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Hunter Schafer says she doesn’t want her trans identity to be the focal point of her Hollywood career.
“I just want to be a girl and finally move on,” the “Hunger Games” star, 25, said in a new GQ cover story.
She then explained she’s steered clear of using the word “trans” in interviews to avoid having her career hyperfocused on her gender identity.
“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 added about when the word “trans” is used in her interviews.
Schafer rose to fame after playing a young trans character, Jules Vaughn, in HBO’s hit teen drama “Euphoria.” She revealed she’s been offered “tons of trans roles” since starring in the show, but doesn’t want to be pigeonholed because it’s “ultimately demeaning” to her career.
“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 explained.
“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,” she added.
When Schafer was in high school, she made headlines for challenging North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which banned students from using public school restrooms that don’t coincide with the gender on their birth certificates.
Schafer went on to share that her ability to reject trans roles was a “privilege,” adding, “It’s been very intentional. I’ve gotten offered tons of trans roles, and I just don’t want to do it. I don’t want to talk about it.”
But even so, she says she feels “a little bit of guilt” over not leaning into being “more of a spokesperson” for her community.
“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,” the “Cuckoo” star explained.
“But ultimately, I really do believe that not making it the centerpiece to what I’m doing will allow me to get further,” Schafer added. “And I think getting further and doing awesome shit, in the interest of ‘the movement,’ will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time.”