Alexa Demie’s scene-stealing role in Mid90s is merely the start. In Jonah Hill’s skateboarding nostalgia-fest, Demie plays Estee, the older, taller love interest to smitten 13-year-old teen protagonist Stevie. Chances are you also caught Demie in The OA as Ingrid, a bilingual gamer tracked down by a private detective. Basically, Demie only picks cool projects.
“Despite having a difficult upbringing,” Demie says, “I’ve always kept a positive outlook and wanted something better for myself and others that may have been feeling the same.” So far, so good. Later this year, the Los Angeles-born actor will co-star alongside Zendaya in HBO’s Euphoria, a teen series about drug addiction, wild partying and other after-school activities. That it’s exec-produced by Drake means an annoyingly catchy soundtrack is guaranteed.
Speaking of which, Demie’s musical background will come to the fore in Trey Edward Shults’s long-awaited feature Waves. As a singer-songwriter, Demie has supported JMSN on tour, and in Waves she will perform melodies and dance alongside Lucas Hedges. “My drive comes from a feeling I’ve had ever since I was a little girl that I never questioned,” she adds, “and the need to tell a story both visually and with words.”
Nick Chen