HBO Betty's Moonbear makes Noise
Moonbear is the type of cool that doesn’t need acknowledgment. The 28-year old has a lot of ideas up her sleeve and isn’t going to take anyone’s opinions seriously.
Check out our exclusive interview with Moonbear down below.
How did you get into skating?
I got into skateboarding because I was watching Tony Hawk on television when I was around 11 actually. Like every time I tell people, I'm like, "Oh, I was 12," but I was turning 12 and I asked for a skateboard for my 12th birthday.
What’s your experience in the skate community as a Black queer person?
I feel like it's a little bit different now compared to before, like when I first started skating because, I'd say I started skating a bit less in like public places, sort of. It was kind of weird because there'd be a lot of questions about other people but, besides that, when it was people that I knew like skating is pretty cool, it's chill. Like I've never really had too many problems skating as like a black person or queer person. Occasionally there's like a few people that feel entitled to take up the space but, for the most part, it's been pretty good.
You started “Free My Boobs” to start the conversation about reducing the stigma of women’s bodies. What was the moment that you knew you had to start this?
Yeah. It actually took a little while. So I first went topless at a Pride parade in 2015 and I didn't really think much about it. I was just like, "Oh, I'm just going to do this," because I said, last year, I'm going to do it next year. So then I did it and the response was actually crazy. Like I did it at Pride, so that made it even more extra, but I was just like, "I just thought everyone had breasts that look like mine. So I was like, it's not going to be a big deal.
Your character Honeybear is pretty introverted, do you relate to that? Are there other similarities you see between you and your character?
Yeah, I can relate to Honeybear in that way because I'm playing a younger version of myself when I'm Honeybear. And there are times where I'm more introverted than extroverted. It depends on the occasion, the situation, and the environment.
The way we dress. Like, she looks like me, I mean, technically she looks like the current version of me in the sense that I'm playing her at my current age. Like the headscarf, the stickers, the style is very similar to me.
So Honeybear is going through a lot in her relationship with Ash, what new sides are we going to see throughout Honeybear’s character?
The way she's dealing with it is new because we haven't seen her in this kind of situation with a partner. So that in itself is a whole new thing you're seeing. I think what happens with it is pretty good but, them showing this kind of relationship dynamic was really good to have in the show because that is becoming more of a relationship dynamic that more people aren't in and they probably be able to relate. Some people will be.
What are some things you’d do differently than your character in this season?
This is her first relationship and her first time being in a poly dynamic. So Moonbear wouldn't have been like that. Like, especially at this age, like I'm past all the jealousy and this and that. I would've been chillin', it would've been a good time.
I think Willow Smith talks about ethical non-monogamy. I think people in that type of relationship dynamic tend to have the best communication skills and most secure mindset ever since it takes so much maturity and self-awareness.
Yeah, it really does. I think that's what I was saying. Like they like a younger me, like definitely would not just based on experience. It's different. It really depends on where you are with your growth and your security in yourself. Like, it can be good if you're secure already and all that and you're working on it or if you're already at a point where you're secure enough, but if you're not, it's going to cause problems with yourself and with the people involved.
If you could talk to your character Honeybear and give her advice about her relationship with Ash what would you tell her?
Ooo, I’d tell Honeybear this might be a setback, but you're good. Things will work out no matter if you're staying with Ash or if you’re dating someone else or if you want to be poly or if you don't want to be poly. You just have to trust what you believe in and it'll work out.
Sidetrack to Skate Kitchen, when you started that with your friends did you think it would have the impact that it does now?
No, it was totally just like the "Free My Boobs" thing. It wasn't like this intense thing. We weren't trying to like, "Oh, we gotta do this. We have to get girls to skate." No, it wasn't even like that. It was just like the Instagram page was made, we posted on it, and then the short film that we all did with Miu Miu came out and then there were articles about it in the New York Times, and then it just snowballed into where we are now.
You have a bunch of other interests like DJing and gaming, what are some other side hobbies you like to do that we don’t know about?
Oh, I like to talk about money and finances. Like I have a separate YouTube channel then I started to work on like right before the pandemic, and then during, it just felt weird. Like I tried and then I couldn't do it.
I do a lot. It would be nice if I could focus on one thing and be super good at it but, at the same time, I say that's kind of a disadvantage because if I was to break my leg or something like that, I couldn't skate or dance. So then, since I'm into like a bunch of things I could still DJ, I could still game, I could still talk about money. So in that sense, it's good but, the other part is like, just keeping it all together and consistent. I'm just like all over the place. I'm like, "I want to do this," and then a few months later, I'm just back to this thing.
Have you been vlogging? I remember I found your YouTube, you vlogged some of Season 1. Have you been doing that lately?
So, on the last day of last year, I moved to California. I started to document some of it and made a few vlogs, but I kept running into the same problem of like, I don't know how to explain it. I know it has to do with what's going on in the world because I was trying to stay away from people because I moved to California when it was in lockdown. I was trying to figure out where to live. So, I was staying in a home where there was an older person, so I didn't want to go do too much. So it was, I say, like these past two years or one and a half years have been confusing for me in terms of how I want to create and move ahead with my career. So, I do want to get back into everything that I enjoy and slowly I've been streaming again and on my main channel, instead of vlogs, I've been giving Betty behind the scenes tea like once a week, that's been pretty fun.
What does the future hold for Moonbear/Honeybear?
Well, we're going to have to see, I'm trying to take it one step at a time. Like before it used to be specific with planning details, like down to the hour, it used to be crazy. Now, it feels so stressful to do that because it's don't know what's going to happen. Like, are people going to get sick again? So I'd say I'm just taking things one step at a time.
Like even when I drove across the country from California, I knew I was going to do it, but I didn't have all the details laid out. The way I did it, I was like, okay I'm going to leave a day later. Then I'm going to get in the car, put in the address, and it's just going to show me where to go.
How’d you get your name Moonbear?
Okay. So there are people from high school that will say it was them that made it like one person says it's them and the other person says it's them. So, I was in high school and we were upstairs eating lunch and there were a few of us and they were like, "Oh, what kind of nickname can we give you that matches your partially Native-American background." So that's how the name Moonbear came about, it's like more of a nature name.
