Alexi Wasser on Sexy Underwear, Insecurities, and Neurotic Dating | Fashion Neurosis

About this video

Alexi Wasser is a New York–based filmmaker, writer, and actor whose work blends razor-sharp comedy with raw emotional candor. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wasser’s late father was the photojournalist Julian Wasser, who photographed 20th century cultural icons including Joan Didion and Jack Nicholson, and her mother Leslie Knauer is a musician who was in rock bands in the 1970s and ‘80s. Wasser’s feature directorial debut, Messy - which she also wrote, produced, and stars in - was released in 2025. Messy is an intimate portrait of romantic humiliation, self-discovery, and reinvention in New York, drawing inspiration from the work of Nora Ephron and Carrie Fisher. As an actor, Wasser has appeared in acclaimed series including Rian Johnson’s Poker Face (Peacock), HBO’s Girls, and Search Party. She is currently developing her second feature, a modern-day New York comedy about the humiliations, disappointments, and occasional joys of adult life. Wasser continues to craft deeply personal comedic stories that interrogate identity, intimacy, and reinvention with an honesty and edge entirely her own. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Alexi Wasser discuss directing your own sex scenes, big feet, and the tyranny of looking for love. Paid Substack subscribers get our weekly liner notes. This week: behind the scenes with Bella and Alexi. Join us there if you’d like to explore the conversation further. https://fashionneurosis.substack.com/subscribe Painting by Malù dalla Piccola. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:23 What are you wearing today? 00:02:10 Alexi’s directorial debut 00:07:12 Oversharing 00:11:32 Julian Wasser 00:15:02 Alexi’s mother Leslie Knauer 00:17:22 Embarrassment of parents 00:19:02 Insecurities 00:25:52 Nudity 00:27:39 Working at APC 00:31:34 Discussing sex 00:36:40 Film inspirations 00:39:16 Underwear 00:44:47 Clothes to improve mood 00:47:46 Men’s clothing 00:48:45 If you fancy someone… 00:50:37 Hair 00:54:00 Outro