Zach Barack: Hollywood’s new hero

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Just a few years ago, Zach Barack didn’t think he would ever tell anyone he was transgender. Now he’s living his truth in the most high-profile way possible after appearing in this year’s billion dollar-grossing blockbuster “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” where he became the first out trans actor to have a speaking role in a Marvel movie. The 24-year-old Barack also appeared in the series finale of Amazon’s “Transparent,” a show he has looked up to “as a queer Jew with a complicated family,” he told The Forward, where he sung in celebration of his identity.
Zach Barack
Breakfast: Eggs and fruit- unless I’m splurging, in which case it’s a cream cheese bagel with lox and red onion.
What’s the last thing you listened to on your phone? “Disco Tits,” by Tove Lo
Earliest Jewish memory: Not being able to sit still in synagogue on the high holidays.
Hero: Robin Williams
2019 memory: My first red carpet and movie premiere.
What is your favorite thing about being Jewish? Community for sure — you always have it, even with people you don’t know.
What app can you not live without? Roller Coaster Tycoon. Can’t explain it, I just kick-ass at designing theme parks.
Weekend ritual: Therapy and a new movie
Follow Zach Barack on Instagram @ZachBarack
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
