Hunter Schafer: On My Culture Radar

Current favourite book

I’ve been carrying around The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, and it’s a little pick-me-up when I need it. It’s a collection of writings about queer people accompanied by beautiful illustrations. It was written in the 1980s, which was obviously an intense time for the queer community, and they’re delicious reminders of the magic of queerness.

Restaurant

I love [Moby’s] Little Pine in Los Angeles. It’s a vegan restaurant where they have incredible brunch and dinners. They have a really good scrambled thing, amazing pancakes, they have oat milk for coffee, and probably the best vegan pizza I’ve had in my whole life. I’m not a committed vegan, but I linger in the vegan area. It helps that it’s near to where I live, and I like the energy in the restaurant.

Comedian

Julio Torres. My friend told me about him, and a bit after that, his shows My Favourite Shapes and Los Espookys, both on HBO, came out. I don't watch a lot of comedy but his perspective is genius and really fun to watch. He's awkward but also he applies smart ways of thinking to nonsense. Like My Favourite Shapes is a conveyor belt of objects where he explains his relationship to them. It sounds mundane but he makes it so funny. It's been a joy to get to know his work.

Play/musical

I just saw Slave Play, written by my friend Jeremy O Harris, on Broadway. It's absolutely genius. It's about the generational traumas of slavery in America, and how little has changed since then. I don't want to give away too much about how it's exposed, as people need to see it. The set was modern and beautifully done. At first it's big mirror with doors, and then it starts to become activated by the actors and it transforms into different locations, like a laboratory.

Hidden for 40 years: Renia Spiegel’s second World War diary

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Renée Zellweger: ‘I was lying to myself, and I don’t know why’

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Philip Glass: ‘Everyone needs a technique, whether they’re a plumber or a cook’

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Artist

David Rappeneau’s drawings are a joy to see on my Instagram feed. It reminds me of comic books a little, but I think the way he handles bodies and angles is especially interesting. He has a really beautiful hand.

Album

I’ve been going through an Antony and the Johnsons spiral recently, and Swanlights has been really good to listen to – it’s a beautiful sequence but Salt Silver Oxygen is next-level. Also, FKA Twigs has a new album coming out in a few weeks. The songs Cellophane and Holy Terrain are already out, and I’ve been listening to them non-stop.

City

I recently went to Venice for the first time, and I was absolutely blown away. I was there with Miu Miu for the film festival, so I got to know these incredible talents that work out there, but the highlight was being in a boat, travelling through the canals and getting to take it all in.

Actor

I was rewatching Russian Doll recently, and I love Natasha Lyonne. I’ve watched her interviews too, and her presence so clearly seeps into her character Nadia Vulvokov that she feels real.

Social media profile

Dara Allen (@dara._) is probably one of the most stylish people in existence. She works Instagram so hard it's amazing. She's a friend of mine and every time I see something she posts, I'm like, Wow, she's so good at this. She's smart and serving looks like nobody else's.

Film

I rewatched Spirited Away when I was sick, and that always takes me far away from earth. It’s a treasure. I think it was the first Studio Ghibli film I watched, and my mind was blown. I was then very hungry to watch all the Studio Ghibli films all at once. It started a rampage.

The Euphoria box set is available to stream now with a NowTV Entertainment Pass. nowtv.com