Elsa: Humor, Sunglasses, and a Bag of Chips. Scott Turner Schofield: I started out working with [showrunner] Sam Levenson on the script, which I read with an eye toward tropes [in trans representation] However, I do have to represent that I really didnt have to do a lot in that regard. Trans representation in Euphoria. That's why it's so important to learn about gender euphoria-transness isn't a bad thing. . The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the common racist stereotyping of Black boys and men as hyper-athletic in his first year of college. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. It is filled with breathtaking cinematography, amazing costume design (excuse me while I try and inevitably fail to do some of those incredible makeup looks), and one of the most pitch perfect soundtracks I have ever heard, courtesy of Labyrinth. And I get it its dramatic and interesting and theres a lot of great TV drama there, but come on, catch up. However, HBO must not only involve a more diverse cast, but also writers who can bring relevant perspectives to the table. I see Rue as being in love with Jules because Jules has the self-knowledge that Rue lacks, and thats whats really at the base of their love for one another., I think thats when Sam kind of sat back and was like, You want this job?. He was really open and collaborative with Hunter [Schafer] so that she could mold those details in a way that felt true to the story that she wanted to tell for Jules. 10. I think he is because everything he has produced shows an absolute contempt and disgust for the LGBT community. Not to mention the common racist stereotyping of McKay being a football player plays into the hyper-masculine and hyper athletic trope often associated with Black men. The show's graphic depiction of sexual activity couldn't be further from the truth. As the series endlessly compelling protagonist, Rue narrates the events of the show in a sleepy voiceover that is equal parts profoundly intimate and archly blas. This enablement of stereotypes extends to Kat (Barbie Ferreira). The only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually. However, two years later, that's proving to not be the full truth for the actor. The first time looking in the mirror to admire your new appearance and truly see yourself is a moment of supreme happiness to many trans people. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Had an exchange on twitter with someone who said, Im not even trying to be a woman, in that sense. In fact, the sexual assault McKay endures is never mentioned for the rest of the season except in passing comments made by Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), his white girlfriend, to her friends. Editorial: NYU lifted its mask mandate, but now isnt the time to be idle. Posted by. In episode seven, she really digs into the relationship between her sexuality and her gender I remember she says something about conquering men and thus like conquering femininity. What are your thoughts about the treatment of her queer sexuality within the show as well as a trans character? In her first major scene in the show's pilot, Jules arrives at a . Euphoria has been renewed for a third season, with Schafer set to reprise her breakout role. In one of the best scenes from last night's episode of Euphoria, Jules the trans high school student played by breakout actress Hunter Schafer drunkenly floats in a pool while reciting lines from Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to her recovering drug addict girlfriend, Rue. They are not mentioned once. Im always very quick to say, you cant just find any trans person and think that theyre going to tell a good trans story, because we are all completely overwhelmed by mainstream culture and the tropes [about trans people] it tells us even trans people. While this may not be a surprise to Rue, it was a huge reveal for viewers because her gender identity is definitively stated in the dialogue. It was just in this pink football jersey that little Jules was wearing. Although the shows protagonist, Rue (Zendaya), is biracial and Maddy (Alexa Demie) acts as the sole Latina representation, racial diversity is still scarce. Your email address will not be published. of Black boys and men as hyper-athletic in his first year of college. As Euphorias second season comes to a close, it only seems fitting to comment on the new season. Marginalized people want stories that represent the length and breadth of their experiences, good and bad. Photos Courtesy of HBO TV Features Euphoria. Whatever lengths Levinson went to in order to mitigate his perspective (and he consulted transgender sensitivity trainer and actor Scott Turner Schofield extensively) as creator, producer, writer, and director of the series, theres no denying that Euphoria employs his gaze and it has been met with acclaim. In the first season, we see her trying to navigate her womanhood and problems with intimacy. Amid gut-wrenching scenes of overdoses and withdrawals is a take on sexual orientation and power dynamics that becomes more questionable as the episodes go on. Levinson is not the guy and Euphoria is not the show to give us the representations of our communities that we want. Euphoria Resolved Season 1's Biggests Cliffhanger In The Most Underwhelming Fashion. (Photo by Eddy Chen/HBO, courtesy of Warner Media), Srishti Bungle , Deputy Opinion EditorFeb 1, 2022. I had to work really carefully with their costumes and the head of wardrobe; we wanted to make sure that Quintessa felt really seen as non-binary person. Ad Choices, Before the show started I was worried because a lot of transgender characters in the media are represented horribly. Throwing Elliot in the middle of Rue and Jules's relationship fetishizes lesbians and is queer baiting. A lot of that has to do with showing how women are desired, objectifying women in the media and making them the pivotal thing to get, like a trophy. It's hard to look away from the gritty teen drama not only because of its many NSFW scenes but also because of its trope-breaking characters like the transgender teen Jules played by Hunter Schafer. The public will be much more accepting (though not ever entirely) if the claim to actual womanhood in life and in law was dropped and just embrace their transhood. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. While there is a demand for a more racially diverse cast, it means that there needs to be a racially diverse writers room. What I see happening in most other places is that even if we do listen to a trans actor and let them bring their own story, its still mitigated through other peoples control. My job was to take what I know about being an actor and what I know as an advocate and as a media expert, and make sure that both the actors got what they really needed and were seen the way that they really wanted to be seen and heard and that the audience got the benefit of the representation. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules, expressed her desire to create a "Marvel-level" film about two trans girls falling in love. With words, that was not said in any way. Analyzing LGBTQIA representation in 'Euphoria', researchers find the series presents trans characters 'very differently from traditional manner' In the series, there is a narrative that goes beyond the "trans phenomenon", it is not limited to solely presenting her "coming out" or her "transition", but also explores other . Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Euphorias trans consultant on why the series tells authentic trans stories, Sign up for the Close. When do we find out Jules is trans? Shes in a mental institution for self harm. And as such, the characters are never boxed into stereotypesthey are allowed to just be. Reym. Polygon spoke to Scott Turner Schofield, the trans consultant on the . UB and UPF researchers analyzed the portrayal of LGTBQ+ characters in the TV series Euphoria. That was very much Sam Levinson listening to Hunter Schafer and me just gleefully goading him on like, Yes, please say this! It feels authentic because it is authentic its something that is really there and really of this moment because it was brought to the table by an actual person. Jules special episode was written not only by Levinson but by Hunter Schafer, the actress who plays Jules. Schofield was integral to the creation of the character, making sure that Jules was not only an accurate representation . Holidays One is a playable character "Beastmaster" FL4K, whose nonbinary status was suggested by a nonbinary game developer and the other is a prominent NPC the soldier Lorelei, voiced by trans actor Ciarn Strange. Jules started transitioning when she was 13 years old. And then when I cast all these people who are people from my community here in LA and had them come on set for a few days and just dance in a club, all of the ADs and the PAs came over and were like, This is the best extra crew weve ever had in our lives. Though the show is not exceptionally diverse, its characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters and characters from other marginalized communities. Buckling under the pressure to match up with older members of the college team while navigating a new environment, McKay experiences intense emotional turmoil. Their powers combined made my job really easy in that regard. hbo. Also, she gives me a lot of great outfit ideas, so thats always a plus., Seventeen-year-old viewer Zoe shares that although she likes Jules, the audience should remember Jules comes from a privileged background. I felt really honored to be chosen to take the job, and I think that the moment when it happened was this moment after we were given the first four episodes to read and talk to them about. According to Scott Turner Schofield, Euphorias trans consultant, thats due to showrunner Sam Levinsons earnest desire to listen to trans individuals and fairly and accurately represent their experiences on screen. With that being said, Euphoria is undoubtedly an aesthetic masterpiece. Curious, adventurous, and carefree, Jules soon catches the eye of Rue Bennett as they start their junior year. Contact Srishti Bungle at[emailprotected]. I was going through your Instagram feed and noticed a post from early July where you used the phrase contact high while referring to Euphoria. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show, In the first season, we see her trying to navigate her womanhood and problems with intimacy. Courtesy of Eddy Chen/HBO. Despite the popularity of Euphoria, the HBO show suffers for its lack of non-exploitative representation. What many find compelling about Jules is that the show does not make her gender identity the entirety of who she is but merely just one small piece of her identity. He is manipulative and aggressive toward his wife, children and anyone who threatens to reveal his sexuality, using his power and wealth to threaten and demean anyone he deems less than him. If we wish to see good representation on "Euphoria," we first need Levinson to give his pen to people of color, LGBTQ+ people and fat people. Shes clearly a positive force of energy for Rue. Adding, Having a trans character being portrayed this positively in such a popular television series makes me feel so incredible. The objective of this article is to explore this second perspective by analyzing the representation of Jules, a trans female character from the American series Euphoria (Levinson et al., 2019 . Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Editorial: The New York Times article on Maitland Jones was incomplete. Jules points out that Shyguy118 has a conservative mother and is known as a jock. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! It has a very negative perception of the LGBT community. But they only got to hear it one more time: The series finale aired Sunday (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) after three groundbreaking seasons. All rights reserved. Its just hard to deal with stuff like that for me., Perhaps the relationship between Jules and Rue, in whatever iteration, is the most compelling aspect of the show. In terms of representation of people of color in the cast, it can be said that Euphoria is lacking in that department given that the majority of the cast is white, which leaves many of Euphorias non-white audience craving a more racially diverse cast. Euphoria, first released in 2019 on HBO, stars Zendaya and Hunter Schafer as Rue Bennett and Jules Vaughn, respectively. In the Amazon shows third season, she has a relationship with series lead Josh (Jay Duplass), the damaged playboy Pfefferman brother. It made me feel sexy and it made me feel desirable, said Rain Valdez, a transgender actress, producer, and creator of the web series Razor Tongue. [Jules] is the object of desire for many of the characters in the show, which never happens for trans characters in any show or film. I would go on set and see this representation that just felt so true and so right. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering., Zoe says that she had to stop watching the latest episode as the scene where Nate printed Jules nudes to blackmail her, caused her to have a panic attack. McKay is absent for the vast majority of the second season, a disappearance which remains unexplained. HBO's hit show Euphoria is the latest drama aimed at highlighting the Gen-Z experience. They were super open and willing. But I understand that thats what a lot of teens are dealing with these days. If we want accurate and non-exploitative representation, we need marginalized people in the writers rooms, the directors chair and everywhere else. The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the. New viewers wondered early on Is Jules trans in. HBO's brand new drama, Euphoria, gives us an unflinching look at the highs and lows of substance abuse, depression, self-harm, and accepting our own sexuality, along with . The Yakuza series has multiple trans characters, mainly women. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". newsletter, most compelling television series of 2019, not only gets, but respects, todays teens, advocate turned model turned teen drama star. ", Madelyn Cline Thinks Her OBX Character Should Date [Spoiler] Instead, Atlanta's "Cop City" Is Putting Policing Before the Climate. Jules transition journey isnt seen in the series, but her personal development and relationships are a fascinating part of the show. I said [to Sam Levinson], Jules is the one who gets herself more than anybody else on this show. This turmoil peaks when McKay is sexually assaulted by members of his team and his fraternity brothers as part of a hazing ritual. Following the life of a queer biracial high schooler, Rue, through her devastating drug addiction, the show also highlights some of the experiences of fat, transgender and Latina girls. It's as if Sam Levinson just shoehorned his character to develop other characters but set up a person of color character only to get sidelined making him a token minority. From its first episode, the HBO original series Euphoria has drawn both excitement and controversy, debates sparking over its choices regarding explicit content and its portrayal of drug use. The record-breaking second season premiere of Euphoria comes in the wake of a provocative first season.Controversy is great for views, but these massive numbers make it evident; there is more than . Hunter Schafer plays Jules and is trans in real life. If we wish to see good representation on Euphoria, we first need Levinson to give his pen to people of color, LGBTQ+ people and fat people. Women and trans women are more than just victims. Under the current guidelines of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, hormone replacement therapy is reserved for children 16 and older, while puberty blockers are typically used for those under 16. When we see Jules in the series, she is a trans woman already comfortable in her gender identity. His role as the only Black male lead is replaced by Elliot (Dominic Fike) in season two a drug addict, another racist stereotype. Its raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. Borderlands 3. Jules is shown to be vulnerable when it comes to romance, and her yearning to explore her sexuality led her to hook up with older married men that she met online. For instance, theres an intimate scene between [Quintessas character, Anna] and [Schafers character, Jules] in episode 7 that was a collaboration with the intimacy coordinator. Photograph: Alexis Desaulniers-Lea. Drug addiction, nudity, homophobia, violence, blackmail, abusive relationships, and much more were explicitly showcased in Euphoria. That the major honor that I give to the show. Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. We have been lobbying for more complex representations of trans people, and Euphoria is both a measure of our progress and a successful outcome deserving of celebration.. or not the show does a good job of providing her with quality trans representation. This turmoil peaks when McKay is sexually assaulted by members of his team and his fraternity brothers as part of a hazing ritual. A sensory overload. 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