“You feel like you should be doing something, but it’s important just to let yourself exist.”
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.