Hulu’s “First Day” Gives a Voice to Trans Youth

Starting a new school year can be terrifying for any child, but what about a child who is transgender?

That is exactly the topic of discussion in Hulu’s new mini-series, First Day. Set in Australia, First Day tells the beautiful story of Hannah Bradford, a young, transgender girl who is about the begin her first year of middle school. Not only does she have to navigate the challenges that come with starting a new school, but she must also find the courage to live as her most authentic self.

Playing the role of Hannah is 15-year-old Evie Macdonald. Over the years, she has appeared in numerous runways, editorials, and photographic stills. First Day is her first ever acting project, and she is the first transgender person to play a lead role in an Australian, scripted television series. The team behind First Day worked closely with Macdonald to truly capture what it is like to be a young girl who happens to be transgender.

In addition to modeling and acting, Macdonald is a spokesperson for transgender rights and was featured on Australia’s news talk show The Project in September 2018 responding to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s misguided comments about gender whispers. She has also spoken to influencers, leaders, and visited Parliament House in Canberra to campaign for rights and law reform.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Macdonald about First Day, her work to fight for transgender youth awareness, and her own personal transitioning journey. Hi, Evie! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How are you doing during these unprecedented times?
I am actually doing pretty well. Both of my parents have been able to work, so I have been a little more privileged than a lot of other people have. Even though Melbourne, the city where I am, is, like, the worst city in Australia right now in terms of COVID, which is pretty sad because I feel like it is just such a dark time. I just can’t wait for things to get back to normal, but overall, I have been doing pretty well. I have been in a good place, and school has been very easy.

I am glad you are doing well. Now, you are starring in Hulu’s new min-series First Day. Can you tell us more about the show?
First Day is about a transgender girl named Hannah who is becoming her true self. It’s just about her life and how deals with the problems she might face.

How does it feel that this is your first acting role?
I felt really, really privileged. Like, being seen as the lead, that was such a big deal to me. I have never done anything like this before, but to find out that I got the lead was, like, mind-blowing. I was very happy.

And even more, you are the first transgender person to play a lead role in an Australian, scripted television series. Why do you think this is so significant?
I believe now that it’s being done, it is going to happen more. At least, that’s what I have heard. I really do hope that it is seen more on television, and honestly, it should be. I should be a normalized thing.

So, you think we will see more trans youth represented in media and entertainment?
Yes, exactly.

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What do you hope audiences take away from First Day?
From a personal perspective, I really do hope they just see Hannah as a normal person. I feel like when you watch the TV series, you actually see more of her emotions and things that you wouldn’t normally see when you talk to a trans person. You actually get to see her home life, school life, and in-depth as to what kind of person she is. It just shows that she is exactly like everyone else. She has demons, and she has really good people around her. I just want people to see that trans people are normal.

Have you always had a passion for acting and modeling?
Yes, since I was very little. There was a new thing that happened quite a while back. It was for this fundraiser, and my family and I went and they had a camera going around. I didn’t know what they were filming, but I was on this ride, and I was actually on TV that night. I was very excited. Since then, I wanted to do more stuff like that.

When did you start to realize that you were different?
It’s a bit hard to say. When I was in kinder, I was like, 3 or 4 years old, it’s not that I knew I was different, I just wasn’t like what my parents wanted me to be. My parents were very, like, go kick a football, go and play sports and stuff, and I was very much against that.

It wasn’t more of like a feminine thing and me just being a feminine guy; it was more like the whole thing just didn’t suit me. When I got into prep and year one, I kind of knew then that I just wasn’t right. I wasn’t like all the other guys in my level. I always tended more towards female. I never understood why, but once I got to level three, I was like, in my head, it was more that I was in the wrong body. That was the only way I could explain my feeling.

How did your family respond when you told them that you felt like you were in the wrong body and you wanted to transition?
Of course, like any family, they were a bit surprised, and my family hadn’t heard anything about what being trans is, which is the majority of the reason why we do as much advocacy now. We do want people to know more about it. My parents, they were a bit tough to crack at first, but once they understood that it wasn’t a phase, they really got on board, and they took me to the doctors. I saw my pediatrician and had a lot of interviews with doctors to just understand. Once I had gone to The Royal Children’s Hospital, my family was pretty much on board by that time. They knew what it meant.

You have done so much work in raising awareness and fighting for transgender youth. Can you tell us more about Australia’s general stance on trans and LGBTQ issues?
I think it’s more just education in Australia. A lot of people are okay with me being trans, me especially. I am coming from personal experiences. I believe since we have had gay rights and everything, it has been more of a big step towards going in the right way, but I feel like a lot of people have this really strong misconception about what it means to be trans.

I feel like the main thing is, there is no right way to be trans. Everyone is different. A lot of people don’t understand that you can be trans and very masculine or feminine. It just depends on what kind of person you are. I feel like with the right education, everyone is pretty easy-going after they understand it fully. How is your transitioning going?
It’s alright. Obviously, I am going to face people that aren’t going to really accept the way I live my life, but I just push past that because as long as I am happy, I don’t really care what other people think.

How do you respond to people who say that children are too young to know what they are and this is just a phase?
It annoys me because your child is obviously going to know what they’re talking about. I know for a fact; I am working on psychology right now in school. A child can understand the level between right and wrong and what and who you are from the level of 5 to 10 years old. They understand that. I feel like if your child is consistently telling you something, and you’re not listening, then that’s not the child’s fault; that is your fault.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
Honestly, I just hope to be a successful actor. It’s something that I am very passionate about and I love doing it, so I would really love to go more into my acting path.

Are there any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
Not right now because COVID has restricted a lot of auditions, but I was auditioning for a lot of stuff. So, hopefully when all this stuff is over, I might land a couple things.

To stay up-to-date with Macdonald, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Photos Courtesy of Hulu