It might be hard to believe, but HBO’s hit drama series,Euphoria, was star Hunter Schafer’s first ever acting role. Schafer was an automatic, breakout star of the series, bringing a level of authenticity and vulnerability that is refreshing to see on screen. Now, Shafer has noted that she hopes stories about trans people will get the same treatment as Marvel blockbusters, and she has some ideas of her own.
Schafer is bringing trans representation to the screen, into the homes of families and the youth alike, which has the impact to instill change. In fact, before Schafer stepped into the role of Jules inEuphoria, seeing a portrayal of a teenage trans girl as a main character in a television series was unheard of. Schafer is an incredibly skilled actress, who has given multiple outstanding performances throughout the series and earned scoring directing, producing, and writing credits for twoepisodes ofEuphoria. Although she is breaking down barriers left and right, it’s still not enough for Schafer, who has big dreams for the future when it comes to trans representation and building upon that legacy within film.
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Schafer recently sat down with artist Lorde onTheA24 Podcast, where she opened up about her plans when it comes to not only the future of her career, but the future of the portrayal of trans people in film. Schafer stated, “In general, I think the closest thing I have to a spirituality is like, I believe in people riding frequencies or being in tune with certain frequencies based off of their experience, whatever that means. But I feel like there’s specific frequencies that trans girls in particular like - I can hear it in their music, I can see it in the style, there’s an aesthetic and a sound. I think that’s something that I really want to keep trying to portray properly as I keep getting into directing, producing, and writing and all that stuff, because it’s so delicious.“Euphoriaand the character of Julesare a prime example of spiritually being in tune and bringing to life the beautiful music, style, and energy that the trans community possesses.
AlthoughEuphoria’s success and strong fanbase has pushed trans representation into the spotlight, Schafer hopes to take it to the big screen. She shared, “I want to see it, but with budget. Like a good CGI budget, just likeMarvel-level CGI yumminessthat it deserves I think.” More trans superheroes and a call for more trans representation within Marvel has grown stronger over the years, yet the delivery still seems to fall short.
Schafer made it clear that she wantsthe portrayal of trans characters on filmto be allotted the same opportunities that cis characters are when it comes to attaining and experiencing joy, love, and success. Seeing trans characters fall in love and save the day is vastly important and crucial to Shafer’s vision for trans representation. She stated, “One specific storyline that is lacking in on-screen representation is that of two trans girls falling in love. I mean, I really just want to see a trans girl love story, like two trans girls. That’s like not a thing, really, in movies yet.”
