Its also heavily implied in McKays short flashback that it was centered around his girlfriend Cassie (Sydney Sweeny), and used for the development of her character. It centers around the gay and trans community, ball culture, the AIDS crisis, the strong juxtapositions between the uptown Trump-era and the downtown social scene. It has a very negative perception of the LGBT community. already suffer from Levinsons inadequate writing. Whether shes biking giddily through an orchard or reciting Shakespeare in a pool without smudging her killer eye make-up, its hard not to fall in love with her. Its because that narrative was listened to. What I love about [Euphoria] is that it just broke through all of that. If you haven't heard about Orange is the New Black 's stunning portrayal of a black trans woman in prison, portrayed by the brilliant . Its raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. 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. 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. Member. 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. 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Polygon: You wore a few hats during the production of Euphoria. But am I saying Levinson is homophobic and transphobic? 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. Lysettes character in Transparent, Shea, is the closest parallel to a sexually desirable trans character like Jules. Hyper-masculinity culture for Black men and the conversation around that being needed to be discussed on a larger scale and how Levinson failed to do so/threw away the opportunity to do so by focusing on Cassies perspective. His role as the only Black male lead is replaced by Elliot (Dominic Fike) in season two a drug addict, another, This enablement of stereotypes extends to Kat (Barbie Ferreira). Euphoria is still considered one of the most diverse series on television at the moment, even though there's still a disparity in the people of color casted which just goes to show that there is still work needed to be done in the entertainment industry so that it can be representative of the world that we experience. In season one the gaze directed at Jules was described by many as "trans-amorous.". I'm a senior Computer Science major and a Classical Studies minor from Newton, North Carolina with a passion for art. Euphoria is one of the most popular shows around right now and the character of Jules has become a cultural icon for trans teenagers and transgender youth. B. 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. Though the show is not exceptionally diverse, its characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters and characters from other marginalized communities already suffer from Levinsons inadequate writing. A daring look at the inner lives of teenagers. Holidays Despite being new to acting, the honesty and authenticity she brings to each performance have earned her high praise from critics. Firstly, it is important to note that Euphoria is one of the most diverse shows on HBO at the moment, and at the same time it isnt. That scene was really hard to watch for me because Ive been in a similar situation and it brought up some stuff that I wasnt quite ready to deal with. And that Sam got that so right without words, just got it completely spot on that was the greatest high, better than any drug Ive ever used. This spring, she's the new face of Mugler's Angel Elixir . The violence and lack of help that the protagonist, Brandon Teena, dealt with is nightmarish for most trans men. The typical narrative element of transgender representation in thrillers is that these characters are framed through the pathologizing lens of criminal deviance: just as popular as the comic image of the "man in a dress" is the trans killer, popularized by movies such as Psycho, Dressed to Kill, and the Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs. The results show that this series presents trans characters in a different way than the traditional one, with a more complex approach far from the fetishist view. Reym. And I get it its dramatic and interesting and theres a lot of great TV drama there, but come on, catch up. Doncha love how theyre just abandoning the TWAW thing? Ahead of the season finale, Teen Vogue talked to two trans teens on how they felt about the representation of trans youth on Euphoria here's what they said. Hide Gif. Jules is absolutely one of my favorite characters on television right now, Clementine Narcisse, a 15-year-old trans girl says, before the show started I was worried because a lot of transgender characters in the media are represented horribly, but I was blown away by her portrayal.. 26. Theres no take on us its on our own terms. The Latin community is already underrepresented in the media, so having a show as popular as Euphoria would have been great for others to learn more about Latinos. Then, I came on set and I worked with everybody in the crew. In this scant screen time, we see Kat struggle with her self-image and self-hatred a painfully predictable and disappointing storyline for one of the few fat women on television. Queerty is a trademark of Q.Digital, Inc., registered in the state of California. "I'm a proud trans man, Dr. Bailey," he said. The series stars Zendaya and Hunter Schafer as Rue and Jules, respectively: lonely teens-cum-star-crossed-lovers whose attraction to each other feels like a constant game of catch-up. Cis women have been objectified for many, many years. We would have to explain things to the people much higher up who have a say in how the story gets told. They really listened and they really represented as opposed to appropriating it for the sake of being trendy and looking cool, and you can always tell when shows do that because [the representation] is never quite right. Personally, yes, I do find "Euphoria" to be homophobic and transphobic. Yet the characters holding these obsessions are humanized by being shown through a sympathetic and honest lens. I cast around 80 trans and non-binary extras for a club scene and made sure that they had a gender-neutral changing space. Her narrative is complicated. Jules transition journey isnt seen in the series, but her personal development and relationships are a fascinating part of the show. Drug addiction, nudity, homophobia, violence, blackmail, abusive relationships, and much more were explicitly showcased in Euphoria. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. Photos Courtesy of HBO TV Features Euphoria. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Sam Levinson, the only writer for the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics. 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 . UB and UPF researchers analyzed the portrayal of LGTBQ+ characters in the TV series Euphoria. Can you explain exactly what that means? McKay is absent for the vast majority of the second season, a disappearance which remains unexplained. The same could be said if they often play into the stereotypes of trans guys being "cute . Before she joined Vox in 2014, she was the first TV editor of . 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. hbo. Sam Levinson is, among other things, an egomaniac. Hollywood encourages drama over reality so Im not expecting much. But I understand that thats what a lot of teens are dealing with these days. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. 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. Schafer has also spoken up about the difficulty of coming out in high school as a trans teen. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Played by newcomer Hunter Schafer in what will surely become a career-launching performance, everyone on the show the daddy, the walking embodiment of toxic masculinity, the tomboy protagonist, her confident femme rival wants Jules. Why is he using his negative views of people like us for this show? Having queer individuals involved in the story and writing process of shows, not just Euphoria, allows for marginalized groups to have a way to tell their own stories, instead of people who have not gone through their experiences telling it for them. Asking this of Levinson is likely to be unfruitful. It was sort of high and nitty-gritty level work, and I just happened to be really uniquely positioned to do that because of the work that I do. And the thing is, like the self-harming isnt about Jules being trans, except that of course it is. "Pose" will undoubtedly leave a hole when it comes to transgender . Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules, expressed her desire to create a "Marvel-level" film about two trans girls falling in love. There was a push to sort of really name the labels, whether it was Jules labels or to label Jules and Rues relationship in a way that isnt really how we do things anymore. Trans actress Hunter Schafer is the series breakout star: An advocate turned model turned teen drama star, she infused Jules storyline with her own personal experiences. representation has an elemental power. Hunter Schafer plays Jules and is trans in real life. If its the closest thing to being desiredIll take that. Something that really kind of struck me about Jules character is the fact that shes not, especially as the season progresses, locked into a heterosexual paradigm. HBOs Euphoria is one of the most compelling television series of 2019, and one of the few current teen dramas that not only gets, but respects, todays teens. The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. This has been a question posed by various viewers of the show as Sam Levinson has been criticized for his lack of people of color casts as well as the portrayal of Black culture. Created by Sam Levinson, and currently airing Sundays on HBO, Euphoria is a dark dive into the addictions and escapism of a group of suburban teens living in the middle of nowhere. 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. Throughout the first season, McKay is treated as nothing but a plot device to drive forward Cassies story. 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