Fashionista on a mission – Glass talks to gender-nonbinary actor Tommy Dorfman on social advocacy, filming TV during lockdown and the expressive power of clothing
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
Robot cameras, improvised sets and a scaled-down crew; the unique reality of shooting a television series in quarantine, a daunting task for even the most versatile actors. Yet for Tommy Dorfman, who late last year starred in Love in the Time of Corona, a comforting four-part rom-com mini-series filmed entirely in lockdown, it proved to be not only an enjoyable experience but a creatively freeing one.
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
“It made acting significantly easier,” Dorfman, who was born and raised in Atalanta, Georgia, tells me over the phone from their home in sunny California on a particularly gloomy evening here in the UK. “Typically, when you’re doing your scene, there are about 100 people surrounding you that you have to tune out. In this situation, nobody else was there. There was a lot of freedom to play and make distinct choices.”
Filmed remotely at the cast’s homes, the series, which follows four couples as they struggle to navigate their new reality during lockdown, was wrapped in just three days. “We were shooting 15 to 20 pages a day, but it was fun because we got to do our own hair and makeup and wear our own wardrobe,” says Dorfman. “I was honestly just grateful to be working at that time because everything was still so uncertain.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
The gender-nonbinary actor, whose career began in 2009 with the short film Foreign Exchange, got their big break in 2017 when they took on the role of Ryan Shaver in Netflix’s teen drama, 13 Reasons Why. Since then, the 28-year-old has starred in a number of hit TV shows, including Jane the Virgin, American Princess and Insatiable, made their theatrical debut in Danya Taymor’s New York-based play Daddy and become one of the most sought-after talents of their generation. And it’s not hard to see why.
Aside from being naturally talented at pretty much everything – they are also a skilled photographer, writer and art director – Dorfman is infectiously cheerful. “I got a new dog over lockdown. I feel like everyone in Los Angeles got a dog in the pandemic,” they say with a giggle.
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
When they’re not prepping for an upcoming role, Dorfman can be found on the front row at Fashion Week or fronting high-profile campaigns for the likes of Fendi, Calvin Klein and Diesel.
“Fashion has played a huge role in the way I choose to express myself, the way I choose to lean into fantasy, and idealised versions of self,” explains Dorfman. “It’s a way to showcase different parts of my personality that are ever-changing.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
This expressive relationship with clothing, they reveal, is nothing new. “Even as a child, I wore clothes that weren’t prescribed to my biological gender and, it’s nice to finally see those conversations happening on a larger scale. People have different ways of expressing themselves and, for me, fashion has always been this armour, a common denominator between other people and me.”
“It’s sort of like our secret language. I’ve always loved clothing and the anthropological side of fashion. I’ve done a lot of thinking, research and exploration around the connection between fashion and gender.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
Dorfman’s first taste of the fashion industry came at college, during which they took a job at Dover Street Market in New York. “That was in itself an education,” says Dorfman. “I was learning about Simone Rocha during her first collection and Jonathan Anderson, who I’m friends with now. It was really cool to see the trajectory of being a 21-year-old who was lost but took solace in this weird community of freaks that worked at Dover Street. We were all crazy. We looked like clowns, wearing stupid things every day, but we loved it.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
Fast-forward to the present day and Dorfman is a fashion fixture, with a bolder-the-better style that they share with their 1.3 million followers on Instagram. When asked what fashion designer they were currently most excited by, the answer was an easy one. “Kim Jones at Fendi. Obviously. It’s interesting to see Kim do womenswear. I love working with that house. Same with Saint Laurent. I wrote papers about Yves Saint Laurent and the impact he had on fashion in college, so for me to now work so closely with that house is a dream come true.
“I’ll never forget going to their studio in Paris for the first time. I was so overwhelmed. I called my mum crying. I was like, ‘this is so crazy. I think they’ve made a mistake!’”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
It’s not just major fashion brands that take their fancy, however. Dorfman has also served up serious sartorial inspiration in pieces from a number of emerging labels, from Collina Strada and Maisie Wilen to recent fashion graduates such as Harris Reed. “Oh, I also love Daniel W Fletcher. Even before he did Next In Fashion, I was wearing him. Coperni. Telfar. I could go on forever.”
Beyond OOTDs and joyful snaps with their husband, Peter Zurkuhlen, who they married in 2016, Dorfman uses social media to foster much-needed conversations around the biggest social issues of our time, particularly the Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter movements and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. “I always put a lot of effort into combatting homelessness in LGBTQ+ people, but especially trans folk. That is something that still keeps me up at night,” says Dorfman, going on to recount their own difficulties as a genderqueer person in the entertainment industry.
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
“I think, often, genderqueer, fluid and trans people feel like we should be grateful for the opportunities presented to us, and we shouldn’t ask for more money or the same rights. I’ve had to reframe my thinking around it and realise they need me more than I need them. There’s been an uprising with trans people globally, where we’ve staked our claim in new ways and stepped into our power. That is exciting to be a part of.”
And, while today, social justice is undoubtedly at the forefront of people’s everyday lives, Dorfman believes that we still have a long way to go. “I think it’s going to take years to radicalise centuries of trauma and disenfranchisement. We have to be diligent and continue our efforts both on and off social media.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
With plans to direct their own movie in the pipeline and having recently worked with Lena Dunham on a new project, things are looking ever promising for Tommy Dorfman. “I’m finally putting into action what I’ve been thinking about for the last five or six years,” they say excitedly. “It’s like I’m re-entering the high point of my career. That, to me, is really intoxicating and moving.”
Tommy Dorfman. Photograph: Angelo D’Agostino
Dorfman also intends to continue their advocacy and further amplify the voices of the less privileged. “As much as I can be a first responder in amplification, support and lending my body, space and time to black and trans liberation, I will be.”
by Joshua Hendren
Photographer ANGELO D’AGOSTINO
Stylist OLGA YANUL
Grooming ALISON CHRISTIAN at OPUS BEAUTY using DRUNK ELEPHANT and ORIBE
Digital tech BEN FLYNN
Post production LUSH RETOUCH
Talent TOMMY DORFMAN
Special thanks to THE TANGERINE HOTEL, LOS ANGELES
All clothing and accessories, FENDI Spring Summer 2021 Collection