The actor and comedian talks to DIVA about queer representation, sex and her film with Gillian Anderson
INTERVIEW BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY MUBI
Jane Schoenbrun’s latest sapphic slasher, Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, has queer audiences frothing at the mouth, and for good reason. Picture this: Hannah Einbinder plays a non-binary filmmaker, Kris, who becomes fixated on casting the reclusive actor Billy (Gillian Anderson) in their reboot of the fictional Camp Miasma franchise. Cue a creaky cabin in the middle of the woods, buckets of KFC, a lake that hides a gory secret, wanking and weed, campy kill scenes, and Gillian Anderson doing a Southern drawl. We’re sold.
“I hope this film acts as a relief for queer audiences; I hope they laugh”
Hannah is quickly skyrocketing to icon status within the LGBTQIA+ community. The actor and standup comedian is best known for her role as Ava in the HBO Max series Hacks. Last year, she took home an Emmy for this knockout performance, but not before she shouted “Go Birds, fuck ICE and Free Palestine!” on stage. From her debut standup special, Everything Must Go, in 2024 to guest judging on RuPaul’s Drag Race, this bisexual star has the queer community enthralled by her wit, integrity and humour.
It’s precisely those attributes that I’m immediately drawn to when we meet on a rainy London afternoon. She’s sprawled out on an armchair, shooting me a wide smile and even offering a hug. When I tell her I’m with DIVA magazine, she quips, “So chic!” I’m quick to gush about how much I enjoyed this fantastically weird, wacky and reflective film, not least because it stars two titans of queer culture. We soon launch into conversation about working with Gillian, and Hannah reveals her favourite scenes were sitting on the cabin’s porch, “just talking and getting to know each other, [their characters] smoking weed”. After five seasons on the set of Hacks, Hannah jokes that this new film “felt kind of like going off to college”.
Like Jane’s previous knockout trans horror, I Saw The TV Glow, this new feature film treats queerness as a guiding light. “The central subject matter the film explores is incredibly universal and human,” Hannah explains. “It helps humanise us to people when they see us as the subjects of these films with these topics. It really helps to set a precedent that we don’t have to just be a side character or do things that are traditional.”
The film also digs into uncomfortable questions about sex and desire. Hannah’s character Kris admits to Billy that they disassociate during sex, struggling to find their own pleasure. As the film progresses further into a world of “psychosexual mania”, Kris is actually able to tap into their own desire. “I think that it’s important for us to have nuanced portrayals of real sexual experiences,” Hannah says. “I hope the film acts as a roadmap for people to confront what many people ignore, which is this feeling of discomfort and the experience of dissociation during sex. We want people to feel safe and to feel better in those contexts.”
For fans of Jane’s other work, it will be no surprise that Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma feels distinctly like an ode to the power of storytelling. The indelible mark that media leaves on us. I ask Hannah if there’s a film that touched her in the same way Camp Miasma does for Kris. “Take This Waltz, starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen. It was definitely one of the most human portrayals I’ve seen about romantic partnership. It’s not queer but to me it is a bisexual text.”
For Hannah, helping queer and trans audiences feel seen is at the heart of this film. “Hopefully members of the trans community feel like their ideas are valid, worthwhile and cool. Jane’s approach and success should validate their voices and their stories. I hope queer audiences have fun. I hope they laugh. I hope it acts as a relief at this time for people.”
Before I go, I can’t resist asking about a scene DIVA readers are sure to be excited by: Gillian wanking off Hannah, backlit by a crackling fireplace. “I think what’s important about that scene is that it comes on the heels of [Kris’ previous experiences of] bad sex. I think that it’s important for us to have nuanced portrayals of real sexual experiences.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love cheesy sapphic romcoms or queer coming-of-age stories. But films like Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma are providing more than representation. They are rewriting the fundamentals about what queer storytelling can do, the places it can go, and the people that it can reach. And Hannah is right at the fore, leading the charge.
Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma is available to stream on MUBI now
THIS INTERVIEW WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN OUR AUGUST/SEPTEMBER ISSUE, WHICH YOU CAN STILL GET YOUR HANDS ON AT DIVADIRECT.INFO.
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