HayesWarnerisn’tchoosingbetweenmusicandacting

From New York open mic nights as a teenager to starring in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of The Shards, Hayes Warner discusses her acting debut, creating original music for the series and refusing to take “no” for an answer.

 

WORDS Flore Boitel

 

Before Hayes Warner joined Ryan Murphy’s The Shards, she was a teenager performing an original song at a New York open mic night, dreaming of becoming a singer-songwriter. That moment led to her first studio recording experience and set her on a path from opening for Lewis Capaldi and performing at Lollapalooza to a new chapter on screen.

 

For Warner, acting isn’t a departure from music but a natural extension of the same creative drive. Playing Debbie Shaffer in The Shards brings together her love of performance, storytelling and songwriting, allowing her to explore a new medium without leaving the old one behind.

 

Landing the role, however, was far from easy. A longtime admirer of both Bret Easton Ellis’ novel and Murphy’s work, Warner refused to let the opportunity slip away after an initial setback, writing Murphy a letter asking for another chance. Her determination paid off, taking her to Los Angeles, where filming the series not only marked a career milestone but also gave her a new sense of home, thanks to the close-knit cast who quickly became like family.

 

Speaking with Imagine, Warner reflects on the full-circle experience of joining a project from Murphy, whose work she has long admired. She discusses bringing Shaffer to life, creating original music for The Shards, and balancing two creative worlds.

Flore Boitel: Growing up in New York City, were there specific experiences, places, or moments that shaped who you became as an artist?

 

Hayes Warner: I think I was very lucky to grow up in a place like New York, where I was surrounded by other creative people pursuing creative things. Having access to incredible Broadway shows, school theatres, auditions and professional opportunities from such a young age really shaped me. Growing up in that New York “melting pot” exposed me to so many different creative outlets.

 

One of the biggest moments growing up in New York for me was an all-ages open mic night. I was obsessed with performing, all I wanted to be was a singer-songwriter. I submitted my name for one of these open mic nights, which I think was somewhere near Broadway, where young people could go up and perform. A producer happened to be in the audience. I was around 14 and I had written a song and performed it. Obviously, I now think it was terrible but he saw something in me and invited me to record it at his studio. That was my first experience being in a recording studio. I got to work with him and write music throughout middle school and high school, and I think that experience really helped push me deeper into the arts. Having opportunities like that felt very uniquely New York.

 

FB: Now that you’re living in LA, which city feels more like home creatively? New York or LA?

 

HW: New York is and will always be my home. I grew up there, my whole family is there, and I always thought I would stay there forever. But when I got the opportunity to be on The Shards, which was filmed in LA and set in LA, I had this unique experience of discovering the city at the same time as my character was. I got to see LA through a completely different lens. I also had structure, I had to go to set every day, and I had a built-in community through the show. That made LA feel much more comfortable than it had before.

 

In New York, I had my family and friends and loved the energy of the city, whereas LA always felt a little slower. But while working on the show, my life was so busy and exciting that it had the same kind of energy I loved about New York. I ended up falling in love with it. I also had a short amount of time between filming and the release of the show to really dive into music, and so many people are out here for music. It made more sense geographically than constantly flying back and forth. So I’m here now, but who knows?

 

FB: You’ve built a career across music, live performance and now acting. When did you realise you wanted to pursue multiple creative paths?

 

HW: My love of music has always been tied to my love of performing. When I started touring a few years ago and really began taking my artist career seriously, I realised I love songwriting so much, but I love performing just as much. I also grew up doing musical theatre because it was the one creative path that had structure. You audition for a show, you either get it or you don’t. I never really understood how I could build a career in music until much later, after a lot of trial and error.

 

I always loved acting, but what drew me to this specific project was how much I loved the book and how much I admired Ryan Murphy’s work. The music in the show is also such a huge part of it, so it felt like the perfect role for me. Ultimately, music and acting feel very connected because they both come from my love of performing.

 

FB: You’ve opened for artists including Lewis Capaldi, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve taken from those experiences? Did they influence how you act on stage today?

 

HW: Opening for other artists has been incredibly inspiring. It taught me a lot about touring, the logistics behind it and how to build yourself as an artist. Music is very different from acting, which I quickly realised. With music, you’re really your own boss. Of course, there are labels and teams involved, but ultimately it’s on you to keep pushing, handle rejection, put your head down and keep doing the work.

 

Acting is challenging in completely different ways, but you’re often working within a structure, you have a schedule and a team around you. Music taught me a lot about perseverance and the importance of continuing to fight for something, and that mindset has helped me with acting too.

FB: You’ve also performed at major festivals like Lollapalooza. How does performing live compare with creating music in the studio?

 

HW: As I’ve had more opportunities to perform live, I’ve started writing for performing. I think about the live set, the flow of the show and how I want people to feel throughout an hour-long performance. Do I want a ballad? Do I want something more upbeat? I’ve always had extreme energy on stage. I love going crazy, seeing people mosh and have fun. Artists like Joan Jett and Hayley Williams have really inspired me because of their energy and the way they make audiences feel when they perform.

 

FB: Is there a song you’ve released that means something different to you now than when you first wrote it?

 

HW: Oh, interesting. I think it’s funny because songs capture specific moments in time and emotions I was experiencing. I was cheated on years ago, and it completely consumed me. Writing was such an important outlet for getting over that. My song Predator is tied to that whole era of my life. Now, when I look back, I don’t see those songs only as revenge anthems, I see them more as outlets for healing. I’m actually impressed by how self-aware I was while going through those moments, because it was a really hard time for me.

 

FB: What usually inspires you to make music? Is it mostly personal experiences?

 

HW: I usually say that I’m inspired by observing people around me, but what I end up releasing is almost always the music that’s the most honest to me and something that I’m going through. Sometimes it’s almost to a fault because releasing something so truthful can make me anxious. But in some ways, it’s really healing while writing.

 

FB: Do you make music hoping it can also heal the people who listen to it?

 

HW: Totally. One of my favourite things about touring is meeting people who listen to my music and hearing their interpretations of the songs. I’ve heard so many personal stories from people who connect with songs I wrote during difficult moments in my own life. I’ve heard some crazy cheating stories because of those cheating songs I made. I hope my music can mean something different to everyone.

 

FB: You’ve been described as Gen Z’s pop-punk princess, but now audiences are also getting to know you as an actor. How does it feel to introduce yourself in a completely new way, especially to people who might only know you from The Shards?

 

HW: I’m incredibly proud of this project and just being part of The Shards. I will always be a singer-songwriter, and music is such a huge part of the show as well. I think the two are very separate. I really relate to the character I’m playing in some ways, and I’m excited for people to experience that side of me. I think a lot of actors worry that people will only see them as an actor and that they can’t be both. But I personally am just both. I’ve been a singer-songwriter my entire life, it’s all I’ve ever loved to do.

 

I’m so grateful to Ryan Murphy and the entire music team for allowing me to include music in this project. I’m going to keep releasing music, whether it’s for The Shards or my own artist project, because it will always be a huge priority in my life. I never want it to feel like I’m choosing between being an actor and being a musician. I love exploring different creative mediums and I’m so lucky I got this opportunity to step into the shoes of a character while continuing to create music.

 

FB: You’ve performed in front of huge audiences as a singer. Did being on stage help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera?

 

HW: It’s interesting because the two are so different. My nervous system reacts completely differently to both.

 

On stage it’s just adrenaline. You have an hour or an hour and a half on stage, you have to be completely present, and if you hit a wrong note, it’s out there, it happened. Acting is a completely different process. You can be on set for 18 hours a day, repeating the same scene over and over again.

 

The biggest thing where performing really helped with my acting was learning how to let go of judgements of myself. When I go on stage, I have to put my best foot forward and just be myself. When it came to acting, no matter how much preparation I did, I had to let go, be present with my scene partner and stop thinking about everything else. Performing live helped me with acting a million other ways but that’s one.

FB: What made The Shards feel like the right project for your acting debut? What was the process of getting the role?

 

HW: It was honestly the craziest seven months of my life trying to get this role. Being on The Shards has been a life-changing opportunity, and I knew that from the second I got an audition. I think the grit you need to be a singer-songwriter really helped me through the process. Music requires so much persistence: touring in a van, trying to get people to listen to you and help you and getting financing. That experience gave me the resilience I needed.

 

I got the audition because I was a huge fan of Bret Easton Ellis, the author, and Ryan Murphy’s work, the producer. My acting agent sent me the audition, and I read it with my dad in my living room before sending in the tape. I didn’t think much of it, I was just excited to get an audition. Then I got a call from Ryan Murphy’s team, which I couldn’t believe. I went in for a callback in New York and read for Ryan, and it went really well. After that, they flew us out to LA for a screen test. At that point, I was surrounded by gorgeous blonde girls that I had seen in a million other projects and I honestly thought I had no chance. After the screen test, none of us girls got the role, but the guys did. They were all celebrating so me and the girls decided to get drinks. We were on a rooftop and I remember thinking, “I think this is meant to be. I need this role. I want this role. I will do anything.”

 

“I think this is meant to be. I need this role. I want this role. I will do anything.”

 

I ended up writing Ryan a letter saying I would love another chance and that I knew I could do better. I didn’t hear anything for a month. Then, while I was on tour in Midland, Texas, I got a response from Ryan with notes. I filmed another self-tape in the middle of nowhere using natural light, and the next day I found out I got the role. Two weeks later, I had moved to LA and started filming. It was the craziest time of my entire life. Ryan tells me now that writing that letter was a huge reason for why I got the part.

 

FB: Ryan Murphy is known for horror and psychological thrillers. Were you already a fan of that genre before joining The Shards?

 

HW: Oh yeah! Psychological thrillers are probably my favourite genre of television and film.

 

FB: Do you have a favourite Ryan Murphy project?

 

HW: I grew up watching Glee and American Horror Story. I watched Love Story while we were shooting the show, and getting to be around Ryan while watching his work was something I’ll never forget. I’m a huge Ryan Murphy fan.

 

FB: Your character Debbie Shaffer comes from a world of privilege and elite prep-school culture. What interested you about playing her, and how did you approach finding the person underneath that polished exterior?

 

HW: What’s interesting about Debbie, especially in the book, is that you’re only seeing her from Bret’s perspective because he’s the narrator. That’s what excited me during the audition process, I could tell Ryan wanted to divulge Bret’s perspective. There are moments where Debbie exists outside of how she is perceived by him. She has so much going on beneath the surface, and she’s such a layered character. Getting to explore that, especially for my first professional acting project, was incredible.

 

Her relationship with her family and her upbringing were really interesting to me. I think she uses glamour, glitz and the obsession with social status as a coping mechanism for everything that she went through growing up and everything she goes through now. I’m definitely a Debbie Shaffer fan.

 

FB: Did reading the book influence how you approached the character and the role?

 

HW: For sure. I had read the book when it originally came out, but during the audition process I read it three more times. While filming, whenever we had a scene that connected to something in the book, I would go back and reread those scenes. I was always thinking about where I wanted to stay true to the book and where the adaptation was exploring something different. But I always wanted to stay true to what was happening in the writing. I probably read my scenes in The Shards around 25 times.

FB: Since the show takes place in LA and you were also experiencing LA for the first time, did your own experiences influence your portrayal?

 

HW: Yes. There were so many moments where we would film a scene somewhere in LA, and then the next morning I’d be driving down that same street to get coffee. I was really living in the world of the book and experiencing it for the first time felt like being an excited teenager again. The people on the show became like family, which mirrored the relationships in the story. Living together, exploring LA together and experiencing this whole new chapter was very meta.

 

FB: How did the opportunity to contribute original music to The Shards come about?

 

HW: Ryan knew from the beginning how important music was to me and my career. As we became closer through the process, he told me that however they could involve me with the music, they would. That meant so much to me. He was such an incredible mentor, and the fact that he understood how important music was to me and wanted me involved was really special.

 

FB: You’ve written music for film and TV before such as for the Descendants franchise. What felt different about creating music for a project where you’re also part of the story?

 

HW: Because I’m in the show, I care so much. It’s my everything, it’s my life and so I wrote so many songs. I wanted to get it perfect for what I felt helped the plot and the energy of the story as much as possible. Having written for other film and TV projects helped because you have to balance two things: making something that feels like your own artistic voice while also serving the story.

 

FB: Your 20s can be such a transitional time. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself during this chapter of your life?

 

HW: Oh my gosh! This year has been like a power course in learning about myself. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is the importance of continuing to push forward and not letting a “no” deter you from pursuing something.

 

You have to put your head down and block out the noise. Getting The Shards felt like a reward for doing that for so many years. It was discouraging hearing so many “no’s” along the way, but it showed me that things can work out if you keep going.

 

FB: What would be your dream acting co-star and dream music collaboration?

 

HW: My dream music collaboration changes every day. I’m obsessed with Charli XCX, and I love Olivia Rodrigo’s new album. Also, Troye Sivan is on the The Shards soundtrack, and the fact that we’re part of the same project is honestly a dream come true. That’s a huge one for me. For acting, I’d say Leonardo DiCaprio. I know that’s a cheesy one, but I recently watched The Wolf of Wall Street and I would just love to learn from him.

 

FB: You’ve gone from performing at festivals like Lollapalooza to starring in a major TV series. Does success feel different from how you imagined it when you were starting out? And how do you define it today?

 

HW: Wow, yes for sure. I think success, for me, means feeling like I put my best foot forward and did the best I possibly could, especially given the circumstances. Years ago, I probably would have defined success through external validation and people liking my work. But now, it’s much more about knowing I did the prep work, understood the intention and put my best work out. If I put something out that feels honest and true to me, that’s success.