The Reason Euphoria Star Hunter Schafer Rejects Trans Roles

"Euphoria" standout Hunter Schafer spoke out recently about why she doesn't play more "trans" roles as a performer — and it's a perfectly understandable reason. Schafer — who began her career as a model before booking "Euphoria" in 2019 — told GQ that though she's a prominent activist who fights passionately for trans rights as a trans woman, she hasn't found a role that she feels is totally representative.

"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. "As soon as I say it, it gets blastoff," she continued, saying that she wants audiences to know that while she is a trans woman, she's also so much more than that. "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."

Still, Hunter Schafer knows that she still represents an underrepresented community — and she shoulders the responsibility of that. Before she started modeling, Schafer was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against a bill in North Carolina that would have prevented transgender people from using the bathroom where they felt most comfortable, which earned her national attention in 2017. 

Schafer, naturally, addressed that in the interview and noted that she does have a lot of privilege as a very famous trans woman. Still, she said that she's intentionally turned down trans roles for an important reason. "I've gotten offered tons of trans roles, and I just don't want to do it," she explained. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I know for a fact that I'm one of the most famous trans people in 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," Schafer said. "But ultimately, I really do believe that not making it the centerpiece to what I'm doing will allow me to get further. And I think getting further and doing awesome s***, in the interest of 'the movement,' will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time."

Clearly, Hunter Schafer's way of choosing roles is working out quite well for her. Ever since earning international acclaim as the new transfer student Jules on "Euphoria" — whose identity as a trans woman is a pivotal part of her character, leading to Schafer working closely with showrunner Sam Levinson to shape Jules' overall journey — Schafer's star has been on the rise. In 2023, Schafer appeared in the highly anticipated "Hunger Games" prequel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," as Tigris Snow, older cousin to future Panem president Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth). Tigris' role in the film is small yet vital as she watches her beloved "Coryo" become more and more corrupted by the mere idea of power, and Schafer brings a tenderness to the role that's a perfect respite from the dystopian narrative.

Schafer has also been the subject of major fan-casting for the "Legend of Zelda" feature film, which is currently in the works. Luckily for those fans, Schafer is definitely down to potentially play Princess Zelda in the movie, so we'll just have to wait and see if Nintendo goes with this pitch-perfect casting.