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.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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