1. Overview
Daria Dmitrievna "Dasha" Nekrasova, born on February 19, 1991, is an American actress, filmmaker, and podcaster known for her multifaceted career spanning independent film, television, and digital media. She gained significant public attention in 2018 after a viral interview where she was dubbed "Sailor Socialism" for her political commentary while dressed in a Japanese schoolgirl outfit. Nekrasova is also recognized as the co-host of the "Red Scare" podcast, a show often associated with the "dirtbag left" and known for its critical takes on contemporary culture, feminism, and capitalism. Her directorial debut, the horror film The Scary of Sixty-First, earned her the Best First Feature Award at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival, and she has appeared in notable television series such as Succession. Her public persona is characterized by her association with specific subcultures and her provocative commentary, influencing online cultural discourse.
2. Early Life and Education
Dasha Nekrasova's early life was marked by her birth in Minsk, then part of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union (now Belarus), on February 19, 1991. Her parents were professional acrobats. When she was four years old, her family emigrated from Belarus to the United States, eventually settling in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2.1. Childhood and Education
Nekrasova completed her high school education in 2008, graduating from the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. Following high school, she continued her academic pursuits at Berkeley City College before transferring to Mills College. She pursued studies in sociology and philosophy at Mills College, from which she graduated in 2012.
3. Career
Dasha Nekrasova's career has evolved across various creative fields, beginning with her early ventures into music videos and independent film, leading to her rise as a prominent podcaster, actress, and filmmaker. Her work often engages with contemporary cultural and political themes, establishing her as a distinctive voice in media.
3.1. Acting Career
Nekrasova has accumulated a diverse range of acting credits across film, television, and video games. Her feature film debut was in Wobble Palace (2018), which she also co-wrote. The film was described by The New York Times as "a sendup of broke-artist types that shimmers with abashed affection," while RogerEbert.com noted its success as a "filmic time capsule" for millennials. She also played the leading character, Charlotte Parks, in the dark comedy The Softness of Bodies (2018), a role which The Hollywood Reporter stated she inhabited "effortlessly." Other film roles include Mimi in Black Earth (2019), Natasha in Sunday Girl (2019), QT4U in PVT Chat (2020), Vera in We Are (2020), and Beverly Woods in Bad Behaviour (2023). She is also set to appear in Materialists (2025), which is currently in post-production.
In television, Nekrasova appeared as Celeste in an episode of Mr. Robot (2019) and Ellen Mandeville Grout in Dickinson (2019). She played Connie-Jo Bronzich in The Serpent (2021). A significant recurring role came in 2021 with her portrayal of Comfrey Pellits, a crisis PR representative, in nine episodes of the HBO drama Succession. For her work on Succession, she and the cast received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She also lent her voice to the character Klaasje Amandou in the original release of the video game Disco Elysium (2019).
3.2. Filmmaking Career
Beyond acting, Nekrasova has established herself as a filmmaker. She co-wrote her feature film debut, Wobble Palace (2018), with director Eugene Kotlyarenko. In 2020, she made her directorial debut with The Scary of Sixty-First, a thriller she co-wrote with Madeline Quinn. The film, inspired by the death of Jeffrey Epstein, premiered at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Best First Feature Award. In the same year, Nekrasova co-wrote the short film Spectacular Reality, which drew inspiration from conspiracy theories surrounding crisis actors and featured models from 'No Agency New York'. She also directed the video performance of Oneohtrix Point Never's "I Don't Love Me Anymore" for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 6, 2020.
3.3. Podcasting and Media Appearances
A pivotal aspect of Nekrasova's public career is her role as co-host of the "Red Scare" podcast, which she launched on March 29, 2018, with Anna Khachiyan. The podcast has been widely associated with the "dirtbag left" and has been described by The Cut as "a critique of feminism, and capitalism, from deep inside the culture they've spawned." The Daily Dot characterized the show's "schtick" as "when hot mean girls become public leftists."
Nekrasova gained significant viral fame in 2018 when an interview she conducted with an InfoWars reporter at the South by Southwest Festival went viral. During the interview, she was dressed in a sailor fuku resembling the character Sailor Moon and expressed support for Bernie Sanders, leading to her being nicknamed "Sailor Socialism." This clip was later featured in a segment on Venezuela on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
In February 2019, Nekrasova, alongside Anna Khachiyan, participated as a runway model at the Marlborough Fine Art gallery in Manhattan, showcasing the Fall 2019 collection designed by Rachel Comey. In November 2021, Nekrasova generated discussion after posting a photo with InfoWars host Alex Jones on Instagram, subsequently praising him on her "Red Scare" podcast as "an incredible entertainer." In February 2024, it was reported that Nekrasova was the inspiration for the track "Mean Girls" on Charli XCX's sixth album, a fact she confirmed in June on her podcast, describing it as a "party girl anthem."
3.4. Early Career Activities
Before her more prominent roles, Dasha Nekrasova began her career by appearing in music videos for various alternative rock artists. These early appearances included videos for Yumi Zouma, Antwon, Future Death, Tocotronic, DJDS, TV Girl, and Gonjasufi. Her initial foray into feature films was with Wobble Palace, where she not only acted but also contributed to the screenplay, marking her debut as a co-writer.
4. Personal Life
Dasha Nekrasova was formerly engaged to Jewish comedian and internet talk-show host Adam Friedland.
5. Religious Views
Dasha Nekrasova identifies as an Eastern Catholic, specifically describing herself as "Slovak Ruthenian Carpatho-Rusyn Greek." She has publicly articulated her views on faith, stating in a 2020 interview that "Catholicism is nice because it involves a whole body of work outside of the Bible-it's a very aesthetic, literary religion." She further elaborated that her faith has "improved the quality of my life, my thoughts, and my relationships." Nekrasova also noted that faith does not need to be "grounded in rational thought," suggesting that many people are returning to religion because "everything feels so senseless and pointless."
Despite her adherence to Eastern Catholicism, Nekrasova has been openly critical of Pope Francis, whom she has referred to as a "layperson," "heretic," and "antipope." She maintains that the Eastern Rite has valid sacraments and is as Christian as Roman Catholicism, believing that "the faith is kept alive by the church militant, the mystical body, and the real magisterium, over which the gates of Hell will never triumph."
6. Filmography
| Year | Film/Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Cotton | Sasha | Web series |
| 2015 | The Eating Place | Fiona | Short |
| Hypochrondria | Belinda | Short | |
| The Lotus Gun | Daphine | Short | |
| 2016 | The Sound of Blue, Green and Red | Jenny | Short |
| 2017 | That Abominable Mystery | Alex | Short |
| My Boss Told Me to Have a Good Day, so I Went Home | Herself | Fashion film created for FFFM 2017 | |
| The Art of Eating | Lily | Short | |
| Prowler | The Nurse | Short | |
| Steps | Orphan #2 | Web series | |
| Normalize | Ms. Push Buttons | Short | |
| The Darby Bonarsky Story | Darby Bonarsky | Short; also co-writer | |
| 2018 | Nothing Bad Will Happen | Woman | Short |
| Wobble Palace | Jane | Also co-writer | |
| Softness of Bodies | Charlotte Parks | ||
| The Ghost Who Walks | Mitzie | ||
| 2019 | Black Earth | Mimi | |
| Mr. Robot | Celeste | Episode: "401 Unauthorized" | |
| Disco Elysium | Klaasje Amandou | Voice; original release only, replaced in The Final Cut | |
| Cake | Barbara | Episode: "Headspace" | |
| Dickinson | Ellen Mandeville Grout | Episode: 'Faith' is a fine invention" | |
| Sunday Girl | Natasha | ||
| 2020 | The Shivering Truth | Mrs. Minugm | Voice; Episode: "The Diff" |
| PVT Chat | QT4U | ||
| We Are | Vera | ||
| 2021 | The Serpent | Connie-Jo Bronzich | Episode: "Episode Four" |
| The Scary of Sixty-First | The Girl | Also writer and director | |
| Succession | Comfrey Pellits | 9 episodes | |
| 2023 | Bad Behaviour | Beverly Woods | |
| The Beast | Dakota | ||
| 2025 | Materialists | Post-production |
6.1. Music videos
- "Don't Care" - Antwon, featuring Sad Andy (2014)
- "Basements" - Future Death (2014)
- "The Brae" - Yumi Zouma (2014)
- "A Long Walk Home for Parted Lovers" - Yumi Zouma (2014)
- "Prolog" - Tocotronic (2015)
- "Rebel Boy" - Tocotronic (2015)
- "I Don't Love You" - DJDS (2016)
- "Taking What's Not Yours" - TV Girl (2016)
- "Vinaigrette" - Gonjasufi (2016)
7. Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Berlin International Film Festival | Best First Feature Award | The Scary of Sixty-First | Won |
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Succession | Won |
8. Public Image and Cultural Impact
Dasha Nekrasova's public image is largely shaped by her association with the "dirtbag left" subculture and her role as co-host of the "Red Scare" podcast. The podcast has garnered a significant following for its often provocative and unfiltered commentary, offering a critique of contemporary social and political issues from a perspective described as "politically incorrect" and "anti-woke." This has positioned Nekrasova as a figure who challenges mainstream liberal and feminist discourse.
A defining moment in her public image was the "Sailor Socialism" incident in 2018, where her interview with an InfoWars reporter went viral. Her appearance in a Japanese school uniform while advocating for Bernie Sanders created a memorable and widely circulated image that encapsulated a particular intersection of internet culture, political commentary, and aesthetic. This event cemented her status as a viral personality and brought her to a broader audience.
Nekrasova's willingness to engage with controversial figures and express unconventional views has also contributed to her public persona. Her praise of Alex Jones, the host of InfoWars, as an "incredible entertainer" on her podcast in 2021, following a shared photo, sparked considerable debate and further solidified her reputation for challenging norms. Her influence extends into popular culture, as evidenced by Charli XCX confirming that her song "Mean Girls" was inspired by Nekrasova, highlighting her impact on music and artistic expression. Through her podcast and various media appearances, Nekrasova has become a notable voice in discussions surrounding internet culture, political commentary, and the evolving landscape of media personalities.