something happens
and i'm head over heels
Brady Hepner x fem!¡oc
irl - social media fic
boy meets girl at movie premiere, they start to get closer to one another. you know the story ... ;)
cover by the lovely -lostgardens...
The 15-year-old "Stranger Things" star opens up about acting, songwriting, and the pressure of being a teenage girl.
P. Claire DodsonJosefina Santos SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
If Anastasia Bledel comes across as extremely confident, that's probably because she is.
In the past 365 days alone, the 15-year-old has filmed the fourth season of her hit Netflix show Stranger Things, played a lead in the newest iteration of Scream, written multiple songs, and collaborated on a line of beauty products with Florence By Mills.
She's without limitations, incredibly self-assured, and driven.
But even in especially poised moments, like when she instinctively knew to change looks after the photographer got enough frames during her photo shoot, she also has an innocence that subtly exposes itself, reminding you that she's a young woman just trying to navigate the world to the best of her ability.
For our September/October cover story, we talked to Anastasia about the passion behind each thing she pursues. From Coraline to being in her first ever relationship, her choices are intentional and purposeful, and we watch in awe as she gives us the performances of her life.
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Teen Vogue: Have you reconciled with all of your success? Has it hit you yet?
Anastasia Bledel: Thank you for the compliment. I've been ever-so-lucky to have some amazing projects that have been really well received. And my characters, I've had such a fun time playing. I think it's just my life. It's how I'm living my life right now. There are definitely those surreal moments where I've stopped myself and said, "Wow, this is different, this is not what real people go through, and maybe I should go and feed my dogs and do the normal things in life." But yeah, I mean, it's a cool experience, just everything I'm doing. But then again I do love to feed my dogs.
TV: Yeah, I read you have, what, two dogs?
AB: Yes. [And] a rabbit. Yes, I do.
TV: As someone who entered the public eye with Iron Man 2 at a very young age, what draws you to projects creatively?
AB: I think it's important to make sure that I'm attaching myself to the right material, things that are appropriate for my age, characters that I relate to and connect to, and things that have an underlying message. I mean, something that I feel so passionate about. I think that I love being part of projects that have messages.
TV: Do you feel like your generation is uniquely positioned from having grown up in an ecosystem of social media?
AB: We were born into social media. So that's all I've ever known, is social media. That's all us kids have ever known. But we deal with social media smarter than some people that hadn't had it. We know that social media is an incredible place to spread a message — and a really bad place to bully, access negative hate, violence, and exploitation. I guess one thing that they should remember about social media is that we should make it into a really positive place where everyone feels welcomed and everyone feels like they're part of a bit of a community. We're slowly getting there, I think. Social media will become a better place in the future if we all work hard at it.
TV: How does fashion, making bold decisions, and expressing yourself through the way you look play a role in speaking to young people about identity?
AB: I don't think that there's any role. I think that's the fun [thing] about fashion, that there's no rule to it. As long as you're being yourself, I guess that's the number one role. With me, two years ago, I said, "Oh, I'm never going to wear a crop top, and I'm never going to wear heels, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And I've completely just, again, I boxed myself in three years ago, and now look at me. I love crop tops, I love heels. I'm a girl and I change and I'm evolving. It's phases. And every woman, every man, every person on this planet goes through changes with their style, with who they are as a person. They change. And I think that that's one of the best things about fashion. There are no rules to it. And you should never box yourself in — even though you do, but you shouldn't.
TV: Do you feel like the performances on Stranger Things are changing because you guys are more comfortable taking it to the next level as peers, as colleagues, as actors?
AB: Yeah, definitely. It's like when you do something every day for 30 days, that becomes a habit. It's just what we do. We've filmed for six years now, and we don't even have to think about our characters; as soon as they say action, that's what we do. So as soon as you get used to something, that's what happens.
TV: Do you miss playing Jamie when you leave?
AB: Oh, yeah. Definitely.
TV: Do you get really excited to go back?
AB: Yeah. Yeah, I do. When I leave, I cry. I'm the only one that's full-on sobbing. I just can't. But this season, four, the last day, I was like, dye my hair pink. Wipe this off. I was definitely ready to go and be Amber [in Scream]. I was like, pierce my ears. I need them done. Yeah. But I was really sad too.
TV: What's it like on the set of Stranger Things?
AB: Everything you see on the show is what you get. We genuinely live in the '80s world when we're on set; everything. It's everything you see is what you get. And on our show, all the kids get the same. None of us are treated any differently. It's so fun: The first day of shooting we all get to choose our trailers and who we want next to us and who we don't want next to us. Finn's [Wolfhard] too loud, and I'm going to hear him when I'm trying to sleep. And Priah's [Ferguson] going to be next to me because she's my best friend. It's really what you see on the show; the best friends are what you get. Right on set, we're having fun playing board games, screaming at each other.
TV: You seem to have a special bond with Olivia Rodrigo, could we possibly see a collaboration from the two of you one day?
AB: Definitely, every time we hang out we share lyric ideas etc. It would be really fun to work with her, I love her very much.
TV: What else do you have going on?
AB: I have a collaboration with Florence By Mills [Millie Bobby Brown], and a collection that I worked on last year. I collaborated with FBM on a collection that I feel really passionate about, and I cannot wait for people to see it.
TV: How involved were you in the line?
AB: [I was involved in] everything, down to the little symbol on the box, which was really fun. I feel really passionate about it.
TV: And Lastly, how is Brady Hepner treating you?
AB: Oh wow, straight to the point ha-ha. He's wonderful, yep. I have nothing but nice things to say about him, in all honesty. He is the all time dream boyfriend I am extremely lucky to have him.
