Actor Alisha Boe is an authority on high school hallways. The star of Netflix’s ‘Do Revenge’, which premiered September 16, 2022 on Netflix’ reflects on her role as Jessica Davis in the smash teenage lives drama ‘13 Reasons Why’ [2017-2020] with Yvette King.

Photographer Boo George [IG] captures the young actor in the pages of Vogue Singapore’s September 2022 issue, styled by Fabio Immediato in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Sportmax, Valentino and more./ Hair by Niel Moodie; makeup by Wendy Rowe

A biracial woman — the daughter of an Oslo, Norway mother and Somali father — Boe was precocious at a young age, insisting that her parents act as her audience for stretches as long as 45 minutes. Born in Norway, she moved with her mother to LA at age seven, attending El Camino Real Charter High School in San Fernando Valley. Notable alumni of the school include America Ferrera and Tiffany Haddish.

“Did I experience microaggressions? Yes, absolutely. The school I went to was predominantly white and people weren’t as informed as they are now. They would say racist things to me, sometimes not knowing it was offensive.”

In her new movie ‘Do Revenge’, now streaming on Netflix, the main themes include bullying, disinformation, shunning and trauma using dark comedy. In her role as Jessica Davis, in ‘13 Reasons Why’, she is the victim of sexual assault.

“Being able to have this open dialogue about sexual assault and women’s rights, it taught me a lot about feminism and awareness on trauma. Also, how we heal and how important open communication is without shame. It was like growing up. I feel like now I’m trying to be kind to people, which I think everyone should be.” Not only did she enjoy being able to play such a well-rounded protagonist, Boe was ecstatic she was cast as a lead, rather than the tokenistic, ethnically ambiguous side parts she was used to auditioning for as a biracial actress.

Alisha Boe is currently working on a period drama series by Apple TV+ inspired by Edith Wharton’s ‘The Buccaneers’, and she is feeling truly blessed with her life.

Understanding the Human Condition

There’s a theme of understanding and forgiveness that runs through Boe’s Vogue Singapore interview, that is not part of today’s cancel culture — a topic the actor speaks to in depth.

Coincidentally, a new book ‘Adrift: America in 100 Charts’ is lying on my bed.” Typically well-informed on these matters, I missed new research citing optimism as lengthening life by as much as 8-12 years in older adults. Boe is a young woman also speaking obliquely to the role of optimism in our lives.

Nothing is sugar-coated in Alisa Boe’s interview about teenage life of being a mixed race woman. But one is left with the strong feeling of listening to an old soul in a super-complicated world.