Actress Alexa Demie, who plays the role of “Euphoria” fan favorite Maddy Perez, provides her own real-life back story with a Vogue makeup tutorial in which she reveals a lot more than just how to execute the perfect wing.
In the video, Demie reveals her mother was a MAC Cosmetics makeup artist, who from a young age emphasized skincare. The approach was also handed down to her by Demie’s great-grandmother who was an early adopter of serums.
Demie’s longtime interest in makeup translated to her taking a collaborative approach for the role. Working with the Doniella Davy-led beauty team, Demie put together three mood boards as inspiration for creating Maddie’s look, which was heavily influenced by her mom, “who always killed the ’90s look.”
Demie’s look on “Euphoria” is an extension of her own middle school look, which is partially inspired by growing up in a house where fashion magazines were everywhere. She explains, “Growing up in middle school and high school in L.A., I always had my hair slicked and I had my little baby hair and gold jewelry. It’s within my culture. L.A. has influenced my look.”
Demie is a big fan of not just wings but also lip liner. Reflecting on the early days of the series, she explained, “The pilot of Euphoria was the only episode they didn’t line my lips, and it killed me.”
If you’re wondering whether nails are real or fake, Demie explains, “My nails are not acrylic, they’re soft gels, and I think I’ve had long nails since middle school. I’ve had my wing and my nails.”
As for playing the character, Demie explains, I love playing Maddy. She really pulled me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways.” She added, “She would piss me off some times with some of her decisions. She’s bold, I think she’s dealing with a lot of emotional trauma at home. A lot of her decisions aren’t the smartest, but she’s doing the best she can.”
And while Demie is aware “Euphoria” has its controversial moments, she notes, “Everything we do in the show, we’re not glorifying it. We also show all the consequences.”
Check out the video below.
