Jewelry Designer Jessie Andrews Was Cast on ‘Euphoria’ Over DM

Last night’s episode of Euphoria was, to put it mildly, explosive. But amid the chaos was a familiar face, at least to the fashion set. (Light spoilers for episode five ahead.) Jessie Andrews, a 29-year-old model and entrepreneur, made her debut on the series as a rich wife who has her jewelry stolen by Zendaya’s character, Rue—which is ironic considering Andrews is known for her jewelry line, Bagatiba.

For those who have been following Andrews for a while, her appearance on the most viral show of the moment is no surprise. After starting her career at 18 as a successful adult-film star, she pivoted to modeling and subsequently launched three businesses—Bagatiba, Basic Swim, and Jeu Illimite, which have become go-tos for models off duty and fashion editors alike. She also appeared in the 2018 movie Hot Summer Nights alongside Timothée Chalamet and William Fichtner. She credits social media with fueling her success across industries, and fittingly the opportunity to appear on Euphoria came via Instagram DM.

“I followed Sam Levinson’s [private] account a while back after seeing him tagged in something,” she says. “I was curious to see what he’s up to, but he has such a private life. I decided to just put myself out there and see if he accepted me.” He did. Their online friendship then transpired as story watching and occasional replies. “Following Sam, I put myself on his radar in a way, which is a bold move,” she says.

After months of Instagram friendship, Andrews was first asked to play a different role on the show. When they ended up going with someone older for the part, Andrews considered her potential Euphoria career over. Later she got a message from Levinson out of the blue, asking about her plans for the following day. “Do you want to come and do this scene?” he asked her. Andrews was on set with Zendaya the next evening. “She’s just so much herself,” she says about the Emmy-winning actor. “She’s effortlessly confident.”

While Andrews’s mainstream acting career is still in its infancy, she’s already shared sets with two of the hottest young actors of our time. This, she says, comes down to networking and being patient for roles that are the right fit. Despite her growing creative success in both modeling and acting worlds, she always considers herself an entrepreneur first. “I’d say I’m 60% business and 40% creative,” she says. “I have more of a business brain, and because of that I’m able to market my creativity.”