This article was published on August 25th, 2020
Without question, part of who we are and how we present ourselves and our style to the world shows through our hair. For decades, within the LGBTQ2S+ community, hair culture has been used to express identity and allyship. Some find themselves following societal rules and norms set, while others embrace the opportunity to show their true selves through a new do. It’s the latter that the recently release short series The D Cut shines the spotlight on.
Championing inclusivity, The D Cut, a short series co-produced by Dove Hair, Unilever Entertainment and Shaftesbury, set forward to ring the message of how important community, friendship and self-expression is. Just as the co-producer Dove calls on all to embrace beauty as a source of confidence, not anxiety, the series makes the connection by aiming to empower people to express themselves through hair, regardless of societal beauty norms or expectations.
Inspired by a true story, The D Cut tells the story of a celebrity hairstylist who builds a strong community, one client and hairstyle at a time. Her name? D, played by Marie Marolle–a hair stylist and hometown icon who provides a safe space for queer hairstyles on a pay-what-you-can basis. When the possibility of her losing the communal space due to gentrification arises, D comes to learn that community, love and acceptance are what is most important. With a love story twist and a whole lot of fun hair expression, the series is a must-watch entertainment piece for those who continue celebrating Pride all-year-round.
Meet some of the faces behind the series
Elle Mills, plays Brione
Popping up for a guest appearance in the first episode of The D Cut, Brione–played by Elle Mills–starts us off on a journey of exploring what it means to “look queer” or “not queer enough.” Recognized as ElleOfTheMills by many, is a breath of fresh air to the creative community. The Canadian star’s commitment to honesty and authenticity is easily detected throughout all of her content. She has been adequately recognized for her raw, vibrant, witty, and undeniably hilarious character.
Being bisexual herself, Mills celebrates all types of people, embraces them in her online community and welcomes her audience into her wild and hilarious journey through life. Gifted with a masterful director’s eye for detail, Elle is an actress and director that has appeared in My Brother Got Dumped So I Gave Him a Hair Makeover, I Threw My Own Pride Parade Because My City Didn’t Have One and YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind. Relatable, real, and ridiculously comical, Elle’s viral multi-platform content has made her a rising internet sensation and true role model for many. She was awarded the top “Breakout YouTuber” at the 10th Shorty Awards to prove it.
Keara Graves, plays Max
Playing the edgy nonbinary character Max, Keara Graves found it easy to relate to her character as they both use their hair as one of their primary forms of self-expression. Originally from Toronto, Graves is an actor, content creator, and singer, best known for the lead role of ‘Leia’ on the hit Netflix/Family Channel television series Lost & Found Music Studios and in the Netflix series Grace. Keara has a rapidly growing following on her YouTube channel and posts new original content every week. As a writer and director, her short film Night Drive generated over 9 million YouTube views. Next you can catch her in a recurring role opposite Billy Campbell in the TV series Cardinal and as a series regular in the upcoming Netflix original series Grand Army. Graves spoke about her experience on The D Cut:
Tell us about a highlight from your experience on the set of The D Cut
My favourite thing about working on The D Cut was the inclusivity of the set! I’d never before seen pronoun pins being provided on set, which is definitely a step in the right direction for the film industry to be more inclusive. Overall everyone was so awesome and accepting!
The series is inspired by a true story; do you ever wish to visit a queer hair salon to get the perfect “queer haircut”?
The series sheds light on a very important issue—today’s hair salons simply do not represent people of all styles, sexualities and gender identities. There’s still a lot of gender stereotyping; LGBTQ2S+ people don’t always feel supported at regular hair salons. The fact is, we shouldn’t need to have a queer hair salon, because queer people should feel comfortable and welcome enough in any hair salon!
Always up for a challenge, Director, DJ and drummer, D.W. Waterson was eager to take on the task of directing the series. Ensuring the set was well organized and a safe space for all, the director created a family-like environment for the cast in a matter of days. D.W. is mainly known for their multi award-winning digital series THAT’S MY DJ. D.W. is a 5-time award-winner of Best Director and has won Notable’s 2017 Director of the Year. D.W. has recently returned from the UK where they consulted and directed 2nd unit on the Netflix Original series TURN UP CHARLIE starring Idris Elba and Piper Perabo.
Viewers can watch The D Cut by clicking the link here.
