Few young actors have navigated Hollywood with the quiet confidence and versatility of Alisha Boe. After breaking through as Jessica Davis in Netflix’s cultural phenomenon 13 Reasons Why, the Norwegian-born actress has carefully built a career that refuses to be confined to a single genre. From the razor-sharp satire of Do Revenge to the lavish period world of Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers, Boe has gravitated towards women who are layered, resilient and unapologetically themselves. Her performances are rarely loud, but they linger, bringing warmth, wit and emotional depth to every role she inhabits.
Now, Boe enters an entirely new chapter as the global ambassador for YSL Beauty’s iconic Black Opium fragrance. Described by the House as “bold, edgy and real”, the partnership feels instinctive rather than manufactured. YSL Beauty positions Boe as a new generational icon whose effortless cool and undeniable sensuality embody the next evolution of Black Opium, a fragrance that celebrates fearless self-expression and nights lived unapologetically. It is a fitting collaboration for an actress whose appeal has always stemmed from authenticity rather than artifice.
As Boe prepares for another season of The Buccaneers while stepping into the seductive, nocturnal world of YSL Beauty, we spoke about the roles that excite her most, why Do Revenge became a cult favourite, representation in period drama, and what it really means to become the face of one of beauty’s most iconic fragrances.
You’ve built such a beautifully varied career, from emotionally charged contemporary dramas to stylised comedies and period pieces. At this stage, what kind of roles feel most exciting to you?
I want to do anything that challenges me. I’d love to do an action movie, a comedy, and a romance next.
In Do Revenge, there was this delicious, glossy, razor-sharp energy—it felt playful but also very knowing about power, image and teenage cruelty. What did you enjoy most about stepping into that world?
I was such a huge fan of Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great is one of my favourite comfort movies) that I jumped at the chance to work with her. I remember reading the script during COVID and fell in love with the world Jenn and Celeste Ballard had built. Filming the movie in Atlanta and Miami in the summer of 2021 ended up being one of the best summers of my life. Jenn had such a clear vision of that world, and I loved stepping into Tara’s costume, hair and makeup every day.
The film has become something of a modern cult favourite, partly because it captures that heightened, hyper-stylised version of youth. Looking back, what do you think made Do Revenge connect so strongly with audiences?
I think it connected strongly to audiences because it was inspired by iconic 90s films like Clueless and Cruel Intentions. Also, it was just a fun movie to watch, it had all the twists and turns while everyone looked hot as hell. And Sophie Turner’s cameo was iconic.
With The Buccaneers, there is such a refreshing feminist spirit running through the show. It gives period drama all the beauty and escapism we love, but with women who are bold, complicated, funny, sensual and disobedient. Was that part of what drew you to it?
I loved that these girls were disruptive in a very uptight society. I found it interesting, being a period drama, how we would explore these modern themes with the backdrop of English high society in the 1800s.
It is also powerful to see period characters from different ethnic backgrounds occupying high-ranking, socially visible spaces, especially in a genre that has historically been quite narrow in its casting. What has it meant to you to be part of that shift?
I’m grateful to be able to play a high society woman in the 1800s whose story isn’t centered on suffering. There’s still more work to do in our industry with representation, but I do believe we are making progress. I’m proud to have small part of this shift in representation.
Conchita feels so alive on screen: glamorous, impulsive, emotional and modern in her hunger for freedom. How did you approach making her feel true to the period while still incredibly immediate and relatable?
I knew going into the show, the creators wanted to do a period drama with a modern twist. My approach was to focus on Conchita as a young girl with an immense amount of responsibility. Marriage, motherhood, wanting to belong, are things women have been navigated for centuries. So, I didn’t really think of Conchita as a woman in the 1800s, I just thought of her as a woman.
The costumes, sets and atmosphere of The Buccaneers are so rich and cinematic. Did the physical world of the show—the corsets, gowns, houses and landscapes—change the way you moved, spoke or understood Conchita? How did it feel resuming the normal world?
The costumes really informed Conchita’s physicality. You immediately become more aware of your posture and how you breathe. It gave me an understanding of how women would carry themselves at that time. We film in Scotland and the landscapes are so insanely beautiful and untouched it feels like you have stepped back in time. The combination of costumes and environment definitely helped to immerse myself into Conchita’s world.
You have become the new ambassador for YSL Beauty’s Black Opium, a fragrance with such a seductive, nocturnal and rebellious identity. What does the world of Black Opium represent to you personally?
The Black Opium girl to me is fun, unapologetically herself, and daring. She’s the one who doesn’t wait for the party to start, she is the party. She’s magnetic and smells damn good walking into any room.
YSL has always had this incredible tension between elegance and edge. How does your own relationship with beauty, fragrance and self-expression align with that spirit?
Pink Glaze is sweet but not innocent, juicy and a little wild, the kind of sweet that dares you to want more. So being the face of Black Opium felt like such an organic partnership. Me and the vibe of Black Opium are one.
Between acting, fashion and beauty, you seem to move through very different creative worlds with a strong sense of identity. What makes you feel most powerful, most yourself, and most creatively alive right now?
Any time I go out with my girls, the windows are down, the music is loud, and you just feel like the city belongs to you.
