Jewish Activist-Model Hari Nef Rocks Sequins And Talks Witches With Seth Meyers
Hari Nef, Seth Meyers Image by GETTY IMAGES/FORWARD MONTAGE
Dripping in scarlet sequins and swishing loose blonde curls, breakthrough Jewish star Hari Nef took her rightful place on the late night stage. The model, actress, and intellectual appeared on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on Wednesday night to promote her gruesome dark comedy “Assassination Nation.” In her five minutes with Meyers, she managed to school him on queer slang, extol Salem witch trials witness Ann Putnam, and historically contextualize contemporary American Islamaphobia.
That’s our girl.
Nef, who made history in 2015 when she became the first transgender model to be signed by a major modeling agency, is a kind of old-new diva. A graduate of Columbia University, her natural glamor and taste have shone on screen, like in Amazon’s “Transparent,” and in glossy campaigns for brands like L’Oreal and Gucci.
As “Assassination Nation,” the brutal comedy from Jewish writer-director Sam Levinson thrills audiences, Nef told Meyers that her fascination with the Salem witch trials (an inspiration for the movie) goes back to childhood. The Massachusetts native remembered that as a child, “I would go to Salem every autumn to just walk around..there’s this museum there with this giant statue of Satan.” She laughed, gloriously. “It’s my favorite museum.”
After issuing a “shout out to my good sis Ann Putnam — Goody Putnam!” she said, of witch trials, “they’ve happened periodically in American history, over and over again — whether it was in the 50’s with Communists, or early in this century, with Muslims.”
And as Hari told Seth, that’s the tea.
Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
