interview | lia pappas-kemps

trench coat. Prabal Gurung
opposite
dress. Norma Kamali

Judith Light is warm, funny, and present. She has a way of making you feel both flattered and at home, something aside from her acting career that she is particularly skilled at. She uses terms of endearment when she speaks. Sprinkling words like “darling” sparingly, but sincerely, into conversation. She makes sure to credit everyone she works with and tries not to buy into her own hype, much preferring to stay focused on her work, four decades worth.

Light made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ‘A Doll’s House’, then, as Karen Woleck, on ‘One Life To Live’, a role that would win her an Emmy, and also the place where she would meet Robert Desiderio, her husband of over forty years, but it was her role as a widowed executive, navigating boardroom politics and a coquettish home life with her hunky housekeeper in ‘Who’s the Boss?’ that for many would hold Light in esteem. The twenty-seven-time-nominated and fifteen-time-awarded actor and activist has been a well-regarded symbol of progress ever since.

From a fashion matriarch to the voice of an epidemic, Light talks about her career-defining roles, joining the Marvel universe, playing a mental patient, and the power of authenticity.

dress. Christian Siriano
opposite
coat. MELITTA BAUMEISTER
boots + gloves. Stylist’s Own

In an interview with the Television Academy, you are quoted as saying, “As an actor, you are there to serve. If you’re doing it for your ego or because you think you can become a star, you’re not doing it for the right reason.” As a recognisable figure, what are some ways you keep your ego in check and remain committed to the work?

That’s a good question. I meditate. I do my best to stay aware, and I really make sure that I’m checking in to see if this is about me or if I’m making it about everybody else. So, it’s really a kind of mindfulness. It’s really a dedication to making sure I don’t go to that place that is so easy to go to. It’s so easy to make it about you or your feelings or how good you’re doing or whatever, and I just do my best to stay mindful.

In ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’, you play Ma Gnucci, a vengeful mob boss’s wife. How do you tap into the humanity of characters who some would consider inhumane?

I would never consider any character that I ever played inhumane. You’re not being your character’s best friend. You’re not giving them the level of understanding of humanity, of what has happened to them and how to portray that. Whatever comes out on the outside comes from a specific place and a specific set of circumstances.

If you look at my Ma Gnucci — I’m in the Marvel world. I’m so excited — you can see what has happened to her. Her whole family has been taken from her, but what she chooses to do with that is to seek an element of revenge. So, you can call that inhumane, but it comes from a very dire, dark, painful, cruel place. It’s really interesting to me to see the dynamic between Jon Bernthal’s character and my character, in that he is looking to transform himself away from revenge to really deal with his own transformation. [It really is] coming to grips with what he has done. Ma Gnucci comes in and represents that old part of him.

​In ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’, what dualities can you draw between Ma Gnucci and Dorry, and how do they compare to other characters you’ve played in the past?

I don’t know in the moment how to draw the parallels between the two characters. To some degree, I guess I would have to say that they both have sold out on themselves in some way as women, in how they have listened to men and see the world through a patriarchal vision rather than their own vision and sold out on themselves as to who they could have been. I think that there’s some of that in parallel with the two of them.

​I have played other women who have sold out on themselves, who have given up their voice, who have given up their life in relation to something that they felt would help them get by and be OK in the world. They have let men in certain circumstances run over them. That hasn’t been a lot of the characters that I play, but I have played some like that. Often, with many of the movies of the week that I did, if they gave up on themselves, by the end, they took themselves back. They took their power back. They took their voice back.

suit. Prabal Gurung
boots. Stylist’s Own
opposite
shirt. Advisry

Without giving anything away because ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ is still streaming, do you think Dorry finds her voice or reclaims it at the end?

Her voice? Yes. Yes, without question. Have you seen it all?

No. Just the first few episodes.

It’s in a very unusual way, but she has come to a choice that empowers her in her own way. Oh, I can’t wait for you to see it, and then you’ll understand.

I can’t wait.

It’s really good, isn’t it?

It is. Horror is one of my favourite genres.

It is? I’m terrified of that stuff, but doing it — you’re in a different place when you actually do it. When we were filming, we were all so connected to each other, and we had such a wonderful time being together. Dan Stevens is a joy, and it’s all of the people who were in that who are a lot of my friends who I’ve done theatre with in New York. It was like family.

We shot it in Staten Island in this place that had been a prison, and it housed mental patients at one time. It had this aura and energy of all of those people who had been there. That’s part of what added to the brilliance of it. You’ve got a director like Karyn Kusama and a writer like Chris Cantwell. Do you know Victor LaValle’s work? He is a New York Times best-selling author. If you really love this show, you’ve got to read [the book].

Would you say the environment alone helped you get into the headspace, or were other factors involved that helped you get into the unravelling mind of Dorry?

The environment, definitely. It definitely fed everybody, but as I said, it came from Victor’s book, and the story of these characters and all the details of the characters and then Chris Cantwell, who is the writer and showrunner, created it with Victor [for television]. I’ve said to a lot of people when doing these interviews, I read two lines of the script, and I called my agent, and I said: “I’m in”.

I’m not a person who was drawn to her by any means, but I understood who these characters were. That helped our producing team, who were extraordinary. Our directors were amazing. When you get to work with people like Dan Stevens and Stephen Root, CCH Pounder, Chinaza Uche and Celia Keenan-Bolger, you’ve got a good family of people that understand the character development and know how to bring this alive. So, all of that really filled us with the experience of this place and these people, and hair and make-up and wardrobe. Don’t I look pretty?​

After production wraps, what methods do you use to separate yourself from your characters? How do you become Judith Light again?

I’m always Judith Light. So, it’s like when you’re on a plane, and you’re flying back and forth between New York and L.A., which is where my husband and I live. It’s like if you land at six o’clock in L.A., it’s six o’clock, and if you get to New York and it’s nine o’clock, it’s nine o’clock. So, if you come present, you come back to yourself. I don’t tend to hold onto that stuff. You can snap right back. Sometimes it’s more difficult because you’re carrying other things with you about it, but I often find that that can be indulgent — not always — but if it goes on too long, it’s like, OK, enough. Take a bath, have a bourbon, and get back to your life.

Yeah, reset.

Maybe not bourbon, maybe a tequila. I don’t know. I don’t even mean that. I mean like, wash it off, meditate, get rid of it. Move on.​

blazer + skirt. Christian Siriano
opposite
dress. Christian Siriano

You’ve participated in projects that have lived between cultural zeitgeist and controversy, in particular ‘The Ryan White Story’, which focused on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, ‘Ugly Betty’, which explored classism and prejudice in the workplace, and ‘ Transparent ‘, which was about transgender rights. Can you talk about the resonance these projects had at the time they aired, and the impact they had on you?

They were right there in the moment. HIV/AIDS was prominent. We did that movie in 1988, and it was before protease inhibitors came out. Ryan was also a voice of the community, not just the voice of the hemophilia community, but he was also a voice for the LGBTQ community, which was very important to me. My friends had been dying in droves, and when you’re in the theatre, film, and television world, a lot of people in the community were dying. We were going to funerals all the time, so being able to do that movie and represent, and get to talk about the way the country — and the way two presidents who never mentioned the word AIDS — were dealing with this epidemic, this pandemic, and the way people in those communities were being treated.

It was interesting because I played Jeanne White, and Jeanne was remarkable. She would talk to her doctors in Indiana, but then she would call the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and say, “Is what he’s telling me the right thing to be doing for Ryan?” So they were very connected to the LGBTQ community. To get to do that movie, and get to play Jeanne, and to be on the set with Jeanne and Ryan when he was still alive, was one of the greatest privileges of my life. It meant a great deal to me, and it still does. Ryan has been, and still is, an inspiration to me in terms of the kind of human being he was, and so was she, and so was his sister Andrea. They were extraordinary human beings.

‘Ugly Betty’ talked about immigration, right? It talked about a gay son. It talked about the world of fashion. That show should still be on, if you ask me. The background of each of those characters — what it meant to have this young Latina, spitfire, smart-as-a-whip girl who was the mentor to the people you would think would know everything. We were the family that was the most screwed up. The character that I played was an alcoholic, and it was Betty who was her mentor. It was Betty to whom she went for guidance and advice. It was all about what I always talked about: that nobody in the world feels like they’re the right stuff. Nobody. You can ask anybody in the dark of night: Do you feel like you fit in, and you’re the right stuff, and everybody appreciates you? Nobody does.

Betty was the epitome of authenticity, the epitome of being herself in the world, and she was the joy. She brought her intelligence, her wit, her kindness, and her graciousness to both sides of the tracks. That’s what was really important about that show. Nobody could have done that like America Ferrera did. Nobody. We have lost our Silvio Horta, who created it, and that’s a real sadness for all of us, too.

‘Transparent’ was the arrow that was shot into the zeitgeist of the moment, where the trans community, in many ways, had been in the process of coming out of the shadows. They had been shoved into the dark. This show was a family show. The question that show asked was, “Will you still love me if I… if I come out? If I am not the person you thought I was? If I tell you who I truly am? If I tell you this is my authentic self?”

This is something that ties back to ‘Ugly Betty’. Can we be our true, authentic selves? Who are the people who inspire us?

trench coat. Prabal Gurung
opposite
dress. MELITTA BAUMEISTER

Can we safely be ourselves, right?

Can we be that, and will we be loved? Will we be cared for? Will we be included? That’s what inspires me so much about the LGBTQ community. In the face of the law, family, the world, that says you are not welcome, that community stands up and says, “Excuse me. This is who I am. You don’t like it? You don’t have to be around me, but it is your problem, not mine.” When people saw me in ‘The Ryan White Story’, let me tell you, people wrote me and said, “We’ll never watch you again”. I thought, “Oh, well, good. That’s good. You don’t need to watch me.”

I do have a more superficial question, a fashion question…

My darling, fashion is not superficial. Fashion is art. It is creativity. It is artistry. It is our way of expressing ourselves. That is what fashion is. I don’t want to be asked on the red carpet only what I’m wearing. I want to be talking to you about who spent hours sewing on sequins on an outfit and who sewed embroidery on something. It’s like that is someone’s artistry. It is not superficial in my mind. I just know too many designers, and I just got off the phone talking about this thing that I just shot for Michael Kors. When I think about the way he creates and what he does, how can I discount that? Plus, my mother was a buyer, and we talked about fashion all the time.

I agree with everything you just said. My question is, like many fashion kids, ‘Ugly Betty’ was part of my media diet. What have been some of your favourite fashion influences?

Oh my word. My mother. My mother was a real fashion influence on me. We didn’t have much money, so when we would go shopping, we would go to the places where they had the biggest discounts. I still have my Loehmann’s Gold card even though Loehmann’s closed. You probably don’t even know what Loehmann’s is because you’re too young, but it was this place where you could go, and they brought in all these things. You could find Richard Pillar, or Donna Karan and all these wonderful designers at a discount. It was one of the things my mother always did with me.

top + trousers. Christian Siriano
opposite
suit. Prabal Gurung
boots. Stylist’s Own

Although there is nearly a twenty-year time gap, do you think Claire Meade would be able to exist without Angela Bower?

Oh, God, your questions are so good. I don’t know that she wouldn’t have been able to exist because I think the world changed, but I would say that they are cut from the same cloth. They are powerful working women who know what they’re good at and what they’re not good at. It’s interesting you ask about Angela Bower because I just had some young women come up to me the other day when we were in New York and here in LA too, when we were doing some press stuff, and they said, I would not be in this job if it were not for Angela Bower.

We didn’t know what we had at the time, but it was really the cutting edge of the women’s movement. I was at the airport in the lounge sitting on the other side of the room, and a woman yelled across to me that she was in advertising because of Angela Bower. Then comes Claire Meade. I think they’re both tied to each other in characters that I’ve had the honour and the privilege to play.

You seem fortunate in not only having had a loyal manager but also an important life mentor and friend in Herb Hamsher. Do you find yourself stepping into those shoes for others now?

Herb has since passed, and it has been many years now. I don’t know that I could ever do what he did or what he did for me. I do know that if there’s a friend who has an issue and I can offer some kind of guidance, I always want to be available to do that. I have done that, but I could never do what he did. He was very special.

Final question: Of all the roles you’ve played, why do you think audiences continue to be fascinated by powerful women?

Because it’s who we really are.

coat + gloves. MELITTA BAUMEISTER
trousers. Christian Siriano

Watch The Terror: Devil in Silver on AMC + and The Punisher: One Last Kill on Disney +, now streaming.

photography. Matthiew Priestley @ Sibling Artists
fashion. Andrew Gelwicks @ The Only Agency
talent. Judith Light
casting. Emma Fleming
hair. Ricardo Rojas @ SW Artists
make up. Julie Harris @ Tracey Mattingly using Lancôme
fashion assistant. Kyle Gleason
production. Clara La Rosa
interview. Malcolm Thomas

Nike doesn’t tell the story of individuals alone. It tells the story of football culture in Germany as a living ecosystem — layered, evolving, and constantly reshaped by the people inside it. Since the ’90s, Nike has helped shape and define not just how the game is played, but how it looks, feels and lives within communities across the country. Along the way, it has created moments that go beyond sport — emotional, defining chapters that have stayed with players and fans alike.

From the intensity of elite competition to the spontaneity of cage football. From inherited legacy to the next generation, rewriting the game in real time. From women’s football to grassroots communities, local pitches, and street culture. Every layer influences the next.

Nike exists across all of these worlds simultaneously. Not as an outside observer documenting culture after the fact, but as a brand embedded within it — actively enabling creativity, visibility, progression, and community. Football is not approached as a single narrative, but as a network of identities, styles, attitudes, and stories that collectively define the modern game.

Looking ahead, this role becomes even more important. From 2027 and beyond, Nike will once again play an even more defining part in shaping the future of football culture in Germany — not only through the game itself, but through the people around it. By empowering the next generation, strengthening communities, and driving cultural change, Nike continues to influence how football is experienced, expressed and evolved.

Built around this framework is KIT SWAP: 10 voices. 10 stories. One squad. The project unfolds through ten athletes, creators, and cultural figures, each representing a different expression of football culture. Together, they form a collective portrait of the game beyond the pitch — where football intersects with fashion, identity, community, and self-expression.

top. Nike trousers. Carhartt WIP chains. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y shoes. Nike P-6000

top. Nike
trousers. Carhartt WIP
chains. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y
shoes. Nike P-6000

Ziad Gornasa – NO. 99

THE ARCHIVIST

Ziad preserves the history of German football not through nostalgia, but by keeping it alive. As a teenager, he discovered his love for football jerseys inside a Nike store. Today, he carries that passion forward through vintage kits, bringing the past back into the present and future. Through jerseys, archives, memories, and cultural codes, he connects generations of football fans. He shows that football history does not end in museums — it is still being worn today. Nike has always been part of that story: from legendary boots and iconic teams to unforgettable football moments.

top, socks + shorts. Nike dress. Danny Reinke jewellery. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y shoes. Nike Phantom 6 Low Elite

top, socks + shorts. Nike
dress. Danny Reinke
jewellery. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y
shoes. Nike Phantom 6 Low Elite

Klara Bühl – NO. 27

THE FINISHER

Klara already represents the future of German football today. She is a world-class athlete, a role model, and the face of a new generation in football: uncompromisingly ambitious, modern, inspiring, and culturally relevant. As we look to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, The first one Klara, the DFB and Nike will play together, she represents a new generation redefining the game on its own terms. Nike has supported this journey long before the hype — investing long-term in female athletes, visibility, and the future of the game.

Bühl represents a new definition of leadership: calm, focused, confident, and without artificial toughness. She shows young girls that football is not a space they have to enter — it has always belonged to them. She carries football not only on the pitch, but through culture, attitude, and identity.

shirt. Nike SB Mad 90 Pack “Hypervenom” top + track suit. Gerrit Jacob chains. Akkesoir shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 Elite

shirt. Nike SB Mad 90 Pack “Hypervenom”
top + track suit. Gerrit Jacob
chains. Akkesoir
shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 Elite

Malek El Mala – NO. 7

THE NEXT WAVE

Malek represents the next movement in German football. Not alone, but together with his family, his environment, and a generation of young players pushing each other forward. Malek is not only Said’s brother but a rising player supported by Nike on his own journey. Naturally, the number 7 became his lucky number because it was worn by his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo. He represents a new generation of German players who are only beginning to emerge, and Nike is there to guide them on their journey.

top, sleeves + sunglasses. Nike trousers. Comme Des Garcons jewellery. Akkesoir shoes. Fancì Club

top, sleeves + sunglasses. Nike
trousers. Comme Des Garcons
jewellery. Akkesoir
shoes. Fancì Club

Jeannette Harttung – NO. 31

THE FEARLESS JOY

Jeannette represents a new freedom in football: ambitious, intense, yet still full of joy. It’s a mindset that Nike has shaped from the very beginning, championing freedom and creativity through role models in culture and campaigns, always driven by the love of the game. Harttung brings this to life today, proving that elite performance and lightness can coexist, so athletes no longer need to explain themselves but can confidently shape the sport. Through that freedom, she is changing perception and inspiring the next generation of female athletes to follow their dreams.

sunglasses . Nike trousers. Balletshofer shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite United

sunglasses . Nike
trousers. Balletshofer
shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite United

Liridon Krasniqi – NO. 10 

THE DREAM RECLAIMED

As a child, Liridon played for 1860 Munich and dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. Today, he plays small-sided football and creates content on social media — but his love for the game is bigger than ever. Today, he wears the 1860 jersey with more pride than ever before: not as a professional, but as someone who never lost football. Together with buntkicktgut and Nike, he helps return the love of football to kids and communities. and promotes intercultural understanding.

top + sleeves. Nike skirt. Maryam Kayhani skirt underneath. Stylist’s own chains. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y shoes. Nike Total 90 SE

top + sleeves. Nike
skirt. Maryam Kayhani
skirt underneath. Stylist’s own
chains. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y
shoes. Nike Total 90 SE

Meira Werner – NO. 5

THE GRASSROOTS VOICE

Meira tells the story of football where it truly lives: on local pitches, in small clubs, among people who don’t consume football — they live it. She represents the community level of the game and shows that the soul of German football doesn’t begin in big arenas, but in togetherness, volunteering, and genuine connection.

Nike and Meira share the same perspective, that helps present football not only as a performance sport but as a social space. Especially in women’s football, this perspective is crucial: visibility is not created only through stars, but through people who make the sport accessible and emotional. She makes one thing visible: football culture grows from the ground up.

shirt underneath + trousers. Dior shoes. Nike Air Max 90 Mercurial

shirt underneath + trousers. Dior
shoes. Nike Air Max 90 Mercurial

Langston Uibel – NO. 8

THE BELIEVER

Actor Langston Uibel represents the emotional core of football: the fan. As a Hertha supporter, he embodies loyalty, hope, and community — regardless of league tables or success. For football fans, the results don’t matter as much as the identity — belonging to a group, team, and city. Because fans create atmosphere, meaning, and emotion that’s beyond the pitch: in the streets, bars, conversations, and communities.

trousers. Kilian Kerner shoes. Nike Air Liquid Max “Poison Dart Frog”

trousers. Kilian Kerner
shoes. Nike Air Liquid Max “Poison Dart Frog”

Steven Kodra – NO. 11

THE STREET TRANSLATOR

Steven translates football from the stadium into the language of the streets. For him, football is not just a sport — it is a cultural identity: the way you move, dress, speak, and present yourself. Through Nikes support Steven brings the joy of the game into street football and small-sided pitches, inspiring kids to return to the cages and local courts, because the game doesn’t just end at the sideline.

top + socks. Nike skirt, sleeves + leg warmers. Kasia Kucharska necklace. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y shoes. Nike

top + socks. Nike
skirt, sleeves + leg warmers. Kasia Kucharska
necklace. PEARL OCTOPUSS.Y
shoes. Nike

Tsellot Melesse – NO. 12

THE COMMUNITY VOICE

No one represents the No. 12 jersey better than Tsellot. In football, the No. 12 stands for the supporters — in the stands, the streets, and the city. She shows football as a place of belonging by creating spaces where people can connect through the sport, regardless of background, status, or experience. To her and Nike football, the culture is not only carried by professionals but by communities and the stands.

shirt. Nike SB Mad 90 Pack “Hypervenom” sunglasses. Nike trousers. Kilian Kerner shoes held. Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Patta Waves shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 Elite

shirt. Nike SB Mad 90 Pack “Hypervenom”
sunglasses. Nike
trousers. Kilian Kerner
shoes held. Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Patta Waves
shoes. Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 Elite

Said El Mala – NO. 13

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Said stands at the beginning of something big. Between street football and the international stage, he represents the next generation of German players: fearless, explosive, hungry, and instinctive. El Mala is the perfect Mercurial player — a difference-maker. He appears unexpectedly and decides on games when nobody expects it. With that mindset, he doesn’t overthink — he simply acts. That fearless and intuitive mentality reflects the new spirit of German football that starts the next Chapter with Nike and the DFB in 2027.

10 voices. 10 stories. One squad.

photography. Frauke Joana
videography. Julius Pfeiffer
fashion. Jeanna Krichel
gaffer. Paul Skulimma
light technician. Eric Terrey
hair + grooming. Anna Neugebauer
make up. Anri Omori
hair + make up. Bianca Hartkopf @ ARTNEST AGENCY
hair + make up. Tanja Fritzler
fashion assistants. Cleo Emilia Henrich, Paula Dischinger + Valentina Males
hair assistant. Jasmin Oliveira
make up assistant. Abigail Hutchinson
production. Clara la Rosa
locations. Studio Cherie + Light & Stone Studio
special thanks. The Team @ Nike Football

Few artists have managed to transform internet momentum into a fully realised artistic identity quite like noevdv. The Belgium-born producer and artist has quietly become one of the most influential names in the electronic lo-fi space, amassing millions of monthly listeners through a sound that blends nostalgia, atmosphere, and emotional precision. Yet with his debut EP ‘mulholland drive’, noevdv moves beyond viral success and into something far more personal: a world of his own making.

Schön! sits down with noevdv to discuss the creation of ‘mulholland drive’, building worlds through sound, finding inspiration between continents, and the memories that continue to shape his music.

What kind of mood are you in today?
I’m in a good mood. It’s raining, so it’s kind of inspiring me to create.

What’s a moment that made you want to pursue the career you’re in now?
When one of the first songs I produced started going viral on TikTok and quickly surpassed 100 million streams. I connected with my manager, saw some money coming in — definitely enough to make me think about dropping out of college.

How would someone recognize your style without seeing you?
Through the emotion in my music.

What’s something you’ve read or watched recently that stuck with you?
A Belgian NBA player scored 28 points in a playoff game against the Lakers.

When do you feel most in sync with yourself?
When I’m home alone, or late at night in my car.

What’s a small luxury you never compromise on?
Probably having a good seat during a flight, even if I have to pay extra.

If your life were a genre, what would it be—and why?
I’d say an old French movie from the ’60s or ’70s.

Ideal 3-course meal?
Starting with tomatoes and burrata, then a penne arrabbiata, and ending with a chocolate fondant. (I know some people were expecting me to say French fries.)

Who would play you in the story of your life?
Probably Timothée Chalamet. He’s kind of the cool guy at the moment, and he speaks French.

What is “Schön” (beautiful) to you?
Music.

The song that feels like the opening track of a movie based on your life.
“Flashing Lights” — Kanye West

A track that reminds you of a good memory.
“Tennis Court” — Lorde

A song that feels timeless to you.
“This Night Has Opened My Eyes” — The Smiths

A lyric that hits harder every time you hear it.
“How much of yourself are you gonna lose ’til you win?” — “Under Your Skin” by Fakemink

A track tied to a specific important place.
“You Know You Like It” — DJ Snake

Something new you’ve been playing on repeat.
“Night, Blooming Jasmine” — Fakemink

The song that lifts you out of a low mood.
“Started From The Bottom” — Drake

A track you keep coming back to lately.
“Cowboys and Angels” — George Michael

A song that sums up where you are right now.
“Osayuki” — Destiny’s Child