Euphoria Actor Quintessa Swindell on Their Discovery of Punk

This article is taken from the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of AnOther Magazine:

“My life had become incredibly difficult by my last year of high school and what truly propelled me out of that was punk rock. Discovering a Detroit band called Death – one of the first punk bands in the US – opened up everything. I didn’t know Black and Brown folks were thriving within the genre. Finding punk rock allowed me to find my voice, a sense of awareness and identity – it made me comfortable with the idea of being an individual and brave enough to stand alone. I also fell in love with the Stooges, Lou Reed, MC5, Black Sabbath, Pure Hell, Fugazi, Minor Threat and Bad Brains. They were all made up of unique individuals who were so unpalatable within popular culture and the way they stuck to that independence and individuality aided a whole collective movement. Seeing people of colour, and particularly Black women and men who were so different from the rest of their communities and still so comfortable with that difference, was really empowering. I’m a punk.”

Last year the Virginia-born actor Quintessa Swindell commandeered Hollywood with their major roles in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam and Paul Schrader’s horticultural thriller, Master Gardener, opposite Joel Edgerton and Sigourney Weaver. But it hasn’t been an easy ride for the 26-year-old non-binary star, who made their screen debut as Anna in Euphoria. “I’m Black, femme, light-skinned, my hair is massive – these elements are difficult to navigate in this industry,” they say. “I want to create opportunities to expand beyond film stereotypes.” Swindell is ready to do just that with their latest role: producing a biopic about the female drum and bass pioneers Kemistry & Storm.

Make-up: Michael “Meeks” Silva using PAT MCGRATH LABS. Production: Jones Management

This story features in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of AnOther Magazine, which is on sale now. Order here.