Hunter Schafer prioritises career beyond trans identity
Photo: GQ Magazine
Hunter Schafer, best known for her role as Jules in HBO's "Euphoria", has revealed that she's intentionally steered the public spotlight away from her identity as a transgender woman.
Schafer aims to prevent her career from being solely defined by her gender identity and has even avoided using the word "trans" in interviews.
“It has not just happened naturally by any means. If I let it happen, it would still be giving ‘Transsexual Actress’ before every article ever,” Schafer said in a new GQ cover story.
She further explained, “As soon as I say it, it gets blastoff. It took a while to learn that and it also took a while to learn that I don’t want to be [reduced to] that, and I find it ultimately demeaning to me and what I want to do. Especially after high school, I was sick of talking about it. I worked so hard to get to where I am, past these really hard points in my transition, and now I just want to be a girl and finally move on.”
Schafer recognises the privilege of being able to shift the focus and decline roles focused on her trans identity. “It’s been very intentional. I’ve gotten offered tons of trans roles, and I just don’t want to do it. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Despite feeling some responsibility as a prominent trans figure, Schafer believes that career success will be a more powerful advocacy tool.
“I know for a fact that I’m one of the most famous trans people in the media right now, and I do feel a sense of responsibility, and maybe a little bit of guilt, for not being more of a spokesperson,” she said. “But ultimately, I really do believe that not making it the centrepiece to what I’m doing will allow me to get further. And I think getting further and doing awesome shit, in the interest of ‘the movement,’ will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time.”
Schafer's breakthrough role in "Euphoria" led to her appearance in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," and she'll soon take centre stage in the lead role of Neon's horror movie, "Cuckoo."