Hayes Warner Fought To Be On The Shards

Hayes Warner knew who her character Debbie Schaffer was even before The Shards’ casting team did. When the rising singer-songwriter auditioned to play author Bret Easton Ellis’ high school lover in Ryan Murphy’s new FX series, producers told her they weren’t sure about what direction they wanted to take her in. But Warner saw the vision and fought for the role, seeking “Justice for Debbie.”

“I read the book before I knew there was even an adaptation happening,” she tells Bustle over Zoom, dressed cozily in her Los Angeles living room. “I remember liking Debbie. She’s really mysterious, but a lot smarter than she lets on.”

Her persistence paid off. After a six-month audition process, the 27-year-old makes her acting debut in The Shards, which is loosely based on Ellis’ senior year of high school with his Bel-Air friends in the early ’80s — but with a murder plot. A serial killer named “The Trawler” haunts the students, with Bret (Igby Rigney, 23) slowly becoming preoccupied with unmasking their identity.

While the series stays true to Ellis’ 2023 novel, Warner teases that “sh*t hits the fan,” and no one is safe from being a suspect — including Debbie. “There are a lot of reasons why it could be her,” she says. “Ryan would come over and be like, ‘This time, play this as you're the killer,’ so I was genuinely playing it like I was involved in killings.”

But before Bret and Debbie become consumed by murder, they’re just a lust-fueled situationship living their best lives with BFFs Susan (Kaia Gerber, 24) and Thom (Graham Campbell, 24). In real life, Warner says the cast bonded instantly when they first met at a dive bar, making their hangouts “the easiest to film.” In fact, the chemistry was so apparent on set that Murphy let his stars improv group scenes to reflect their friendship, and kept most of their lines in.

“Because we’re all comfortable with each other, it allowed us to just go off the rails when we needed to,” she says. “I don't know that I would've improvised as much had I not been around my friends. If I said something terrible, they were there laughing it off with me and supporting me through it.”

Warner felt a kinship with Gerber in particular, as two young actors who were navigating their first lead TV roles together. “We could have met each other and just not vibed, but it became so clear immediately that she is just my ideal friend,” she says. “I had just moved to LA. I didn't really have any friends out here. I was really overwhelmed, and she just took me under her wing and helped me feel comfortable. Her family took me in on Thanksgiving and holidays.”

However, the most valuable guidance came from Warner’s onscreen mother, Evan Rachel Wood, 38 — the only parent who is actually around their child on the show. “It’s funny that she's playing my mom. She looks all of our ages,” she says, laughing. “But she really did, in knowledge, feel like a mama bear of all of us. She gave us so much advice about how to exist on set and how to carry yourself and what press feels like.”

Before The Shards, Warner was living in New York City and making her name as a pop star with electro-pop bangers like “Oh!” and “Zip” that add a glamorous twist to nostalgic Y2K-era pop. “I always have my wired headphones in. I was just obsessed,” she says of the era. Now, she’s fusing her two passions, writing two songs for The Shards from Debbie’s perspective that will premiere in future episodes, and finishing up a new project inspired by the show, which she describes as “Sky Ferreira-esque” and “my favorite stuff I've ever made.”

“I have loved songwriting ever since I was little, and it's just been therapy for me to write what I’m going through,” she says.

Learn more about Warner in the Bustle Booth questionnaire below.

Inside The Bustle Booth

What is your coffee order?

I’m so lame with this because ever since I started drinking sugary coffee, my whole coffee has to be sweet. I love matcha, almond milk, and vanilla.

What are the saved weather locations on your phone?

Cupertino, Washington, Nashville, Atlanta, Evanston — where I went to school — Hamilton, Indianapolis, Chestertown, Tel Aviv — I’ve never been there — Austin, Denver, Memphis, Chicago. This is crazy. I need to clean this up. It’s from touring.

What’s your sign?

Cancer. I’m not super into astrology. But people always say [Cancers are] very sensitive and in touch with your emotions, and I for sure relate to that.

What is your favorite overused movie quote?

“Here's Johnny!” from The Shining.

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

I loved Fairly OddParents and Jimmy Neutron. I had a crush on Jimmy Neutron. I don’t know what that says about me.

What’s one movie or TV show you're currently obsessed with?

I just finished Paradise, which I loved. I loved Love Story. I'm watching Widow's Bay right now, which is kind of scaring me a bit, but I'm into it.

Who is your celebrity idol?

I love Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and Zara Larsson. I love all the pop girlies.

If you had to go on a reality TV show, what would it be?

Maybe The Kardashians. I would want to see their houses. I just want a day of glamour.

What is your go-to karaoke song?

Flo Rida’s “Club Can't Handle Me” or Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.” I want to be able to rap.

What's something that's been inspiring you lately?

How hard the pop girls are working. Everyone’s having their moment and touring so hard. Charli and Sabrina are doing movies. Just watching them do it all, work every day, and tour is inspiring to me 'cause that's how I wanna work.

What is something you would want people to say about you?

I think that I’m kind. If I leave a set, I want everyone to say, “Oh, she's so nice,” hopefully even if I'm in a bad mood. The other thing is, “Oh, she's a really hard worker. She’s a grinder.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.