The Untold Truth Of Alexa Demie

This article mentions domestic abuse.

Alexa Demie is one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars, thanks to her scene-stealing performance on the HBO hit series "Euphoria," where she's played the ultimate cool girl Maddy Perez since 2019. Because of Maddy's bold looks, as well as Demie's own style off-screen, the Los Angeles native has also seemingly become quite the trendsetter in both fashion and beauty, making her an all-around industry "It Girl."

With that said, it may be surprising that Demie herself has managed to keep a low profile despite her recent rise to fame. She explained to People, "I'm a very private person. I think you can even see in my Instagram. You don't really get to know too much of my personality." What we do know, however, is that, per The Face, Demie has been acting since at least 2015, after a role in her friend's short film "Miles," led her to getting auditions and an agency. From there, Demie got a few small parts, before landing her first major role in the 2017 A24 film "Mid90s," and then her breakthrough part in "Euphoria" two years later.

Outside of acting though, Demie has other artistic pursuits, as well, like music, directing, and designing. With all those talents, it makes sense that Demie knew she was always destined for stardom. She even said,  "For me, it was never a question of could I make it; it was just a question of when." Now that she has made it, let's break down the untold truth of Alexa Demie.

Alexa Demie didn't have the easiest childhood, having grown up in a rough area of Los Angeles where she was supported solely by her mother who had emigrated from Mexico. "She got pregnant really young," Demie explained to Remezcla, adding, "She didn't have the support of my father because he was in jail." While Demie and her mother lived close to extended family, their neighborhood was pretty dangerous. "It was normal for us to see the drug addicts. Across the street from our house was a literal meth lab," Demie told The Face.

What probably made matters worse is Demie also had a hard time at school. She revealed to Dazed, "I was a bit of a loner in high school ... it got really dark and I was really, really sad." Yet she apparently had to learn to toughen up since classmates would often try to fight her. She even recalled to Wonderland, "I was bullied probably from elementary school all throughout high school; sometimes I'd leave early to avoid certain situations."

Another situation Demie wanted to avoid then was a bad relationship with her stepfather, which led her to leaving home at a young age. "I was sleeping on friends' couches and living in an acting studio at one point," she told People. Despite those hardships, Demie told The Face that in terms of her childhood, "I feel like it really shaped who I was, and it also helped me gain perspective and also to trust my intuition."

Most people probably don't know that Alexa Demie ran a pretty successful line of sunglasses when she was just in high school. The "Mainstream" actor originally did it as a hobby to combat her loneliness, telling InStyle, "I would just walk straight home after school, and I would rework vintage frames." Demie did so by buying wholesale sunglasses and then decorating them with things like jewels. She apparently had the time too, telling Wonderland, "I was in the performing arts program in senior year and I only had one or two classes, so I'd go straight home and work on my sunglasses."

That work quite literally paid off after Demie shared her sunglasses with a friend who worked at a store, who showed them to her boss, who then showed them to his partner. She dished on "The A24 Podcast," "He sold them at his boutique in Japan for a lot of money. "They just got really popular." She added, "This huge artist over there, G-Dragon, he wore them."

Eventually, other major stars like Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez also wore her designs, which she called Mainframe. J.Lo even rocked them on "SNL." "[It] was incredible because I'm not only obsessed with J.Lo, but I'm also obsessed with 'SNL,'" Demie gushed. Yet, she ended up pulling the plug on her business. Demie explained, "I then realized I wasn't getting paid at all to do any of this. I didn't know anything about business. I just enjoyed flying to Japan."

If you're wondering why Alexa Demie looked familiar before "Euphoria," it could be because you've seen the brunette beauty in a few music videos. In fact, i-D Vice reports that Demie's first entertainment job was in the music video for Azealia Banks and Pharell's song "ATM Jam,” back in 2013. Later in 2017, Demie appeared in R&B singer JMSN's music video for his song, "Slide." The two apparently hit it off, since Demie went on to star in more of his videos like 2018's "Talk is Cheap" and 2021's "Love 2 U."

Yet, Demie is more than just a video vixen considering she's worked behind the camera too. She not only directed "Talk is Cheap" for JMSN, alongside Natalie Falt, but his "Love 2 U" video, as well. It was apparently so visually stimulating that RNGLDR wrote Demie "Cement[ed] herself as more than an actress and emerging creative, but now established in her capacity to create vivacity without boundaries."

With that said, it's obvious that Demie has an eye for music videos. That's probably why at one point she also had a gig assisting Nicki Minaj's stylist, which seemingly led to her even creating a costume for the rapper to wear in one her music videos, according to W Magazine. It seems for Demie, she enjoys working with musical artists through any means. She explained to InStyle, "I love people with amazing music taste. I mean, that's something I look for when I'm reading scripts."

Alexa Demie wasn't only involved in the music industry through other artists' music videos in that the "Brigsby Bear" actor released her own songs as a singer-songwriter, too. Demie had seemingly always planned on making music while acting, explaining to W Magazine, "I've always known from a young age that I was meant to have multiple careers." In 2016, before launching to fame in "Euphoria," Demie released her first single, "Girl Like Me" and was featured singing on Pearl's song, "Turnin Tricks."

Although Demie is obviously better known as an actor, she revealed to Vogue that it was almost the other way around before "Euphoria" came along. "I wasn't reading anything that I liked. I thought about not acting and just focusing on music," she explained. While that clearly changed, her music tastes apparently still impact her acting career. She told InStyle, "If I see a really whack song in the script, I'm immediately kind of like, "I'm not doing this." However, when it comes to "Euphoria's" soundtrack, she added, "I just felt really grateful because music means a lot to me."

Demie hasn't fully abandoned her musical pursuits either. In 2019, she told The New York Times that she was working on her first EP. Then in 2021, she released another single, "Leopard Limo," which she promoted on her Instagram and made a music video for. It seems fans are interested, considering as of June 2022, it had over 2 million views on YouTube.

It's no secret that "Euphoria" made Alexa Demie a star, yet fans may be surprised to learn that the "Leopard Limo" singer almost didn't do the HBO show. For one, Demie was super close to quitting acting before she even auditioned for it. She revealed on "The A24 Podcast," "I got to the point where I was like, 'I'm over this, and I kind of don't even want to do this anymore'." Demie went on to explain that she wasn't booking jobs, adding, "I feel like a lot of the lead roles I would go out for would go to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl."

Yet it turned out that it was her failed audition for the film "Never Goin' Back" that may have helped her get the part in "Euphoria." She explained to Collider, "I met Augustine [Frizzell], a year before because I auditioned for her movie ... and I didn't end up getting that, but ... she emailed me and was like, 'I know we're gonna work together.'" She apparently was right because Frizzell ended up directing the pilot for "Euphoria," which put her in the room when Demie auditioned for the role of Maddy.

Once Demie got the gig though, she admitted she had hesitation. "The nudity was, it was tough for me...because I'm not really, I'm just not comfortable like that publicly," she told Vogue. Yet Demie dished that she's happy that she went outside her comfort zone for it since it turned out well.

Despite her "It Girl" status, Alexa Demie knows how to keep her personal life to herself, including her romantic relationships. It's seemingly what she prefers since she told InStyle, "I'm such a private person ... If I don't know you, I can be really shy." That's probably why not much is known about her romance with singer-songwriter, JMSN, whose real name is Christian Berishaj. According to Cosmopolitan, Demie has been dating JMSN since 2017 after the two met on the set of his music video for his song, "Slide."

Sparks must have really flown because not only did the two begin dating, but Demie went on to appear in several of his music videos and even directed some, suggesting she's not only his girlfriend, but also his muse. However, outside of their work together on screen, the couple keeps their relationship under-wraps like not posting personal photos of each other on their Instagrams but instead just stills from his music videos.

Yet, Demie has flirted with her man in the comments, writing "sexy" under one of his December 2021 photos, and later posting a heart emoji on another. The twosome also made it clear they were together when they were caught by paparazzi in October 2020 looking pretty happy and in love while frolicking on a Miami beach. As of February 2022, Demie and JMSN appeared to still be going strong since they were photographed together at a car repair shop, apparently doing errands like (gasp) a normal couple.

Alexa Demie seems to use her real life experiences to help relate to characters, even if it can be painful for her to do. She told i-D Vice, "I didn't have the most perfect life growing up, so I drew a lot from my childhood for 'Euphoria.'" One of those things in particular was apparently her mother's toxic relationship, which she channeled in her character Maddy's abusive relationship. She dished to Wonderland, "I would be alone before [those] scenes ... and think back to my past ... and seeing a dysfunctional couple in my home and trying to justify why she would stay and allow this."

Yet it wasn't all negative, because Demie revealed that it was also her mother's strength that inspired her performance in "Waves." Demie's character in the film struggles with an unplanned pregnancy, similar to what Demie's mother went through. "I tried to feel what she would have felt, being scared but also being very strong in your decision," she told Remezcla. Demie appears to appreciate everything her mother's overcome, considering she's making a movie about her life. She even told InStyle, "Working on her film has helped us heal a lot of our traumas."

Dealing with the past is something that Demie has been able to do through acting. She explained to The Face, "I'm attracted to heavy material. I think it's partly because of my past growing up. There's just a lot within me that wants to come out ... I feel like I've healed stuff through these roles."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

You could say there's some controversy when it comes to Alexa Demie's age, since well... no one knows for sure what it is. That's because ever since she rose to fame in "Euphoria" in 2019, different publications have claimed she is anywhere from 24 to 28-years-old, while others believe she's actually in her early thirties. While Demie has never seemed to correct the publications that referred to her age, there's been a few clues that point to her being older. For example, there's a photo of her with the Kardashians that looks to be from around the mid-2000's and her IMDb lists her being born on December 11, 1990.

There's been even more internet sleuthing too, considering another person found a 2009 interview Demie did for her former sunglasses line, where she was said to be 18-years-old. Then there's the viral TikTok of a girl showing her 2007 high school yearbook that seemed to feature a photo of Demie. The TikToker went on to explain in the comments that Demie graduated from her high school in 2008, writing (via Newsweek), "She is actually younger than I am, I believe she's 31."

Demie herself has never commented on her age or the conspiracies surrounding it perhaps because she plays a high schooler on TV and many of her co-stars are in their early twenties themselves. Regardless, it's safe to say that Demie's birthday really is no one's business and that she clearly looks fabulous for any age.

Alexa Demie may be an up-and-comer in Hollywood but she already has an impressive net worth from what she's accomplished so far. That's because the "Love" actor has $3 million in the bank, according to Celebrity Net Worth. While it's unclear how much of that is from her work on "Euphoria," Fame Ranker estimates her salary to be around $212,000. It can be assumed that Demie is now being offered more acting work on other lucrative projects too because of how popular the show has become. For example, she was rumored to be in the running for the highly-anticipated Madonna biopic, before the role went to Julia Garner.

Demie has ways of making money outside of acting though. In 2020, she landed a beauty campaign with MAC cosmetics that focused on her notoriously bold eye makeup. It seemed like a good fit, with Demie dishing, per Teen Vogue, [I] couldn't think of a more iconic brand to collaborate with!" Yet in 2022, she did work with another iconic brand, Balenciaga. Demie created three custom looks with them around "Euphoria's" Season 2 premiere, gushing to Vogue, "My vision came to life."

When it comes to her success, Demie told The Face, "I'm so glad to be where I am right now ... and I feel lucky to be able to get to do what I love." She acknowledged it didn't come easy though, adding, "I was doing the work without any proper support, trusting that it was all going to happen."

It seems Alexa Demie knew she was meant to be in "Euphoria" even before she was cast on the series. She explained to Wonderland, "I got this script and I. Freaked. Out ... It was just a dream script." It apparently came at a good time too since Demie had been unenthused with other scripts coming her way. She recalled to Collider, "This came along and I was like, 'I have to do this. I want this.'"

Of course, Demie makes the perfect "Maddy," yet she told Dazed, "I would have been any of the characters, to be honest," adding, "I feel very lucky that it ended up being Maddy." But if you think that's because Demie relates to Maddy, think again. "Maddy pulls me out of my comfort zone ... I'm more tomboy. She wears whatever the hell she wants ... I got to explore this other side," she dished to W Magazine. However, she did point out, "With all the sex and volatile relationships, that's so not me, and that was one of the hardest parts, to be vulnerable in that way."

Demie's vulnerability apparently helped others who do see themselves in Maddy. She told Dazed, "I've received a lot of messages from young girls and boys saying that they've left their relationships after watching [the show]." Outside connecting with the audience, Demie also appears to love her job because of who she gets to work with. She gushed to W, "I'm so grateful for this cast ... we all instantly connected and became a family."

Alexa Demie is seemingly very into fashion and beauty, which she apparently inherited from her makeup artist mother. "I grew up with a house full of fashion magazines, beauty magazines, and make-up books," she revealed to Dazed. Because of that, Demie wanted to help create the look for her "Euphoria" character, Maddy. She told Wonderland, "It was such a collaborative experience. I got to bring in like, all of my mood boards." Demie continued to be part of styling Maddy ahead of Season 2, explaining to Vogue, "I was really hands-on this season again with the costumes, the makeup, because I think that plays an incredibly important part in the way that it feels."

Yet, Demie's own style is very different from her character. She told InStyle that with Maddy, "I got to really explore a more feminine side ... which is not really how I dress." She continued, "I love '90s fashion ... I love timeless. I don't like trendy looks." She also isn't afraid to take aesthetic risks when it comes to art, like in her "erotic folklore" photography book "FairyTales."

It's safe to say that Alexa Demie is much more than just a TV actor on a hit show, but a true artist who has a lot more she wants to accomplish. As she explained to Wonderland, "I would always say I just want to have an empire ... To have my designs and albums, and I want to direct and write films. I think I'm meant to do it all."