DIVA talks to the star about their new film Father Mother Sister Brother, activism and grief
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY VAGUE NOTION 2024, CAROLE BETHUEL
Indya Moore has been making waves on screen since their breakout role in the film Saturday Church. Since then, they have starred in films like Ponyboi and Aquaman, voiced Alamzapam Davis in Nimona and played Wanda in The Sandman. But it’s likely that you’ll know Indya best from their iconic role of Angel Evangelista in FX’s Pose.
Now, Indya is starring in Jim Jarmusch’s new film Father Mother Sister Brother. The film follows three estranged family relationships, featuring cast members like Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. In this new role, Indya plays grief-stricken Skye, who has to come to terms with the death of her parents, both of whom were killed in an aeroplane crash. It is Skye’s twin brother, Billy, who helps her connect with her grief.
It’s evident that Indya has been profoundly impacted in making the film. They tell DIVA that they had been “moved by Skye’s love for her parents”. As with Indya’s previous projects, family is central to the core themes of the film. “I think family for me can be interchangeable with community,” Indya explains. “That kind of love – that sisterhood, that brotherhood, that siblinghood – is really what helps us to remember who we are when we become lost in the violence that people try to create to hurt you and to excuse harming you.”
Grief is central to Skye’s storyline in Father Mother Sister Brother. In order to connect with Skye, Indya tells me that they would imagine how they would cope with such a tragic scenario. But despite the sadness, Indya says that it’s important to face grief. “Grief is evidence that we’re loving and that we did love,” they add.
Alongside this, Indya was also motivated in their performance by the grief they’ve experienced witnessing and speaking out against the genocide in Palestine. “There’s grief for what’s happening to innocent children and people who just want to live,” Indya expresses.
Despite the threats of being blacklisted or silenced in the industry, Indya has been a vocal activist, urging others to use their platform to speak out about Palestine. While Indya was one of the only actors speaking out at first, they have felt proud to see so many other Hollywood stars speaking out. “Ultimately, this work that I’ve done to motivate people to wake up and sympathise and do that work has paid off,” Indya adds.
After dedicating their life to this activism, Indya admits that it “has been incredibly volatile to [their] nervous system.” The emotional weight of speaking out so much has been amplified by the transphobia that Indya has experienced as a response. “I experienced an even deeper sense of isolation because of the attacks on trans people internationally,” Indya says. “I’ve been fighting for my inner life.”
“I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe. I feel that I’ve been targeted the most because my humanity has been the most visible and the most accessible.”
When Pose came out in 2018, featuring the largest cast of trans people in series regular roles in television history, it felt like a giant leap forward for LGBTQIA+ representation. But now, Indya has seen the same Pose fans spew transphobia online. In the public eye, Indya has felt the chilling rise of transphobia globally. “Hyper visibility without actual real protection is death,” Indya says.
In these trying times, the role of Skye seems to have helped Indya connect with humanity. “It was incredibly important to embody a sister who has an emotionally available brother who clearly loves her.”
Father Mother Sister Brother is in cinemas in the UK and Ireland now.
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