**CHANEL** jacket, skirt, and bag and **8 OTHER REASONS** earrings.

Lexi Underwood—18-year-old singer and actor—seems to be pushing back against the general orbit, defying the status quo flow. Underwood might follow the movement of the planets—retrograde included—with the understanding that we all have something lined up for us, but in her own practice as an artist, she aims to disrupt. At 15, she started her own production company, Ultimate Dreamer Productions, with the intent to share impactful art—stories to shape and change dominant–and sorely outdated–narratives. And then at 16, she featured as Pearl Warren in the Hulu series, Little Fires Everywhere. Now, she’s starring in The First Lady and Sneakerella, both stories which challenge the dominant narrative arcs we’ve been shown time and time again, in favor of new, boundary-pushing portrayals. “I have made a conscious decision ever since I was younger,” Underwood says, “that whatever I create, whatever I attach myself to, I want it to be an impactful story—something that would shake up or disrupt the industry. Something that would have people talking.”

The First Lady does just that. In a stark divergence from previous artistic renderings of political figures, the show flips the White House narrative, telling stories of presidencies’ past from the women’s perspectives. Reflecting on the impact of the show, Underwood says, “When we tell the stories of historical figures—when it comes to American history—oftentimes women are left out of the narrative. Or we’ve just seen them in the background, or simply used as a supporting character to uplift the men. So I think with this, being able to not only honor these women in this way, but also where you get to see the authenticity of the strength and bravery that they had, that Michelle Obama continues to have, I think it’s really beautiful.”

Underwood plays Malia Obama—a difficult role to research given the Obama girls’ shielding from the public eye. For the actor, that was the beauty of delving into Malia’s story. She spent hours trawling YouTube for videos of the First Daughter, laughing or crying in the background. Underwood gained an even deeper understanding for her real-life counterpart. “It was really cool to learn more about Malia outside of her last name,” she reflects. “To understand that she has a voice—that she used it from the age of twelve and up until the end of [Obama’s] presidency.” A passion and purpose evocative of Underwood’s own.

In The First Lady, Underwood had the opportunity to act alongside the inimitable Viola Davis (Michelle Obama)—an opportunity which she arguably manifested after naming Davis as the person she wanted to work with after wrapping Little Fires. (Next on her list? Meryl Streep.) Underwood relished the opportunity to act with Davis, calling the experience a masterclass in itself. She gushes, “Just the mere fact that I was able to be in the same creative space with someone who I’d admired since she graced my screen... that’s a Black woman who is dominating this industry, and also not just limiting herself to stereotypical roles, or background or supporting roles.”

Not that Underwood is averse to supporting roles, so long as they’re in narratives which espouse that not everyone’s stories are monolithic or limited to trauma. “If I’m in a supporting role for the rest of my life, and it means that I’m supporting a trans actor, I’m supporting another Black woman, or I’m supporting an Asian woman in the lead role, that’s what I want to continue to do,” she says earnestly.

**CAROLINA HERRERA** blazer and belt and **STUART WEITZMAN** boots.

That said, she’s already taking the helm. Her upcoming film Sneakerella does away with the tale that, in order to be a princess, a girl needs her prince. On flipping the paradigm on its head, the actor reflects, “I think that it’s really cool that now in 2022 we’re talking about the fact that women can be princesses without a man having to come in and save the day. We can be princesses way before we even meet a man. We can carve and create our own lanes.”

Underwood is creating lanes for change offscreen as well, most recently partnering with (RED). “I love to attach myself to things that start conversations that people are usually scared to talk about,” she says. “I think that’s one of the most important steps of creating change— the fact that we have to feel comfortable having these dialogues. We have to make others feel comfortable enough to have these dialogues.” A firm believer in bringing under-reported issues to the table, Underwood makes a conscious effort to use her platform in ways she’d sometimes wished those before her had used theirs.

Underwood is well on her way up, but that rise won’t come without the rise of others. And you don’t do that without disrupting the predictable rhythms. “I think over the next five years, the stories that we’re getting ready to see, I’m really excited about it,” Underwood says with a smile. “I think it’s gonna be beautiful.”

Photographed by Easton Schirra At The Only Agency
Styled by Bin X Nguyen
Hair: Kendria Spratt
Makeup: Mecca Dickerson
Written by Madeleine Schulz