylized HBO teen bacchanal Euphoria as Jules, a 17-year-old girl who is both the best friend of and object of desire for the show’s protagonist, Rue, played by Zendaya. The rest of the cast is filled out by other superlatively attractive young actors. But even among jewels, Jules is exquisite, and the show is more or less filmed from the perspective of somebody who is slowly falling in love with her.

This seduction is a dual effort for Schafer and the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, whose point of view is so specifically lush that season one of Euphoria reportedly cost about as much to produce as season one of Westworld. “There’s a magic [to Euphoria],” says Schafer, “that I think something like Westworld, which is sci-fi, requires the same amount of attention to detail and persistence, as far as making sure that vision comes across. So we can thank Sam and our wonderful producers for our wildly expensive TV show.”

Euphoria made Schafer enormously famous. Not overnight, but over a series of Sunday nights in the summer of 2019, as season one aired. Her Instagram, which had previously served to document her life as a model in New York City, swelled to over a million followers. Schafer was written about, interviewed, photographed, put on lists. HBO moved her into a West Hollywood apartment with views of HBO’s studios so that she could walk to work. Then, just days before shooting, production on season two of Euphoria was suspended due to the escalating pandemic. But Schafer’s star has continued its skyward climb: A Japanese cosmetics giant, Shiseido — the Japanese cosmetics giant, if we’re speaking honestly — hired Schafer to represent its concept of beauty. (Schafer is Shiseido Makeup’s latest global brand ambassador. Says Schafer of the opportunity, “I was shook.”)

“I think, perhaps, there’s a bit of a projection of Jules onto me, Hunter,” says Schafer. She hypothesizes that this is partly because of their uncanny physical resemblance. “Sometimes I dress like her; sometimes I like to dress like her.” She immediately hoists a leg up, cramming her limbs into the Zoom interface, displaying formfitting head-to-toe black with searing-white, high-top Air Force 1s. “But she’s one part of me.” She reaches for a Teen Titans reference, a Cartoon Network series about kid superheroes from the DC Comics universe: “Raven [the goth empath] has this moment where she goes to her home in the depths of hell and separates into 10 versions of herself, and they’re all a different color of the rainbow. I feel like Jules is one of the 10 or however many parts of me.”

Schafer’s speaking voice is slow, considered, and slightly raspy. It works to give the impression that she is somebody with monk-like reserves of self-knowledge and wisdom beyond her years on Earth, of which there have been 21. “I think I’m different from Jules in where I am with myself,” she says, “and how I love people, and what my concerns are as far as being affirmed, and whatnot.”

There are other differences too. In Euphoria’s first episode, when the evil hunk Nate menaces Jules at a party, she reacts by dramatically escalating the situation, threatening him with a kitchen knife. Then she demonstrates her capacity for unbridled chaos by slicing her arm in front of a Saturday night’s worth of astonished teens. That is not something Hunter Schafer would do, she says.

Though not even roughly equivalent, when Schafer is in an awkward social situation, she reacts in the opposite way: by choosing humility over chaos. “When I was staying with my sister in North Carolina and met her friends that she’s quarantining with, they approached me being like, ‘Damn, you have your life together. You know what you’re doing. You’ve got jobs, whatever.’ And I’m so not that,” she says. “I have no idea what I’m doing — just riding the wave that life is handing me and trying to be okay and keep my shit together. I think whatever presence I have, in the public-figure world, presents itself as something more collected, but I’m messy. I am just trying to figure out how to be a 21-year-old.” Like many other people, she is simply careening through a terrifying, unpredictable, gorgeous world that is filled with hunks and clothes and pandemics and pain and euphoria; but she is doing it in four-wheel drive, and much, much faster.

Schafer’s career trajectory hews close to a narrative popular among America’s most charismatic and youthful percentile: A beautiful teen becomes a successful model becomes a celebrated actor. After a model turns actor, their career threads tend to separate, and from there they cease to stay predictable. Whether Schafer will win an Oscar, start a lifestyle brand, or both is unclear at this time.

Perhaps the main difference between Schafer and others who have walked the path before her is Schafer’s identity as a trans woman, of which there are few models and fewer models-turned-actors. It becomes a popular fixation point in a way that it doesn’t for others — rarely are Cameron Diaz or Amanda Seyfried questioned at length about their pubescent years. For Schafer, this occurs at least once in nearly every interview she does, sometimes sustaining the entire conversation.

“Even right now, I have to filter what I say, because more often than not I’ve found that when I say the T-word, whatever sentence that is becomes a headliner,” she says. “Not only do I think that’s so boring and so predictable, it’s, like, such a fraction [of my life]. It feels sensational. It feels like it’s prone to getting sensationalized. I also understand the need for dialogue on it.”

Schafer shares these thoughts at a particularly traumatic moment for the trans community, days after the murder of yet another trans woman of color — there have been at least 12 this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign — and a week after a children’s book author published what was essentially an anti-trans manifesto, so this interviewer shifts awkwardly in his seat, looking anew at his sheet of questions.

“I just wish it could be normal or a part of an interview that doesn’t change the course of the conversation,” she adds. “You know?”

But identity politics are powerful, and an HBO show provides a massive platform, and, well, it is complicated, isn’t it? It is daunting for Schafer to have to speak on behalf of an entire community, especially when she represents its smallest, whitest, most modelesque faction. To support Black Lives Matter, she has posted sparsely on Instagram, drawing attention to organizations that benefit Black trans persons and encouraging her following to donate to them (including For the Gworls, the Black Trans Lives Matter Youth Fund, and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute).

“I feel like with a lot of white celebrities in particular who do benefit from their whiteness and white supremacy, and by proxy the oppression of Black people, they need to be speaking in these moments or to be active in some way,” Schafer says. “Part of that is using your platform or giving it to someone else, but I also think our voices aren’t necessary in this. There’s also a way to quietly do your part, and a lot of that has to do with allocating funds to the right people. It’s going to be [about] finding some direct action with your body and interrogating your whiteness. None of that is Instagrammable.”

She pauses. “I don’t know,” she says finally, a phrase she often uses to punctuate her thoughts, as if to say, I am thinking about all of this all of the time, and of course I haven’t figured it out, but there, that was my humble attempt.

Schafer has spent much of her life being aware of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, which was playing out on the political stage during her adolescence. She first earned the activist title when she appeared as a plaintiff in the ACLU’s case to overturn North Carolina’s HB2 “bathroom bill,” which required citizens to use the corresponding restroom of their assigned sex at birth. She was 17 — the same age as Jules at Euphoria’s outset — and represented one of many North Carolinians unfairly targeted by the bill. The campaign was successful, in part: The bathroom bill was repealed (though replaced with something only moderately less discriminatory), and Schafer pushed on with her life, moving to New York City and finding work as a model.

Euphoria’s depiction of transness, which has been the composite effort of Levinson, Schafer, and trans consultant Scott Turner Schofield, is remarkably genuine. Most trans characters in pop culture exist on the periphery, or spend their story lines grappling with their transition. (Many, significantly, are played by cisgender actors.)

Jules’s transition, like Schafer’s, occurred well before the events of the show, and her story line deals with navigating queer desire. In an interview, Schofield credited Schafer with adding vivid color to Levinson’s sketch of Jules: “It feels authentic because it is authentic,” he said. “It’s something that is really there and really of this moment because it was brought to the table by an actual person.”

Schafer’s adolescence was mostly ordinary. Her father was a pastor and the family moved between congregations in New Jersey and Arizona before eventually settling in North Carolina. (When asked about her spirituality, Schafer gives the measured response of a progressive Senate candidate: “That’s something pretty fluid. I’d say a work in progress, but I do feel spiritual in some senses.”) Her bedroom was painted lime green, and she had a matching Neopet, Shoyru, a chubby, lime-green dragon, who patiently waited for her in one digital world while she learned about hormone therapy from a trans YouTuber in another.

At 16, Schafer moved to Winston-Salem to study at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. “I always wanted to be an artist,” she says. More specifically, she wanted to illustrate comics. She reveals a black notebook that travels with her like an appendage, filled with scribblings, sketches, studies. Schafer’s drawings infrequently appear on her Instagram, often in black and white, often grotesque portraits of herself and other characters dressed in otherworldly fashions, animated in movement, almost writhing.

“When you think about it, [my work] has this common thread of creating the identity of a person,” Schafer says. “Even when I was trying to make comic books, the characters were my favorite part to make, what their outfits were and what that meant about them and how it reflected who they were. Telling stories or trying to portray a message through a body, how that body looks in a garment, and how the garment affects the way the body moves; to modeling, which is bringing garments to life with your body; then to acting, which is bringing a character to life with your body and mind. It feels linked in a lot of ways.”

“That’s been the project of my life,” she says. “Just trying to feel seen and learn how to see others correctly.”

Schafer glances at her window. There is a brief moment at dusk when Los Angeles begins to glitter, as the city is pulled inexorably into purple night, a great, wide plain shimmering into the future. In a few days, she’ll return to North Carolina. The roads there snake between the misty foothills of the Appalachians. Schafer likes to drive the mountain highway. It’s peaceful and meditative. Clouds sometimes fall from the sky and lay downy on the road, but her truck cuts right through them, heading toward a clearer place.

Hunter Schafer Bought Megan Thee Stallion’s Anime Merch

Hunter Schafer Bought Megan Thee Stallion’s Anime Merch

For W’s 2020 TV Portfolio, we asked 21 of the most sought-after names in television to embody their favorite characters from their favorite shows of the past few months—and to explain why we should all be (re-)watching The SopranosOzarkSchitt’s Creek, and, yes, Floor Is Lava. To see all the images and discover their picks, click here.

Hunter Schafer might have experienced one of the most productive quarantines you’ll hear about. In the beginning, she spent nearly two months locked in her apartment in Los Angeles writing, painting, and creating storyboards nonstop. We’re talking day and night. Then she purchased a truck and drove it from California to North Carolina, where her sister lives. It’s also possible that, somewhere in there, she worked on Euphoria, the HBO show in which she plays Jules, the charming best friend and love interest of Zendaya, whose character is named Rue. Euphoria can be described as nothing short of a sensation: When it debuted, in June 2019, HBO’s audience numbers increased by 130 percent within four days of the premiere of the first episode due to replays and streaming. Although Zendaya-as-Rue was certainly central to the show’s appeal, Schafer’s Jules emerged as an equally intriguing person in creator Sam Levinson’s universe: a transgender teenage girl searching for friendship and recognition while engaging in a series of trysts with older men.

But if Schafer did any work on Euphoria in the past six months, the world won’t find out just yet—the start date for production on season 2 is still unknown, and when the 21-year-old actress calls from a hotel in L.A. (she’s allowing a friend who doesn’t have air conditioning to stay in her home during a particularly inhumane heat wave), she won’t spill any information.

Instead, she shares the details of her artistic process: how she played the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion in the background on her projector with the sound off while she painted; her father’s obsession with comic books, which led to her own interest in Hawkwoman and the Green Lantern. Mostly, quarantine was a time of exploration for Schafer—whether physically, when driving in a car, or artistically, while sliding a fat marker across a piece of paper. “I don’t know if my style of drawing or artwork would be considered anime,” she said. “I don’t really know what to call it. It’s kind of become its own thing.”

You’ve said in the past that your default is to be internal and to stay home, and I’m wondering whether quarantining changed that.

It’s really complicated. I will always and forever be an introvert. But I absolutely 100 percent miss all the social things that we can’t do right now, like dancing with my friends, just being dumbasses in the city. But at the same time, before quarantine, my relationship to alone time had been changing—I was going out a lot. I was doing an every-weekend thing, plus maybe a weekday or two. It was pretty frequent; I was kind of surprising myself with that. I knew that was going to change because of work starting, but I didn’t know it was going to change because of a pandemic. Alas, here we are. But I do feel as though I have learned how to refall in love with my alone time after seeing it in a new light and going through all of the phases of isolation in quarantine.

Why is Neon Genesis Evangelion the show that got you through quarantine? 

Anyone who’s into anime should watch this show; it’s a masterpiece. I just had it on a lot. I had already seen it before quarantine. But at the beginning of quarantine, when I was holed up in my apartment writing, I always had it playing on my projector—just the visuals, no sound. I would have music on. I like having a projector because you can just play things that are aesthetically pleasing, and it’s almost like a moving picture frame in your apartment. And I just loved the visuals of that show. So I had it on a lot during my big creative outburst phase in quarantine. I was doing a hundred different things during those two months: painting, drawing, writing, storyboarding—anything that I could get my hands on.

Was it a creative outlet for stress, or were you just feeling the inspiration? 

I think it was a lot of things. I had free time to do artwork, and it was like, Oh, I’m actually terrified of the state of the world and the state of my brain right now. So it was also a coping mechanism. Also, it’s just like, I didn’t want to get bored. I don’t like being bored.

Can you describe some of the work you created while the show was playing in the background? 

There’s two months worth of shit that I was making. I was oil-painting this mouth that was falling apart. I had a few nights where I spread out this giant roll of paper on the floor, and I filled it up with this really thick black marker that I really like, with doodles.

I know you wanted to illustrate comic books before you got into modeling and acting. So is it safe to say that you’re a big manga and anime fan? 

Absolutely. I grew up reading comic books, ever since I could remember, because my dad was really into them. He was an Aquaman fanatic, so I grew up largely on the DC comic books. My favorite characters were Hawkwoman—yeah, she was definitely my favorite character—and then Green Lantern, too. I just loved those worlds. And then that evolved into an interest in anime, then manga, when I was in middle school. And then I started finding these sites that played the anime for free.

Do you have a favorite anime? 

I do, this one [Neon Genesis Evangelion]. It’s a classic—if I had to say one, this would be it. But anime is a vast world, there are so many different genres. There are, like, a million other masterpieces.

I feel like anime is kind of having a moment right now. So many people are talking openly about nerding out on cartoons. Megan Thee Stallion loves anime.

I got Megan Thee Stallion’s anime merch. She had this shirt of her and two other girls in anime form, with swords and shit. It was sickening. It’s one of my favorite shirts right now. I saw the release on Instagram, and I was like, I can’t not have that.

Did you make any connections between your character on Euphoria, Jules, and Neon Genesis

I definitely think Jules would love the show. I’m just going to be a nerd for a second: There are so many cool parallels between this show and transness, fluidity, and sexuality. It goes so hard into all of those realms. My favorite character is Rei Ayanami, which I also feel would be Jules’s favorite character, if we’re not far off from who the other person is.

Without getting into spoilers, the concept of the show is that this city, and the world, is under attack by these angels, which are these alien forms that appear in the sky or in the city. The government has developed this top-secret agency that has created the only weapons that would suffice in order to fight these angels—which are really humanoids slash cyborgs. There are also psychological, almost spiritual links between the pilots of the robots and the robots themselves. I love that relationship between this massive body armor and the pilot, and that there can be tension in between them and they’re not always fitting together. The pilot feels what the robot feels when they’re fighting. They’re really synced in that sense. I think that’s a really cool analogy for transness, and how trans people navigate having bodies and presentation, and what being perceived and just existing in the world can feel like. And then there’s a lot of homoerotic shit on the down low of the show that I live for.

Have you seen the #EuphoriaChallenge on TikTok?

No. What is that? There’s a challenge?

People are re-creating beauty looks from the show. One woman did a take on the FaceLace spiky, iridescent turquoise eye adornments you wore.

Oh, that’s sick! I’ve seen TikToks like that before, but I didn’t realize it was a challenge.

What are you most excited about regarding TV right now? 

I will say two things, ’cause I’m still on a high after having just finished them last month: I May Destroy You, best television show I’ve probably seen, ever. It’s astounding, just absolutely a masterpiece. I’ve seen the new Luca Guadagnino show We Are Who We Are. I watched the whole season, and it blew me fucking away. It was absolutely just perfection as well. Both of those shows kind of left me speechless.

Hunter Schafer On Euphoria & The Projects She’s Excited About In 2021

Hunter Schafer On Euphoria & The Projects She’s Excited About In 2021

Already a successful artist, HUNTER SCHAFER is now best known as the breakout star of HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria. Here, she talks to HANNA HANRA about her burgeoning acting career, co-writing and co-producing Jules’ special episode of the cult series and the personal passion projects she’s excited about in 2021

Even over the medium of Zoom, Hunter Schafer’s wild and enchanting energy instantly permeates the airwaves, as we meet to chat just before Christmas. “What time is it there? Oh, laaaaaate,” she draws, before gushing, “Oh wow, oh gosh, who is this?!” as my dog walks across the screen. It’s 7pm, and it’s hard not to be spellbound by her.

This could be, in part, because of the impressive array of credentials that we are here to discuss. At the age of 22, Schafer has already starred in one of HBO’s hit breakout shows: 2019’s Euphoria, which was her debut acting role; she shares joint lead with Emmy-winning actor Zendaya. As a model, Schafer’s walked up and down many runways, and recently became the face of Shiseido. She’s also a talented artist in her own right. And, when she was still a high-school student, she acted as a plaintiff against the state of North Carolina, resulting in trans people being able to use a bathroom of their choosing.

Growing up in North Carolina, Schafer never considered herself a performer – she wanted to go to New York to study art (she had a place at London’s Central Saint Martins, too), which she would fund by modeling. Like many people who have grown up in a small town, a city like New York – or London or LA – acted like a beacon; a place to find a like-minded community. It is notable, then, that Schafer’s big acting break meant returning to a small town, albeit a fictional one, and partly reliving that life.

Euphoria, which was created and written by Sam Levinson, follows a group of teenagers navigating the world: sex, addiction, friendships, love, trauma, abuse, sexuality and identity are all themes tackled by the show. Once she had accepted the role, Schafer worked with Levinson on developing her character, Jules Vaughn, who is a captivating newcomer to East Highland High School.

Like most of the characters, Jules does not have an easy ride through the show. “A lot of her spirals line up with Sam’s and my spirals,” Schafer says of using the experience to process parts of her own life. “I know that not every show functions like this, but Sam is so collaborative, open and encouraging. Working on this character has been the most cathartic artistic experience I’ve ever had.”

But TV sets can be difficult places to work. Behind the camera, tens of people are watching as you allow yourself to be vulnerable and emotional, or as you shoot an intimate sex scene. Schafer seems to have taken this in her stride, though. “All of those experiences have taught me so much, even if they were terrifying,” she says. “But it’s good to get out of your comfort zone. It blows my mind that I got paid to try acting. Just to give it a shot. They took a chance on me.”

The chance more than paid off. During lockdown, Levinson wrote two special episodes that bridge the end of season one and the start of season two – a visual post-script to the emotional ending that left viewers in a mixed state of disbelief, shock and tears. In addition to co-writing one of these episodes, Schafer also co-produced it. “During quarantine, [Sam and I would] call each other and chat shit and throw ideas around. We started writing a different script and then that got put aside,” she says. “He was tossing around certain ideas and for some reason Jules was trending on Twitter. That helped us cement what we did in the end. I helped write the final script and was there for preproduction and helped to plan out the shots and storyboard it. All that influenced the performance because I knew the script on this whole other level.”

Lockdown, it seems for Schafer, has been pretty busy. “I’m living out of a suitcase right now and I’m not mad at it,” she laughs. She started and dropped several writing projects. “I just didn’t sleep and then that work fell in on itself.” She then packed up the LA apartment she was renting next to the Euphoria studio and drove back to North Carolina.

“It’s been an interesting year for mental health. Everyone’s been forced to sit with themselves and confront a lot of stuff. Personally, that’s not something I’ve ever done before and this year really forced me to do that. That was really the bulk of my quarantine journey,” she smiles, “confronting stuff and using work as a pretty large coping mechanism.”

Like Jules, Schafer transitioned in high school but, back then, trans people were largely an anomaly in pop culture, particularly in TV and film. Relegated to tragic story arcs, or being side-lined, there were not many roles around for trans actors. Now, being part of something as joyful and sad, nuanced and complex as Euphoria must have been quite an exhilarating experience. How did she feel when it was first released?

“The first couple of weeks when the show came out were a little scary – because I don’t think people knew what it was,” reflects Schafer. “But, by the end, people resonated with it and would message me and say that they felt seen or [that they] could come out or think about something in a certain way, and that is pretty special.”

At the age of 17, Schafer challenged the state of North Carolina in federal court over a law that would mean trans people had to use public bathrooms that aligned with their assigned sex at birth. It was repealed, no doubt partly thanks to Schafer’s input. But it wasn’t and isn’t necessarily her objective to be a spokesperson for trans people.

“I don’t think I should be a spokesperson for any community! But, as far as the individual and emotional, nothing gets me more than having a moment with another T girl. I’m like… [she emits a long squeak]. There is a wavelength that is special and important. Whenever I see another T girl or a pair of lesbians, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ It’s a good feeling to know that you are not singular.”

Talking publicly about anything that is trans-related can often become politicized, but that is far from the most human form of discussion. “I am far more interested in talking about it in something like the [Euphoria special] episode because it takes a more philosophical approach to transness and queerness and because it’s more emotional and abstract. I think that is more relevant,” Schafer says.

On the show, Jules’ style is colorful and chaotic, with big, bold slashes of makeup paired with minuscule skirts and wedge-soled sneakers. Today, Schafer is dressed rather more demurely in a simple Breton top, her blonde hair scraped back and a bridge piercing at the top of her nose. During Euphoria’s development, she says she would excitedly send costume designer Heidi Bivens mood boards of dreamy, pixie-esque outfits – ie, how she wished she’d dressed in high school.

Schafer recently signed a contract with Shiseido as a global ambassador. “I think they have such a cool take on being artistic with the way you apply makeup. I don’t often wear a lot of makeup, but when I do, I like to have fun with it,” says Schafer. The role has also led to her evolving and reflecting on what makes her feel beautiful. “I honestly feel like a different person compared to how I felt at the start of this year,” she says, brightly.

So, as one very strange year ends and another begins, where does Schafer – with so many possibilities at her fingertips – see herself going from here? Living out of a suitcase, picking her creative outlets: she is the definition of keeping it moving, of millennial fluidity. “I don’t know where I will go next!” she proclaims. “We are supposed to start filming season two, which makes me happy. Ever since Euphoria, it’s been go, go, go. I’ve been trying to make it be stable, [to] have a career. I want to keep writing and working on my own practices, but other than that it feels very up in the air. I genuinely don’t know what’s going on.”

She pauses for a second as someone knocks on her door. “You feel like you should be doing something or being productive and sometimes, you know, it’s important just to let yourself exist.”

Hunter Schafer’s Week: A New York Whirlwind

Hunter Schafer’s Week: A New York Whirlwind

Visiting town for an awards ceremony, the star of HBO’s “Euphoria” unwinds with “Ghost in the Shell” and screamo music.

Hunter Schafer’s eyes were boring a hole through her gray hotel room wall, left hand cupping her cheek as though, by wishing hard enough, she could convince the events of the day she was trying to recall to surface.

“Let’s see, I know I did the Gotham Awards … yesterday?” the 22-year-old model and breakout star of HBO’s “Euphoria” said in a video call earlier this month.

Not quite — the ceremony had been the day before.

“My bad,” she said, grinning in a light blue hoodie and black Carhartt-style jacket after just returning from an outdoor photo shoot on a chilly New York afternoon. “Time is confusing right now.”

The past year and a half has been a whirlwind for Schafer, who is transgender, since she made her acting debut as Jules opposite Zendaya’s addiction-tormented Rue on “Euphoria,” the Emmy-winning drama series about teenagers navigating the temptations of drug use at a Southern California high school. Schafer turns in a sensitive, gut-wrenching performance as a 17-year-old transgender girl who struggles with depression, bullying and gender dysphoria and has a love interest who can’t seem to stay clean.

And now she’s taking another leap — into writing. Schafer co-wrote the show’s second special episode, which premieres Sunday on HBO Max, with the “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. “The writing process took months,” she said. “There was a week where we spent hours on the phone every day to get the episode fleshed out.”

Schafer tracked her cultural diary while in New York for the 30th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards earlier this month, from her red-eye arrival on Jan. 10 to falling asleep to screamo music two days later. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

I got some sleep on my red-eye flight to New York, where I’d be presenting at the Gotham Independent Film Awards on Monday night. I listened to the “Kajillionaire” soundtrack in the car on my way to my hotel in SoHo. I’m in awe of how beautiful Emile Mosseri’s songs are — I’ve been listening to them constantly.

I walked around Downtown while listening to this Aaron Cartier album that one of my L.A. friends put me onto, “Aaron Cartier Best Dog.” It’s energetic and gets my New York endorphins going. Then I sat in bed and watched the series finale of “Veneno,” which is my favorite show that I’ve been watching recently. It made me super emo, but it has some of the best portrayals of trans femmes I’ve seen on TV in a very long time — maybe ever.

I went to dinner with some friends in my pod at KazuNori, which is this sushi place with amazing hand rolls. They wrap them right there and bring them out fresh, so the seaweed is still crunchy and the rice is so soft. Definite upgrade from the packaged microwave meals I was living off of before. Then my friend and I popped into this lingerie store across the street, WANT Apothecary, and got these little stripper dresses — just for fun, because it’s important to dress up and put on a show for yourself in quarantine.

Back at my hotel, I watched the anime movie “Ghost in the Shell” to go to sleep, which was spooky and gave me simulation vibes. Being in that existential head space influenced my dreams in a weird way.

I’m really bad about hitting the snooze button in the morning, so I need something pretty jarring to wake me up — I just use the regular annoying iPhone alarm. But I’ve also been sleeping to the Kajillionaire soundtrack, so I get nice little bits of that in my five minutes before my alarm goes off again.

One thing that’s changed since the start of the pandemic is my shower routine. When I’m filming, I’ve been obsessed with this thing my friend told me you can do where, at the end of your shower, you turn the nozzle all the way cold and let yourself sit in the freezing water for 30 seconds. Its brings you to life.

I used to pick out my outfits the night before in high school, but, now that I’m living out of a suitcase, I’ve edited my wardrobe so everything kind of goes with each other, so I’m never too stressed out about whether my outfit makes sense. One of my favorite T-shirts is from the L.A. brand Come Tees, which has beautiful prints of animated characters hat are super bright and colorful.

Hair and makeup came in to get me ready for the Gotham Awards. I wore a bondage-y dress from Matthew Williams’s Givenchy collection with a belt full of gold padlocks and a necklace from my friend Darius Khonsary’s new jewelry collection, Darius Jewels. She’s made this incredible collection of gold, antique-looking pieces that are also modern and mythical.

I sat at my own table, socially distanced from the other presenters, at the Gotham Awards ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street. I gave out the short form Breakthrough Series award, which I was so happy to see “I May Destroy You” win. That show took me out when it came out last year — it was [expletive] incredible. I’m a huge Michaela Coel fan.

I got back to my hotel around 10 p.m., where I ordered some vegetable fried rice and stripped down to my underwear. Then I scrolled through my friends’ Instagram stories. Gogo Graham, who’s a fashion designer, has an amazing feed — I’m floored every time she releases new garments. And Dara Allen, a stylist and model I used to work with, is a dream — I’m entranced by the amazing looks she creates out of her wild collection of clothes.

I’ve been listening to pretty varied music lately: “Dawning,” Davia Spain’s jazzy debut album, and the rapper Quay Dash’s EP “Transphobic.” And my friend Tweaks just came out with a new EP, “Older Now,” which is this futuristic, experimental thing.

I came across this album, “Hunter Schafer’s Boyfriend,” by an artist named CHASE after someone tagged me in it on Twitter. I was like, “What is this?” Then I listened to it, and it’s actually sick. I genuinely enjoyed it — there’s something electronic and poppy about it, but also elements of rap and maybe a little screamo, too.

I walked to a Japanese restaurant, AOI Kitchen, with three themed mini houses — there were flowers on the wall, and it felt like a little fairy house. It didn’t feel like I was in New York at all. They had really good tofu, mushrooms and sake. Then I walked back to my hotel and listened to some screamo music before relaxing into something a bit more restful — some songs by Colleen, which sound like something plants would dance to.

I love drawing by the window in my hotel in New York, coffee in hand — that’s my dream of a day. I love BasquiatEgon Schiele and Sage Adams. I go through waves where I get really into drawing for a couple of weeks, then I set it aside for a bit because I don’t feel that creative. Hopefully I’m going to go through another one soon.

Hunter Schafer on Wielding Eyeliner Like an Artist’s Pen and Euphoria’s Beauty Legacy

Hunter Schafer on Wielding Eyeliner Like an Artist’s Pen and Euphoria’s Beauty Legacy

In just a few short years, Hunter Schafer has come to embody the utter joy and liberation of expressing oneself through individual, highly imaginative style. In sparing no detail, the 22-year-old model, actor, and LGBTQ rights activist has become Gen Z’s foremost makeup disruptor too: both onscreen in her first-ever acting role portraying trans teenager Jules Vaughn on HBO’s Euphoria, where she’s collaborated with lead makeup artist Doniella Davy on array of now iconic looks, and off of it, shining on the red carpet with directional, avant-garde beauty statements that run the gamut from a splash of pearls across the eyes to a Swarovski-encrusted finger inspired by Tokyo lights at night.

Given her cerebral approach to beauty, it’s only natural that Schafer, who honed her makeup skills in part through her visual arts education (she graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 2017), would join forces with a brand like Shiseido, becoming the Japanese brand’s Global Makeup Ambassador. “Shiseido has their finger on a pulse that’s really artistic and kind of free in the sense of approaching makeup with a freedom and an acknowledgement of yourself, and doing what makes you feel good,” Schafer tells Vogue over Zoom, wearing a sculptural white Yohji Yamamoto confection with an ethereal complexion and a metallic glitter manicure. “That’s really how I like to approach makeup in whatever form that takes, whether it’s something more glamorous or something more artistic and expressive—they kind of have all the tools to bring those looks to life.”

Ahead of the forthcoming second Euphoria special episode, which centers on Jules, Schafer discusses how makeup is inextricably linked to her self-expression and the impact of Euphoria on the next generation of beauty rule-breakers.

Vogue: From your earliest memories through today, how has makeup served as a tool of self-expression for you?

Hunter Schafer: It’s come a long way from where I started. [Laughs.] I definitely began experimenting with makeup sort of in secret, like stealing my sister’s stuff and doing it behind closed doors in my bedroom just to see how it felt and see how it looked. And then it moved into like sneaking it to school and putting it on, like, in the bathroom once I got to school and then taking it off before my parents picked me up. And then, you know, in high school I got more comfortable with it and was at a different place with myself and began to kind of have more fun with it. And that’s kind of evolved into like where I’m at now, where it’s really just about making sure there’s a harmony between how I feel on the inside and making sure that’s represented on the outside.

Do you remember the first makeup look you ever created?

One of the first times I had ever experimented with makeup was at a sleepover when I was in middle school. We got into my friend’s eye shadow and eyeliner, and I remember applying, like, orange and red eye shadow and then doing these black flame lines on top of it. It was a lot of fun.

From choosing colors to sketching shapes, how does being a visual artist and illustrator inform your approach to makeup?

I think they go hand in hand. As far as when it comes to color, mixing color in gradients, line work, and variation of like line thickness and stuff, it can all be translated to terms that I learned when I studied visual art. Those are all things we learned in drawing and painting class and even in sculpture, you know? So when I’m thinking about doing an eye shadow look, I think about it in the context of an oil painting, which is all about doing a lot of thin layers of colors to create something more dimensional. Or, it might be something super graphic, like a line drawing with an eyeliner or something. It all makes a lot of sense to me in my head that way and has made it that much more fun to approach artistically.

Do you like to do makeup on other people too?

Yeah! I think I’m probably better at doing makeup on…well, actually, maybe not. I’m not sure. [Laughs.] But I know I liked doing my friends’ and having my friends do my makeup. I think it’s really funny. It’s actually sometimes a struggle because when they’re doing something on your eyes, you’re half looking at them and they’re super close to your face and all you can see is this sort of deformed blob that’s their face. I usually can’t stop laughing and then it becomes an issue. But yeah, I really love experimenting with [makeup] with my friends, on my friends, you know?

As a creative, where do you draw inspiration, and how does it translate to beauty?

I draw inspiration from everything, like artists that I’m thinking about at the time. I just bought a book about Aya Takano yesterday and I’ve been looking at those photos, and I think she has really wonderful references for makeup, for fashion, for anything really. But also like my friends, musicians…I mean, inspiration is inspiration. And also more than anything else, I’ve used art to feel like I can express myself or let myself shine through in a way that I might not be able to otherwise.

What are a few of the makeup products you can’t live without right now?

I’m really excited about the Radiant Lifting Foundation, especially in this press round when I’m having to dress up more and do more put-together looks. I never want to look too covered up or anything like that. And so this foundation feels really, really perfect for that. It feels like I’m wearing nothing. It also just enables a glow to happen that I feel is just a really nice canvas to, you know, experiment with other things on top, like for squiggles or sparkles or whatever it may be.

Recently I’ve been playing with eyeliner a little bit. I did an Instagram post not too long ago where I had drawn these symbols on my face with the Shiseido MicroLiner, which has a super fine point. It really felt like I was using one of my art pens, too! I drew one of my favorite symbols for my community on one side and then a sword on the other, which are, like, both motifs in my art or, like, my sketchbook, I would say. And that was really fun. In that case it was black eyeliner, but I’ve been experimenting with the colored liners and these colorful ControlledChaos mascaras as well. So they can match up or contrast. That’s been fun to mix and match with whatever else is happening on my face!

Over the past two years, Euphoria has had such a major influence on youth culture and beyond. What did you love about stepping into the role of Jules, and how did makeup help you get into character?

It was my first time acting, like coming into Jules. So thankfully the team on Euphoria, from Sam, the writer and creator of the show, to Donni, it’s been a massively collaborative experience. So I had a lot of hand in helping bring Jules to life. And, particularly with the makeup with Donni, we had so much fun just kind of brainstorming these abstract, colorful looks that reflect a certain scene or emotional energy. I think we try to be pretty mindful of how makeup can accentuate or contrast something that we’re trying to portray in a scene. So it’s a lot of fun to think about. We had a lot of fun just constantly trying to outdo ourselves with the design.

It was so touching and striking to see how many young kids were recreating makeup looks from the show. What is it like to see that?

I still can’t believe it’s reached as far as it has. I mean, it’s really sweet to see kids seeing themselves in these characters and being able to try that on. I also just think, as a whole, Euphoria approaches makeup with a creativity that I hope is encouraging of its audience to just do whatever they want, because that’s kind of all we did for the show. We were like, “Let’s do whatever, let’s have fun with it!”

Hunter Schafer on the Reverb of Euphoria’s Makeup and Her Road-Trip Beauty Essentials

Hunter Schafer on the Reverb of Euphoria’s Makeup and Her Road-Trip Beauty Essentials

Ahead of this weekend’s special episode, co-written by Schafer, the 21-year-old actor talks about fruitful rumination and the colored eyeliners she would teleport to her high school self.

It was a beatific vision: a smiling Hunter Schafer, dressed in a Yohji Yamamoto creation as if beamed in from some utopian future. “It’s a vibe,” the actor laughed over Zoom earlier this week, referring to the white fabric plumes levitating off her shoulders. After months where normal life seemingly went up in flames, the diaphanous look (courtesy of her newfound stylist, Law Roach) felt like the visual antithesis: a fresh gust of wind.

Or that was the national mood, anyway. It was the eve of Inauguration Day, and change was afoot. As much as the occasion belonged to septuagenarian Joe Biden, young leaders shared the spotlight: poet Amanda Gorman, transfixing the crowd; Ella Emhoff, wooing the fashion cognoscenti; Greta Thunberg, with her skewering tweet. The sense that the rising generation can grapple with a complex reality and do it with style might have felt familiar to fans of HBO’s darkly glamorous teen drama Euphoria, headlined by Zendaya and Schafer.

It was just four years ago that Schafer, then a 17-year-old trans student at a North Carolina arts high school, served as a plaintiff against the state, seeking to overturn its discriminatory bathroom bill. Following a high-profile start as a fashion model, Schafer landed a breakout role in 2019’s Euphoria, playing a sylphlike trans teen (Jules) with an eye for ethereal, painterly makeup. Instantly a muse for the beauty-obsessed TikTok set, the actor also caught the attention of Shiseido, becoming a face of the forward-thinking Japanese cosmetics brand late last summer.

“Shiseido rides a really specific wavelength,” said Schafer, describing a way of treating “makeup as an art project versus an attempt to appeal to some standard or something, which is exactly how I like to approach it.” The actor’s own drawings—linework and figure studies brimming with energy—slip easily from sketchpad to skin. (And currently on her fingertips: “almost a comic of cell division,” she explained, holding up the glittering handiwork of Mei Kawajiri. “I asked her to do the stages of mitosis on my nails!”) That sense of experimentation carries through to the new campaign for Shiseido’s latest foundation, which sets the actor’s crystal-studded eyelids against an otherwise unadorned face. “I’m not interested in covering up or trying to look like someone else, and I feel like the Radiant Lifting foundation really just kind of lets my face shine through,” added Schafer.

The impulse toward candor foreshadows this weekend’s special episode of Euphoria, an emotional dive into Jules’s backstory, which Schafer co-wrote with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. Here, the actor talks about the fruits of rumination, her trick to washable face tattoos, and the beauty finds she’d share with her high school self.

Vanity Fair: Euphoria‘s makeup is so entwined with Jules. How has that use of color and sparkle reflected or influenced how you’ve approached makeup?

Hunter Schafer: I think it’s sort of falling nicely in line with my personal evolution with makeup—from how I started wearing it in high school when I was first experimenting and trying to figure out if I wanted to look pretty or to serve a certain sort of gothness. Throughout the years, I’ve been able to move into something that feels more artistic and playful, which is definitely my comfort zone. The show gave me the tools—especially working with Donni [DavyEuphoria’s makeup department head]—to take the approach of drawing on your face or just smearing some glitter on and seeing what works. I helped design the cloud look that Jules wears in episode 3 of Season 1, and I was really happy with that one.

What have you been experimenting with lately in terms of makeup?

I’ve been playing with illustrating things near my eyes. I recently just did this Instagram post where I had done almost face tattoos, with a symbol for my community that I really love, and then a sword. I was able to get pretty precise, actually. I used this guy: the MicroLiner Ink from Shiseido. It was a lot of fun! Half-committing to a face tattoo without actually having to stick a needle in my face was good.

It’s interesting that your first Shiseido campaign is for foundation, when we’ve come to associate you with experimental looks. How does it fit in with your own aesthetic?

I think Shiseido rides a really specific wavelength in that they have the right tools and sort of vibe as far as their brand—the looks they put out into the world that fall in line with being artistic. Since partnering with them, I’m learning a lot too. I wasn’t that well versed in foundation before, but it’s something I’m actually liking because it’s a really good blank canvas. It feels like I’m literally wearing nothing, which is a major plus for me in that it feels airy and my skin can breathe. But then it’s also doing all this work with the light technology and the sort of glow that I’m going for.

This year was so much about rumination. How did that shape this Jules episode?

Ruminating was sort of consequential to the pandemic, and quarantining definitely influenced, if not brought forth, my involvement [in] the Jules episode. Being forced to kind of sit with yourself for that amount of time—whether you like it or not—starts bringing up stuff that you may have not had time or the capacity to confront before. As far as my involvement as a co-writer and a co-producer and having that deep artistic involvement in the episode, I was able to really channel the stuff that was coming up for me. It was actually really cathartic in that way.

With Jules being younger than you and less settled in herself, it’s almost like you’re rewinding in some way. How would your high school self have felt in these makeup looks?

I would love to give the younger me the possibility of exploring makeup in the way that I’m able to do now—just because it’s freeing in a lot of senses, to feel like you have that autonomy over your face. You can really do whatever you want. I don’t think younger me completely understood that.

You mentioned the fake-tattoo liner. Are there other products that you would teleport back to your high school bathroom?

I think I was stealing whatever my sister had at the time, so definitely that eyeliner. They also have several colors of the Kajal InkArtist eyeliner and multicolored mascaras. I think little old me would have a blast pairing up designs with the eyeliners and then throwing on a different color of mascara—taking a color-blocky approach.

You spent a lot of the past year on the road: buying a truck, driving cross-country, spending time in North Carolina. What were your handful of creative essentials—both for art-making and makeup?

I definitely brought my watercolor, sketchbook, and ink. I also made the intention to have a bunch of disposable cameras on me. I got really into working with film over that trip, and I kind of photographed my way across the country, which was fun. As far as makeup goes, at night after being holed up in the car all day, I just got dressed up—as a lot of us are doing during quarantine. You know, I was in my truck with my messy bun and just in a T-shirt driving, so to make myself feel a little more glamorous I had some eyeliner that I played with, some shadow. I even got into a little lipstick. I don’t have much of a skin-care routine, but the one component that I actually truly use every time after I get out of the shower, every time after I walk outside and my skin feels dry or something, is this stuff: the Shiseido Essential Energy moisturizing cream. I live by it.

Hunter Schafer broke through in ‘Euphoria.’ Now she’s mining her life for it

Hunter Schafer broke through in ‘Euphoria.’ Now she’s mining her life for it

Warning: This post contains spoilers from this week’s special episode of “Euphoria.”

Hunter Schafer spent a half-hour screaming, sobbing and slamming her body against a door while shooting the latest episode of “Euphoria.”

The 22-year-old actress described it as the “most physically demanding scene” she’s ever filmed for the gritty HBO drama, which became known during its first season for graphic depictions of violence, sex and hard drugs. This sequence involved none of the above — just Schafer in character as Jules, a locked door and a devastating fear of what awaited on the other side.

The harrowing dream sequence occurs near the end of Friday’s “Euphoria” special, which sees Jules in a prolonged state of vulnerability and introspection. During the intense nightmare, Jules arrives at her imaginary New York City apartment to find her high school soulmate, Rue (Zendaya), alone and unresponsive in their bathroom.

Jules’ increasingly desperate pleas to “open the f— door” are met with ominous silence — an extension of last month’s episode, which saw the self-destructive Rue midrelapse in their shared dreamscape.

“It was kind of like letting the worst of Jules’ imagination take over,” Schafer says during a video call from New York City. “Which was really difficult, because even I personally love Rue so deeply and do not like to think about the images that I had to come up with in my head and sit with for that scene.”

Now streaming on HBO Max, the episode continues Schafer’s creative evolution. The Raleigh, N.C., native spent her late teen years working in New York as an in-demand runway model before making her acting debut in 2019 with “Euphoria,” on which she plays the effervescent new girl in town who develops a romantic and sometimes toxic relationship with her drug-addicted best friend. Schafer also co-wrote and co-executive produced the episode, titled “F— Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” with creator and showrunner Sam Levinson.

“Sam is super collaborative and has been from the beginning,” Schafer says. “He really wants all of us, as actors, to have input into our characters and their livelihoods.

“Taking that to the next level with really having a hand in what [Jules is] saying — and also in an episode that allows us to stay with her for a much longer period of time than we’d ever been able to in Season 1 — it was just really exciting.”

Filmed in October, the episode picks up after the emotional Season 1 finale, which saw Jules flee home for the city, leaving a distraught Rue in her wake. Now, Jules is back in suburbia — and in therapy — to unpack the trauma that led to her climactic getaway.

While brainstorming dialogue for the hourlong character study, Schafer and Levinson took turns pretending to be Jules and her therapist, imagining what might come up in conversation between a counselor and a 17-year-old in crisis.

“I would say a lot of the episode — particularly the therapy session — was birthed out of us just riffing and maybe accidentally falling into character while we were on the phone talking,” Schafer says. “There’s an element of play that I didn’t understand about writing before. Really, we were just acting on the phone, and I found that to be so useful and also fun to contribute to the script.”

The collaboration was therapeutic, not only for Jules but for Schafer, who struggled with adjusting to life in quarantine. Production on Season 2 of “Euphoria” was postponed just three days before it was scheduled to begin in March, and a “maybe too optimistic” Schafer hadn’t anticipated spending months in isolation.

“It was a rude awakening,” she says. “I think we were all grasping onto the hope that [the pandemic] would be something that would maybe last, like, a month or two. And then that started to fade away as well. We all just surrendered to quarantine and stewing in our homes.”

A self-professed workaholic, Schafer was forced to slow down and address mental health issues that had been lurking “under the surface for a long time.”

“Having to really sit with myself and not having an objective was terrifying and brought up a lot of things maybe I hadn’t processed yet,” she says. “I’m medicated now, and I feel more like myself than I have in years …. It sucked at the time because it was really kind of a crash and burn, but I’m so thankful for it.”

Key to Schafer’s healing process was resuming work on “Euphoria” in a new creative role. Shortly after Levinson penned the series’ first holiday special, starring Zendaya as Rue, he and Schafer began generating ideas for a followup from Jules’ perspective.

Schafer shared with him a poem she wrote upon graduating high school:

“It was about this strange spiral I was having about hormone therapy and making an analogy between learning how to find beauty within yourself,” says Schafer, who, like her character, is trans. “Like, rather than wanting to be as beautiful as another cis woman, wanting to be as beautiful as something even grander, like the ocean.”

Schafer’s reflection became the inspiration for “F— Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” during which Jules considers going off her hormones after coming to the self-critical realization that she’s “framed her entire womanhood around men.”

“Being trans is spiritual” for her, Jules explains to her therapist, and she doesn’t want to “stand still.”

“She is, rightfully so, going through a questioning of [herself] and the decisions [she’s] made before — not because they were wrong in any way but just because she is evolving as a human and is coming to understand herself in a deeper way,” Schafer says.

“Gender and self-expression are incredibly fluid and incredibly ever-changing,” she continues. “And I think it’s very emotional … and psychological in a way that’s outside political gender assignments of, like, male and female. Those are … not a fun way or a fruitful way to think about inhabiting your gender.”

In addition to the therapy session, the episode features a mix of dream and fantasy sequences — such as the apartment nightmare — as well as flashbacks providing further insight into Jules’ complex relationships with her mother and with Rue, both of whom struggle with addiction.

“Euphoria” has previously offered glimpses into Jules’ traumatic history with her mom, who is largely absent from the show. But Friday’s installment makes an explicit link between Jules’ turbulent upbringing and anxieties about Rue’s fragile hold on sobriety.

“Jules actively does not think about that a lot because it’s something that bothers her and hurts her,” Schafer says of Jules’ mother’s absence. “It makes sense, in a way, that her and Rue came together … also, it makes sense why they have the conflicts that they do, in that there are a lot of parallels between what Jules’ mother was going through and what Rue is going through.”

The end of Friday’s episode sees Rue and Jules (affectionately dubbed #Rules by fans) briefly reconnect for the first time since the Season 1 finale. But it isn’t exactly a fairytale reunion.

“I know Jules would have done anything to be held by or hold Rue again in that moment, after everything that happened,” Schafer says.

“Rue is not capable of doing that in that moment, and maybe Jules wasn’t either. But … you can tell that there’s still a vulnerable, raw love there between them.”

Though their midpandemic material has been heavy, even by “Euphoria” standards, Schafer was eager to return to set opposite Zendaya, fresh off her historic lead actress win at the 2020 Emmy Awards.

“It was hard,” Schafer said. “But she’s also the scene partner that I’ve spent the most time with and have shared the most with emotionally, so I always feel really comfortable with her and excited to see what happens because we both love our characters so much and we love their connection.”

Schafer was careful about revealing what’s in store for the pair in Season 2, only sharing the two will “reexamine their relationship.” (“That is so vague!” she says, laughing. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to get in trouble!”)

It remains unclear when Schafer will be able to revisit Jules — no announcements have been made about when the sophomore season will resume production. But there might be more writing in Schafer’s future.

“This was genuinely the most cathartic artistic experience I’ve ever had,” she says. “It was really special, being able to put that much of yourself into one singular product.”

Hunter Schafer Is Experimenting With Makeup And Listening To Screamo In Quarantine

Hunter Schafer Is Experimenting With Makeup And Listening To Screamo In Quarantine

The actress opens up about working with Shiseido, feeling beautiful, and plotting ‘Euphoria’ season 2.

Hunter Schafer is a 22-year-old model and Hollywood sensation with a starring role on the hit HBO show Euphoria. Her special episode, which she co-wrote with director Sam Levinson, airs today and spotlights her character Jules through her very tumultuous 2020.

But first and foremost, Schafer is an artist, and this shines through everything she does. “I really like to approach makeup as if it were an art project or something that could exist in my sketchbook,” she explains over Zoom. She’s even wearing what could be considered a work of art: a Yohji Yamamoto blouse with abstract adornments that frame her face, picked out by legendary stylist Luxury Law. The outfit, the makeup, and her partnership with Shiseido all align with her vision of the world—full of curved lines, like the doodles from her sketchbook jumped off the page. “In the beauty space, Shiseido has their finger on an artistic perspective with makeup that I really appreciate,” she explains. “It’s a really good fit.”

Speaking of good fits, Schafer opens up about the other matching puzzle pieces in her life: Screamo music, Tilda Swinton, and working to evolve the Euphoria beauty aesthetic in season 2.

As the new face of the Shiseido Radiant Lifting Foundation, tell me what you love about the product.

It honestly feels like I’m wearing nothing, which is wonderful. And somehow, despite the feeling of wearing nothing, it also feels like there’s a bit of a glow, and the light is bending and reflecting in a way that makes me feel really good. I also feel like my face is still coming through, because there’s a perception around foundation that’s the idea of covering up. I really like to try and let as much show through as I can whilst also creating a really nice palette to do whatever I’m going to do on top of it.

What’s your beauty routine been like in quarantine?

The spectrum has gotten broader in a sense because there are days where I do not leave my bed and I do not do anything. And then there are other days. I feel like a lot of my friends and I have been taking the opportunity to do something that resembles what we did in high school or in our teenage days, when we were first experimenting with makeup and did it alone in our bedrooms—just for ourselves and no one was even going to see it. I’ve been doing that a lot, which I’ve been having fun with because it really feels like it’s just for me, which I think is how makeup should be approached. I’ve been having fun with it and finding what feels good for the days when I feel like being a little more glammed up. I miss getting ready for an event or going out at night or something. There’s something really fun about the process of getting ready, so still trying to replicate that with makeup has been really fun.

Do you have a going out routine? Special playlist or rituals?

I have to say my beauty routine is very, very simple. It’s literally just shower and put on moisturizer, and I use Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizing Cream. I live by it. I use it like three times a day. It’s amazing. Those are the only really solid aspects of my beauty routine. I always have music on and if I’m getting ready for something where I want to feel like a bad bitch or feel like I’m on myself, I have a couple of playlists for that mood. Or if I’m with a friend, I usually let my friends take over because I can’t say I’m the best at exploring or finding new music. I can largely attribute my taste to just having friends with good taste.

You’re also an artist and love to draw. Is there a piece you made that you turned into a beauty look?

I think I definitely channeled [art] into my collaboration with Doni [Doniella Davy, Euphoria’s lead makeup artist] on building Jules. Jules is more artistic, like kind of abstract looks. Recently, I played with this really thin eyeliner, the microliner ink from Shiseido, and I drew this symbol from my community that I really love on one side of my eye and like a sword on the other eye. And both of those are things I like to draw. They end up in my sketchbook a lot of the time. It was really cool to be able to approach my face with the sense of like, ‘Oh, it’s just using a regular ink pen.’ It almost felt like I had face tattoos with the subtracted commitment of actually having someone tattoo my face.

Who are your favorite beauty influences, past or present?

I always say Kelsey Lu because I found out about her in high school and I just thought she was the coolest. She has a lot of fun as far as colors go. It’s the same thing with Tilda Swinton. I mean, the beauty, fashion, everything—I’m like, I want to be her. There’s this rapper, BbyMutha, she’s awesome and I love what she does with makeup as well.

Euphoria ushered in this new wave of beauty, best exemplified by the rhinestones and color that now fill For You pages. Are you and Doniella raising the bar for season 2? Have you talked about what’s next at all?

I think there’s maybe a sense of pressure to do that. I think the interesting thing with sequences or a season jumping into another season is the idea of having to top yourself or level up. We’ve been doing our best to avoid that pressure because whatever we did in the first season worked, in a lot of ways. We’re just trying to remember to stay true to the characters and stay true to the wavelength of the show rather than trying to create the next Tiktok trend or something.

Do you ever look at your co-stars’ makeup [Alexa Demie as Madi, Barbie Ferreira as Kat, Zendaya as Rue, and Sydney Sweeney as Cassie] and personally identify with their beauty looks more than Jules? Or are you Jule through and through?

Jules is definitely the most like me and I really put a lot of myself into the collaboration I did with Doni. When we first started filming season 1, I was still kind of in my colors and like, Oh my gosh, I have access to all these fun clothes [but] I think I’ve been a little goth lately. I’ve been wearing a lot of black and I’ve gotten into screamo recently. That’s like, happening. It’s had an effect on me.

In that regard, there’s a part of me that’s maybe a little bit jealous of Kat’s makeup and that she inhabits a bit more of a goth beauty world, which I love. To be honest, what I want to channel and be changes every single day.

With your special episode release and season 2 on the way, are we going to see some character growth through the makeup looks of Jules?

Yeah. We’ve talked about it a lot. We’ve always been attentive to how the makeup services a scene or reflects a scene or amplifies a certain aspect of a scene and where the character is at and what the character is feeling. Where season 1 left off is repositioning Jules for season 2 in a new place now that a lot of big things have just happened. I think there will be a bit of an evolution and some new vibes and aesthetics coming from Jules.

When do you personally feel you’re most beautiful?

I think I feel the most beautiful when I feel like myself. That sounds corny, but it’s true. When I feel like one and in unison between how I’m feeling on the inside—which is ever-changing and always evolving—and how I look on the outside is a really special feeling. It’s a feeling I’m particularly attuned to and that if that’s not matching up, I know something’s off.

That feels really important to me and there’s almost a sense of euphoria when those things do harmonize. Also, when it’s someone who’s been formerly pretty insecure, it’s taken a lot of work for me to be comfortable with my face and how I look. I’ve grown to really like how I look now. So letting that shine through always feels really important and is a part of how I feel beautiful, because my face is what makes me unique and that’s beautiful to me.

Hunter Schafer on Her Special Episode, Collaborating with Zendaya, & Season 2 Delays

Plus, Schafer opens up about Jules and trans representation in ‘Euphoria.’

From show creator Sam Levinson, the second special episode of the HBO series Euphoria, titled “F*ck Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob,” (or, “Part 2: Jules”) follows Jules (played by Hunter Schafer, who also serves as co-writer and co-executive producer) as she allows herself to open up and become vulnerable about the events of the last year. While reflecting on her feelings and exploring how intense her relationship with Rue (Zendaya) became, Jules looks to her past and present to figure out what she wants next.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Schafer spoke with us about how much it stung to have to put Season 2 on hold because of the pandemic, how thrilled she was to return to this character, what it’s been like to have Euphoria be her first acting experience, becoming so involved with this special episode, the challenge in shooting so much dialogue, the beauty and sadness of the relationship between Jules and Rue, and what it’s been like to collaborate with Zendaya.

COLLIDER: After such an acclaimed and well received first season, it must have been difficult to not be able to shoot Season 2 because of the pandemic. Even though there was an unavoidable reason to not be able to shoot, was it still hard not to go back and get to dig deeper into this character and all of these things that you set up with the first season?

HUNTER SCHAFER: Yeah, absolutely. It was also the timing that stung a little bit. We were literally three days from beginning production when we got shut down. We had our table reads and our fittings and we were starting to memorize lines. We were really prepared to go in to Season 2 for basically the whole year, and then we got cut off. It was definitely a little painful.

With the events of the first season and where things were left, what were your biggest questions, when it came to your character, and the relationship between Jules and Rue?

SCHAFER: I think I wanted to know, how long Jules was planning on running away for? Is she severing ties with everyone and just running free? Is this all gonna collapse in on itself and she’s gonna come back? Is she okay? I definitely had a multitude of questions and wondered what that meant for Rue and Jules. Can their relationship, whatever it is, withstand something more dramatic and intense like that? Also, how will Rue’s relapse affect them? That’s where my mind was.

This was your first acting job, which seems crazy with how good you are in the show.

SCHAFER: Thank you!

What was it like to have this be the show that you had your first experience on?

SCHAFER: I don’t have anything else to compare it to, but I was just thrilled to be getting to try acting and have people trust me to give it a shot with this character and this show. Frankly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This has been the most beautiful set with the most beautiful people to learn how to act with and share space with and be vulnerable with. I’m really thankful it was a safe space because I imagine it maybe isn’t like that on every set. I really felt so supported, and it really taught me how to love acting and making a show.

When you have an experience like that on the first season, did it make going into doing this special episode feel different? Did you feel like a different person, when it came to the acting side of things?

SCHAFER: Yes, definitely. Something that caught me by surprise, between Season 1 and shooting these episodes, was that I don’t think I had realized how much I had begun to rely on acting, as a source of catharsis and output, as far as emotions and artistic energy goes. I don’t think I had realized how much I missed it. I worried, over the break, whether I’d be rusty or if I’d forget any sense of technique that I’d built up over Season 1 and if I was gonna have to learn how to act all over again. And then, once we started shooting, I fell head first into it and, thanks to brain muscle memory, I was able to really get back into it. I just really needed it, which was really lovely to realize. It works as a form of making art. in the same way that I need to draw or be making things with my hands. It serves a similar purpose, which just means that I like it and I should keep doing it. I think it’s a good sign.

How did you find out about these special episodes and that you wouldn’t have to actually wait until Season 2 to play this character again?

SCHAFER: I was thrilled. [Showrunner] Sam [Levinson] had been talking about making episodes that were feasible to shoot within the confines of the pandemic. I was just really anxious to find out if we were actually gonna be able to do it. And then, he made it happen. It was just really exciting because we had to change the frequency of the show. It’s usually so fast paced and there’s lots of people, and we couldn’t do that, so it forced us to come at the show from a different perspective and sit with two of the characters and spend more time with them. I really love both of these episodes. I think it was a really nice alternative to the train engine that Season 1 was, regarding its pace and how much is going on. I think it made the show stronger too, which was cool.

How did you also then come to co-write, co-produce, and storyboard this episode?

SCHAFER: Sam and I keep up with each other pretty frequently and are always tossing around ideas and whatnot. We had started writing a movie earlier in quarantine together, just for fun. And then, that got put aside, as he started working on these episodes. After he wrote the Rue episode, we started tossing around ideas, just on the phone, about what this could hold. I ended up reading a poem that I had written in my first year out of high school, and we started to integrate. And then, he was like, “Do you wanna write this with me?,” and we just dove in, head first. We had the first draft done in a week.

Did it feel scarier to have your first experience acting, or was it scarier to make that leap to writing and producing?

SCHAFER: I would say, despite having literally no experience with either, the acting was definitely scarier, just because performing feels much further away from what I grew up doing, which was visual arts. In a way, the co-producing and co-writing felt a lot more natural to me because it was behind the scenes and artistic in a different way, working with my hands and writing stuff down, which feels more parallel to growing up making art. So, in a way it felt really natural, but I’m not trained in those areas, so I had to learn a lot from Sam. But Sam also just made it such a comfortable space that I never felt like scared or like I was an imposter, the way I might have felt in Season 1, as far as being a brand new actor.

You’ve had a modeling career, you’re starring in a TV show that’s gotten a lot of attention, you’re branching out to work behind the scenes, and you’re only 22. Do you feel accomplished, with what you’ve already been able to do?

SCHAFER: Yeah, sure. I think I feel accomplished. The biggest accomplishment is that I feel so happy to be making things that I’m excited about. I feel so lucky that these things are my job and that I really love doing all of them. I’m learning so much, every time I delve into something new, which is also a lot of fun. In a way, it still feels like school almost. I’m learning new things about the industry and the specific trades within making a show, every day. I just feel lucky and excited.

One of the things that I was struck by with this episode was the fact that because this is a therapy session, you have to do a lot of talking. What were the biggest challenges of shooting this, from an acting perspective? Have you developed any tricks for yourself, that you’ve found useful when it comes to doing that much dialogue and also having to explore so much emotion, at the same time?

SCHAFER: Yeah. This is the most dialogue that I’ve ever done. We jumped from Season 1, which had a couple minute scenes, to basically 30 to 40 minutes worth of dialogue straight. And we shot the therapist session in two days, so it wasn’t cut up or anything. I really just had to know the whole session, in my head. Thankfully, with the most dialogue that I’ve ever had, came the fact that I co-wrote it, so I was really familiar with a lot of the words and the intention behind them. It was perfect, in that way. A lot of that work was already started, for me. If you’re just handed a script, you have to really analyze it and think about like why the character is saying this and how to say it.

A lot of that process was done already in writing. Having written it helped a lot, as far as my familiarity with the script. I still just read the script, out loud to myself and back and forth with some friends, pretty much every night, leading up to shooting the episode. I was terrified that I was not gonna be able to know my lines, and that is the worst feeling. But thankfully, by the day we shot, I was really familiar with everything. Knowing the lines that well also made it easier to do the proper work that it required, to channel the right emotion for what I was saying. As far as triggers that I needed to pull in my head, as I was saying things or moving through a sequence of dialogue, it felt like I had the space to do that because I wasn’t trying to remember what I was supposed to say next.

After doing this episode, where you get to revisit events of the first season and look forward to the second season, has it changed what you’re now most looking forward to, with doing Season 2?

SCHAFER: I don’t know if it’s changed the way I’m looking forward to Season 2 too significantly, in that I’m mostly just really fucking excited to get back to work and be on set and to be around my friends from Euphoria again and be making this thing that I love with them. That’s still very there. I feel lucky, in that I got to work and learn a little more about my practice, as an actor and as a creative person, more over quarantine. I feel like this episode made me better and I’m excited to like bring those skills to Season 2. More than anything else, I’m just excited to fuck around on set again and have fun and just go head first into Season 2. I miss it so much.

Do you know when you get to do Season 2?

SCHAFER: There are dates flying around, but no confirmation, really.

When it comes to trans representation, what do you feel Euphoria gets most accurately and most truthfully?

SCHAFER: As far as Jules goes, we tried to treat her identity as just one facet of her. It’s not what her narrative concentrates on, really. A lot of that has already resolved, which I really appreciate. I feel it’s reflective of my experience, which is not to say that I feel resolved about anything towards myself, but I’m thinking about a lot of other things, aside from being trans, most of the time, and that feels really accurate. It’s something that I really appreciate about the character. As a queer trans person, I’m really excited to be exploring queerness as a trans person with Jules, as well.

I thought it was really interesting to hear Jules describe being trans as spiritual.

SCHAFER: With this episode, because we got to spend more time with Jules, we got a little bit more insight, as to how she feels about like her trans-ness and her gender, and just gender as a whole. I really like her approaching it from an emotional and philosophical standpoint, rather than something political or binary, like the gender binaries of political constructs. That’s not a fun way for humans to think about gender.

There’s such a beauty and a sadness to the relationship between Jules and Rue. Do you personally find yourself rooting for them to find that light and to find their way out of the tragedy and more into the beauty of their relationship?

SCHAFER: I definitely want that for them, as someone who loves them both so much. They’re both like dealing with a lot of shit. More than the nature of their relationship, it’s just that all of the shit they’re dealing is what makes their relationship so tragic sometimes. I definitely hope that they can find a happy frequency together, but I also think there’s hope in it now. Even in the last scene of this episode, while it might not be some glorious, romantic reunion there is a level of hope that they’re still the emotionally vulnerable and sweet characters with each other that we know them to be.

What’s it been like to share this experience with Zendaya, and to have her to work with and learn from? How does she most challenge you, as a scene partner?

SCHAFER: I feel so lucky to be working next to her and to be developing these characters’ relationship with her because I know she loves them just as much as I do, if not more. As a scene partner, she is just so good about, when the camera’s on me, doing whatever she needs to do to help me be where I need to be for the scene. It makes it that much easier for me to reciprocate and give that back to her. Just as one of my best friends too, it’s something that we can take from, with our real-life friendship. We trust each other. It’s ever-evolving and it makes the evolution of the characters that much more fun and deep to dive into. We’re always just pushing each other to go deeper.

Hunter Schafer’s Most-Used Art Tool in Quarantine Has Been Eyeliner

Everyone has a unique relationship with makeup. Hunter Schafer, the 21-year-old star of Euphoria, approaches the creation of looks like an art project. Her face is the canvas, and the final product is a highly imaginative work of self-expression.

As Jules, Schafer has inspired fans to draw abstract, cloud-like swirls around their eyes. Off screen, the actress, model, LGBQT+ activist, and artist has brought glitter unibrows to the red carpet. And most recently, she’s been experimenting with temporary face tattoos while quarantining at home (more on that later).

Even Schafer’s Zoom outfits look like they came straight from the MoMA. I know so because I was greeted by the actress wearing a sculptural white Yohji Yamamoto piece when I hop on a call to chat with the Shiseido global ambassador about her new campaign for the brand’s SYNCHRO Radiant Lifting Foundation.

“It’s a fun tentacle look,” she says of the piece she picked out with legendary stylist Law Roach. “I was like, ‘what’s going to work for Zoom that’s activating the top half of my body’ and when I tried this on, I knew it was the one.”

With Jules’s special episode she co-wrote with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson having just aired, keep reading to hear how Schafer’s relationship with makeup has evolved since the show’s first season, and how she’s been using makeup to stay grounded throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

What drew you to working with Shiseido?
In the context of the beauty world, I feel like Shiseido in particular has such a special vantage point of how to wear and play with makeup in a way that feels artistic and true to you. Since partnering with them and being able to play with so many of their products, my relationship with makeup has evolved in a lot of ways. Their tools have really allowed me to have fun experimenting with different makeup looks and forms of application.

What has your makeup routine been like during the pandemic?
A lot of days I haven’t gotten up from bed and haven’t done much. On other days, I’ve been putting makeup on because I really do miss the process of getting ready to go to an event or out for the night, and the thought and effort that goes into a look you feel really excited about. I’ve been playing on my own just for fun with no intention of anyone really seeing it, and just really experimenting with makeup and different looks. That’s been really sweet and it really reminds me of how I interacted with makeup when I was younger and just alone in my room.

What’s one product you keep reaching for?
Because a lot of it is more at home vibes, things that feel lighter or easier to wear have also felt really good, which is why I’m really excited about the Radiant Lifting Foundation. I’m wearing it right now and it feels like I’m wearing nothing. It’s the perfect canvas to do your thing with makeup.

What types of looks have you been trying?
Last year, particularly what I was doing with Donni and Euphoria, we were into a lot of abstract shapes and colors combinations. More recently, I’ve been playing with looks that use more clear images or objective things. Most recently I did an Instagram post where I had drawn on these face tattoos. One was a symbol for my trans community that I really love and the other was a sword. I used the MicroLiner Ink Eyeliner from Shiseido. It was a lot of fun to half commit to something resembling a face tattoo without actually getting a face tattoo.

What else have you been doing to stay grounded and sane during this tumultuous time?
I think as far as staying sane, work is a major pillar in my well-being. I call it work, but a lot of the work that I do doesn’t really feel like work in that it is just painting in my room, working on an art project, or writing. Making sure I’m putting my energy into something has been really important and not just letting things sit inside and fester. Even in regards to beauty, I’ve been playing a lot in my free time which has been really good and I think made me feel slightly more sane.

What is the first beauty product you feel in love with?
All of my first makeup experiences were stuff I stole from sister, so I think mascara the first thing I stole and used from her, and I was really excited about that.

In the first season of Euphoria, the makeup looks were part of the storytelling. How is this different in the two special episodes?
In regards to the beauty aspect, what I think is really special about these episodes is that they’re softer. They show a different facet of Euphoria in that they’re slowed down. The frequency of season one was jumping around everywhere, really colorful, and we were doing a bunch of makeup looks and parties. These episodes are really just sitting with the characters that are being focused on. They’re in their bedrooms or somewhere where they’re not all dressed up. The makeup Euphoria might be known for in season one might not be as prevalent in these episodes, but there’s something special about seeing a more raw and exposed side to the characters.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Hunter Schafer Wants Everyone to Find Their Unique Light

Hunter Schafer Wants Everyone to Find Their Unique Light

Hunter Schafer will not wear a sweatshirt to your Zoom meeting. You’ll notice the flames first — silver fingers, a foot long, undulating in the air, surrounding either side of her face, thanks to a tentacled Yohji Yamamoto blouse. “It’s a suit with culotte bottoms!” she delightedly tells me.

Everything Schafer does is the ultimate expression of who she is, including her wardrobe choices, which vibrate at a slightly higher frequency than others’. (Frequency is a word she loves.) She’s the star and co-writer of the latest Euphoria special episode, “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” which aired last week on HBO. She’s also the new face of Shiseido, and appears in her first campaign video for the brand, doing a sort of interpretive dance for its newest foundation product that somehow showcases the beauty of light and movement. The Cut talked to Schafer about high-frequency beauty, the catharsis that comes from expressing yourself, and Euphoria makeup-removal tricks.

How has your pandemic been?
My pandemic has been a journey. I was fighting it for the first few months, and then I gave into it and got a rhythm going, in terms of working and doing things that feel good for me. I’ve developed a beauty routine, like a lot of my friends, because we can’t go out to events and feel glamorous or go have a night out and get dressed up. I’ve been putting on a full look for myself, doing my makeup and having fun with it.

Everything I’m wearing for my face is for something internal, like a Zoom, or it’s just for me, and no one else is going to see it. It reminds me of the stuff I used to do in high school. I would do it for myself, to feel good or play. It’s really fun, and a good reminder of why I love makeup.

What was your first experience with makeup?
I think my first experience was at a sleepover when I was in middle school. My friends let me get into their makeup. I remember going at my face with orange and red eye shadows and eyeliners, and I drew a flame or something. I accessed a part of myself I hadn’t before.

It had me thinking about makeup more frequently. I felt good wearing it and really enjoyed it. When I’m in a character’s makeup or costume, with acting, it’s that much easier to get into it. I liked knowing that makeup could give me agency into finding a more confident and bolder part of myself.

You said in a statement about your partnership with Shiseido, “I want to bring more visibility to the notion that you can move beyond one beauty ideal or standard. I’m about leveling up and finding your own frequency in makeup.” Why does the word frequency appeal to you and your beauty sensibility?
I use that word for a lot of things; I find it quite applicable. There are a million sound frequencies or light frequencies or light waves. With makeup and Shiseido, everyone has their own frequency, or way of radiating their own unique light. That’s something that is really fun in the context of makeup. It’s about channeling a frequency and becoming something, but also letting your own preexisting frequency shine through.

In some sense, foundation is thought of as covering. I like Shiseido’s new Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation because when I am wearing it, it feels like I’m wearing nothing, so I don’t feel like I’m being covered. I feel like it’s letting me shine through. It’s almost like moving the light around my face in a way that still feels like me, giving me a little glow or radiance, which is good.

How would you describe frequency to someone who isn’t familiar with whether or not they’ve felt it?
I describe it as a vibe — a vibe you get from someone, like when you first meet them and before you exchange too many words. A lot of times when I meet someone who I grow to be good friends with, I can tell off the frequency and the way we interact with each other. I’m like, Oh, okay, cool, we are on the same page. That’s the more human way to equate it.

What’s something that is high frequency to you in makeup or beauty?
Looks that I feel like I’ve been able to illustrate or explore with — I’m not trying to look like a certain kind of pretty or like someone else. Even with eyeliner, I recently did a post on Instagram where I drew shapes near my eyes — a symbol in my community that I love and a sword, using this guy, the MicroLiner Ink Eyeliner. Just being able to have symbolism on my face, that feels cool.

You’ve also said that you use makeup to “bring something internal to the external world.” What are you trying to bring out?
The way we feel on the inside changes every single moment, that’s the human experience. There is a certain kind of catharsis or euphoria when how you feel on the inside is near or parallel to how you feel like you’re presenting on the outside.

Maybe you wake up one morning and you’re like, Today, I feel like a Mark Rothko painting. You can then think about re-creating that or channeling that in some way, maybe you’re thinking about his paintings and the layers and layers of gorgeous colors and yummy surfaces. You can create that with makeup, mixing layers of colors or mirroring so you can radiate that.

This is a more technical question: We know a lot of the beautiful Euphoria makeup looks were labor-intensive. What did you use, or what was your routine to remove the makeup after filming?
It’s not as complicated as putting the makeup looks on. But the Euphoria makeup team got me into using hot towels. After a long day of work and reapplying and reapplying makeup, we would just use a little towelette, microwave it for a minute, and then let it sit on my face and permeate all the makeup so I could wipe it off.

With anything remaining, we would remove it with a classic makeup remover and Q-tips and cotton pads. I would always, always moisturize after that and be ready to go — I use the Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizer. I live by it. I use it all the time, in the morning, after I walk around outside when my face feels dry, and at night. That was basically the undoing of all the Euphoria looks.

Hunter Schafer ‘Loves to Play’ with Makeup Looks Just Like Her Euphoria Character Jules

Hunter Schafer ‘Loves to Play’ with Makeup Looks Just Like Her Euphoria Character Jules

The actress, who portrays Jules Vaughn on the hit HBO series, talks all things beauty

The colorful, glitter-packed makeup seen throughout HBO’s hit series Euphoria has inspired a new generation of beauty lovers to experiment in innovative ways — including star Hunter Schafer.

The actress, who portrays Jules Vaughn on the HBO drama, has found similarities between herself and her Euphoria character from their fashion interests to beauty techniques. “My makeup routine is similar to Jules in that we both love to play with shape, lines and bold colors. I think Jules and I share interests in art and fashion, which go hand in hand with how I navigate creating makeup looks,” says Schafer, who is the face of Shiseido’s new Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation.

While Schafer, 21, loves the bold hues and dramatic details of Jules’ makeup aesthetic, she admits that she embraces a more natural approach at times.

“Recently I’ve been trying more sophisticated and sleek looks, which perhaps is a product of me getting older,” the 21-year-old tells PEOPLE.

When she wants a more sleek approach, she grabs Shiseido’s new Sychro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation which she loves because it “feels like you’re not wearing anything when you have it on.”

“I feel like foundation is associated with covering up, but when I wear this my skin still shines through. I really appreciate that,” the actress says.

But she still allows for some fun looks. “What I have learned during the quarantine is I have played around more with makeup,” she shares. “It really has brought me back to my youth.”

While she was at home amid the coronavirus pandemic last year, she also spent time doing things to “support growth,” which led to her getting “a lot more creative.”

During a stop on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she said she taught herself about screenwriting by taking Shonda Rhimes’ Master Class and binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy, all of which prepared her for her own writing gig for Euphoria.

HBO released two special standalone episodes of the hit show shot during the pandemic, meant to tide fans over until the cast and crew can complete season 2 as originally planned before the COVID-19 lockdown. And Schafer wrote the special episode focusing on her character Jules. “It was just really nice to be able to put my energy into something,” Schafer told Fallon.

During the interview, she also explained that this writing opportunity came when she was struggling with her mental health.

“I have to be honest, I was not doing super well mentally at that time, you know, as quarantine has put a lot of us in that place,” she said. “I had taken it upon myself to research mental hospitals in North Carolina. I was like, ‘It might be a good decision to do that with where I was at.'”

Instead, she ended up channeling her energy into writing, but doesn’t want to dissuade people from seeking psychiatric help when necessary. “I think mental hospitals are great if you need to go to them,” she said.

If you or someone you know need mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Hunter Schafer Is on the TIME100 Next 2021 List

I truly believe anyone lucky enough to meet Hunter Schafer will feel the immense light that is constantly radiating from her. She makes everyone in her orbit feel seen. I’ve had the privilege of watching her tap into every facet of her creative being as an actress and artist while working with her on Euphoria, and am lucky to call her one of my closest friends. Her ability to fearlessly navigate the darkest and most emotionally taxing scenes with such a haunting rawness and emotional honesty leaves me speechless.

She recently co-wrote and co-produced a special episode of Euphoria centering on her character Jules, displaying a natural instinct mature beyond her years. She visualizes something and knows exactly how it can be realized. From writing words down on the page to bringing a character to life onscreen—she just gets it. Hunter is so special, in so many ways that I could go on forever, but this truly is only her beginning. There is no limit to the beauty she will create.

Hunter Schafer Is Making the Television She Wants to Watch

Hunter Schafer Is Making the Television She Wants to Watch

The actor on fame, Euphoria, and writing her own stories.

After two years trailblazing such runways as Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs, 22-year-old actor, writer, and producer Hunter Schafer landed a starring role on HBO’s Euphoria. Playing 17-year-old trans teen Jules Vaughn, Schafer—who, in 2016, was a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against North Carolina House Bill 2, which required people to use the restroom associated with the sex they were assigned at birth—brought her own experience to the groundbreaking role. This year Schafer cowrote and coproduced a special episode for Euphoria, emerging as a crucial voice in a new era of storytelling.

THE OLDEST OF four siblings, she was raised in North Carolina by her mother and pastor father, and transitioned in high school.

SHE SAYS SHE “fell into acting. It was not in my plan. I was in New York modeling and saving up to go to fashion school, then Euphoria came along and I decided to go for it.”

SHE WAS ENROLLED at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins arts and design college when she landed the role. “We started filming in L.A. the same month I was supposed to start school. I don’t think I ever told them that I wasn’t coming.”

THE SERIES WAS nominated for six Emmys and won three; its visceral depiction of high school life garnered controversy and praise.

THE YOUNG CAST launched into a daunting level of exposure. “I wasn’t expecting to be this vulnerable with such a large group of people.”

SHE CALLS FAME “a wild thing that has taken some getting used to.”

THE IDEA FOR the episode she cowrote came when Jules—“whether or not she was a villain”—started trending on Twitter. “It pissed us off. We understand Jules’s narrative with a care that not everyone had experienced yet.”

SHE DESCRIBES EUPHORIA creator Sam Levinson, with whom she wrote the episode, as “my mentor, my L.A. mother, one of my best friends.”

WRITING AND PRODUCING the episode, which explores Jules’s memories through a therapy session, came naturally: “I loved the technicalities of imagining what the room is like, what she’s wearing.”

THE EPISODE TITLE, “F**k Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” is “a layered statement in that everyone has an amoebic or fluid feeling inside of them—it’s a matter of whether or not you’re tapped into acknowledging it.”

WHAT’S NEXT? “There are love stories—particularly for the people in my community, the ways that we move throughout the world—that are unique. That’s something I really want to make stuff about.”

Hunter Schafer On Face Embellishments, ‘Euphoria’ & Her Go-To Hairstyle

Hunter Schafer On Face Embellishments, ‘Euphoria’ & Her Go-To Hairstyle

Actor, model and LGBTQIA+ rights activist Hunter Schafer is best known for her role as Jules in Euphoria. Now, she is a global ambassador for Shiseido make-up and speaks to digital beauty editor, Hannah Coates, about everything from her secret to radiant skin to her go-to hairstyle.

On how she wakes up in the morning

I guess it depends on the day I’m going to have, but these days before work I usually just hop in the shower. I haven’t been wearing much make-up to work but on days when I’m feeling a little bit fancier, I do. I always put moisturiser on, that’s an everyday thing.

On the last thing she does before sleep

I turn off the TV because I realise if I keep the anime [cartoon] I’m watching on, I’m never actually going to fall asleep! I have to resign myself to the silence.

On her skincare routine

It’s the same thing as when I wake up. I don’t have a very complex routine. It’s mostly a shower at the end of the day, and then put moisturiser on. The last skincare product I finished was the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate. You put it on before make-up and it helps everything do a better job of what it’s supposed to do.

On her secret to glowing skin

Sleep! Get as much sleep as possible, and if that doesn’t work, put some foundation on. The Shiseido Synchro Radiant Lifting Foundation has helped me look glowy on days when I have had less than the necessary minimum of four hours. Thankfully, most of the time I have a lovely make-up artist [apply it] who is much better at it than me, but when I don’t I usually just use my fingers and pat it across my face in a light layer. It’s pretty easy and so lightweight that it’s hard to not know what you’re doing.

On her lockdown beauty look

The past year it has been pretty minimal when it comes to colour and eyeshadow and products like that. But I’ve been embellishing a very basic, pared-back face with eyeliner. I draw these little illustrations on my face. When I feel I want something more exciting, I use little gems to give myself fake piercings, which is cool as well.

On her favourite way to wear her hair

I usually just throw it up in a little bun every single day. That’s kind of the extent of my abilities when styling my own hair. But once again, when I have help, it can go a lot further. I have fun and I really like wearing my hair up. It’s usually a challenge, every time I work with my hair stylist: what is a new way we can put it up? We’re continuing to push the boundary every time with how many different arrangements we can put my hair into.

On her favourite ‘Euphoria’ look

I think my favourite is probably the look in season one, episode seven, when Jules goes to the club. It’s something Doni [Doniella Davy, the make-up artist on the show] had a lot of fun creating. It’s rather simple. The bulk of the look is two little black dots and then a line, but we were very concerned about what angle the line was. I’m pretty sure we redrew it like five times before finding the right angle above her eyelid – just to emphasise and find the right mood. If it was slanted too far downwards she might look too angry, and we didn’t want her to look worried either. So the angle of the line was tough, but once we got it, I really loved that look.

On the success of ‘Euphoria’

[Its success] is something that still surprises me, just how far it’s reached. It’s hard to wrap my head around. As far as why it [appeals], we just really had fun with the make-up looks and weren’t too concerned about what was on trend. We weren’t intentionally doing “Euphoria make-up”. We were just doing our thing and having fun. Collectively, it assembled itself into an aesthetic that was applicable to a lot of people. But more than that, I think people could feel the fun and that gave them the room to have fun with their own make-up looks and be like, “Okay, well if people on TV are doing whatever the fuck they want with their make-up, we should too!” I hope that’s how it works – it was nice and joyful.

On make-up as a force for happiness

One of the fun things about quarantine is something I resisted at first but now am enjoying. It’s the teenage thing of feeling stuck in your bedroom and you’re not allowed to go anywhere or go out for the night or anything, but you’re going to put on a look and do your make-up just because you want to experiment and have fun. While we all miss going places and doing things, there is something kind of beautiful about playing with beauty and pushing your own boundaries – but not going anywhere, showing anyone. It’s doing make-up without the intention of putting it out into the world; it’s just for yourself. I think that’s how some of the best beauty looks are probably brought to life.

Hunter Schafer on the Joy of Playing With Makeup

The actor and Shiseido global makeup ambassador captures her own free-spirited sensibility by drawing outside the lines.

After experiencing a kiss of the limelight while gracing runways for the likes of Christian Dior, Helmut Lang and Marc Jacobs, model Hunter Schafer enamoured audiences in 2019 with her first-ever acting role portraying trans teenager Jules Vaughn on HBO’s Euphoria. The highly stylized hit drama about youth culture has captured the zeitgeist of Gen Z onscreen.

From museum-worthy eyeliner looks to celestial washes of glitter, whimsical technicoloured makeup has been Schafer’s character’s calling card since episode one — a maximalist approach that has effortlessly extended to Schafer’s own offstage presence. On red carpets, the 22-year-old, who is also trans, has stunned in an array of avant-garde beauty moments that range from splashes of iridescent pearls on her face and hands to vivid blocks of eyeshadow.

This free and wild approach stems in part from Schafer’s passion for visual art (she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’s high-school program in 2017 and regularly shares excerpts from her sketchbook with her more than 2.9 million Instagram followers) and has caught the attention of Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido. Here, Schafer talks about her playful relationship with makeup, boundary-pushing beauty lessons from Euphoria and inspiring icons.

On her go-to tools

I really love playing with eyeliner. I think liner comes the most naturally to me since my own art process is drawing with a pen in my sketchbook. I really enjoy trying to come up with different shapes or just applying a whole picture or symbol on my face. I also have fun with colourful mascara.

On her journey with makeup

It really started behind closed doors: doing makeup for myself just to see how it felt and experimenting with what I liked on my face. I also moved through a stage of wanting to look a certain kind of “pretty.” Then I was like, “No, F that. I want to look like a painting.” By the time graduated from high school, I’d found a place in makeup where I was starting to let myself have fun with shapes and colours and whatnot. Now, in the same way that I approach making art for myself, makeup has become something really experimental for me.

On who inspires her beauty looks

A lot of the time, it’s my friends and musicians. Singer Kelsey Lu has always been a big makeup inspiration for me. I found out about her in high school and just loved the way she presented herself — from fashion to makeup to everything. Tilda Swinton and designer Gogo Graham are big vibes for me as well.

On the makeup lessons she’s learned from Euphoria

The show is known for incorporating rhinestones into looks, and I’ve even been doing that by creating a fake bridge piercing, which has been fun because I can’t get the real thing, but I can half-commit by gluing pieces on.

On the importance of letting her skin show through her makeup

I’ve gotten into the habit of making sure I have a good canvas with foundation to explore makeup looks on. It’s really important to me that my skin shows through and that I don’t feel like I’m covering myself up.

On experimenting with makeup during quarantine

On nights when I missed going out during quarantine, I’d get dressed up and do a makeup look. When the pressure of being perceived by other people is removed, the makeup experience becomes more fun because it really is just for you.

Hunter Schafer’s True Colours

Hunter Schafer’s True Colours

A runway model and an activist for LGBTQ2S+ rights, Hunter Schafer stepped into the spotlight playing Jules in the HBO hit Euphoria. This spring, she’s the new face of Shiseido, another role that suits her perfectly. We got to speak with the talented young star about beauty tips, her daily routine and which designers she’s crushing on.

On working with Doniella Davy, Euphoria’s on-set makeup artist

“I was already good at highlighting my features, but I wasn’t used to integrating 3-D elements into my makeup routine. Doniella and I had a lot of fun using glitter or incorporating pearls into Jules’ looks. She made me want to explore that realm a bit more.”

On Jules’ beauty looks in Euphoria

“I think this role has had as much influence on me as I’ve had on it. I started seeing makeup as another artistic medium and my face as a canvas. I even helped Doniella create certain looks, like the amazing cloud makeup Jules wears in the first season. As for Jules, she has encouraged me to push my own creativity by having fun with colour and going for more daring looks.”

On her new role as the face of Shiseido

“I feel blessed to be collaborating with a brand [whose artistic team’s] vision I connect with so much, from the images they use to the people they work with. This partnership also gives me access to a whole collection of incredibly-high-quality products, which makes exploring them even more exciting.”

On her favourite beauty products

“I swear by [Shiseido’s] Essential Energy Moisturizing Cream, which I apply right after getting out of the shower. For day-to-day life, the Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation is a must: It perfectly brightens skin and has a really natural finish. I also just started using the LipLiner Ink Duo Prime + Line, which has a clear hydrating base on one end and a coloured point on the other. It’s the ideal product for softly tinting lips. I’m also fascinated by the texture of the Pop PowderGel eyeshadows. The Zaa Zaa Navy shade, which is a deep navy blue with a slightly shimmery finish, is just gorgeous.”

On the pandemic’s effect on her beauty routine

“During lockdown, my state of mind has been transported to a time when I was younger, before I started going out with my friends and attending endless events. Back then, I wore makeup for fun, not because I had to, and I’ve started doing that again. I’m playing with cosmetics and colours for no particular reason. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit bored, but it feels good, and I think it’s a great reminder of how we should be using cosmetics!”

On the fashion designers she’s loving right now

“Though my fashion career is sort of on pause at the moment, it’s still an industry I’m incredibly passionate about. I was so happy that Hood by Air started posting on social media again and launched new products. I think it’s a legendary brand, and Shayne Oliver, the designer behind it, is totally iconic. Lately, I’m also really inspired by Mugler’s creations and I’ve been doing some digging into the Prada archives.”

Hunter Schafer, Model Turned Euphoria Star, on Her Bond With Zendaya and Her Future in Fashion

Hunter Schafer, Model Turned Euphoria Star, on Her Bond With Zendaya and Her Future in Fashion

Euphoria, one of the most anticipated shows of the year, promises to be the Kids of this generation. The HBO series follows a group of young suburbanites as they deal with sex, drugs, social media… you know, the everyday life of a teenager. Zendaya leads the cast as Rue, a young woman struggling with addiction, but there is someone else vying for the spotlight: Hunter Schafer, the trans model and activist turned actress who is making her screen debut with Euphoria. She plays Jules, the new girl in town who becomes fast friends with Rue, and who moves even faster with mysterious men she meets on Grindr.

To her peers, Jules and her “Sailor Moon chic” sense of style may be, in high school parlance, freakish or weird, but she also telegraphs a sense of experience beyond her years. Bewildered to learn that one of her summer school acquaintances is still a virgin, she quips, “Bitch, this isn’t the ’80s—you need to catch a dick!” (Later, in that same episode, there is a graphic motel sex scene between Jules and a much older married man.) Her identity as a trans girl is further explored later in the series, when she is given her own breakout episode told from her point of view. Schafer’s performance is a vast showcase of her natural talents as an actress. Expect to see plenty more of her in the future.

You moved to L.A. to film Euphoria. Are you sold on West Coast life?

If I like work, I’m a happy camper, and I love my job here. So I’m sold in that sense! I do find myself missing the energy of New York more and more often as my time away from the city progresses.

What do you miss about New York?

My friends and loved ones, the energy, how productive I was, the subway, and walking everywhere when I wasn’t on the subway.

How does working in television compare to working in the fashion world?

In the entertainment world, you can have more of a personality, and be yourself. You don’t have to look like a standard of beauty. You can have something provocative to say.

Did you take acting classes to prep for your role?

I went to an arts high school, and was surrounded by drama students who dreamed of working in the industry. I almost feel a sense of guilt, because I didn’t go to acting school. I think I got the role because I was perhaps the best contender for telling Jules’s story.

What is the best part about playing Jules?

Revisiting psychological landscapes I was in as a high schooler in order to fill her storyline with the correct motives. It’s been therapeutic to readdress that part of my life, using Jules as a pathway, and building a beautifully complicated relationship with Rue, Zendaya’s character. We’ve formed a really special bond over the past eight months that I’m so thankful for.

Do you identify with her experiences?

While Jules and I have some similar experiences, my life is not completely parallel to hers. What I do identify with is the driving force behind her decision-making throughout much of the show. Additionally, I identify with the way she begins to reframe her perspective as she becomes more aware of the roots of her motives.

You walked the Rick Owens show recently. Would you like to continue working in fashion? What kind of projects would entice you to do so?

Since it’s no longer my singular source of income, I’ve withdrawn from fashion spaces a bit. However, I still have a deep love for fashion and want to continue to work with designers and houses that inspire me—like Rick Owens, whose show I would no doubt walk in again if the opportunity arose. But long term, I would love to collaborate with my fashion idols more than anything else.

You mentioned loving fantasy. What kind of characters would you like to take on next? What does your fantasy role look like?

I would love to move into a fantasy realm of Hollywood! I think I could play a really solid femme-mythical-humanoid creature. Maybe something a little more scary-aggressive than Jules would be fun. And honestly, I’d live for a superhero moment. I grew up on comic books, so I feel like I owe that to my younger self.

Is film acting something you’re interested in?

It’s captured my attention 100 percent! I wasn’t looking to be an actor, but could not be more grateful to have (more or less) fallen into this art practice. It’s been life-changing as an artist and as a human being. Pretty sure I’m hooked, and have not yet found a reason to stop.

Has your move affected your style?

I definitely have scaled down my commitment to attempting to pull looks as often. Partially because I don’t really go out here [in L.A.], partially because I don’t have to dress up for castings anymore, and also because I have become accustomed to wearing sweatpants on a daily basis, mostly when going to work. (I have to change into costume when I get to work—what’s the point!) But don’t get me wrong, I still love to dress up.

Do you wear makeup in daily life?

I don’t usually wear makeup or nail polish, although sometimes I use a brow brush. When people put makeup on me to make me look beautiful, it feels strange. I used to wear makeup earlier in my transition. I worked really hard to like my body and face, and now I’m at a point where I don’t need makeup in order to feel good about myself. That said, it can be fun to approach it from a face-painting perspective, and use it to flesh out a character.

How do you keep healthy and happy with your busy schedule?

I’m definitely still working on this. Allowing myself to decompress and be low frequency when I’m at home has felt good. Making myself go hang out with people when 90 percent of the time my instinct is to stay at home alone has felt good. Eating the Brazilian burrito from Sage Vegan Bistro on a nearly daily basis has also felt good. I have a fantasy of forming some sort of exercise routine. Making dance classes a thing I do every other day or something. We’ll see…