Alexa Demie | |
|---|---|
 Demie in 2019 | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Alexa Demie is an American actress. She is best known for her role as high school student Maddy on theHBOteen drama television seriesEuphoria (2019–present). Demie made her feature film debut with a minor role in the comedy-dramaBrigsby Bear (2017) before being featured in the coming-of-age filmMid90s (2018) and the drama filmWaves (2019).
Born in Los Angeles, California, Demie grew up in the neighborhood ofAtwater Village. She was raised by her mother, Rose Mendez, amake-up artist. Mendez's family immigrated to Los Angeles fromMexico when she was an infant. Mendez conceived Demie at an "extremely young" age.[1][2][3][4] Demie has said that she "didn't grow up with the best male figures in [her] life" or "much respect for men".[5] She lived in an apartment across the street from ameth lab and next door to several meth addicts, with theBlack Eyed Peasrecording studio being around the corner from her.[6] According to her, there was frequent fighting and yelling in her home growing up, and she ran away from home as a teenager in order to escape her toxic family environment.[7] However, she has described her family as "very supportive" and "there for each other".[1][8] From elementary to high school, Demie wasbullied by her classmates, describing herself during that time as "quite a loner". She got involved with performing arts in high school during her senior year.[5]
While in high school, she spent her spare time bedazzling sunglasses that she purchased fromDowntown Los Angeles, which led to her creating Mainframe, a line of sunglasses that she began selling at a store onMelrose Avenue where her friend worked.[5] The brand eventually became popular overseas, with Mainframe glasses being worn byG-Dragon,Jennifer Lopez,Nicki Minaj, andAmber Rose and appearing inVogue Korea, though she soon stopped making them due to not being paid for her designs.[9] Also in high school, she started writing songs and designed a costume for one of Minaj's first music videos.[1][10] Demie had plans to become a fashion designer but, after attending orientation for an art school in New York, she decided against it.[11][12]
Demie made her first onscreen appearance as avideo vixen inAzealia Banks' 2013 music video for the song "ATM Jam".[13] After appearing in a short film for a friend, she got the lead role inThe Godmother, a scrappedbiopic about Colombian drug lordGriselda Blanco, in 2015.[10][14] Her professional acting career began with a role in the 2015 short filmMiles, through which she found an agency to represent her.[6] She went on to guest star on the television seriesRay Donovan andLove, also guest starring on the second season of the drama television seriesThe OA as Ingrid, a bilingual gamer.[15] In 2016, she released her debut single, "Girl Like Me", and was featured on Pearl's single "Turnin' Tricks".[1][16] She appeared in the music video forJMSN's 2017 song "Slide" and made her debut feature film appearance in the 2017 comedy-drama filmBrigsby Bear, in which she played Merideth.[17] In July 2018, she directed the music video for JMSN's song "Talk is Cheap" with Natalie Falt.[18]
Demie gained attention with her supporting role in the 2018 filmMid90s, written and directed byJonah Hill, as Esmtee, a character who the protagonist Stevie has a sexual encounter with.[1] A year after Demie unsuccessfully auditioned forAugustine Frizzell's 2018 filmNever Goin' Back, Frizzell emailed her about an audition for theHBO drama seriesEuphoria, the pilot episode of which she was directing.[5] Although Demie had planned to take a break from acting to pursue her music career, she was impressed by the script for the series and decided to audition for it.[10] In 2019, she began starring onEuphoria as Maddy Perez, a popular teenage girl in an abusive, on-again, off-again relationship with football quarterback Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi).[19][20] The character had three extensive mood boards Demie created herself, and she collaborated with the makeup artists of the show on her aesthetic. Demie is called one ofEuphoria‘s breakout stars by critics.[21][1][22]
Demie went on to star in the 2019 filmWaves as Alexis, a teenager who is impregnated by her boyfriend, a popular but troubled high school wrestler played byKelvin Harrison Jr.[8][23][24] She watched videos about codependency and drew on her own experience with anemotionally abusive relationship between her and a high school boyfriend, which she described as "very codependent", as the basis for the film's relationship.[25][3] She also appeared in the comedy-drama filmMainstream in 2020 as Isabelle Roberts, a game show audience member, and made a cameo inThe Neighbourhood's video for their 2020 song "Stargazing".[26][27][28] InNineteen on Fire, a 2021 short film written and directed byRyan Simpkins, Demie played a drug dealer.[29] In September 2021, she released the single "Leopard Limo (Archive LL11)".[16]
After messaging with photographerPetra Collins in the summer of 2020, Demie and Collins createdFairy Tales, a collection of erotic short stories written with Collins and containing photos of Demie dressed as various mythical creatures taken by Collins, which was published byRizzoli in November 2021.[2][30] She is set to be a voice actor in the upcoming animated seriesFables.[31]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Miles | Sara | Short film |
| 2017 | Brigsby Bear | Merideth | |
| To the Moon | Virginia Dawson | Short film | |
| 2018 | Mid90s | Estee | |
| 2019 | Waves | Alexis Lopez | |
| 2020 | Mainstream | Isabelle Roberts | |
| 2021 | Nineteen on Fire | Paisley | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ray Donovan | Shairee | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Love | Marina | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The OA | Ingrid | Episode: "Treasure Island" |
| 2019–present | Euphoria | Maddy Perez | Main role; 16 episodes |
| 2023 | The Idol | — | Uncreditedcameo, episode: "Pop Tarts & Rat Tales" |
| 2024 | Fantasmas | Becca | Episode: "Valued Customer" |
| TBA | Fables † | TBA | Voice role |
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "ATM Jam" | Azealia Banks featuringPharrell Williams | [32] |
| 2021 | "Love 2 U" | JMSN | [33] |
| 2021 | "Leopard Limo (Archive LL11)" | Alexa Demie | [34] |
| Award | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imagen Awards | 2022 | Euphoria | Best Supporting Actress – Drama (Television) | Nominated | [35] |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 2022 | Best Fight(shared withSydney Sweeney) | Won | [36] |
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