Hunter Schafergreets me with a confession.
Theres a lot happening right now, she says.
Ive barely gotten a handle on it.
Paola Kudacki/Trunk Archive
To be fully honest with you, Id forgotten this was happening.
Her first leading role, in German writer-director Tilman Singers horror movieCuckoo, just hit big screens in August.
Its a dream job, one Schafer didnt even know was happening seven days ago.
Im pretty good at living out of a suitcase.
Ive been doing that a lot these past few years, so Im not really concerned.
Im just shit at packing.
Whats on her list?
Let me show you what I just got today!
Schafer says, her slate-blue eyes alight as she pops up off the couch.
The e-cigarettes in Europe are only three percent, and they suck, she says.
There are certain things that Im having to give up for this opportunity.
Vaping is not going to be one of them.
At 18, she was scouted over Instagram and dove into the world of modeling.
There was this fear coming out ofEuphoria[of] working with new directors, she says.
With Jules, I was essentially putting myself into her.
I didnt have to do that much character work.
Acting can be really scary because of the places that you have to take it sometimes.
But the project suffered numerous stops and starts on its way to a theatrical release.
Schafer couldnt start filming untilEuphoriaSeason Two, itself delayed because of the pandemic, was wrapped.
When I was a teenager, [horror] was all I watched.
I just fucking loved that shit.
It was just, like … immersive as hell.
I got so close with the rest of the cast.
Like, we really became a unit.
And in that way, it became really easy to just tunnel vision on this shit.
One pivotal scene sees her held tight against a wall, a butterfly knife gripped between her teeth.
Gretchen is, energetically, like, Fuck everything, she says.
And with the more action-oriented stuff, that was so much fun, and [so I improvised].
Theres something really delightful about somebody who hasnt trained in a conservatory or something, says Stevens.
Youre seeing just raw instinct, and thats really cool to watch.
Theres a real kind of impish sense of humor that I adore about [Hunter].
She would really keep the vibe going, and that engenders a great spirit in a cast and crew.
People love to call me an activist.
Its like, No.
Im just a tranny whos famous.
Despite the extraordinary path her life has taken, Schafer rejects any labels that hint at exceptionalism.
Even now, she balks at being called the A-word.
Its like, No.
Im just a tranny whos famous, you know?
She refers to everything simply as an opportunity.
Its not special that things come her way its special that she takes a chance and says yes.
she says quickly when I ask if she ever wants to go back to modeling.
I applaud anyone who can really stick it out in that career.
I left modeling in debt to my agency.
Unless youre a supermodel, youre gonna struggle.)
The same can be said ofBlade Runner 2099.
She leans forward excitedly when I reveal I am a fellow PK the colloquial term for a pastors kid.
Being a PK is its own experience, she says, smirking.
You dont have to just think about your parents, its also the congregation.
People will say, Oh, Hunters on a TV show!
And then my parents have to deal with that.
Im really pushing the PK button.
I cant say its been easy the whole time.
so you can survive mentally, shes had to split herself into two people.
Its the same thing with relationships, she adds.
(Schafer publicly dated singer andEuphoriacast member Dominic Fike.
In April, she also confirmed a previous relationship with Spanish pop star Rosalia.)
Throughout our interview, Cloud is a specter, someone Schafer often alludes to but avoids mentioning outright.
When I ask about him, she freezes, eyes filling to the brim with tears.
I still have a hard time, she says, taking several deep breaths between each phrase.
Grief is a bitch.
And its hard to make sense of, especially early in my life, too.
Obviously, Im in a less-raw place than I was.
Were coming up on a year.
The world has this relationship to him, and they knew him as Fezco.
But we knew him as Angus, and that feels like something I need to protect.
He was sunshine through and through.
He was a gift to the world, and we were lucky to have him.
If Schafers life has been defined by crossroads, she recognizes that shes at another one right now.
She cares about trans rights, but doesnt want to be responsible for all of them.
She has a hard time fathomingEuphoriawithout Cloud, but filming for Season Three is set to start in January.
Shes thrilled to dive headfirst into her latest project and terrified of what it might ask of her emotionally.
That and a sick beat, of course.
At the end of the day, its about what my heart feels is right, she says.
Im not the same person I was last year.
I feel like Im really growing up.
Its just about listening to myself.
Because all the answers are right there.
