It’s hard to imagine Euphoria would’ve been the award-winning, fan-adored success it is today without Hunter Schafer. The same could be said for runway shows from the likes of Miu Miu, Christian Dior Couture, Helmut Lang and countless other fashion houses. Not to mention the improved visibility of the trans experience. So diverse and powerful has the 24-year-old’s influence become in recent years.
The ELLE April cover star recently sat down to play a game of Ask Me Anything and opened up about her career goals following two seasons of the HBO show which catapulted her onto the global stage.
‘I feel like I’ve gotten swept up into acting a little bit, which has been amazing, but I definitely also want to return to my roots in visual arts. I directed my first music video last year – I want to continue giving directing a shot,’ she responded to a question from fashion designer and friend Gogo Graham about her career aspirations.
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‘There’s so many people who I think would be so special to work with. Tilda Swinton is one of them for sure, Daniels [writers and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert]– I watched Everything Everywhere All At Once last year and loved it. Also, I would love to work with Michaela Coel, who did Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You. She’s a genius.’
It's been just four years since Schafer was launched onto our screens as teenage trans student Jules in Euphoria, opposite the likes of Gen Z acting heavyweights like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, and Jacob Elordi. After two seasons, the cast and its director and writer Sam Levinson have received countless Emmys, Golden Globes and MTV awards.
But despite the show's success, Schafer says that if she could go back to the first day of filming she’d tell herself ‘to stop overthinking it’. ‘Get out of your head,’ she continues. ‘It was a big deal, it is a big deal, but you can’t treat it like that in your head ‘cause you’ll psyche yourself out.'
‘The biggest thing I’ve learnt from Euphoria is how to act,’ she admits. ‘It’s been my acting school and my first job. I’d never acted before and I got thrown into it. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot, I guess technically and emotionally about myself – the two go hand in hand – which is really special.’
Elsewhere the actor, who began her career in fashion aged 18 as a runway model, answered a question from actor Amandla Stenberg about her desire to get an art studio to develop her painting skills, and her first impression of the TV adaptation of the video game, The Last Of Us.
Watch the rest of Hunter Schafer’s Ask Me Anything interview at the top of this article.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
