Hunter Schafer has spoken out on why offers to play trans characters going forward will be met with a stern ‘no’.
Despite shooting to stardom as trans character Jules Vaughn in HBO’s Euphoria, Schafer has said the reason for the refusal is because “I just want to be a girl and finally move on”.
Schafer came out as gay in middle school and then as transgender once in high school.
As well as refusing trans roles, Schafer has also expressed a desire to refuse to say the word “trans” during interviews and in public as a whole.
“As soon as I say it, it gets blast-off,” Schafer told GQ Magazine. “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.”
Schafer went on to admit “I was sick of talking about” being transgender after high school, before explaining: “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.”
Hunter Schafer and Zendaya both starred in HBO drama Euphoria
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Touching upon the decision to turn down trans roles after receiving plenty of offers, the 25-year-old said: “It’s a privilege, but it’s been very intentional.
“I’ve been offered tons of trans roles, and I just don’t want to do it. I don’t want to talk about it.”
The reasons behind the decision stem from Schafer’s desire for her trans identity not to be the sole reason or talking point for landing roles.
Schafer admitted there is a “sense of responsibility” to be a positive spokesperson for fellow trans actors as one of the “most famous trans people in media” but stood by the decision to avoid mentioning it.
The Euphoria star went on: “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 s**t, in the interest of ‘the movement,’ will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time.”
Schafer’s decision to rule out trans roles comes while the debate surrounding representation and appropriation is as rife as ever.
Eddie Redmayne, for example, expressed regret in 2021 after taking on the lead role in the 2015 drama, The Danish Girl.
The Oscar winner described his stint as transgender artist Lili Elbe as “a mistake”.
Jared Leto also faced challenges for taking on the role of trans woman Rayon in 2013’s Dallas Buyers’ Club while Benedict Cumberbatch also came under fire for playing a non-binary character in the comedy Zoolander 2.
Hunter Schafer will no longer take on trans roles
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Schafer’s CV also boasts a role in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, starring opposite the likes of Viola Davis, Rachel Zeglar and Tom Blyth.
The Euphoria star is tipped to return in the heavily delayed third season of the HBO teen drama, although a release date remains under wraps.
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