Heartbreak High star James Majoos teases hit series’ second season as they take on new role with Longines

James Majoos discusses their huge fame in the wake of Netflix’s reboot of Heartbreak High, as they model high-fashion looks from Gucci to Zimmermann.

As one of the breakout stars of Heartbreak High, James Majoos has found a sense of belonging in fashion. The actor – who, by their own admission, is as at home in Gucci as they are in laid-back trackies – admits: “Fashion has been an important role in establishing myself as a human being”.

Majoos is still getting used to hearing people scream their name. “I get recognised every day … and that’s definitely been something new I’ve had to deal with,” the Heartbreak High star tells Stellar with a laugh.

“The majority of the time, it’s me being two metres down the street and hearing someone scream, ‘James!’ And I turn around thinking [it’s] a friend.”

James Majoos wears a Christian Dior jacket & pants for their shoot with Stellar. Picture: Adrian Price for Stellar

In Netflix’s 2022 reboot of the popular ’90s series, Majoos portrays non-binary, queer teen Darren Rivers – a role that has not only been praised for rewriting gender stereotypes but has given the show’s stars a burst of gen Z-fuelled fame.

“I live near a school so there are lots of high schoolers who come and say hello,” says Majoos, who splits their time between their home base in Melbourne and Sydney, where they will shoot the show’s second season later this year.

“And there have also been teachers and parents who have said how impactful it’s been … for the young people around them.

“It’s clichéd [to say], but it’s really humbling. The platform Heartbreak High has created for so many of us, the diverse cast – that we’re also sort of accidentally not the spokesperson per se but these spectacles of representation, which has been an interesting thing to navigate.

James Majoos: ‘I’m a huge fan of classic Hollywood, so something streamlined and clean is usually what I like to go for.’ Picture: Adrian Price for Stellar

“It’s not a bad thing when the work and the art you’ve made has touched so many people. I’ve had a lot of queer people come up to me … [saying] it has been so nice to see a character that isn’t just tokenistic – dropping slang and snapping their fingers – [but] a full person, someone so fully dimensional, which I don’t think we get very often in characters for young people in Australia. So that was just an honour.”

Majoos’ performance garnered a Best Lead Actor in a Drama nomination at last year’s AACTA Awards, and landed them on VIP guest lists (they hit the red carpet at last year’s GQ Men of the Year Awards) and walked in a runway show in Sydney last November. Now their head-turning style has led to a role as ambassador for the Longines Prize for Elegance at the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day at Sydney’s Royal Randwick on April 8.

“I always like something with a classic silhouette, something that’s simple and sophisticated,” Majoos says of their personal style and the inspiration for the outfit they are planning to wear trackside.

“I think for Longines Prize for Elegance … I’ll be going towards something a little bit more classic. I’m a huge fan of classic Hollywood, so something streamlined and clean is usually what I like to go for.

“What’s exciting about [Longines] to me as a brand is [it’s] also sort of pushing the boundary a little bit,” they add. “Longines is very timeless.”

James Majoos: ‘Fashion has been important in separating myself from my characters …’ Picture: Adrian Price for Stellar

From a raspberry Nerida Winter beret and pleated one-shoulder Aje top to a pair of Zimmermann flares they model in Stellar’s photo shoot, it’s clear that Majoos relishes outfit choices that also push boundaries.

“I think people expect something completely different from me [due to] my portrayal of Darren – to be very glitzy. [But] fashion has been important in separating myself from my characters, a way of elevating what’s already there, rather than going for the most.”

As for their current style mood? Majoos jokingly replies: “I want to be in my icon era but at the moment, today, I’m in my sweats-and-trackies era.”

Jessica Rowe on the cover of this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Daniel Nadel for Stellar

Originally published as Heartbreak High star James Majoos teases hit series’ second season as they take on new role with Longines