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Yellowjackets' Liv Hewson On Being Nonbinary, Top Surgery & The Emmys
“It feels different in my body than it ever has. I have just never been happier," Hewson revealed.
Liv Hewson has been catapulted into fame by playing Van in the wildly successful Showtime series Yellowjackets, but that level of celebrity has not come without some hardship.
This week Hewson opened up to Teen Vogue about being nonbinary, getting top surgery and why they disagree with the Emmy Award categories.
The former Santa Clarita Diet star started to feel uncomfortable in their body at a young age, but didn’t understand why at first. “I came across the term ‘nonbinary’ for the first time, and it was just immediate,” Hewson said in the interview. “But very quickly on the heels of that was, I can't do anything with this. It's 2012, and I'm 16."
They continue, "It was this beautiful, celebratory thing of that's me. I know exactly who I am, I've fixed it. But I couldn't tell anyone because, at the time, it really felt impossible.”
Hewson told their friends to start using they/them pronouns for them way back in 2012, but then spent years living in the closet in their professional life because they were “done feeling any shame or apology about it” and didn’t want to spend time “hiding” or “feeling shame and grief.”
“This is who I am, and that's actually wonderful,” Hewson said. “Not only is it not a problem, it's a good thing, and it deserves space. I deserve to be in the world as much as anybody else; so do all nonbinary and trans people.”
Hewson also opened up about their decade-long desire to get top surgery, saying that since going under the knife they have felt a “complete, fundamental shift.”
“I stand differently, I walk differently, I carry myself differently,” the 27-year-old said of the gender euphoria they felt after surgery. “It feels different in my body than it ever has. I have just never been happier. I've never been more centered. I've never felt more stable and present and alive. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself.”
Being nonbinary in Hollywood has presented some unique challenges for the Australian-born star, including their decision to pull out of consideration for an Emmy Award because of the “structural” issues with the award categories. Hewson was set to be nominated for an Emmy for their stellar performance as the teenage version of Vanessa "Van" Palmer in the critically acclaimed horror/drama Yellowjackets, but ultimately declined because they would have been forced into the “actress” category.
“The bewilderment I have is that acting is the only category that's separated by sex,” Hewson said. “We take for granted that this is how the world should work, but gender-neutral awards exist in every category but this one. There are multiple ceremonies where they don't exist at all, so it's absolutely possible.”
Despite not being able to participate in the award show, they are excited to continue playing Van on Yellowjackets. Jasmin Savoy Brown plays Van’s love interest on the show and Hewson said that the pair feel as though they’re creating art for queer people.
“Jasmin and I just straightaway looked at each other, looked out into the world, and we were like, “This is for gay people! That is who we're doing this for!” I really hope people know that, because in my work writ large, I really mean it,” they said. “That's on purpose. To see people respond to it is the best. That's what I want.”
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Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
