Actress Zoey Luna On Activism and Inspiring Trans Youth

In an industry that all-too-often overlooks transgender voices, Zoey Luna is making sure hers is loud and clear.

While making a public appearance at a Transgender Day of Remembrance event when she was 12 years old, Luna caught the eye of filmmaker Dante Alencasatre. Little did she know that her speech would lead to a groundbreaking, three-year journey of her life being documented for the film Raising Zoey, which chronicles Luna determined to live her authentic life and fighting school officials for her right to self-identify.

After the film was released, several doors opened for Luna as an actress. Her first professional acting engagement was for Rosario Dawson’s short film Boundless; she starred last year in Zoe Lister Jones’ The Craft: Legacy, and she recently appeared in the season finale of FX’s critically acclaimed series Pose. This Friday, audiences will see her make a cameo appearance in the highly anticipated film adaption of Broadway’s hit musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Luna may be a burgeoning film and television star, but she will never stop advocating for the LGBTQ community and her trans peers to promote equality, tolerance, and inclusiveness.

OFM had the opportunity to talk more with Luna about her work, advocacy, and how trans representation can improve in Hollywood.

How excited are you to appear in the upcoming Dear Evan Hansen film?
Oh my God, I am so excited to make my little cameo in Dear Evan Hansen. It was such a powerful story that I knew that I wanted to be a part of for so long, so I am glad that I had time to make it and do my little thing in it. And honestly, this was a dream cameo appearance because I am not necessarily playing a trans girl specifically. I am just a cis, hot cheerleader.

Were you initially a fan of the Broadway production?
Not a whole lot, but when I heard that it was in production, and then I started getting into it more, I just knew that I had to be a part of it.

Dear Evan Hansen has been seen as such a groundbreaking stage musical in several ways. You would agree?
Of course. The subject matter is so important to talk about. We all make mistakes, and I think that is a whole lot about what the show is about.

Last year, we saw you in the Zoe Lister-Jones film, The Craft: Legacy. What did you enjoy the most about being involved with that project and playing Lourdes?
I loved everything about it. It was basically my first acting gig besides Pose and the Rosario Dawson short film I was in. It was kind of crazy that I was going to start my career with, basically, a lead role in a movie. I love that aspect, and then I also loved that Lourdes is just a trans teen witch. I am all for including sex workers as trans roles and including every single type of trans role, but I think there is this repetition of seeing the same type of role being given to trans characters, so it was nice to see just a high school teenage girl who was a witch. I liked the simplicity.

It sounds like Lourdes was a refreshing character for you.
Yes! I would say Lourdes is pretty refreshing, and I think she is a good role model for teens. She’s there, and she did her thing. She is a good reference point as well.

Have you always had a passion for acting?
I have always had a passion for acting. I knew two things when I came out of the womb—I was a girl, and I was going to be an actress.

You were the subject of Dante Alencasatre’s documentary Raising Zoey, and that stemmed after you made a public appearance at a Transgender Day of Remembrance event. What was it like for your life to be documented for three years, and have you always had a passion for advocacy as well?
I have always had a passion for speaking my mind and calling stuff out that needs to be addressed, so I guess activism and advocacy has just gone hand in hand with my life and the way that I naturally move about. Also, because I am trans, at the end of the day, I am always going to be thrown into these positions where I have to fight for my rights. If I see other people going through what I went through, I’m not going to be the quiet one that got away and had no problems. So, I guess I have always had a passion for it.

It was crazy. I was a little kid when I was approached with doing this documentary, and a part of me was like, ‘OK, this will be cool. I get to show my experience, and I get to set the record straight on a couple things.’ Like, this is what I went through, and this is just the tip of the iceberg for what other trans kids have to go through in school. I was privileged in ways. Luckily, I did have a supportive mother when it came to my transgender identity, regardless of it being my identity as a whole. I was more fortunate than most, but to even have to go through what I went through is not acceptable.

I also think that by being in that documentary, it is a cap shot of what the director wanted to see and what the director felt of our family. We can be honest, open, and spend all this time sharing the insides of our stories, but at the end of the day, the director was going to choose the message that he felt resonated with him the most. Most of the things that I have gone through, and the discrimination I have faced from more people than just the school board and my family, it has been intense. I have gone through a lot, but at the end of the day, I would say I am pretty fortunate. I just hope that no one ever has to go through what I went through, or worse, ever again.

For those who have no seen Raising Zoey, can you tell us more about the film and the discrimination you faced in school?
Raising Zoey is about a mother’s love for her child and understanding that gender expression isn’t such a horrible thing that should be exiled from all of society. Basically, it covers me explaining that my school district wanted to illegally expel me for being transgender, and they were kind of coercing me into moving school districts where I could supposedly start fresh. When we did not take up on that idea, they started trying to find ways to say that I was provoking issues in my life, even though I was just being me. I had to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education with my mother, and luckily, we won the case when I was in high school.

What makes a true activist?
To me, a true activist is someone who understands that everyone is a person at the end of the day. We are all going to make mistakes, and a true activist is someone who is going to speak on what they are passionate about. There are so many different world issues that are going on, whether it be the pandemic or something that is happening socially, but I think a true activist is someone that is very passionate about a certain topic and has either experienced it or has been a secondhand bystander of that experience.

Someone that will go, support, and advocate for what needs to be addressed. I don’t think activists need to speak on every, single topic, but I think they need to speak on the topics that they are the most passionate about because everyone has a voice, and I think an activist truly knows that we have to make platforms for everyone, not just ourselves.

Raising Zoey opened many doors, and you are now represented by Ann Thomas’ management company, Transgender Talent. How beneficial has this agency been for you?
Transgender Talent is special to me because I feel like the company and I have been evolving and growing at the same type of rate ever since we came together. I came to them when I had The Craft trying to cast me, and I needed representation to sign my contracts. So, I went to them, and I was like, ‘Ann, I know you have been doing this agency for a long time; let’s work together. I need you. I finally have something that we can book me on; let’s go.’

I would say we have such an amazing experience together because we have gone through understanding the industry together. I would say it’s beneficial because, of course, I am transgender, but I am an actress first. I feel safe with Transgender Talent because I don’t have to be afraid of having to explain the whole trans part to people. I have people and representation that will be able to support me, defend me, and take care of me when it comes to my trans issues. Being with Transgender Talent allows for me to just focus on my talent, career, and craft, so I am very grateful that they made such safe environment.

Hollywood has evolved as well in the last couple years, but I think we can agree that it is still dragging in some areas. Do you believe the industry is getting better when it comes to casting trans performers?
I would say so. Nothing happens overnight, for sure, but it takes some time for things to really make their mark. If we look from the past to now, there has been obvious growth, but I think that Hollywood has a lot more room to improve. I am excited to be a part of that change, welcoming more trans people, especially trans people of color. I would love to see more of that. So, I think it is growing. The snowball is going down the mountain, and it is going to get bigger and bigger.

Why do you think we are still not seeing enough representation of trans people of color in media?
I don’t know why we are lacking so many trans POC people in movies, TV, and media altogether, but it is obvious that this is a white industry. For a lot of people, especially people in America, if we are talking just about the industry in this country, they are trying to show trans people in a relatable way, but I guess in order to get white people to be behind trans people, they have to look like them in some ways. I consider that might be the positive reason, but at the end of the day, I do know that there is racism and colorism in this industry.

What are some of your ideas on how trans representation can improve in Hollywood, where the casting breakdowns for trans roles are not so insensitive and tokenizing?
I think Hollywood can improve on accepting trans people into the industry and then gaining more trans POC in media altogether by having less harsh and sensitive breakdowns, and by being able to understand that trans people come in all different shapes and sizes. Yes, there might be four Zoey Luna look-alikes in this community of trans people, but we are all going at different rates. Trans people are different from each other. Some trans people don’t want to take hormones, while some trans people want to take hormones. I think Hollywood needs to be open and educated about the fact that we are not one size come all, and I think the industry needs to just be more open and educated when it comes to trans people in general.

You don’t want trans people to be boxed in.
No, I definitely do not want trans people to be boxed in, and I feel like it would be very helpful for the industry to understand that. Another thing the industry can do to help themselves is by changing the way people of color in the trans community are being represented. If you want to include a trans character, POC or not, you need to do your education and research. You need to talk to actual trans people and figure out why you actually want to see a trans person in your film.

This has been a hot debate for the last couple years. Do you think straight actors should stop playing LGBTQ roles?
I do think that straight and cisgender people who are not part of the LGBTQ community should cease from playing and taking roles that we could be filling. There are not many people out there that have seen too many people like themselves, and I think that is a really big disservice. It causes a lot of problems growing up. We should allow LGBTQ actors to play LGBTQ roles, but there is also the debate of, if cis people can play trans people, can trans people play cis people? I think yes. I think trans people can play cis roles because we identify as those kinds of people. Cis people will never have the struggles or go through any of the gender dysphoria that trans people have ever had to go through. So, I think it is OK to let trans people play these roles, but not the opposite way around.

What more do you hope to do to continue promoting tolerance and inclusiveness for the trans community?
I just hope to continue to have a platform to be myself and follow my interests and talents. I hope to be given more opportunities where my gender identity, of course, is not the front runner of why I am a part of something. I would like my talent to speak for itself, and I would like my creativity to speak for itself. I also definitely want to dive into some music. I am working on my album, so I definitely want to help open more revenues for trans people to create and express their art. I just want to do it all, do it my way, and not feel like I have to follow someone else’s career or jump through hoops to be able to be accepted in this world. If no one else is talking about acceptance, diversity, or inclusivity, we might as well!

Would you like to tell us more about your upcoming album?
My upcoming album is very honest, and it has some sexual undertones, but it is completely me. I don’t want to spoil the name because it is a really good title, but this is my first album. I literally had to release some tension one day, and I couldn’t do it by being passive aggressive anymore. I couldn’t just write a book, so it came out through music. It is a very honest album. I don’t know when it will be released, but I am filming the music video for my first single this month.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your career as an actress?
My main goal as an actress is to definitely star in a horror movie where I am given the Drew Barrymore death scene. I really want that, and I want to be able to do what I want to do. I want to just be able to be that hot girl that is given that dramatic, long, vulnerable running from a murderer scene. We see that with white girls all the time, and I feel like when the audience watches a person of color get murdered on camera, it is usually in some type of funny way. It’s the joke of the murderer scene. So, I would love to get the same treatment as a white girl in a horror movie. I think that would be great. I also just want to be the actress of the world one day (laughs).

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I am going to be directing ‘You Will Be Found;’ it’s the song from Dear Evan Hansen. My agency is doing a music video for it, and we are doing a cover. It will be up on YouTube, and I am going to be the director of that, so check me out as a director coming soon. I think that will be dropped around the same time as the release of the actual Dear Evan Hansen movie.

Connect and stay up-to-date with Luna by following her on Instagram.

Photos courtesy of Zoey Luna