Phosphor Magazine, Digital - NERIAH

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INDEX I S S U E 1 | J U N E 2 02 3 | P H O S P H O R M AGA Z I N E . C O M

Masthead

Conversations

Editor In Chief

Contributors

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Tanzyn Crawford

Irene Chen

Danielle Taylor

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Niamh Wilson

Jonathan Chavez

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Audrey Corsa

Marina Verlaine

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Anjelika Washington

Sophie Weil

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Cub Sport

Yashira C

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Eloise

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Hannah Galway

Features Editor Iceis Augustino

Features

Special Thanks

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Olivia Rouyre

Alexa Monahan and Paige Williams at Independent PR, Alexandra

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Maria Zhang

Claire at Next Management, Amron Lopez at Whalar, Amy Fennie

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Inde Navarrette

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NERIAH

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Diego Tinoco

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Anthony Keyvan

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Danielle Savre

at The Oriel, Bailey Katler, Jenny Huynh, and Luke Burland at 2B Entertainment, Denisse Montfort at 42West, Ed Solorzano and Sean Reilly at The Brand Partners, Farrah Crawford and Jordyn Palos at Persona PR, Gina Hoffman at Vision PR, Gina Wang and Kyle Pak at Authentic Management, Huey Nguyen at Elite Models, Jamie Skinner and Natalie Moeller at The Initiative Group, Kate Trapani and Phillene Newman at ID PR, Max Murphy and Rebecca Lyle at Authentic Management, Melissa Demarco at A3 Artists Agency, Peter Kluge and Terra Weiler at Impact Artists Group,

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Stella Tran

A List PR, AMPR, Basic PR, CLD PR, Clothed LA, ETCETERA, Janey

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Sam Case

Lopaty PR, Margo Seigel PR, Maison Privée, Poly Global Advisory,

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Regard Style House, Surface PR, The Her Group, Wear The Future,

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Victoria Villezcas

YaYa Publicity.

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Zoe Sellers

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Cassandra Cox

Rebecca Campas and Zach Felter at Wilhelmina Models.

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Photography IRENE CHEN

Fashion KAROLINA FRECHOWICZ

Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO

Tanzyn Crawford on Tiny Beautiful Things, creative fulfillment, and embracing her true self I like to start off my interviews with a fun question. My question for you today is, if you were a door to door saleswoman trying to sell me your favorite new ice cream flavor, what slogan would you use to get me to buy all of your inventory?

I really like rainbow sherbet from Baskin Robbins. The thing that comes to my mind is taste the rainbow, [but] copyright issues, right? So something tropical. Ice cream is a vacation in a tub.

We always eat ice cream on vacation anyways, especially if you’re going to a really tropical place.

Ice cream is dessert at any temperature, it doesn’t matter how cold it is, I’ll eat it no matter what.

What was your first introduction to acting, and what really drove you to pursue it as a career?

My first introduction was not by choice. My mom would put my sister and I in commercials and modeling when I was younger, but I didn’t really love it when I was younger, so it wasn’t my choice. My first introduction to acting was when I was around fifteen, when I got my very first short film. I’m a creative person. I did a lot of dancing when I was younger,

and when I realized that that wasn’t going to turn into a career, I looked for something else to fulfill myself creatively. I turned to acting, which I always loved doing in school, but I didn’t really consider this a real career until after I graduated from acting school [in] 2021.

What drove me was one, fulfilling the creativity within myself. And then two was representing someone that I didn’t see on TV, particularly in Australia when I was younger. [I wanted] to bring things [to] TV that we’re now getting better at bringing, but we still have a long way to go. Being a part of that also really drove me.

I think it’s interesting how you started out in one field and decided to switch over.

Did you have a favorite genre you were dancing?

I started with ballet. The foundation for any dance you’re doing is ballet. I’d probably say ballet or maybe lyrical, where it’s a little bit more loose but technique is still very important.

I feel like ballet is one of the main reasons why people want to go into dancing, at least in the beginning, and then they branch out from there.

I’m pretty sure that’s what my dance school required.

You had to do a year of ballet before you could try anything else, so that’s what I started with.

What were some of the actors and shows that you watched growing up?

Growing up, I was obsessed with That’s So Raven. I also gravitated towards anyone on TV that was mixed and looked like how I looked. I loved the Spice Girls and Mel B from the Spice Girls, and I would watch the Spice World movie all the time. That was a big one for me. I was also really obsessed with Alicia Keys. I think she’s wonderful and has an amazing voice.

I watched all of the normal Disney Channel shows, but the one that always sticks out in my head is That’s So Raven, because I loved it so much. It was so good.

Your most recent show, Tiny Beautiful Things, came out earlier this year.

Congratulations. What was the casting process for that like, and what drew you to audition for Rae? The sides that I got for the audition were immediately wonderful, and I was so excited by them right away. I didn’t get a lot of information, but I got somewhat of an outline about the relationship between Claire and Rae and

Danny, and I really loved the dynamic that they had, so I thought that was really interesting. This was actually my second ever role that was asking for a specifically mixed white mom, black dad role. I don’t think I’d ever gotten that before, so that was really exciting, because that’s like my real life.

I did an audition from my hotel room in Philadelphia, because I was filming something else over there.

I went back to LA, did another audition, and then I was actually scheduled to go home, so I flew back to Australia. When I was at my stopover, my manager called me and [told me] they want you to do another chemistry read, so I had to rush home [and] learn six pages in four hours. I missed my connecting flight, it was so stressful. I went to do that in Perth, and I [didn’t] think it went that well, I didn’t [think I did] the best. But then the next day my manager [told me I] got it. I went back home for two or three days and then I came back to LA. What are some of your favorite moments from set where you were shooting Tiny Beautiful Things?

Definitely Episode Six when I got to spend a lot of time with Aneasa, who plays Montana in the show. We 5

shot together every day for about a week and a half, and that was so fun because we get along so well. It was the first time I had shot with somebody other than Kathryn and Quentin, which was also great. It was so fun having someone else that was in their early twenties to mess around with. The scenes are so connected between each other that, even when the cameras were turned off and we were waiting to start again, we had so much chemistry between each other that it was just fun and bubbly and flowy. And of course all of the scenes with the horses [were] so fun.

Laying in a field of horses with Kathryn Hahn was the highlight of my life.

Were you satisfied with the

way that the story wrapped up for your character at the end of the season, or would you have written the ending differently if it was in your control?

I’m really happy with how they wrapped up Rae’s story, although I maybe would have added some more connection with Rae’s dad Danny and finished that off a little better, [with] a little more truth from him to her about the divorce and everything.

In general, I’m pretty happy about it. I think it ended with a big weight off Rae’s chest and a good connection with Clare. I just would have sprinkled in a little more dad daughter time.

If you could create or direct a movie about a book that you’ve read, which book

would you choose, and how would the movie differ from the book?

I’ve actually thought about this so much. I was obsessed with a book series called The Three Doors by Emily Rodda.

The first one is called The Golden Door, and my teacher read it out to the class when I was in sixth grade. I’ve been obsessed with it since then, and I’ve probably read it every year. It’s such a wonderful series that I would love to see someone make it into a movie series. It’s a fantasy adventure book, and I could see it being split into three like The Hunger Games.

I don’t know how I would change it. I haven’t read it in probably a year, but what I remember is that a lot of the character descriptions are very focused around white people, [so] I would probably add more POC in there.

Other than that, I honestly think it’s a perfect book, I think all three of them are perfect. I wouldn’t change the plot, I would just maybe change the people around a little bit.

What advice would you give to yourself ten years ago?

I would [tell twelve-year-old me to] come out way sooner.

You don’t have to wait that long. That would be the big one. Embrace your hair. Stop tying it up in a little button and let it be out. Treasure the time with your grandparents because they’re not going to be around that long. Overall, I would say, stop hiding so much — embrace yourself and don’t be so scared of being you.

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What was your most useless recent purchase?

I love shopping, but I will put down an item and come back to it a week later if I’m still thinking about it. I never buy things just because I want them in the moment.

I [tell myself], “Okay, if I really want it, I’ll come back and get it in a week.” I honestly feel like I haven’t bought anything. The last [purchase] I can think of that was expensive was four years ago, when I went through this photography phase and I bought myself a really good camera that I didn’t need and I used one time. It was over $1,000, and I don’t even know where it is.

Our last question for today is, what are you looking forward to in the second half of 2023, either professionally or personally?

Professionally, I’m about to start filming another series so I’m really excited for that.

Personally, I’ve been in LA for four or five months now, and I really miss my mom, so going home to see my mom in a little bit will be great.

Seeing my family, seeing my dog. That’s another one.

What kind of dog?

He’s a little Maltese Shih Tzu. I’m really looking forward to going home. I don’t know why, but I just have a feeling that Christmas this year is going to be a really good one. My family never does Christmas, but I can just feel that this year is going to be a good one, so I’m looking forward to that.

Look 1: Top and pants ZARA, shoes VANDA NOVAK, earrings and rings CLED. Look 2: Top and pants ZIERRA LEONA, shoes ZARA, earrings and rings CLED. Look 3: Jacket and pants MANNEI, shoes VANDA NOVAK, rings CLED. Hair TIFFANY DAUGHERTY at CELESTINE AGENCY. Makeup KENDAL FEDAIL at THE WALL GROUP.

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Photography SOPHIE WEIL

Fashion ALYSSA RABIE

Words YASHIRA C

Niamh Wilson on the power of friendship in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Congrats on the release of Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies! Can you tell me more about the series for anyone who hasn’t watched yet?

It’s a prequel to the original film and it’s four years before the original film so it’s 1954.

We’ve got ten full-length episodes that are just under an hour each. And in each episode, there’s between three and five full-length musical numbers — the equivalent of one music video! We follow how the pink ladies became a social group at the school.

Awesome! It sounds like a big production.

Yeah, it was huge. I had never worked on something that big in my entire career. Every day I came into work and I was like, “Oh my god. This is more massive than I can even fathom in my little brain.”

Very exciting. Were you a fan of Grease before playing this role?

Yeah, as much as any theater kid is. I grew up acting and it’s such a classic. You can’t go wrong, really. I loved Grease. Both Grease and Dirty Dancing have a special place in my heart.

What was your experience like filming something set in such a different time

period? Were there any challenges?

I’ve always wanted to do a period piece. Oftentimes as an actor we’re playing modern characters and you have to do a lot of work to really discern your personal self from the character.

When you’re working on a period piece, it gives you an added element to separate yourself from the character and you can really push the boundaries in terms of your performance, which is really fun. There wasn’t a lot of pressure to be incredibly period accurate which was really nice. It was more so inspired by the ‘50s. We got to have a lot of fun with it.

Episode 5 is a big episode for Lydia and Cynthia. How did you prepare for that musical number?

We really didn’t have a lot of time honestly. There are so many group numbers in each episode so me and Ari only had two formal rehearsals beforehand. As for the prerecorded vocals, that was the first thing I did back in February. We didn’t film theactual musical number until late April and there were only two rehearsals dance-wise for the number, so there was not a ton of prep time. It was kind of like power hour for the entire show. They really hired some

incredible people to work on it, so the time crunch didn’t end up affecting the quality at all!

Did you watch any movies or tv shows or listen to any music to get you in the zone to play Lydia?

What are some present day things you think she would gravitate towards?

I did refresh myself on the original film. There isn’t really a reference for Lydia in the original film but there’s the weird alternative kids you see a little glimpse of. She would definitely fit into that category if she was in the original film. As for modern media, there’s one moment in episode 4 where I was really trying to channel Miranda Priestly but if Miranda Priestly was Lydia. There’s this bitchy very goal-oriented hyperspecific Virgo-type energy we get from her. That was a character I did find myself going back to over and over again, interestingly enough.

The main thing that I really did to form a visual reference for Lydia was making a Pinterest board. I ended up making a board for fashion inspiration. A lot of vintage photographs that are candid evoke this feeling … it’s not just a visual image but there’s this energy or essence that you get from them. I also

put those into the Pinterest boards. It’s really a mood board that I use to base her around that helped me get into character. It was also really nice to bring into the wardrobe meetings and be like, “This is what I’m thinking.” The costume designer actually had quite a few of the same photos pinned in our boards so that was a great feeling!

What was your favorite part about playing Lydia?

My favorite part about playing Lydia was that she’s so different from myself.

We have common interests in the dramatic arts but I couldn’t be less Lydia in real life. She’s way more poised and graceful and way more serious than I am, whereas I’m a bit of a klutz and kind of just awkward. That was my favorite part of that role, because I got to be someone that fully wasn’t me every day. And that’s not something I find that I personally have experienced too often in my career.

What do you want people to take away from the show the most?

There’s so many things. One is that we can have modern nuanced takes on classic media and have it be media that lands for everyone in a wider audience. Also, the 9

power of friendships between women and gender nonconforming people. The way that they bond with one another is so specific and so strong and I feel like you really see that in the show. I hope a lot of young femmes and gendernonconforming people will take away that kind of love and see themselves reflected in it. Those are the two big takeaways I hope people get.

A bit of a throwback question. You played Jack Jones on Degrassi. Did you grow up watching it?

Who was your favorite character?

What’s funny is that before I booked that, I hadn’t really watched Degrassi at all. The thing about growing up in the Toronto industry is that if

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you are an actor and you are under the age of 18, you will have auditioned for Degrassi so many times and you probably know so many people that have been on it. It’s such a cultural staple here. I had auditioned for it probably 5 or 6 times for different characters. Jack holds such a special space in my heart, she also kind of reminds me of Lydia in a way in her serious demeanor.

If I had to choose a favorite character, it would probably be Eli. I feel like that’s who I would’ve wanted to be if I could’ve been any other character.

What was it like to star in a horror franchise like Saw at a young age? Was it scary for you? Any memories you’d like to share?

I have a lot of memories from Saw. When you’re working on horror films or any type of horror media where a child is involved, everybody on the set is so incredibly protective of that child and of their well-being. A lot of the people you encounter on horror movie sets are some of the best people you’ll ever meet. They’re all weirdos, it’s that stereotype that goth people are the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. It’s very similar, the people who work on these sets are so wonderful. Horror nerds are hilarious. I love people who are into horror and gore, they’re always the sweetest people at heart. I can think of times where I was on sets where there were some really heavy storylines. There was a way that they were discussed

with me in order to get the right performance that didn’t actually discuss the heavy content. I found in my own personal experience that everybody comes together to protect the kids on horror movie sets. Growing up working on those kinds of sets, I have some of the best memories from those. And Saw was hilarious, because you walk to set and you walk through these literal mazes of these movie torture machines. There’s fake blood everywhere, and me as a little 8-year-old I’m just like, “This is fun!” There’s such a stark contrast between what’s going on in the media to the energy on set.

Look 1: Dress ZOELLE BYBS, shoes STEVE MADDEN, jewelry stylist’s own. Look 2: Dress ZOELLE BYBS, blazer ANGELIKA JÓZEFCZYK, shoes STEVE MADDEN, purse Zara, jewelry stylist’s own.

Look 3: Top ANGELIKA JÓZEFCZYK, jewelry stylist’s own.

Hair SYDNEY STAEHLE. Makeup ABBY MANUEL. 11

Photography EMILIO MADRID

Fashion FINN VINTAGE

Words MARINA VERLAINE

Audrey Corsa on playing Zoe in Dear Edward and finding truth and authenticity in her work What inspired you to begin your acting career?

Like a lot of millennials, I was raised in a cult of toxic positivity in a lot of ways, where any kind of negative emotion like anger or pain or embarrassment, anything that felt unmanageable was put on a shelf and not talked about much. And I had this incredible theater teacher in high school that, for the first time, gave me the space to express all of those things without consequence and with encouragement to take up the space that those feelings needed, in a way that saved me and let me grow.

There’s a whole other can of worms when you’re talking about the performative nature of those emotions. But regardless, for my specific kind of purposes, it was the right thing at the right time.

And I ended up being pretty good at tapping into those feelings and into the feelings of different characters. I realized that that was the kind of thing that I wanted to keep exploring, and I stuck with it.

Do you remember the genre or scene that really hammered in “This is what I want to do”?

When I was in high school, I did a lot of musicals. We had a particularly skilled class one year and I could sing 12

coloratura soprano at that time — I haven’t tried since. But we did Candide, a musical, and I played this character, Cunégonde, and it was a total farce and I got to immerse myself fully in this character and sing and it was just a blast. It felt like there was so much energy pumping through me and such a communal sense, that I was like, “I love this, this is what I gotta do.”

Do you have an actor that has inspired you so far?

Yes, I have so many. I saw a lot of theater growing up because both of my parents’ families live over on the East Coast, so we would spend a lot of time in New York. I saw The Seagull with Kristin Scott Thomas, Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, and Zoe Kazan. I was really young, and I didn’t know who Chekhov was or anything, but

I saw their performances and that play is such a tragic comedy, I was completely enraptured by it. Those performances were so true and also so intimate despite how big the space was. I believed everything everyone was doing as far as I can recall. I was a kid, but obviously they’re masterful actors, so I’m sure it was true to form. I saw a lot of theater.

Mark Rylance was a huge one

and still is a huge one for me — I saw him in Jerusalem andTwelfth Night.

You’ve done more film than stage, but since you also have the experience on stage, which one did you find more difficult?

I think they both present interesting challenges. I have done a lot of theater, having gone to Juilliard for four years. We were doing three plays a school year.

What was challenging for me is that so much of stage acting is physicality. I think theater is a really good foundation to be able to get emotion into your body and experience what emotions bring up different things in different parts of your body, and become acutely aware of that. Whether you’re playing a clown in some Commedia dell’arte thing or you’re playing Zoe on Dear Edward, you have to have some sort of awareness of where these things live inside of you — a lot of it is very intuitive.

Speaking of Juilliard, was that your dream school?

I know Juilliard is the performing arts school, but there are also others.

It was, yes. It was a totally surreal experience to get in and to go through it.

Like every relationship, the honeymoon phase happens, and then you get into the confusing maelstrom of it all and you figure out that there are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of personalities. It was incredible and incredibly difficult at the same time, but I wouldn’t take it back at all.

Did you ever doubt your abilities as an actor while [attending Juilliard]?

Oh yeah. I was going through a really tough time in my second year because I was eighteen or nineteen years old in a new city being worked to the bone and I was tired and I was starting to feel sort of resentful of not being able to live like a normal teenager experience, whatever it was, but I was feeling a lot of angst. We had these circle meetings and I had a voice teacher tell me, “Audrey, you started out on top and you just fell behind.”

I’m not sure if this person meant to do this consciously or not, but I never wanted to feel in competition with any of the people in my ensemble. I think that’s a really destructive way of approaching acting. So yes, I did doubt my abilities, but then you build up a sense of self.

Do you have a preferred genre to act in?

I love being challenged, and I love doing comedy. Comedy can be hard depending on whatever character you’re playing. I like being able to tap into the realism of drama and the weight of a show like Dear Edward and it was so profound as well.

Finding the truth in [both comedy and drama], because they both require truth and authenticity, is something I enjoy.

that occur, or even just the tone that’s set throughout?

I have lost someone unexpectedly and suddenly and there’s no way to express that feeling. So to have the opportunity to work through that in this, obviously acting is not therapy, but it was sort of a mirror image of my experience. Everyone experiences loss, you know, it’s part of life.

wherever I am emotionally, even if it’s completely off base with where the character seems to be written, and work my way toward the story. I figure if you want to start your character from a truthful place, you have to start from where you are. I think that’s everybody’s job individually to figure out how to get it true for themselves.

On a slightly brighter note, how do you bring your characters to life and what has been the most helpful advice you’ve received throughout your career?

I think the best advice that I ever got was from Steven McKinley Henderson. He came and taught a scene study class [at our school], and he’s such a genius. He also gave our commencement speech. He said, “Don’t get it right, get it true.” And I think that was hard for a lot of us to understand. For my process, I always start

Could you see yourself working more behind the camera as a writer or director?

I would love to. It would be great if one day all of my ideas that I’ve ever had for anything to write would just spill out onto a Microsoft Word page all in the perfect order, but that hasn’t happened yet. Directing wise, I really would love to. I’ve wanted to direct for a really long time. I think I’d like to direct a play. Maybe I’d start there and then sort of see where to go.

Regarding Dear Edward, did you find any personal attachment to your character, given the events 13

Photography KIM NEWMONEY

Words MARINA VERLAINE

Anjelika Washington on Praise This, her work behind the camera, and breaking into the industry as a creative What was it like training for the film in terms of your drum solo and the “Praise This” Boot Camp?

It was a lot of fun! I actually played the drums in elementary school, but it was not a drum set so I had a lot to learn. It was challenging but fun!

How was it working with Chloe and bringing the energy of “sister cousins” to the big screen?

It was nice, she has a very impressive work ethic, and she is very talented.

What is your relationship with gospel music? Did it help you in any way to connect with your character?

I grew up listening to gospel music, but I didn’t grow up in church, so it was refreshing to dive into the Gospel world! Especially with Gospel stars like Jekalyn and Koryn — that was such a blessing!

You recently have been stepping behind the camera more - what was that process like and what drew you to it?

I have always loved all sides of filmmaking. But once I figured out, I’m really good at organizing, I stepped into the producer role, and it just felt right! I produced my first short film without any experience, and it was a lot of work, but I learned a lot and I realized that if I can make something amazing with a small amount of money I can definitely do it with large amounts of money! I also plan to step into more directing too in the future!

What about the off-camera creative process interests you most?

I think it’s the organizing that I love. I always loved event organizing and hosting events, so I just transferred that same formula to producing. In high school I loved throwing parties (still do), and I was the commissioner of rallies where I created the run of show and made sure we stayed on track and on time.

I think all the experiences I’ve had prepared me to be a producer.

Do you have any long-term goals as an actress?

Oh yes! I want to lead a comedy series, a drama limited series, lead actioncomedy features, do a play on Broadway, voice animation, etc. I really want to do it all!

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What inspired your interest in activism?

I just love and respect human beings! And human beings are governed therefore I care about the rules and laws that regulate us and our quality of life. I think we all deserve better than what we currently have, so I am passionate about making the world a better place for everyone.

What advice would you give to actors and creatives looking to break into the industry?

So much has changed since the pandemic, if you just want to do comedy then I think that’s the fastest path. Either way, I always recommend getting into some quality acting classes to get your feet wet and see if it’s even something you’re passionate about. Too many people try to do it for fame and money then quit when they realize that doesn’t actually happen to most actors. Only 1% of working actors are famous and crazy rich. It can happen! It just may be a long journey ...

Photo Credit JESSICA MIGLIO/ UNIVERSAL PICTURES and UNIVERSAL PICTURES. 15

Photography ADAM MUNNINGS

Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO

Cub Sport on Jesus at the Gay Bar, traversing between genres, and the epic love story of their lives So, I gotta ask how does it feel to live in Australia where you can live in the future?

Well, it’s pretty beautiful today. Brisbane, where we’re from, is a pretty warm city, and so as it starts to go to autumn and into winter, the mornings are just so beautiful.

How was the name Cub Sport created?

We first formed the band back in 2011 when we were all super young, and we all looked even younger than

we were, so we named the band Cub Scouts, playing on the fact that we looked like a group of scouts — like little kids or something. After we’d been a band for a couple of years, we got a legal letter from Scouts Australia saying that we had to take the word scout out of our name, so we landed on sport because it sounded similar. It just felt like the right thing, and now all these years later I’m so grateful that we’re not called Cub Scouts, cause I feel like we are Cub Sport and Cub Scouts wasn’t the right name.

If you could be famous on an alien planet for something other than your music, what would it be?

Maybe being a socialite with good style. Yeah. I’d love to be an intergalactic socialite.

If you could teleport and play at any venue in the world, cause, let’s face it, airfare and bus fare is super expensive, which one would it be?

A big dream is to play Red Rocks one day. Yeah. I’ll teleport to a sold-out Red Rocks, please.

There’s a bunch of up-andcoming bands that have been working for years to really make it, and get their music out there. What do you feel like makes Cub Sport stand out from other bands?

I think we have a really unique sound, and I feel like it’s always evolving as well, which is something that is pretty unique — to have the freedom to traverse between genres and to not feel locked into one sound or style. Our story as a band, and how one of my bandmates was my high school crush, and we dated in secret for a year, and then had eight years trying to fight the fact that we were in love, and then finally got together and came out and got married … there’s this

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epic love story that is our lives that I’m writing about.

I feel like that whole thing is pretty unique. And then also the fact that we don’t have a manager, or a record label, or anything. It really is the four of us. We’ve built this from the ground up. It’s a super unique model and story, and I think the music as well. I can’t think of too many other things that sound like us, which is something I’m really proud of.

You guys do seem to evolve with every album that you put out there, you seem to really reinvent yourself, and I think that’s important for bands these days cause if you’re doing the same thing over and over again, what’s the real point in listening?

Thank you. Yeah, I completely agree. When I’m working on music, I’m always wanting to create something that I haven’t done before — that’s what keeps it exciting and inspiring. I’ve never been one to look at our discography and think ‘well, this song went really well, so I’m gonna try and write ten other songs that sound like this song.’ I always want it to be a genuine expression of where I’m at now and the type of music that I love now.

You actually touched on

this a little bit, cause you were talking about how you and one of your bandmates you’re happily married to, and I gotta ask how much from your personal experience went into your new album ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar?’ Quite a lot of it. I went right back to the start of our relationship for a couple of songs on the album and shared detail and insight into those really early days, probably in more detail than I have before. I have written other songs about the start of our relationship, but the older I get, the more comfortable I am with who I am. I feel safe now sharing this stuff that happened all these years ago cause I mean, what’s going to happen now if people find out? It’s really

nice for my younger self, cause at the time I was so ashamed of the fact that I was gay, and anybody knowing that Sam and I were together was basically my worst nightmare. If seventeen-year-old me could see into the future, and see that we’re together properly and that our love is bringing comfort and hope to other people who may be experiencing similar feelings to what we were at the time, and feeling like they can’t really be themselves, or show their authenticity, it’s a really cool and special thing.

What do you feel like sets ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar’ apart from previous albums that you’ve done?

My vision for this album was to create something that

felt light and energizing and uplifting. I think there have been moments from our previous albums that have had that kind of energy, but with my writing in the past, there has been a lot of focus on working through the darker parts, and for me it genuinely was about getting out all these things that I’d been holding in. For this album, I wanted it to feel like more of a celebration, and I wanted to touch on the lighter side, and the good parts in between those darker moments. With the lyrics, I definitely don’t shy away from those deeper moments, but I think that the energy of the album overall is something uplifting, and it’s feel-good and makes you wanna move. For me while I was creating, it felt like it got some stagnant energy moving, and that was the vision for this album. And it’s also our shortest album.

I wanted to write a succinct ten-track pop album. That was the goal, and I think that is pretty different to our other four albums.

If you could pick a song from ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar’ to be assigned to play exclusively at a specific aisle of the grocery store, which song and aisle would it be?

Maybe I’d have “Yaya” playing in the vegan section.

If you could have fans take away a message from ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar,’ what would it be? What do you want them to feel?

I named the album after a

poem called “Jesus at the Gay Bar” by Jay Hulme, and the poem depicts Jesus at a gay bar, and a gay boy comes up to him asking to be healed of his gayness, and Jesus tells him ‘My child, there’s nothing in this heart of yours that ever needs to be healed.’ The way that made me feel when I read it, having grown up with a religious upbringing, was very touching. I want the feeling of this album to be for people that (it kinda sounds a little bit corny) you’re perfect exactly how you are, and there’s nothing about you that needs to change. That’s the message and the mission of the album — above all, I just want it to make people feel good.

What can people expect next from Cub Sport?

We’ve got some collaborations in the works, one of them is probably the biggest collab that I’ve done, and it’s such a good song, and I’m so excited. I don’t know exactly what the plan is for the song or when it’s going to come out, but that is probably gonna be the next thing from us. I’m always writing and working on new music, and it’s very early to call it, but this heartcentered, dance music zone that we’re in right now feels really good, and I feel like I wanna keep running with that, and push it further, and find ways to create something new that captures the same sort of feeling.

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Photography CHARLOTTE PATMORE

Words DANIELLE TAYLOR

Eloise on the creation of Drunk On A Flight and songwriting as catharsis Can you pin-point a favorite/memorable sonic moment off the album?

I love the big swell on “Drunk on A Flight” with all the harmonies and the big buildup that was always exciting!

Talk me through your recent single “Giant Feelings.” The meaning behind it and its title.

It’s the only song I’ve written that wasn’t about me. It just showed me that I could write in that different genre. It made me so excited to write the rest of it.

Thank you for taking the time to chat. Congrats on the release of Drunk On A Flight! What was the creative process like?

It was really quick and cathartic. I wrote all the songs in about three months and then we recorded them the following three months.

All together it was done within six months. It wasn’t mixed or mastered but it was just the most fun — it was all through London summer with Conor Albert. We were just free and happy, young and weird!

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Were there any memorable/ stand-out moments while creating the record? If so, what?

When we were doing “Tired Now,” that was the first song [Conor and I] ever did together. We were just testing each other out. We didn’t know we were going to make the whole album together. We were just like “let’s try this song” and left the session knowing he had to do the album.That was a real stand out moment ‘cause I could see the pathway ahead.

What does Drunk on A Flight represent to you? Do you have any significant thoughts or feelings surrounding it?

The title Drunk on A Flight is about being so vulnerable when you’re in the air emotionally and especially if you’ve had a drink. It’s about all the really honest thoughts that you have about yourself. It’s about lots of introspection and I think that it’s always fascinating how people have a lot of revelations on planes.

Can you talk me through how you got into music?

I grew up with a very musical family. My parents are both actors but my mom’s also a singer, so she was always singing at the piano. Most of

all jazz songs, lots of musical theater so I just copied my mom.

Who were some of your musical inspirations growing up? And how do they compare to now?

Growing up, I’d say that I listened to a lot of Billy Joel but then also a lot of Whitney Houston. And now, the most recent proper obsession is Kimbra. I’ve always loved Kimbra. She’s just brilliant and I really base a lot of my melodies off of hers.

Do you have a mission overall for your music and impact moving forward?

Not really! I don’t love approaching music that way in terms of what its impact will be. I write to get stuff off of my chest and it happens to be my job to put that stuff out. I hope that people find peace with the music I have.

I hope they find catharsis. I hope that I can keep making music and putting it out.

Do you have a dream stage you would love to perform?

I’m not a fan of big stages but the only big stage I would love to play is the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. That would be my dream! That is the only big stage I wouldn’t be scared of. Well I wouldn’t be scared but I would be so excited!

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Photography Jadine Patricia

Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO

Hannah Galway on having the grit to follow your dreams and the best acting advice she’s ever received I’m sure you’ve heard of the game Would You Rather, so we’re going to do a fun couple of Would You Rather questions. Would you rather be stuck in a future timeline of your choosing or a past timeline of your choosing?

Maybe a past timeline, and I would probably pick when I was really young, around six or seven, and thought everything was fun and rainbows.

Would you rather swim beside a shark or go bungee jump in a nearly erupting volcano?

I’m going to say swim beside a shark because I’ve just heard from so many people that they’re not as dangerous as everyone says they are, and they can be gentle giants.

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Would you rather be an astronaut for a month or be a deep-sea diver for a month?

I’d rather be an astronaut.

The ocean scares me, space obviously scares me too, but I just feel like there are some things in the depths of the ocean that we just have no idea about, and I think it’d be cool to go into space.

but I was in grade six, and we had been doing some acting in class, and one of my teachers, Ms. Wilson, suggested to my parents that I go to an arts high school.

I started acting from there, and it was all because of Ms. Wilson in grade six.

What show or movie or play inspired you to be an actress?

It wasn’t a tv show or a play,

What is your favorite genre to act in, and why?

I would say drama. I love comedic drama because we

all chop up the drama in our lives with comedy and comedic moments, but I think that [drama is] the genre that a lot of people can find cathartic release in, when they see themselves portrayed on the screen in a situation, or when they see something that they’re going through being worked out on the screen.

If you could play the lead in

a modern day rendition of a Grimm’s fairytale story, which one would you choose?

Sleeping Beauty. There’s a darkness that’s in it already, as all the fairytales have, and I would be really curious to see what the modern rendition would be.

What is one of your favorite moments you’ve had on set with your coworkers?

I did an FX show called “Under The Banner of Heaven,” and I got to work alongside Daisy EdgarJones and Andrew Garfield in the show. It was pretty cool, and I think being able to act alongside such incredibly talented people and watch them work was the experience of a lifetime.

If you could co-star in a movie about the zombie apocalypse with any actor or actress of your choosing, who would it be?

I’d have to pick Idris Elba.

I just think he’s incredible, and I would feel really safe going through the zombie apocalypse with him because I feel like I wouldn’t be that helpful, if I’m being honest.

I need someone who can protect us both.

What do you feel is the most important that you do to prepare for your roles?

The most important thing would definitely be to prepare. I’m one of those people that needs to know my lines front and back before I go to set so that I can throw it away when I’m there on the day. I don’t want to be thinking about what I have to say next. I want to be able to play, and for me, the only way you can play is with an incredible amount of preparation. I remember hearing Jeff Daniels say, when he was doing The Newsroom, that he used to be able to know his lines at the table read because he was [working with] Aaron Sorkin, and with Aaron Sorkin, you had to be able to speak a mile a

minute. It was really important to me to hear another big actor say something like that, because I always felt the same way, that I had to go in prepared so that I could be loose.

I do all the thinking, the backstory, and moment to moment work with a fellow actor or actress at home, and then when I get to set, I see what’s happening on the day.

I guess this would tie in with the prior question.

What’s the best advice someone gave you for acting?

The best acting advice I’ve ever gotten is [when] I went to theater school, and the head of our theater department told us that laughter and crying are a millimeter away. People often get nervous or worried when they see that they have to hysterically laugh or hysterically cry in a script, but she taught us that emotions in life live so much closer than the actor’s mind thinks. Oftentimes, when we are hysterically laughing, that can also turn into hysterical crying. You know, when someone gets a big birthday surprise, they start out laughing and gasping, and then they cry. I think that’s the best advice, just to be free with your emotions and not reach for them. They’re just in you.

If you could go back and tell something to your childhood self, what would it be?

Definitely to not be so hard on myself. I worked very hard

as a little kid. Things didn’t come to me that easily in school at all, and I gave myself a really hard time for that, but it gave me a lot of the creativity and tools I have now because I had to think very differently in order to get through school, so I’m actually quite thankful for that now.

Yeah, I feel like you do beat yourself up a lot when you’re younger, and then you learn later on in life that a lot of the stuff you were so hard on yourself for really didn’t matter in the bigger picture.

Totally! It’s so sad how hard we are on ourselves, and it’s always the case that people turn around when they’re older and think, ‘but it was a great thing.’ Or ‘I wish I had

been kinder.’

My final question is, what advice would you give to an aspiring actress?

I would tell them to keep going, and to train as much as possible. I am always in classes. I train with Steven Yaffee, who is my coach.

There are going to be a lot of people telling you that you can’t do this and it’s so difficult, but if it’s your dream, and you want to pursue this and keep going, have grit, and keep working at it.

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OLIVIA ROUYRE Olivia Rouyre on finding her place and not taking herself too seriously.

Photography IRENE CHEN Fashion GILLIAN GOLDSMITH + BRIGITTE SHOKOUHI Words MARINA VERLAINE 23

Did you always know that you wanted to be an actor?

Honestly, yeah. I always knew. I don’t even remember making the decision. I was in theater camps and classes since I was a kid and just was really drawn to it. I think a lot of that came from my dad, because he was just so cool to me when I was a kid.

He was always putting on different voices and doing little characters to make us laugh, and I wanted to be like him because he was so funny and so animated.

That definitely was the first draw towards being in this world and playing different characters.

From watching High School and looking at your filmography, it seems like there’s almost a juxtaposition between how your dad inspired you through comedy and the more serious or dramatic roles you’ve done recently.

Do you see yourself doing comedy as well?

Oh, I think it would be so much fun. I love comedy and I think it would be a great time, but I definitely feel more of a pull towards these more serious roles right now in my career. But who knows?

I think I want to dip my toe in everything, so comedy’s definitely somewhere I wanna land eventually and try out.

That’s really cool. I ended up going into the arts, and I’m also interested in acting, but I was like, you know what? This is the result of sticking through 24

with chemistry which isn’t horrible, but it’s not really what I want to do. In the American Horror Story episode, did you do your own stunt at the beginning?

And if you didn’t, do you want to do more stunt work as well?

The swimming shots that you see were me. We did all of our own stunt work, but we also had stunt doubles on set who did some of the diving and swimming scenes.

I’m 90% sure that the stuff you see in the episode is actually me and the other actor Bobby, who played my brother — it was us and the divers. The stunt doubles were there as a safeguard just in case. It was so much fun. We had a whole day of dive training as well. I would definitely love to do more stunt work. I think it pushes you to different limits and new things. So I would a hundred percent in the future, maybe not Tom Cruise level, but I definitely want to do more stunt work.

Ever since I saw that Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad did a lot of her own [stunts], I was like, that sounds really fun.

It’s just so cool and it pushes you in a different way. It’s a different added layer to the work.

Let’s go back to High School. How do you bring your roles to life? And specifically, how did you bring Phoebe to life as a character who was also based on a real person?

Tegan and Sara gave us so

much freedom within the characters, they really didn’t want to give us too much information on what they were like in real life because they trusted us to bring them to life in our own way.

My process changes every time with every character.

I don’t have a set checklist of steps, but most of my prep time before shooting is familiarizing myself as much as I can with what the story is, who the characters are, why they’re doing what they’re doing, what their purpose in the story is, and trying to find ways to ground myself in these people. The hardest part of that is getting out of your head and getting out of your own way. Just trusting yourself and trusting your work and then letting it all go. But mainly I try to familiarize myself as much as I can with [the story] and then feel it out and let it be what it is.

So just going off of the moment or going off of what your partner’s giving you. I’ve taken a couple classes and acting is more reacting than it is about establishing something.

Yeah. It’s definitely all listening and I think you can do as much prep work as you want for the character or for how you think it’s going to be, but it changes every day on the day. But like you said, you’re reacting off someone else, so just knowing the character enough to feel safe in playing around and being thrown off.

Regarding Tegan and Sara’s

story, what was it like being part of a story about coming to terms with who you are and where you fit in the world? Did any of it relate to you?

Yeah. Oh man. What a life changing experience, in every aspect. I think everyone who watches the show can relate to at least one character and if not a character, then these immense, crazy feelings that permeate each scene that Clea and Laura wrote so, so beautifully. Everyone in this world is lost in trying to find their place, not only within themselves and their communities, but in the grand scheme of things — especially teenagers who are facing all these really big emotions for the first time. I personally had a hard time in high school. I think everyone does, and I still struggle to this day trying to figure out all the pieces. I don’t think we’re necessarily meant to define ourselves and then never change from that. I think we’re constantly re-finding and reinventing ourselves in our relationship with the world. So I can definitely relate.

Out of all the projects you’ve done so far, which has been your favorite and which has been the most challenging to you as an actor?

Each one has honestly been so special. It’s really hard to choose which I enjoyed the most. I think each one showed me new things about myself, and I got to work with such amazing actors and crew members. Shooting

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High School was definitely the most intense that I’ve experienced in terms of longevity. It was my first time shooting for that long away from home. We shot for three months in Calgary so that was definitely a newer experience. And so was Slotherhouse. We shot [Slotherhouse] in Serbia for six weeks and that was a whole new world. It was so intense because it was a different environment and I think such a big part of being able to do the work comfortably is being grounded in your environment. Being in a completely different world definitely added a new challenging layer. But I mean, I can’t pick a favorite. I feel like they all taught me so much.

Back to your actual high school, did you ever do any plays or musicals?

I did plays throughout middle school and high school and did theater camps as well. I was definitely more shy in high school though and more insecure. I felt so new compared to the upperclassmen in my theater group. In high school, I was mainly doing side characters and just having fun being in that group. But I was Annie my eighth grade year. That was so much fun. I had the time of my life, but my wig was terrible. It was terrible, but it’s okay.

Which acting techniques do you use or find most applicable to your roles?

Each role changes, but I

take a little bit from each technique and find what works. I’m currently taking a Chekhov intensive and I’m also studying Meisner right now, and I love both. I pull what resonates with me from each technique. I have an amazing acting coach who teaches everything from the greats, so I feel really lucky in that sense, but I definitely don’t feel like I am boxed into a certain kind of method.

I’m familiar with how the performing arts in general are riddled with rejection after rejection until you finally book that one thing.

How important has your mental health been to you and has the acting industry affected it in any way or taught you some things?

Mental health is so important. It should be such a priority for everyone. The industry especially can be a hard place. There’s so much uncertainty in it, but it’s led me to really prioritize my wellbeing and my state of mind and focus on what I can control in my day-to-day life that leaves me feeling good and feeling grounded.

Especially as an actor, you have to be very in touch with your emotions and having to tap into those big feelings and then quickly snap out of them can really take a toll on you. The most important thing that I’ve learned for myself is to always stay grounded and to never takemyself too seriously. It should just be fun, you know?

I try to take the pressure off myself of having to have it all figured out right now.

I’m really glad to hear that because I know for myself that’s been one of the more difficult parts because I’m already doing that just in college. It feels like high school 2.0 and then also trying to put myself out there, it’s a lot.

Yeah. I feel like throughout all of life, everyone needs to take the pressure off, you know? Because it’s hard.

We’re always going through new things and reinventing ourselves and facing new challenges. Just don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t be too hard on yourself.

I looked at your YouTube channel and a couple of your vlogs. What inspired you to start making videos?

I started making videos when I was 15 or 16. Those are just

all private. I started [YouTube] my sophomore year of high school. I was going through a rough time and didn’t really find comfort in my peers, so I turned to the internet. I don’t even remember making my first video. I just wanted to do something that was creative and have a place to express my thoughts and find a home for that. The allure was never being an influencer or getting money from it, it was mainly just an escape and a place to land.

Do you have a hobby that people don’t really know about or something that you love doing outside of acting?

This ties into acting, but eight or nine months ago while we were filming in 29

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Calgary, I started taking ballet. I used to take it as a kid, but everybody does.

When you’re a kid, you take two years of ballet and then you’re done, but I wanted to restart it. I love ballet right now. I go every week and I would go every day if I could, but I started just because I wanted to. I love how graceful it makes you feel. Ballerinas have such an insane amount of control while making everything look super graceful. I wanted to have fun and heal my inner child, and do something that I did as a kid, but I also wanted to increase my bodily awareness as an actor. I love [ballet] so much, and I love being a little ballerina.

I love ballet. You called me out when you said, “... took it for two years when they were younger.” I took it for exactly two years, ballet and tap, and then I left.

And then your parents are like, “okay, we’re not doing this anymore.”

I’ve watched a day in the life of a ballerina and I’m like, “you’re so strong but so fluid.” What is going on?

It’s such a beautiful art.

So much control while making it look so graceful and it’s hard. Like that shit, it’s hard.

What’s your hardest move or position that you’ve done in ballet up to this point? Or is it the posture?

It’s just that, it’s the posture and the sense of it.

Controlling everything and holding everything in the 33

right place is the hardest.

Just making it look nice while being like, “oh my God, I’m dying right now.”

I think that’s the most challenging thing, but it’s been so much fun to learn everything.

I read that you have two cats. I love cats. Do you still have these two cats?

Oh, of course. Are you kidding? I’ll never, ever, ever get rid of them. You would have to pry them from me. I have two cats. Their names are Henry and Richie, and they’re both a little older than two and I love them so much. They saved my life. I got Henry first during Covid and then six months later I got Richie because [Henry] was a little lonely. I actually brought them to Canada with me when we shot [High School], so that was really nice to have them there to come home to every day.

Are they both lazy or is one of them skittish and the other one’s lazy? What aretheir energies?

Henry loves to be pet — he loves it so much, but he also has really bad attachment issues and anxiety. I think because he was a Covid cat, he’s very, very attached to me and gets stressed out really easily if he’s not in his routine. He loves to be pet, but he’ll only snuggle with me. Richie is super skittish.

When you first meet her, you won’t see her for two days, but after that second day, she’ll be the one that comes and snuggles a random person. They both have such

interesting personalities, but Henry definitely is the more anxious one and he is loud.

He talks all the time. He just walks around my house meowing all the time.

soup, I’m a big soup girl.

I love to throw a bunch of different stuff in a pot with seasonings and make a really good stew. That’s what I’m on right now.

I think I also heard somewhere that you like cooking.

I love to cook.

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to do this interview. Thank you for being so nice.

This was awesome. Thank you so much as well.

Do you have a favorite sweet or savory dish to cook? Or do you prefer to bake?

When I was a kid I loved to bake way, way more with my mom and my stepmom.

But now as an adult, I love making dinner. I love more savory flavors as an adult and proper cooking rather than baking. But recently my favorite thing has been any kind of soup or stew. I love

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MARIA ZHANG Maria Zhang on translating universal experiences into specific stories and embracing vulnerability as power.

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I always like to start off my interviews with something fun. I’m sure you’ve heard of the game Would You Rather. I have a few Would You Rather questions for us to go through, and the first one is, would you rather eat melted ice cream or cold soup?

Cold soup, because some cold soups can be really good, like the Korean soup naengmyeon, which are cold noodles that you eat in the summer, or a gazpacho where you’re supposed to eat it cold. I wouldn’t mind that.

But what if it’s tomato soup or something that’s supposed to be warm?

If it’s something that is supposed to be warm, then probably the melted ice cream because I feel like it wouldn’t be that bad in liquid form. It’s like a little milkshake.

Melted ice cream is just flavored milk.

There we go, flavored creamier milk.

Would you rather have the ability to communicate with fish or read the mind of plants?

Read the minds of plants. I’m a plant mom, so it would be nice to know what they need because a lot of times I’m just guessing. I over water mine, which comes with some casualties here and there, but if I could know what they need that would be nice so I could give it to them.

Exactly. Think about all the 38

plants around you that could tell you so many things. Maybe we would learn the secrets of the universe that way because they’ve been around a lot longer than we have.

That’s true. Maybe not talk too much though, because I have so many here, I feel like we would be having a meeting.

The final question is, would you rather be murdered by an army of robotic babies or be captured in a giant Venus flytrap?

There’s some wording here that makes me pick what I’m going to pick. I feel like being captured is better than being murdered because you have a chance of survival.

Being slowly tortured in captivity might be worse, but I would still go with the Venus flytrap because I am terrified of robotic babies. I feel like I was traumatized by Toy Story. I had nightmares about the little toy with the robotic legs as a kid.

It’s a really creepy movie when you really look at it.

A lot of those toys are spooky. Until this day, I can’t unsee that baby. I don’t think he even talked or anything.

You’ve been acting for a bit now. If you could switch roles and direct a movie about a current problem in society, which problem would you choose?

I’m a big advocate for mental health. It’s something that I struggle with, and I also love coming-of-age stories, so I think the two would go really

great together. When you’re young and trying to figure out who you are — which I’m still trying to do — you have to deal with a lot of internal and external pressure, and a lot of times, it can feel very lonely, confusing, and scary. At the same time, it’s also when you’re on a path of finding yourself, and nothing is really set. I think that’s really beautiful and something that highlights those universal struggles with a specific experience. People would see the movie and realize that “I didn’t know someone else was going through the same thing. I feel a little less alone.” That would be really cool to do.

That sounds amazing. I think that’s just a universal problem everywhere. Even at twenty, I still don’t know what I’m doing in life. It’s a thing people go through pretty consistently, especially early in life, and intermittently, even when you’re in your thirties and forties.

You’re always trying to figure yourself out. If anything, you should feel like you’re still trying to figure yourself out. I remember one of my professors asked our class, “When did you feel like you became your real self?” I think that’s so interesting because a lot of times you really don’t ever get to that point. You’re always discovering new parts about yourself.

Continuing in the realm of TV and movies, if you could be best friends with

a fictional character, who would it be?

Do you know this character called Pippi Longstocking?

I’ve heard of her.

I’m half Polish. Pippi Longstocking was a popular story for kids in Europe, and I remember loving it.

My mom would read us the books, and we also watched the movie. Pippi was this rebel girl. It didn’t feel like all the cartoons where they showed what it’s like to be a good kid. She was super strong, and she dressed however she wanted. She was like an adult, in a way, and took care of herself. I think she would be fun to be friends with because she would drag me on all these adventures, and we would have a lot of fun. Because I’m a homebody, I need someone to bring out that more adventurous side of me.

Yeah, she would be a fun one.

Or maybe Rapunzel, who is my favorite princess. I love her, and she’s a homebody.

Well, before she was broken out of that castle. We’d have a lot of fun doing arts and crafts.

Do you like to do any DIY or arts and crafts in your spare time?

I’m really into visual arts as well. I come from a family of artists, so I love drawing. One of my bucket list things is to draw a children’s illustration book. I think that would be really cool. On the side, I also have been learning how to sew and trying out other DIY projects. It’s very soothing for me.

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Oh yeah, I totally get that. You are talking to somebody who has tried basically every creative outlet under the sun. I’ve done sculpting. I’ve done needlepoint. Drawing and painting, which is primarily what I do when I’m not doing stuff like this interview. I think it’s a great outlet for people.

I’m an actor, but a lot of times I find that any kind of creative art can be very fulfilling and add to my work.

Sometimes, if you just want to decompress and do some cross-stitching, it’s great too.

Talking about acting, what do you feel like acting has taught you about yourself?

The way I see it, our job as actors is to convey a universal experience through specificity in different characters that are all really versions of us. It’s about being real and true and embodying whoever you are.

That gives me the courage to be real and truthful in my own life as well — it’s been a lifeline that gets me to throw out whatever version of myself that I think I am.

It’s a way to break out of the mindset of watching yourself watch yourself all day. It also challenges me to always be in a place of exploration, and to continue to transform and not be stuck in a moment — to use mindfulness to embrace change as it comes and let it go. That vulnerability is power.

I feel like as an actor, you have to get in the mindset of these other characters

to play them, and just that in itself allows you to do some deep soul searching and find out things about yourself that you wouldn’t have thought about before.

That’s the fun part about it. You never do that with yourself in terms of “I can be a completely different person,” but when you’re put into the vessel of a different character, you can say, “Okay, this is me. It could be me if I wanted it to be.”

Looking back at your childhood and growing up, do you have a certain memory that you think would be your favorite?

I spent my summers in Poland, where my mom’s side of the family is from and my grandparents are. We have a farm in the countryside, like something out of a Miyazaki film, and those summers as a kid outdoors were just magical. I remember when it would rain in the summer, and because it was summer the rain would feel hot — not hot, but just not cold — and it was the most amazing thing to be outside, even though my grandma would be yelling at me through the window to come back inside.

There were these little frogs that would jump around everywhere that came out when it rained, and my sister and I would always try to chase after them. A lot of them would gather in a big bucket that my grandparents had sitting outside, and we would play with them for hours (respectfully). Then we would pour them all out at once, and you could see them

all leap out and run around everywhere. It was beautiful.

This was years ago, but I still see them if I close my eyes.

That was really nice.

Farms and the countryside are always beautiful because there’s nothing going on. It’s just very peaceful. It’s not super distracting, and you get to connect more with things around you, which is always nice.

It’s very calming for me to be in nature. A lot of times, we forget how beautiful it all is, and then you’re outside, and suddenly that grounds you and you realize, “Wow, this is the world we live in.” That’s why I try to go back every summer as much as I can to reset. I call it my safe space to unwind.

Growing up, what were some of your favorite shows and actors or actresses?

I grew up in Beijing, so I wasn’t really exposed to Hollywood films until a little later when I went to international school. The way I learned English was from my dad bringing back these Disney films with Chinese subtitles. He would bring one back every week, and my sister and I loved to watch them all the time. Then we found out about Disney Channel. Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana were my introduction to what the U.S. was like.

Everyone seemed so cool in all those high schools on TV. I also went through a vampire phase. Twilight is

not a guilty pleasure. I loved it. My sister and I would watch The Vampire Diaries all the time, it’s so good. And I mentioned Miyazaki earlier.

I was a huge fan of Studio Ghibli films because I also love to draw and anything to do with nature.

Then there’s the more serious stuff that inspired me. I remember seeing Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional. I love her. That’s one of my favorites. I binged all of Game Of Thrones one summer. I love Emilia Clarke, and I think she’s so powerful in anything she does. Weirdly, I was also into darker horror stuff. I was watching American Horror Story and Black Mirror, and Johnny Depp in these character roles — I remember him as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or Edward Scissorhands. I come from a theater background, so I loved anything with character roles that took me out of the norm of who I was. I would watch him and think, “Oh, my God. This is so fun!

I want to do this.” It’s so expressive, and there’s such a range of different things you could try.

There are so many varieties and genres of shows and movies at this point, it’s hard not to be fascinated.

There’s always something new brought to the table.

Yeah, I definitely watch a mix of things.

Same. Speaking of Johnny Depp, he starred in Sweeney Todd, which is one of my all time favorite movies.

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I dressed up as Edward Scissorhands for Halloween one time, and also Matilda from Léon: The Professional.

It’s funny because I have a photo of me and my best friend one Halloween, where I’m spooky Edward Scissorhands, and she’s the complete opposite — she’s dressed up as a Minion because she was obsessed with Minions.

You mentioned that you don’t consider Twilight a guilty pleasure. Is there anything you watch that you would classify as a guilty pleasure?

I don’t like the word guilty. If it’s what you need right now, it’s what you need. I’ve been binging the latest season of Love Island, and I think it’s hilarious. I love when they’re 44

like, “I’ve got a text!” As an actor, I jokingly treat it as character study. I love watching it with my roommates and just having it on in the background. I think it’s silly, and I love the drama.

As far as reality TV shows go, I don’t watch many, but I will repeatedly watch Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay.

I love that.

Do you have any stories about an embarrassing moment on set?

Thinking back on it, it’s not really embarrassing.

I think it’s normal to be a little nervous sometimes. I remember it was the first day of my first big girl job, and it was a huge set. I’m nervous as heck. I don’t know if I’m

ready. I was. But you get into your own head. The more difficult scenes are actually the ones where it’s a group scene and you have one line. It’s easier when you have a dialogue, because you just focus on the person in the conversation, but I had one line, and I showed up all nervous and I kept trying to make sure that I [remembered] that one line. For some reason, I was like, “I do not know this” in my head, even though I memorized the dialogue already. The nerves got to me when they started shooting, and I can’t say what the specific line was, but I blurted it out. It was one of the most important words in the show, and I said it [completely differently].

I was so embarrassed, but it made everyone laugh.

There were kids on set, and everyone just needed that moment to let go. No one said, “How dare you!” and if anything, it was a bit of an icebreaker. Once I got that out of the way, I told myself, “Okay, it can’t get worse than this. Let’s do it.”

You were talking about how you grew up in China, and I actually don’t know what the academic subjects are in China, but I’m assuming it’s science, math, and history. What was your least favorite subject in school?

I wasn’t very great at school, at least not the non-creative classes. I loved art classes and PE. I was very sporty as a kid, and we [got] to go out and have fun, but I wasn’t

good at subjects like math or science or chemistry.

My teachers said “It’s okay. You’re a very creative person.” I think they understood that things that were too logical for me didn’t always make sense. I tried my best, but those subjects were probably my least favorite.

If you could star in a superhero movie, what back story would you want the villain to have?

I would love to play a villain someday, because I think it’s so much fun for actors to play a flawed character.

The most chilling ones are the ones you feel a lot of empathy for, despite their ruthlessness and lack of empathy. I would choose a backstory where you understand why the villain is the way they are because of how life has treated them, or the reason behind their actions. I also love a good hero turned villain, or a villain turned hero. It’s always fun to go between the two when it makes you doubt which one they are. Some of my favorite villains are Villanelle in Killing Eve and Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. Javier Bardem is great. Yeah, something where you’re not sure whether they’re good or bad.

I feel like that’s just realityentirely. Everything is very gray. There is no black and white, so I feel like that’s a bit more relatable for people to understand than just “I’m evil and mean, and I’ve always been this way.”

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What do you think has been the best and worst advice that you’ve been given as far as acting goes?

For the best, I had this wonderful professor in college named Deborah. I was taking a solo play class where we wrote our own play about our lives, and I remember feeling so defeated because my upbringing is so specific. I’m half Chinese and half Polish, and I didn’t speak English until later, so I spoke Polish to my mom and Chinese to my dad. A lot of the kids in class didn’t have that mix of cultures, which was okay, but I felt that no one was going to relate to it, since it was so specific. I was just overthinking everything.

I remember Deborah told me that if you can make even one person in the audience — even though they may not specifically relate to your experiences — feel like their story is also valid and seen, and make them feel a little less alone, then that’s worth it. She encouraged us to speak our truth. That’s all you can do. You can’t think about trying to please other people and create a story that everyone can relate to, because you want to make it truthful to you and what you know. That was wonderful to hear because there’s a lot of noise in the industry, and people telling you a certain way you should be, but you just have to listen to your heart and be true. Another great teacher also told me that the truth will set you free. There’s a lot of validity in that, because a lot of times, when I feel out of 48

control, it’s because I’m not being truthful to myself and I’m just going along with whatever is going on. It’s really freeing to just be and be truthful and experience life as it is.

For the worst, I told myself that there was a correct way to go about a character or a right way to deal with a scene, but I realized that it put me in a space where I was reaching for perfection instead of being open to change and the present.

Your job is to be real and experience things as they come to you, which can be completely different every time. That’s something that I have to remind myself sometimes — to not feel like there’s a right way. Any path will get me there.

over wanting to make it, and enjoy learning the craft and bettering myself. To take risks, always try new things, and not settle — not feel like you’re at a place where you’re good. I still tell all of this to myself now, but I’d tell little Maria this as well. To just take a breath and enjoy the ride. Whatever feels like it’s the end of the world right now is not going to be anywhere near as big of a deal as you think it is later on. If anything, more things will come up that will make you feel that way, and you realize it’s better to just let it be and enjoy it, and remember why you’re in this in the first place — that initial childhood love, the passion you have for it, and the joy for being able to do what you love.

If you stay in the mindset that you can only do this thing this way, you don’t realize that maybe there was a better way to do it, and maybe you could have done it better if you did what someone else suggested.

You always have those doubts in your head. That’s life.

There’s all different kinds of ways to go about it.

I think that’s something most people go through, especially if you’re going into a creative field like acting because it’s so highly competitive and so hard to get into. You feel like you have to take on everything, and you have to do everything that’s given to you, and you have to do it perfectly, and you can’t mess up, and you have to prove yourself for doing this thing so that you can be more successful at the end of the line. I feel like if that’s all you’re focused on, you forget to have fun during that whole thing.

The point of you doing this is to enjoy it while you’re doing it and not to feel like there’s a certain point you have to get to. Things will work out by themselves eventually, and

Going back to when you were first starting your career and didn’t know as much, what advice would you give yourself back then?

Enjoy the journey. I had a very me against the world mentality where I felt like I had to do this, or else all fails.

I would tell myself to let go of that fear and anxiety

not comparing yourself to others is also a big thing.

You’re putting yourself out there, but embrace the fear of that. Embrace how terrifying that is sometimes, but also enjoy it.

Jumping back to the present, we’re almost halfway through 2023. Is there anything you want to do in 2023 or 2024?

I’m actually not sure what I’m going to be doing, so that’s kind of fun and exciting. Just continuing to grow, whether that’s professionally or as a person.

Keep following my dreams, see where it takes me, and keep making memories with friends and family. I’m excited to see them soon, hopefully. None of them are in the US, so maybe I’ll see them in Poland or China. I know they’re rooting for me from afar, but it’s nice when I get to spend a bit of time with them. Being grateful for being able to do what I love and do the things that fulfill me, whether that’s acting or flower arranging or painting or taking care of my plants.

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INDE NAVARRETTE Inde Navarrette on representation and becoming her characters.

Photography IRENE CHEN Fashion KAROLINA FRECHOWICZ Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO 51

/I figured this would be a fun way to start off our interview today. I’m sure you’ve heard of the game two truths and a lie.

I have.

Let me give you a moment to come up with two truths and a lie. We’ll see if I can decipher which is which, and I will do the same.

I [went] to eleven different schools [as a kid], my favorite dog growing up was a rottweiler named Gidget that I would ride like a horse, and I can wakeboard competitively.

All of those are so detailed.

That makes it hard. I would say the lie is that you went to eleven different schools.

No, that’s true.

Which one’s the lie?

That I can wakeboard competitively. I can’t wakeboard for shit. I would drown. My dad was a Marine, so I lived in multiple cities [and states] growing up, [including] Seattle, North Carolina, Texas, and [different cities] within California. My mom loved having new houses, so we’d move to a different part of town every three years, and I’d end up going to a different elementary school halfway through. It was really crazy.

My two truths and a lie are: I won a beauty pageant in 2011 when I was ten years old, crocodiles are my favorite animal, and my nickname growing up (because my name is Iceis) was ice ice baby.

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/First of all, if the lie is crocodiles, I’m going to be so upset. If [the truth] is ice ice baby, you’ve got a very humor-filled family, and I respect it. Am I allowed to ask questions?

Of course!

With the beauty pageant, did you guys have a talent [you had to show]?

There was a speaking segment, but there wasn’t a talent section. Every state had their own wheelchair rendition of Miss Virginia, or Miss California, or Miss Mississippi. They also had a branch called Little Miss Wheelchair Virginia, which is what I competed in.

Okay, you are very specific about that, so I don’t think that that’s the lie. I feel like [the lie is] crocodiles, is it crocodiles?

It is. I do think they’re amazing, though.

In a world where you were put in charge of a country, what three types of animals would you choose to be your trusty advisors?

First of all, cats. I’m sorry to say it, but cats are very good [ judges] of character. If I have somebody over at my house, and my cat does not like them, they go — they’re not allowed back. Cats might branch into all cats, like cheetahs and lions, but I’ll say [ just] house cats for now.

I’m going to go with pandas as well because I feel like the mindset that they would have [would be] very relaxed.

Whenever you’re hot and

heavy and angry about something, they’d be able to calm you down and say, “Listen, this is what it is. It’s the honest truth.” I would need a snake, so basically just the whole cast of Kung Fu Panda. A snake or a cricket, one of the two. I’m going to say a snake, a panda, and a cat. I don’t know how the hell they would all get along.

The snake would probably eat the cat.

We’d feed them both mice and give the panda massive amounts of bamboo so they don’t try and kill me.

That would be really bad if they tried to eat their owner.

Yeah, which I feel like happens.

It does. I respect all those decisions. I would have gone with a panda or a white bengal tiger, because I think they’re absolutely beautiful and majestic, and I feel like they would be great to have. And a horse.

Why a horse?

I feel like they have been around longer and they are a bit more wise about certain things.

I can see that.

It was either that or an owl because owls are apparently very wise.

It’s funny, I don’t know where that comes from because they can’t talk.

Going back to your earlier days as an actor, what sparked your interest in

acting, and what was your first exposure to acting as a career?

I have a very young mom.

She solely raised me and my older brother, [and when] I [turned] seven, [she had] my younger brother [as well].

She grew up loving movies, but nobody in my family is in the industry or anything like that. [My mom] would put on films like Funny Girl, Gladiator, and Moulin Rouge.

I was a very sensitive kid, and I still am [a sensitive person], so I feel things deeply. We went to see The Greatest Showman — granted [this] was a little bit later in my career, and I already [knew] what I wanted to do — but it was the best example of sitting in a theater and [getting] chills all over your body because it tells a story.

People ask me who [I] look up to, and they [find it] so crazy [when I say Hugh Jackman]. He made me feel deep understanding as a kid. I felt represented by the loss that he has to go through — by the sense of love, friendship, and everything within that film, even though it’s a very adult film. I felt those as a kid.

[That sparked my interest in learning] how to represent another person or become a different person. I watched Twilight a lot, and whenever I put on a ring like Bella did, I would go to school, and I was Bella. I really love becoming other people and [getting] in people’s brains and understanding why they do what they do. As a kid, those films really sparked that [passion for me].

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/You mentioned Hugh Jackman being one of the iconic actors you looked up to growing up. Are there any others that really spoke to you?

Robert Downey Jr. and Matthew McConaughey. I never really was a princess kid, [although] we did watch Disney movies growing up. The characters that [these actors] played had such strength in them.

Now we can use words like masculinity, but for me as a kid, not understanding anything like masculinity or femininity, it was very much just the strength [and intelligence] that these characters had. It [made me realize], “I know how to do that.” As a kid, [those were] the [people I was inspired by].

Talking about your earlier childhood, it sounded like you were not a very feminine child. What were some of your hobbies that you liked to do growing up?

My aunt had two kids, and my uncle is extreme with boating, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, dirt bikes, shooting guns in the backyard, and doing backflips into the pool. My cousin TJ was in high school when I was a little kid, so all of his friends would be over, and I would be with them. They’d be doing back flips into the pool, or shooting in the backyard, or riding bikes.

Most of my hobbies as a kid [were] these extreme things.

I remember watching this skateboarding movie and really trying to learn how to

skateboard. To this day, I’m [still] trying, but my body is not built for it at all. I really loved collecting a lot of things as a child. I would have these Walmart plastic drawers filled with rocks. I loved collecting rocks for no reason, and now that I’m older, I collect crystals.

[They’re] fancier and nicer, and they’re prettier.

I grew up with an older brother and mostly male cousins, so they did all the physical outdoors stuff.

My brother got me into watching professional wrestling, so at age seven that’s what I was watching on TV, instead of all the little cartoons they had.

And he also got me into video games, so I totally understand that. I was very much a girly girl at first, and my room was pink and purple with Dora, princesses, and the Backyardigans, but that disappeared around age eight or nine.

My brothers would play Call Of Duty. I still play Call Of Duty to this day. I’m playing The Last Of Us right now. I love playing video games.

I [thought], “I’d love to show people this,” [so] I started [Twitch streaming], and it’s been so much fun.

The community is amazing.

Similar to you, when I would leave to go live with my dad, I would come back, and my room would be completely redecorated with zebra stripes and pink bean bags. [I told my mom], “I want jorts, long sleeves, and if you stick

me in a dress, I will fight you.

This is not how this is going to work.” She’d [ask me], “What about these sparkly shoes?” and I [would] be like, “Absolutely not! What about these Converse?”

Moving on to present day, you play Sarah in CW’s Superman & Lois, which is a huge deal. Congratulations.

CW has been doing different DC shows for a while now, like The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl. Did you have any knowledge of the lore before you were cast, or was it one of those things you got exposed to once you took the job?

I was fully aware of those shows. Going in, I had to let it go, because I would have lost my mind. In middle school, I watched Arrow consistently. It was borderline crazy because I would restart it and restart it and restart it. I had the beginning of the season memorized. I could probably draw it for you and have a book of what happens. I got a couple seasons into The Flash before I started high school and [started] watching other stuff. I was very aware of [the lore] going into it. When I booked the show, I thought, “this is what my show is going to look like,” and it’s not that there’s a super crazy difference, but there’s just something about Superman and Lois that is specific to that show. It was very beautiful to go in with this idea [of what] I thought it was going to be, and then [watch] it back and have a completely different

experience. It just makes you appreciate it in a completely different way.

I definitely watched a lot of Arrow. I stopped at season six, and I think I watched two or three seasons of The Flash as well. I was impressed when I saw on Twitter that they were still going with the show.

I met Grant Gustin on a flight [when] I was flying back to Vancouver, and it was really neat. I saw him, but I didn’t say anything. He turned to me and [said my name], and I thought I was going to die.

We still had masks on, but I think my eyes were popping out of my head. He [asked me if I was] on Superman & Lois, [and we were] talking back and forth, then we got on the flight. It was so fascinating that he even knew my name.

I [asked him] how the show [was] going, and he [said they] just wrapped it up [and he] put [his] suit away. I was like, “I’m sorry, the show is done?” and he was like, “Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

I kind of felt rude, because he knew everything about my show.

Season three of Superman & Lois is airing right now.

Without spoiling any of the storyline, because we don’t want that, are you satisfied with the way the season wraps up, or would you rewrite the storyline if it were in your control?

I like [the storyline], because with the way that Sarah has been written for the last two seasons, it’s a good area for her to be in. It’s really hard 57

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cartoons. The getaway driver would be Alex. That dude can drive. Hypothetically, there was a time where he got me [somewhere] very quickly.

Scapegoat, I would say either of these three people: Sofia Hasmik, who plays Chrissy, Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays my mom, or Wolé Parks. I would choose them, because I feel like all three of them could talk themselves out of anything, and the three of them together are like The Three Stooges. They are all best friends, they all love each other, [and] they all hang out. Without even talking to each other, they would be able to come up with a story, so I would say them.

for her to let things go, and it’s really hard for realizations to set in. I think she’s a very wise person in the sense that she can understand the impact that she has on people, or the impact that people have on her, or her relationship with her parents. One of the things that she really struggles with is letting the realization [set in] of when something’s finished, or when something should start, or what she wants to do or [appreciate]. It’s a high when you see her extremely elated and happy in the beginning of the season, especially after all the trauma that she went through last season.

Now, she’s slowly getting to [the] point [where she can say], “Okay, all of this has happened to me. I have no 60

idea what’s going on in my life. There’s this boy in my life that I love, but I don’t know what to do with [him], and there’s so much going on.” You finally see her get to a point where she’s deciding which way she wants to go, and I’m really happy with the way that she goes.

If you were going to plan a heist with your fellow cast members, who would be your accomplice, your getaway driver, and your scapegoat if you had one?

[My] accomplice would be Tayler hands down. Me and her for sure. [We’d] get away with it too, nobody would know it would be us.

It would be so ironic because I’m so short and she’s tall, [so] it would be like the regular shmegular [duos] in

The great thing about having three people is you could do multiple heists and choose a different person each time. There you go, perfect strategy.

You’ll steal about two million dollars. You’ll be set for life.

I’m going to have you fill in the blanks for this sentence. You would never catch me at the mall doing [blank] after [blank].

You would never catch me at the mall feeling bad after going to Bath & Body Works.

What’s your favorite scent?

I don’t have one. I just walk in and walk out, but I did buy [a candle once]. It filled my whole house for a month and a half, and I didn’t even light it. I need to go back and get another one because [I] just finished [it]. It was [called]

Paris Pink Champagne, so [it had] a little bit of a vanilla vibe.

What are five things in your everyday life that you currently can’t live without?

I’m looking at [them] right now. My record player and my records, my PC (which I built), incense, earl grey tea, and cozy sweaters.

Those are all perfect answers. Now I have to ask about the record player and records. What type of music are you getting records for?

I got a record player [but] I haven’t really bought any [records] for myself yet.

They were gifted to me, but the [ones] I play the most [are] Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, [and] Amy Winehouse. I also have ABBA. If you could star in any movie franchise, past or present, which one would you choose?

Pirates of the Caribbean, hands down.

That would be a good one.

Me in a corset, done.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to in the remainder of the year, either professionally or personally?

Seeing my little brother start [his] sophomore year of high school. I’m really excited to see him get older, and he started wrestling on the wrestling team, so it’s really neat seeing him get older.

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NERIAH NERIAH on being brutally honest and learning how to fall in love.

Photography IRENE CHEN Fashion CALLI MARTIN Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO 63

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Hi everyone! It’s Iceis Augustino here with Phosphor Magazine, and today our beautiful guest is Neriah. Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us.

Of course, thank you for having me.

thinking of horses.

I figured we would start this off with something fun. I’m going to say a word, and I want you to tell me the first thing that pops into your head.

Elephant.

Banana.

Did they even have candy corn in Candy Land?

I don’t think so, but my mind works in weird ways.

That’s the songwriter in me.

Where do you get banana from elephant?

I have no idea. That was just the first thing.

Carousel.

I don’t know why I’m

That’s fair. Carousels and horses. Flamingo.

Pink.

Also a fair answer. And finally, candy corn.

Candy Land.

Going into your music career, what piqued your interest in music, and what pushed you to pursue it as a career?

I wrote my first song when I was five, right after my parents got divorced.

[Songwriting] was always this therapeutic lane for

me. Whatever I was going through, writing about it would somehow make me feel better. [When I was] little and going through my first breakup, I would blast Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles [because] the songs would genuinely make me feel better. I started writing myself, and writing was such a different world. Even now, being able to continue doing that obviously helps. [I have] an amazing community around me, [and I get] messages like this song changed my life, or this song helped me go through a breakup. I’m very, very interactive and close with all my fans. They call themself the noodles, and we talk all the time. They’ll [ask me,] “I’m going through [a] breakup, can you help me out? Which song [should I listen to]?” That really inspires me to keep going, and it’s one of my favorite things.

I love that they’re called the noodles. That’s amazing.

How did that name come about?

I have an obsession with cup noodles and ramen. I could eat it all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I will choose it over the nicest restaurant any day. They saw how much I was posting noodles — everyone in my life knows I’m obsessed with them — and one day someone said, “what if we call your fandom the noodles?”

I love that. Ironically enough, I had cup noodles

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for dinner last night.

They’re so good.

They are. Apparently fate was like, you’re interviewing NERIAH tomorrow, you need to eat noodles.

The world just knew, you know?

Who were some of your favorite artists to listen to growing up, and how do you feel like they influenced the music you make today?

Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, Adele ... I was such an Adele fan, and I think that definitely had some influence on what I write about because it’s mostly boys and breakups. I really like the Eagles because it’s my dad’s favorite band. I would listen to a bunch of different stuff, which is cool because I got introduced to different kinds of music. Even though [my genre is] primarily pop and [I’m a] singer songwriter, I don’t really like to consider myself just one genre because I’m very open to trying new things. For me, as long as the songwriting [and story are] there, whatever game it is, [I] can write anything.

Appreciating different kinds of music is really important.

Even now, if you go on my liked songs and you shuffle them, who knows what you’re going to hear? It’ll be so different. Being open to different genres and different songs and artists has been really cool.

Now I have to ask, what’s the most random genre on your playlist that people

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wouldn’t expect?

I have some French songs.

My best friend is so funny.

She loves to listen to French songs, and I don’t understand anything that they’re saying, but they’re beautiful songs and the way they compose [is beautiful]. Sometimes we’ll get ready together and sit in her bathroom on the floor and just listen to French music.

Does she speak French?

No. [laughs] She’s fluent in Spanish and that’s it.

So neither of you know what’s being said.

No, we have no idea.

If you were a natural disaster, which natural disaster would you be, and why?

Maybe an earthquake, because I feel like my emotions sometimes will just get the best of me and come out of nowhere.

If you were to create a fictional movie based on your life, what would the plotline be, and who would star as you in the movie?

The plotline would definitely be about a girl [who] learns how to find herself through many different relationships and experiences. [She learns] that it’s okay to not always know where we’re going, and that we’re going to keep learning — you’re going to mess up, and you’re going to make mistakes, but it’s all part of the process. If there’s something you love, you have to stay driven, keep [working hard], and keep trying for it.

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And as for who would star in it, oh my gosh, I don’t know.

It’s always the hardest question. Who would play you in a movie? Personally, I would go with Ryan Reynolds even though he’s not a girl, only because I think he is hilarious and would make any movie funny.

Margot Robbie is my favorite, so I’d probably have to go with her, and she’d have to dye her hair brown.

Right now, you’re getting ready to put out a new album — congratulations — and you released an EP earlier this year as well. Every musician has a different way of approaching the creative process when it comes to their music. What does your process look like from start to finish?

It’s really different [with] every song, which is so hard.

There’s no standard way that we really do it. Once you have your day one and you write the song, if it’s something that really stands out and I want to keep listening to it over and over, we’ll bring it to the next stage.

I know a lot of people usually write their whole album [before] they start releasing it, [but] we will still be in the [writing] process until the last single because I release at least one song every month. It’s my first album, and for a first album, twentyfour songs is definitely a lot. We’ve planned out everything, and we know

which songs are going to be there. Because I’m independent, which is so important to me, I wanted to have the control and the power [where] if I wanted to change a song, [or if my fans] really want this song, if I wanted to change that and make that the next single, I want to be able to do that.

That was something that was really important to me.

I went through a pretty rough breakup, and that was when I wrote the majority of the songs. It was really cool to see a whole experience come to life in a project. I’m used to doing EPs that are six to eight songs, so [there was] definitely a lot more for me to say, and a lot more about my ex, [with twenty-four songs]. This was the project [where] I was able to be the most involved, and [it was really cool] being able to listen to it every step of the way and decide what [felt] the most like me. I’m really excited for people to hear it.

I found it interesting how you were saying being an independent artist is very important for you. I feel like everyone has different opinions on the topic.

What do you think are the pros and cons of being independent versus signed?

And how does that all work out for you?

For me, there are a lot of pros. I can’t really say that there are a lot of cons from what I’ve experienced. Being a girl in the industry, when I first started, I remember everyone [told me], “You’re never going to get on

playlists on Spotify. You’re never going to break 500,000 monthlies. It’s impossible.

You can’t get on the cover of anything.” [But I decided], you know what, I don’t want to sign. I graduated a year early. I went to college and I got a marketing business degree, I did the whole thing.

I’m very hands on in my career when it comes to my creative process. I hustle and I love working hard, and my music and my brand and my career means the most to me.

Honestly, out of selfishness, I was worried that I would lose that [by] signing to a label. I like to be sitting there. I choose the order of everything, I choose when these songs come out.

I have such an amazing team around me. We all really push each other and my producer [and I] do everything [with basically] just the two of us. He’s an absolute genius.

Everyone on the team really believes in the project, which is really nice. The biggest pro of being independent is being able to pick. If I was with a major label, there’s no way I would be able to release a song every month. There’s just no way. And there’s no way I would be able to drop a twenty-four track album. I know how to market a brand.

I know how to market myself.

I went to school for this, and that’s another one of my passions. [I decided to] see what I [could] do. I’m still so new to this, and I’ve only been releasing for a little over a year. If I’m ever going to sign, I want to make sure that me and everyone around me knows my brand already

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so I’m not being pushed into anything. That was definitely something that was important to me.

[For] cons, labels are these huge, huge companies, and they have so many connections. You get access to a bigger budget, so obviously that helps. But right now, TikTok is winning the game, if you can get a song on there [to go viral].

We had almost every song [on my first EP] go viral.

My biggest song right now just hit 22 million, and that felt really good. We were all so proud of it, because there’s no label here, but we just worked hard and we believed in it. You don’t stop working until it makes sense, until it happens. We’re all very passionate, and I really owe it to my team. They’re absolutely incredible, and to be able to work [alongside] people that I love and care about so much, and that are so passionate about the project and believe in me has been really nice. I owe a lot of that to them.

I was interviewing an artist yesterday who has been in the music industry for thirty to forty years. We were talking about the evolution of social media and streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. You don’t have to rely on other people to push you, if you’re really good at taking advantage of the algorithm.

A hundred percent. It is [taking advantage of the algorithm]. I was posting thirty times a day on TikTok

every day, and it worked.

It definitely has. Now you can tell the people who said you wouldn’t make it that you have over a million and a half Spotify listeners, and you are going to be on the cover of a magazine.

Yes, which is amazing. But I think that’s something too.

I really want to teach young girls and anyone [who] wants to get in the industry that you can do it. There are going to be challenges, but don’t let anyone get in your way. It’s possible.

Definitely. Going back to your upcoming album, when that comes out, what impression do you want it to leave on people, since it’ll be your first big debut album? And in general, what impression do you want to leave on people when they hear your music for the first time?

A few things. [My] main message [across] the entire [album] is that sometimes, being in the wrong relationship doesn’t feel like you’re in the wrong relationship. Sometimes you can be in love with the wrong person and totally not know.

I’m definitely this hopeless romantic who thinks I’m going to marry every single person I’m with. I’m not going to waste my time with someone. I’ve had serious relationships my whole entire life. That’s a big thing for me.

You’re going to move on, and sometimes beautiful things can happen when you do.

The album really focuses on me learning how to fall in 73

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love for the first time, which was something that was such a crazy experience and happened while I was writing it. It was this beautiful story that we were able to get in songs.

Another thing that’s really important for me to tell everyone and for everyone to know listening to my music is how honest and open I am. When you read the lyrics, and when you hear the songs, they’re pretty brutally honest, which I think is a good thing. That’s something that I’ve always [valued], especially as an artist and when I’m writing, because I can’t write about something that didn’t happen, and I have to write about it the exact way it happened. I hope people can understand that they’re not alone and that we all go through the same things. Hopefully they will be able to find a song that helps them.

I think that’s always so important as an artist when you’re writing music because the best songs are the ones that are brutally honest about feelings and based on true emotions.

These days, you can write a song about anything, but I feel like it’s the songs that are really emotional and honest that stick around.

It’s so true. It’s so funny because I get so many concepts and title ideas from [my best friend and I] texting and calling, and I’m like, I’m going to write a song about that. Because it’s true.

Everyone wants to hear about what’s really happening, 75

because that’s what’s really happening for all of us.

I believe that we all go through the same things at different times. That’s also what helps me. I write first and foremost for myself, so anything I’m writing about, writing about it is helping me get through it. I hope other people can also benefit from that when they hear [my music] and have it help them with whatever they’re going through.

That’s always the most important part. If it’s helping you, keep on doing it. Now, we have a few fun questions for you. If you were stranded on an island with three other artists, who would be vital for your survival, who would be planning and executing the escape plan, and who would wander off aimlessly and get lost in the woods?

Are these people that I would want to be with me or just random people?

Either or.

I’m going to say Julia Michaels because I love her, and she’s my favorite. I feel like she would find her way out because she’s a genius, so she would get us out. I was just watching [The Idol], so I’m going to say The Weeknd.

Maybe he’d get stranded there. And Adele, she would be vital for survival.

Adele seems pretty trustworthy.

Right? I feel like she could handle it.

She’s a straight girl boss.

She would have it all figured out. If you could write the soundtrack for any movie that currently exists, which one would you choose?

For some reason, Wizard of Oz came up in my head because that used to be my favorite movie. The soundtrack is already perfect, but being a part of that would be cool.

It’s funny you say that because when I was in elementary school, we did a play of the Wizard of Oz. As an adult, even though I haven’t seen the movie in years, I will randomly start singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”

It’s so good. I love it.

What are some of your pet peeves in your everyday life? We all have them, but we don’t always talk about them.

One of [my biggest pet peeves] is [when] I’m getting in the car with somebody and they don’t unlock the door [so] I have to. My best friend knows how much it bothers me, so she jokes with me all the time. When they get in and their side unlocks [but] the other one doesn’t unlock, I’m like, “guys, let me in.”

That’s definitely a pet peeve.

Another pet peeve of mine is when I’m saying something, and [the other person] says “what” and I don’t repeat it but they heard it. If you heard me, why are you asking what?

I feel like I have so many pet peeves, but that’s it for now that I can think of off the top of my head.

Now everybody knows that if you’re getting in the car with them, they should unlock the door.

Yeah, they should open the door.

And don’t say what if they heard what you said.

Now everybody knows, everyone’s aware. I’m going to read you a sentence, and I want you to fill in the blanks for me. During a pool day, it is mandatory to [blank], but not if the pool is [blank].

I’d say tan but not if the pool is cold, because then you can’t jump in.

My final question for you is, what are you looking forward to in the remainder of the year, both personally and professionally?

Professionally, definitely the album coming out. It’s going to be a blast, and it’ll be out this year. I don’t separate my life [between] professional and personal.

I’m just living my life every single day, and I adore what I do. But personally, being able to spend more time with the people I love, my friends and family, and [getting] to know people more. Time is so precious, so that’s always really important.

That pretty much wraps up our interview for today. I want to say a big thank you to NERIAH for joining us here at Phosphor Magazine.

And we will definitely see each other again in the future.

I would love that. Thank you so much for having me.

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DIEGO TINOCO Diego Tinoco on showing up for your dreams and inspiring the next generation.

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I feel like this is the perfect question to start us off because it’s something everyone is wondering, and that is, if you could be a mythical creature that doesn’t exist yet, what would you be?

Oh, wow! That’s a really great question. I love that question. I’ve always loved vampires and werewolves.

I would definitely want to be either a vampire or a werewolf, but you said if they don’t exist, and I think they exist — I think they’re out there in the world. Speaking of mythical creatures, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Dragon Ball Z, but I’d be a Super Saiyan. I’m a big fan of Dragon Ball Z so I would have to say that, since [obviously] vampires are real.

Oooo, an anime fan. The important question I have to follow up with is, what’s your favorite anime?

Without a doubt, Dragon Ball Z. I just did a live action adaptation movie of an anime series called Knights of the Zodiac, so I would have to say Knights of the Zodiac second.

And then third, I’m really excited about the One Piece anime. My friend Mackenyu [is] on that [show, which is produced by] Netflix Studios.

I’ve worked with [them] in the past, and they always create magnificent work, [so] I’m excited to check that out.

I knew Knights of the Zodiac was its own thing before that adaptation, but I didn’t know it was an anime. I will definitely have to check that out.

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It was a manga, and then it turned into an anime series in the 80s, and then Netflix did a 3D anime version of it.

They’re all really good, [with] great stuff [and a] great story.

Prior to Knights of the Zodiac, you played Cesar in On My Block, which is a total genre change as far as characters, TV shows, and movies go. Was there any difference in the way that you prepared for Nero compared to when you were preparing for Cesar?

There was a big difference, absolutely. The biggest difference, [which] you can’t really prepare for until you’re there, was the CGI. It was my first time with a green screen, so I didn’t know what to expect. As an actor in this industry, you hear a lot of horror stories about working with green screen, so I was expecting the worst, but honestly, I loved it. It felt like being a little kid using your imagination on a playground, and you have to imagine this grand epic battle. For me, the biggest difference [between] shooting On My Block and Knights of the Zodiac [was] working with CGI and green screen, but honestly, both bring so much joy to me. I love what I get to do, and it’s just such a blast.

I feel like with a green screen, if you’re not prepared, it’s a bit more difficult from an acting standpoint because there is no giant castle behind you or fiery warzone happening, so you’re going to have to make it all up in your mind,

and hope you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

You have to have a lot of trust in your director, and you have to be smart as an actor and ask the right questions. You have to ask the director, “Hey, director, where exactly is this monster coming from? Where exactly am I getting hit on my armor? Where exactly am I looking for that action?” If you’re an actor and you’re on set, and you don’t ask these questions, you’re going to come up on the big screen, and you’re going to look like your performance is all over the place. It’s not going to make sense, and the audience will be very confused, so you have to ask the right questions when you’re on a set. Half of the work as an actor [is] knowing what to ask so on the day you just plug it in.

That makes total sense, because if you don’t know, you can’t work with that.

Exactly. Ask the right questions, and you shall receive the right answers.

Most definitely. What was your favorite scene in Knights of the Zodiac?

My favorite scene would definitely have to be the scene where Nero, my character, turns into the Phoenix Knight. It’s the first time where he showed the world who he really is, for better or worse. When I was shooting that, I didn’t think of the impact that it [would have]. Once it was released, I started getting Instagram

DMs and Twitter tweets from Latinos all around the world saying, “Man, I feel represented. I feel seen. Man, I grew up with that anime.

It’s such an honor to have a Latino playing [a] character that was loved by all of South America [and] all of Mexico.”

Being Latino, it’s just a huge moment in my career, and it’s huge to be able to represent.

I plan on doing more projects like that. I want to do more projects that are inspiring and uplifting [for] my culture, my people, and more than that, the youth of today.

I really want to just put out the message that if you work hard, you can get what you want out of this life. We’re all born with certain cards in life, some better, some worse, but it’s what you do with those cards that can really either make or break the experience of being alive.

I try to tell the kids of today that.

I feel like that’s always important to remember, because everyone is given different scenarios in life, and it’s very easy for people to just see the very bad — but if you really look at it, think about it, and evaluate it, you can turn all of those things into something that’s actually successful for you.

I love that. That’s a great mindset. Somebody commented on my TikTok the other day, “How are you always so happy? Man, I wish I could be [as] happy [as] you are,” and I wrote him an honest reply. I [said], “Hey, it might look like I’m happy all

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the time, but I have times when I’m very down.” The thing that I’ve learned is the [people] who can keep this uplifting, positive mindset are the people who we always want to be around.

It’s like a superpower, and I see it in you. You have this bright smile. You have such a positive demeanor. Those are the people we want to conversate with. Those are the people who we want to talk to and go in depth [with] about subjects and conversations. Those are the people that we want to be around.

I definitely think that if you keep more positive people around you, it will eventually branch out into you, and you can also start being a positive person in other aspects of your life.

You were talking about being Latino a bit earlier.

You come from a very diverse background. Could you share more about your culture and your upbringing in general?

My mother is from Ecuador.

My father is from Mexico. I was born in California, [in] SoCal. Growing up over here, like anyone, [there’s] lots of ups and downs. The thing that really stuck with me from my parents was [that] you have to create the world that you want to live in. [The world is] such a big place, and if you try to place your focus everywhere, you’ll get lost. You will get distracted.

You won’t know where to go, who to follow, what’s right [or] what’s wrong. But if you take [those] simple

principles, and you apply [them] to create your own little world — with your own dreams and your own goals — and you create your own path, you can have it. You can achieve it, and you can create it. You can build it more than anything. You won’t get it.

I hate the [phrase], “I want it, I get it.” You don’t. You have to work for it and build it.

That’s what I really learned from my father. My father came into this country with absolutely nothing. He was dirt poor [coming] into this country. I was born [after] my father had worked his way up and he had his own business. He had one of the biggest businesses in Southern California for pest control, [and] I really admire my father for that. [I] admire the empire that he built. [I admire] my mother for being the brains of that, because my mother was the one who was the brain behind that whole operation. I just really look up to my parents. I’m inspired by their work ethic, and in my own life, I want to create something at least half as good as what they’ve created. I’m on my way, and I want to keep going, [and also] treat them to some nice stuff down the road.

That’s amazing. I think you’re definitely on your way there. You’ve definitely made some big splashes in your career so far. Slowly but surely, you’re going to get there.

Exactly, slowly but surely.

Another message I really love. Today, everyone wants the whole world, and they

want it tomorrow, [but I think it’s important not to] destroy [your] mental health trying to take the whole world in one bite. It’s impossible. It can’t be done.

You have to work on it slowly but surely every day [and] work diligently.

I feel like with any creative career, there’s the good, the bad, and the dirty. It’s always competitive, and it’s always really hard to get into. My friend and I are always talking about the struggles of it, but we’re both firm believers that the hard work and sleepless nights you put in now will pay off down the road with something beautiful. That’s why I always admire people who start doing freelance stuff right off the bat, because that’s hard to do, and you’re so dependent on other people liking what you do in order to get anywhere. Musicians tell me that they started out just putting their stuff on social media. I have a huge amount of respect for that.

I call social media the “soul crushing, dream-smashing, creative-sucking entity” because you always have to feed it. There’s no break.

I have a love hate relationship with social media. For a long time, I was very insecure.

I was a little shy. I didn’t understand how much I should engage with social media. I didn’t understand how serious I should take it. I didn’t understand how much [of myself I could show the world]. I’m twenty-five years old now. I’ve lived enough

life to realize that life is very short. Life is very precious.

You have to appreciate [what you have]. Every day above ground is a good day, and you can’t take life too [seriously] because it’s going to be over very soon.

For me, that was one of the biggest realizations. I [started thinking], “What am I doing with [my] social media presence?” I want to connect with people. I want to give back to my fans [and] to the people who support me. I want to talk to them.

I want to help them in any way I can, in the smallest ways — whether it’s a tax tip, whether it’s a health tip, whether it’s a career tip. I want to help people, because should the lights go out tomorrow, I want to know that I left it all on the table.

I recently started an online acting course, at thediegotinoco.com. The number one question that I [kept] getting asked every single time I [met] a fan or somebody who’s seen the show [was] “How did you become an actor? I’ve always wanted to start, but I don’t know where to start. How did you do it?” I created a sixteen step online course [for] anybody and everybody who wants to become an actor, who is even curious about how to get started. I put it out there. It’s online at a super affordable price.

Most acting courses are $200 to $800 a month. Sixteen classes, sixteen chapters for forty bucks. My team wanted to put it at $400, but I [said], “Guys, let’s do it for forty bucks.” I’m very excited 87

[about] that. I want to start doing a lot more things to really connect with the people who have supported me, and I want to give back.

Life is short. I just want to make the most of it. I want to have the most fun and work really hard to give back to the world.

Talking more about your acting course, what is something that you wish the industry taught you earlier on that you think would be valuable to teach to people going into acting right now?

That’s a great question. I go in depth about that [in] the course. [The course is about] four hours, [and it goes in depth] on every single little detail. The thing [I understand] now, being in this career since 2018, is [that] it’s literally the smallest increments and the smallest details you have to perfect that will make the biggest difference in your career — night and day. It’s the smallest things that we don’t focus on starting off as an actor that [make] or [break] your career essentially. I dive into all that. I talk about [it] all the time. I always tell the story [of] how literally right before my audition for On My Block, I had done 200 to 300 auditions, and I got told no time after time. The day I got the audition for On My Block, I remember thinking, “This is just another audition. They’re just going to tell me no. I don’t want to study. I want to go out with my friends. It’s Friday. I want to go out, 88

hang out, be an eighteenyear-old, and just enjoy life for once.” But something told me, “Hey, sit down, study, read your lines, make your choices, [and] prepare for your audition.” Whether it makes a difference or not, you have to show up for your dream. If you don’t show up for your dream, your dream will not show up for you.

I stayed indoors. I didn’t go out. All my friends went out.

They enjoyed the night. I saw it on Snapchat. I [kept thinking], “I wish I went.”

I sat there, and I studied, and I fell asleep. I woke up the next day and showed up to my meeting. Just those simple exercises that I practiced [made the biggest difference]. I talk about [it] in the program. I sat there, I took in the material, and I showed up. [Within] two hours, my life essentially changed. Investing two hours of my time changed the entire trajectory of my life. It’s such a butterfly effect. The smallest things in life can make the biggest difference. That’s what I talk about in the program, the things that you need to absolutely focus on — and some other things, but you know, we keep those hush hush.

Going back to your family, how did they respond when you went into the entertainment industry, and how do you feel like they best supported you?

Starting off, my mother did not want me to be an actor.

She said, “Diego, you’re crazy. Don’t do that, get a

job [at] a bank.” She [also] wanted me to be a translator, [but] I [told her], “Mom, I can barely speak English or Spanish.” She didn’t want me to do it. My father, on the other hand, knew how much it meant to me. He wanted me to work for his pest control company, but I told him, “Dad, I’m eighteen years old. This is my dream. I have to go chase this.” He [looked] me in the eye, and he [said], “You know what, if that’s what you want, you go out there, and you go and chase that dream. You’re young.

This is the time to chase big dreams. It’s the time to fall flat on your face, and if you fall flat on your face, you’ll be okay, you got time to recover.”

So I went out to Los Angeles [at] eighteen years old. I moved into these apartments that were not in the best area, and quite frankly, [they were] a little dangerous. My mother called me every night.

She didn’t visit me much — she was a little scared of the apartments — but she’d always send me blessings and pray for me. My father [would] always motivate me anytime I had a bad audition or bad class. I was always in acting class. [He would say], “Diego, it’s okay, what’s for you is for you. It’s coming, it’s coming. What’s for you is for you. It’s coming.” And sure enough, it came. Being ready at the right time, right place, with the right mind.

It’s all about being ready.

We were talking earlier about how you come from a very diverse background.

I feel like we’re getting better about it, but we don’t always show how diverse cultures and ethnicities are in the world. Can you talk a little about the importance of representation to you in portrayals of characters?

Absolutely. Representation is a very important subject.

It’s a very important thing in this industry of cinema movies. Movies and music are the two major sources of entertainment, sources of influence, [and] sources of inspiration. One of the most important things that we need to do in the world is to inspire the youth. We need to inspire children. We need to inspire kids, and we need to inspire them with correct messages, with powerful messages that are motivating, that will uplift them — that will help them be better people, better sons and daughters, and [ just better] people in this world. If you’re a kid and you don’t [ever] see [anyone] who looks like you on a movie screen, and everybody’s completely different [from] you, how do you expect that child to feel seen, to feel heard, to feel connected to?

Growing up, I had a skin condition called vitiligo.

[There was a] patch of skin all over my left arm. It’s not bad anymore, but it used to be really bad, especially when I was younger. I remember feeling like an outcast, like a little monster. I remember feeling alienated. Nobody ever put me on their team.

Nobody ever wanted to get near me because they

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thought I was infectious.

They thought that my skin condition [was] contagious, so they really avoided me at all costs. It wasn’t until I started watching a lot of Tim Burton films [that] I started seeing these monsters, and for some reason I connected with these people. I connected with these images and the story and these characters who felt like such outcasts. It was the first time in my life where I [thought] “Wow. I feel like I have a community of people.” It was the first time that I felt seen and connected to.

Being able to connect comes in so many different ways.

When you meet somebody who listens to the same music as you, you [think], “Oh, I connect with you, we watched the same movie, we read the same books, [we] listen to the same artist.” That’s one of the simplest ways that we can connect. Another way that’s very powerful is when you see somebody on the big screen who looks like you, somebody who came from the same cultural background as you. That’s when you really connect [and you’re] like, “Holy crap! This person from Mexico, with the Mexican father [and] the Ecuadorian mother, this person is a first-generation Latino in this country. This person’s on the big screen.

This person is doing that movie. He’s the lead in this film. He’s in the freaking sky, flying and whooping butt!” That’s a very powerful message, and it’s a very important thing. It’s a very

important subject. As I mentioned, I’m just trying to do the best projects to put [out] the best messages for the youth, for Latinos, and on top of that, just connect with them. Give them advice, talk to people.

I’m actually doing a meet and greet [on] June 17, and at these meet and greets, I talk to everybody. It’s not just [walking] in [and saying], “Hi! [Here’s a] selfie [and] signature.” I don’t do that.

I don’t want to do that. I go there so I can meet the people who are around me, in my community, and who are really struggling with anything in their life. If they need advice, if I’m the candidate to help them, I’ll give them advice. I’ll tell them what to do, where to go, and if I’m not, I’ll tell them where to go or who to go to, who to listen to, because I think it’s important. It’s three hours of my day and costs me absolutely nothing, and I’m giving back to people who support me, so I want to keep doing that in my life.

I think that’s absolutely beautiful. I feel like a lot of times, there’s this separation of connection between viewer and actor, or viewer and musician. A lot of talent are portrayed as at a different level than you are, so it’s always nice when I hear stuff like what you said about your meet and greets where you make that connection, because I feel like that helps a lot for people, whether you understand it or not.

I absolutely think we’re all

equal in this world, and if I could help anybody in any way, shape, or form, I’m going to. That’s what I really plan on doing for the next twenty years of my life, whether it’s films, whether it’s with teaching, whether it’s with other projects or other ventures. I want to connect with people. I want to connect with people. I want to give back. I want to help out in any way, shape, or form that I can, and I want to keep growing as an artist — as a human being. I want to keep growing. I want to keep going. And that’s all you can really do.

What is a talent you don’t currently have that fascinates you enough that you would want to learn it?

Definitely dancing. I need to learn how to dance. I one hundred percent need to learn salsa or something.

I get auditions for these projects, and in the fine print, it’ll say must be a dancer.

I’ll [tell Peter, my manager], “Hey, you know I can’t dance, dude,” and he’ll [say], “No, no, the director knows you suck at dancing,” and I’m like, “Gee, thanks.” I need to learn how to dance. [I] can’t be having a bad reputation for not being able to dance in Hollywood.

You’re Latino, you gotta learn how to salsa or something.

It’s in our blood, I just need someone to show me the first five moves, and I’ll be good from there.

We’re already in June,

which blows my mind.

This year has gone by so fast. In the remaining months of 2023, are there any other things you are excited about that you haven’t talked about, either professionally or personally?

Professionally and personally, both worlds collide. I’m very excited [about] a film [I’m in] called Bad Hombres coming out with Tyrese Gibson, and then I have another film called Muzzle alongside Aaron Eckhart. I’m excited for those two films to come out. I’m excited to launch this acting program and really give back to the community and people who have supported me, and teach them a little bit about what I do and how to do it, how to break into [the industry] with a clear and safe roadmap.

I’m just really excited to see what’s in store for me [in] these next chapters. I’m twenty-five years old. I feel sharper than I ever have.

There [are so many] things that [I’ve] learned in this career. I’m really excited for my next project because I truly think I’ll be able to do the role justice. Any role that comes my way, I’ll be able to do it justice. I’ve been working with an acting coach lately, and really trying to not [necessarily] perfect my craft — because [perfect’s] not the right word — [but] sharpen it. Sharpen the blade. I love what I get to do for a living, and I’m excited to go back on set. I think I’m back on in August. I’m very excited. I love what I do, and I want to keep doing it.

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ANTHONY KEYVAN Anthony Keyvan on authentic representation and continuing to tell the right stories.

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Hi everyone, thank you for joining us at Phosphor Magazine. My name is Jonathan, and I am here today with Anthony Keyvan, who stars in the new Netflix series XO, Kitty.

Hi Anthony. How are you?

Hi Jonathan. I’m good, how are you?

I’m doing well.

Congratulations on your new role and on XO, Kitty being one of the top 10 shows in the US today.

What were you most excited for when you found out that you were given this particular role?

I was excited to join the ensemble of an entirely AAPI cast. I’ve never seen a show like this before in my career that was geared towards young people. When I found out about it, it was a show that was the first of its kind, and it’s very special. That’s really what drew me to the part and project and what made me want to audition for it.

That’s awesome. That’s actually one of the things that stood out to me when watching the show, and something that drew me in to see more episodes of it. What was your experience like filming in Korea, compared to some of the other shows you’ve done that filmed primarily in the US, and what did you enjoy most about that experience?

It was definitely an experience to film in Korea.

It was something I never thought my career would do 98

for me. I never thought I would be taken to Asia, let alone Seoul, for a TV show. I’ve been doing this since I was five, and I’ve worked mostly only in North America, so that’s really what I thought the norm was, which it still is. It was definitely super interesting when I got the call that we were going to Korea, but it was also really exciting.

I didn’t finish college so, in a way, it was kind of like studying abroad for a semester. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about working in the industry, having done it my whole life, but it was really cool to see how an entirely Korean crew produced a show. Everything’s a little bit different, so there was a learning curve there, which was exciting to me because you only grow when you learn, and I feel like I did a lot of growth while filming XO, Kitty.

Definitely. That actually reminds me of my own experience, because I was so close to studying abroad before the pandemic, so I definitely feel like you get a new learning experience just from what I’ve heard with other friends as well.

One of the things that stood out to me about XO, Kitty that I loved so much was the friendship dynamic between your character Q and Kitty. On a personal note, what has been the craziest thing that you have done to help out a friend, and what type of friend do you consider yourself to be?

Loyalty is always my top priority. I feel like that’s really important with friendships, and keeping your circle tight. That’s something that I try to practice because I want to give the closest people in my life all of my attention and all of my efforts. What is the craziest thing I’ve ever done for a friend? I’m the kind of friend that you can call me at any time at night and be like, I need your help, and I will be there. I just can’t think of a specific time that happened.

Sometimes my friends will call me and be like, I want to book a trip, let’s go, and I’m the first one in the group chat to say, ‘Okay, send me the link, send me where we’re going. I’ll book it right now.’

That’s probably the craziest thing I’ll do, is I’ll spend an

exorbitant amount of money just hanging out.

Honestly that’s a big deal.

Shout out to the friend that always responds first in the chat. I think that’s super helpful and something that I really appreciate so I’m glad to hear that. In XO, Kitty, your character Q mentions his fear of acceptance in a city like Seoul. What would be your advice to individuals growing up or living in regions where LGBTQ+ views are not as accepted, so they can embrace and celebrate their true selves?

I don’t have any experience in that personally, but I know how important and impactful it is to have proper representation for communities like this. If you

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don’t feel like you are supported within your own community, you can seek communities online or even watch TV shows like XO, Kitty that can provide a little bit of comfort in knowing that you’re not alone and that your stories are able to be told. My best advice would be to find resources — they’re always out there, there’s always a community out there that will have your back.

I’m sure the community will appreciate hearing this advice, and it will help them out a lot in their journeys, as everyone’s can be very different.

You’ve also starred in other successful shows like Generation and Love, Victor. How would you say that your character Q is different from these other characters, and was there ever a point where you took inspiration from Pablo or Rahim to play this new role?

Obviously, there are some similarities between Rahim and Q. They’re both queer, and they’re both Iranian. The main difference between Q and Rahim’s stories is that Rahim had a very difficult time coming out and coming to terms with his queerness.

Amongst his friends, he was extremely comfortable, but when it came to his family, he wasn’t as ready to be himself around them. With Love, Victor, we saw a lot of stories of coming out being a really traumatic experience, and something that was really scary and daunting. What’s 102

really special about Q is that his queerness isn’t his identity, and it isn’t something that traumatized him. It was normalized for him and his peers. No one in the show has ever questioned his sexual orientation or discriminated against him, and he was immediately accepted by everyone. We don’t get to see that side of the coming out story or that way of being queer a lot of times because the media shows the opposite, which can be really scary for questioning or queer young people who are watching these shows. Q’s story allows people who might be questioning their sexual orientation or sexual identity to see that it can be easy — it doesn’t have to be super scary, and you can be accepted by the people around you, but it is always about surrounding yourself with the right people.

Given that you’ve starred in several series playing LGBTQ+ roles, I can personally tell you that the community looks up to you as a public figure with your authentic representation of these characters. Do you have a favorite experience with fans who have either approached you in person or through social media and expressed their gratitude for the impact that you had on them? Is there a story that stands out from these encounters?

There’s no specific story, but I do read a lot of the messages, and I see how impactful characters like

Rahim and Q have been for these people, not just on a queer level, but also on an ethnic level. Seeing a mixed kid and mixed queer kid on TV is not something that is often really portrayed in television and film, so when I got the chance to play these characters, I knew it would be really special. I didn’t realize just how impactful it was, but now seeing all these messages, it really warms my heart that I get to do what I love, but also do it with authenticity and have it be impactful for people. That’s really the goal as an artist: to make your art and leave a lasting impression. To know that the characters I play have brought representation to people like that is really an honor and something I don’t take lightly. I can’t think of a specific story, but there are so many queer Iranians who have reached out to me who live in Iran, where it’s not accepted or illegal to be who they are. That really resonated with me because as an Iranian, these are my people, and my people are hurting. The fact that I can bring a little glimmer of hope to their lives is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

I myself am Hispanic American, and I definitely see a lot of similarities between those cultures and Hispanic culture. Even if it’s not exactly a Hispanic character, I can still see similarities in the conflicts that arise from other cultures, other beliefs, and other points of view. Given

that you have done so well representing these characters, is there something that you still feel could be improved in the television industry when it comes to authentically representing the LGBTQ+ community? How do you see this impacting future generations?

Continuing to tell these stories. Never stop telling these stories. The more eyes we get on shows like this, the more we touch people’s hearts and open people’s minds. I’ve seen so many messages from people who have watched XO, Kitty or Love, Victor with their families, and how having them watch the perspectives of the parents on these shows changed their own opinions on things or at least opened the conversation. Putting out television and film and media like this is doing way more good than harm because it is showing the right people how things could be and should be.

Kitty’s coming out scene to her father is a really impactful scene because she was calling him in the middle of the night, and she let it out that she had feelings for a girl and the first thing that he was concerned about was her safety and her health. I think seeing that for a lot of parents can show that there are other ways to handle situations like this.

I’ve seen that firsthand. I’ve seen a lot of comments like I showed my mom this scene or I showed my mom your coming out scene in Love, Victor, and just seeing how

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studies class that I took my sophomore or junior year. I loved that class, and I think that’s what made me want to continue acting and make it my career, versus just something I did as a kid. I would say my film studies classes were my absolute favorite, and also science.

I took biology and honors chemistry, and that was really interesting to me.

those families and those dynamics have changed individually from that is so special and impactful.

Continuing to make shows like this and telling these stories is the only way that there can be more representation in the LGBTQ+ community.

Absolutely. I definitely agree. I’ve seen a lot of the reactions that people have posted on TikTok, and they’ve used movies like Love, Simon, and Love, Victor to show these scenes to their parents and come out to them. It causes a very emotional reaction for people to be able to see their courage and how these characters encourage people in real life to be brave and share these 108

stories publicly — I think that’s something amazing and priceless.

Going into some light hearted questions, as you mentioned in the beginning, we’ve seen you play a student in most of your roles. What were your most and least favorite subjects in school, and what was your experience like in high school?

I was a good student. I would say I wasn’t the best student, but I pride myself on hard work, and my parents were really sticklers when it came to grades. I would say my least favorite subject is absolutely math. I am good at it but I hate it so much.

It’s the one thing that brings me the least joy in the world.

My favorite subject in high school was probably my film

That’s awesome. To end on a happy note, do you have a favorite high school memory that really stands out to you?

I’m really lucky because I was working as an actor, but I still got to be a kid and I still went to normal school. I would say my senior year of high school was my favorite year. I had finished all my classes pretty much, so I had ceramics and random classes like that to graduate. My favorite memories were when we played this game called Senior Assassin. A lot of high schools play it. Basically, it’s a game of tag or you’re out if you get wet by another player. You can throw a water balloon at them or shoot them with a water gun or something. We took it really seriously in my school, and we would follow people home from school with water guns and wait outside their house for them to get out of their car and then spray them. It became really toxic.

Looking back now, I can see why that probably wasn’t safe for fun, but back then it was a fun thing to do because we didn’t have major testing or anything since it was the end

of the year. Playing Senior Assassin was really fun.

There’s a bunch of videos on TikTok of other schools playing it. We’d get really creative, like we would box people into their driveways and make them late for work if they had a job or something so they would have to get out of their cars.

That’s definitely very, very creative. Very fun. I can see why it can get on the toxic side, but I’m sure that was very enjoyable. Anthony, thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure talking to you today. Something I admire about you is how you always bring your authentic personality to your roles, no matter how different they are, and make them unique and your own, and I’m sure fans out there also appreciate that.

Thank you, Jonathan.

That means a lot, and congratulations on your first interview.

Thank you so much. To everyone out there, please don’t forget to catch Anthony in his new series, XO, Kitty, now streaming on Netflix. Thank you so much!

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Thank you for taking the time to chat! First, let’s talk about your experience directing this episode.

What was it like and would you want to dive into it more?

I absolutely would love to dive into it more! I can’t wait to do it again — it was so rewarding! It took five years of begging and fighting for it on Station 19 to get the opportunity to direct an episode, so when I finally got there I was really excited about the episode I got. It was a huge episode and I’m so happy it was ‘cause the challenge was so rewarding and it paid off so well. I’m proud and I love this episode.

It’s been a great experience!

Bishop and Deluca’s relationship has been rocky this season, so what can fans expect to see from them moving forward?

I think they finally turned the corner on that. I hope that they’re finally starting to date again. They’re learning to trust each other again and I’m hoping that we’ll continue to see that grow as it did when we first saw them dating seasons ago. I hope that they’ll eventually be in a place where they’re ready for childhood again — to be parents. We’ll see, hopefully that will be nice. In the future (season 7), I would love it if that storyline finally plays out. I think it’s time!

The fans are really ready for it, and I think Maya has finally done the work and she herself is ready for it.

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19 in this episode. What are your thoughts about him returning so soon? Do you think that there’s still work that needs to be done? We see him give an ax to Ruiz at the end of the episode.

What do you think this symbolizes?

I think he (Beckett) still has a ton of work to do. In my own personal opinion, he’s a little bit in denial. In a weird way, he’s accepted it, but I think what Beckett’s going through and how he’s processing that will really play out in the next episode. My episode really sets up the storylines that are gonna play out in the final two episodes and I’m really proud of that as well.

I think you have to wait and see! What that ax symbolizes is really going to show itself in the next episode. Stay tuned to see what giving it up means!

Ross and Sullivan are going through it in the worst way!

Do you think this will all blow over for them?

I hope they can finally communicate. I hope that their relationship can exist — that a woman in such a powerful position can find love and not have to choose between her job and her romantic life. I really hope that’s what ends up happening with them and they find a way to make it work. It gives hope, it’s so sad at the end. Merle Dandridge did such a beautiful job delivering the nuances of those scenes, especially since there wasn’t much dialogue.

She showed so much in her face and did such a great job

of showing that this woman is really struggling. She loves this person and it’s the love of her life and yet she has to do what’s right for her career as well. She has to fight for all the women that look up to her and are inspired by her, as the first female chief of Seattle. I hope it’s a story that eventually plays itself out as showing that you can have it all — that would be nice.

I know this is an emotionally heavy show, so what does your self-care routine look like?

Oh my goodness! It depends.

It can be physically and emotionally taxing at times.

As you saw this season, Maya had a ton of emotions and ups and downs and very hard scenes to shoot.

From an emotional standpoint, it can be really hard at times to get my head out of those spaces after I’m done filming. I did struggle a little bit with getting out of that headspace. There were a couple episodes we shot that I just couldn’t get out of it. Having that support systemaround you, trying to make sure I’m going to watch a funny movie tonight, or go out with friends … whatever I think might get me in the right headspace and remind me that where I got my head to get to for those emotional scenes is not reality.

Chocolate never hurts! I think anyone that knows me I have a sweet tooth so that always helps as well.

My self-care routine for the physically taxing stuff is making sure I do

preventative care. Stretching, yoga, going to an infrared sauna and listening to a meditation … I love doing that and it’s really close to the stages so that’s always great for my mind and body.

It’s taxing both physically and emotionally, which is what makes it so rewarding but those would be my self-care routines — and of course sleep!

What was your favorite moment directing or acting wise in this week’s episode?

I kind of forgot I was acting because I felt like I had the director’s hat on, so when I was watching the episode and editing it with our editor, I was like ‘wow I have that huge scene with Jonathan Slavin where I’m yelling at the angry driver.’ That was a rewarding scene as an actor to do and see how it turned out because on the day, I was just directing, and I couldn’t even remember what I did in that scene.

From directing, the episode as a whole. I can’t pick one specific scene. I am so grateful that Emily Culver (the writer) gave me so much to work with. She really challenged me in the best ways. She knows I do well under pressure so that’s maybe why she did that. I love our entire crew and how they really all brought it and everything I asked for. Every vision I had, the DP executed perfectly, the camera operators knocked out of the park, and the actors were on point the entire time as well.

The whole experience was so rewarding as a whole. It’s

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bittersweet because I’ll never experience it as a first again.

Now the scary experience will be to knock the second one out of the park as well.

I’ll always cherish this first episode and how everyone showed up for me in ways I’ll never be able to verbalize — I’m so grateful and thankful to our crew and cast.

You’re working on getting your pilot’s license. How is it going?

It’s been on hold because my brain has been completely wrapped up in directing and making sure I give all my time to that, but I am going to be getting back into it after this week. My episode airs and then I have an online convention to do with the fans on Sunday, which I’m excited about, then next

week I’m gonna start flying again! Most schools require 40 hours, which I’m close to, but the problem is that Idon’t want to get my license until I feel like I’m ready. When I take these breaks, I need to do a whole refresher course to get back to where I feel comfortable. It would be nice to get my license during this hiatus, if I can complete it, but if not, hopefully by the end of the year.

You’re an ambassador for CARE! Tell us about the organization and the work you do with them.

CARE is such a fantastic organization! They’ve been around forever. Most people that I talk to know about them. I had never heard about them until one of our writers in season 2 (Angela)

introduced me to them.

They were one of the first organizations that let me be hands on. When I became a series regular on Station 19, I wanted to use my recognition and platform to speak up about causes that were important to me, but so many organizations that I talked to and wanted to support just wanted me to donate or raise money. I felt that was false and wasn’t right. When I met CARE, they introduced me to their organization and sent me to Washington D.C. for their convention.

I went there for three days and met all the other people who work at CARE, as well as those who work in politics in D.C. to fight for CARE. I asked a million questions and they answered every single one, which showed me how transparent they were.

What is something you’ve taken away from playing Maya Bishop?

She’s had such a phenomenal arc throughout all these seasons and gone through so many ups and downs, even though a lot of those downs are her own doing. Playing Maya has taught me that you have to balance work and your personal life. I feel like I’ve been working for so long — I’ve been working since I was seven — which is not a bad thing at all, I love working. I’m probably a little bit too much of a workaholic, but it’s always been a priority, and Maya’s arc sheds light on the fact that your personal life has to have its priorities too and there have to be boundaries. You have to let

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go of the unattainable desire to be perfect, and be happy in the successes you have — to be happy in the moment and embrace your accomplishments — instead of constantly fighting for the next achievement, which is what Maya does and a little bit of what I do. She does it to an extreme because she’s a fictional character.

I’m really learning through her and by her. Maya has to really find that balance and set boundaries, and know when to go for it when she wants something and when it’s time to step back and let other people shine. I’m really enjoying that permission to just relax every once in a while even though I’m not great at it.

To wrap it up, the show was announced to come back for season 7! Any teasers on what’s to come?

I wish I knew! Our writers are absolutely fantastic, and I’m sure they will come up with more brilliant storylines and beautiful monologues and speeches for us to all play. I can’t wait to see what they’re gonna do. We have new showrunners this season. The show is being co-run by Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige, and we’re in great hands. It’s a great hand off from Krista Vernoff, who did such amazing work with us for the last four years, to now have Peter and Zoanne take the reins. I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do with it, and to see what’s going to happen with Maya and where her journey is going to take her from here.

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Top VICI, earrings SAULE from YAYA PUBLICITY.

This page: Top RONNY KOBO from JANEY LOPATY PR, earrings SAULE from YAYA PUBLICITY. Opposite: Blazer vintage ANTONIO FUSCO, earrings SAULE from YAYA PUBLICITY, necklace PAVE THE WAY JEWELRY from WEAR THE FUTURE.

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Sam

Case

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Sam Case. Fashion Rebecca Guthrie.

Hair and Makeup Brittany Alvarado. Retouch Adrian Garneata.

126

Jacket DONNA KARAN, tights LEG AVENUE, shoes ZASHADU from WEAR THE FUTURE.

Dress ELLIATT from JANEY LOPATY PR, earrings SAULE from YAYA PUBLICITY, necklace GATHER BROOKLYN from WEAR THE FUTURE, shoes MIU MIU.

128

129

Corset MICHAEL DEPAULO from JANEY LOPATY PR, blazer ZARA, earrings ANNA ZUCKERMAN and necklace PAVE THE WAY from WEAR THE FUTURE, shoes MARC JACOBS.

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Avery

Barber

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Avery Barber at Next Management. Fashion Rebecca Guthrie.

Hair and Makeup Brittany Alvarado. Retouch Maid Civic.

131

Top ZARA, earrings SAULE from YAYA PUBLICITY.

133

Victoria

Villezcas

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Victoria Villezcas at Next Management. Fashion Amber Claire. Hair and Makeup Brittany Alvarado. Cinematography Solo Koo. Retouch Riri Retouch. Photo Assistant Peter Nguyen.

134

Dress H&M.

This page: Dress HOURGLASS, blazer H&M, earrings NATASHA, gloves stylist’s own.

Opposite: Dress NO COMMENT.

137

Zoe

Sellers

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Zoe Seller at Wilhelmina Models. Fashion Annalee Porter. Hair and Makeup Brittany Alvarado. Cinematography Solo Koo. Retouch Sasha Brons. Photo Assistant Peter Nguyen.

138

Dress ZARA, necklace and earrings stylist’s own.

This page: Dress REALISATION PAR, shawl, necklace, and shoes stylist’s own.

Opposite: All H&M.

Lindsay

Rienstra

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Lindsay Rienstra. Fashion Annalee Porter.

Cinematography Solo Koo. Photo Assistant Peter Nguyen.

14 1

This page: Shirt and pants H&M, trench coat, jewelry, and shoes stylist’s own.

Opposite: Blazer, pants, and boots H&M, and bag FENDI.

142

Olivia

Rodriguez

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Olivia Rodriguez at Elite Models. Fashion Vincent Weathersby.

Hair Cristina Goode. Makeup Mariah Valdez.

144

Dress ENDLESS ROSE, boots NASTY GAL, earrings H&M.

14 5

Dress A.L.C., heels SHEIN, earrings FOREVER 21.

Julia

Lisowski

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Julia Lisowski at Elite Models. Fashion Annalee Porter. Hair and Makeup Brittany Alvarado. Cinematography Solo Koo. Photo Assistant Peter Nguyen.

14 7

This page: All H&M. Opposite: Shirt, pants, and boots H&M, jewelry stylist’s own.

148

Cassandra

Cox

Photography Irene Chen. Talent Cassandra Cox at Wilhelmina Models. Fashion Vincent Weathersby.

Hair Cristina Goode. Makeup Mariah Valdez.

150

This page: DressWATERDRESS, shoes CAPE ROBBIN, earrings FOREVER 21.

This page: Dress NORDSTROM, boots STEVE MADDEN, earrings FOREVER 21.

PHOSPHOR