Interview with
Zoe Terakes
Bonus Episode: Listen to the unedited interview with Zoe Terakes + Zoe reads an excerpt from Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers
Zoe Terakes is one of Australia's most exciting new writers whose first book, Eros, a collection of Greek Myths retold through a queer lens, is published by Hachette Australia who will also publish Zoe's forthcoming novel.
As an actor, Zoe was most recently seen in the Marvel Studios / Disney+ series Ironheart. Other TV credits include the Australian remake of The Office, Nine Perfect Strangers, alongside Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, and SBS On Demand's Creamerie. Their other television credits include Foxtel's Wentworth, Amazon's The Moth Effect, ABC's Janet King, and Foxtel's The End.
Zoe identifies as nonbinary and trans masculine. They are a vocal advocate and activist for trans rights within the industry and on a global scale
Myth, Magic & Queer Joy: Zoe Terakis on Reclaiming Ancient Stories
If you’re a fan of gritty Aussie drama, you probably know Zoe Terakis as Max from Wentworth, and maybe you caught glimpses of them in Nine Perfect Strangers, Talk to Me, or even Marvel’s Ironheart. But today, it's not the screen lighting up- it's the page, with Zoe bringing their storytelling chops to their dazzling debut book, Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers.
Why Queer Myths? Why Now?
Greek myths are wild, beautiful, and... pretty damn queer. But as Zoe Terakis points out, if your only knowledge of Greek mythology came from politicians, you’d think it was invented by straight, white, male billionaires. Spoiler: it definitely wasn’t.
Zoe Terakis says, “People have really westernized Greek mythology, and now we have people like Trump and Musk referring to Greek myth as something that they really uphold and see themselves in. And I'm like, you have nothing the fuck to do with my culture's mythology. If you knew how much gay sex was going on in ancient Greece and Greek myth, I don’t think you’d be claiming it as hard as you are. These myths are so queer and so trans.” 03:02
It’s a reclamation - bringing back the messy, sensual, magical queerness the ancient stories had before centuries of rewriting scrubbed them clean.
Born in Crete, Raised in Myth
Zoe’s Cretan roots run deep. Every rocky corner on that Greek island spins a yarn: gods, mortals, monsters, lovers, gender-bending hijinks. Greek mythology is notoriously inclusive and playful with gender - think Zeus turning into anything (and anyone) he wants 03:28. It's precisely this wild, mythic messiness Zoe channelled into Eros.
Iphis and Ianthe: A Queer Love Story Lost - and Found
Let’s talk about one story in Zoe’s book: Iphis and Ianthe, drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The original myth is barely half a page, and its telling is full of shame, secrecy, and pain. So Zoe did what all great queer creators do: ripped out the patriarchal voice and rewrote the legend.
In the new telling:
Iphis is assigned female at birth but raised as a boy in Crete to escape being killed by a father who "can't afford a girl" 04:33.
Falling madly in love with Ianthe, Iphis faces the fear of public exposure.
At a temple, goddess Isis intervenes, transforming Iphis’s body so that love and self can finally meet without shame 06:03.
But Zoe doesn’t shy away from the realities: the violence, shame, and fear are still there. And yet, so too is the magic—“immense joy and pleasure and discovery in this trans body that ultimately meets the gods” 06:54.
What’s It Like, Really?
The question so many cis folks have but rarely ask: Why not just strive for cis manhood? Zoe’s answer is poetic and so, so tender.
Zoe Terakis shares, “I'm not in pursuit of cis manhood. That doesn't mean there aren’t parts of it that I envy... But I don't envy their insides. And I think that's where this excerpt comes from: I feel so blessed to have lived seventeen years as a woman and then to have come into this body - it means there's this kind of incredible harmony. I experience the world in multiple genders in a day... learning to find that a beautiful thing.” 08:22
You can literally taste the honesty and joy in Zoe’s writing - whether it’s gutting fish for a campfire or waxing poetic about the thrill of crossing between worlds, both mythic and gendered.
Pick Up This Book If...
You grew up loving (or fearing) Greek myths but want to see yourself in them.
You’re curious about trans joy, not just struggle.
You want steamy, lovingly written stories that centre queer desire - and make no apology for it.
You’re tired of books and media that flatten queer and trans stories into tragic soundbites.
Zoe’s Final Message
Zoe’s work feels like a big, sun-drenched Cretan hug to anyone wrestling with belonging - an invitation to rediscover the magic, and find yourself somewhere between the gods and the sea.
Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers is out now and absolutely worth a spot on your shelf, or your bedside table, or anywhere you keep the stories that matter most.
Join the Conversation
Have you ever seen yourself in a myth, or longed to rewrite one? Share your thoughts in the comments or tag us and Zoe on Instagram with your favourite queer myth moments! Let’s keep this joy rolling - because, as Zoe proves, the wildness of myth belongs to all of us.
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