Zoe Terakes: Pronouns, Gender, Surgery, and Career

For many actors, landing a major role is the moment their career takes off. For Zoe Terakes, playing Reb Keane on Wentworth also became a platform for something more personal—a public conversation about identity, pronouns, and what it means to transition while working in the spotlight.

Pronouns: they/them · Nationality: Australian · Known for: Wentworth, Talk to Me · Gender identity: Transgender, non-binary

Seven facts about Zoe Terakes, one pattern: their career and identity are deeply interwoven.

What pronouns does Zoe Terakes use?

The importance of pronouns

• In a 2021 YouTube interview, Terakes introduced themselves: “hello my name is zoe terakes my pronouns [are] they them” (YouTube – AACTA Awards red carpet).
• They also stated that he/him pronouns are acceptable (Instagram post).

Public statements on pronouns

• Terakes has consistently used they/them across social media and press, with later posts in 2026 also referencing they/he (PinkNews on X).

The implication: pronoun clarity has become a core part of Terakes’s public identity, reinforcing the shift toward normalizing pronoun disclosure in the entertainment industry.

What gender is Zoe Terakes?

Non-binary identity

• In a 2024 interview, Terakes described themselves as “non-binary and trans masculine” (YouTube – 2024 interview).
• Both IMDb and Wikipedia list Terakes as non-binary transmasculine (IMDb; Wikipedia).

Coming out as trans

• In a 2021 AACTA Awards interview, Terakes said they did not want to be forced to come out “because cisgender and heterosexual people don’t have to come out” (YouTube – AACTA red carpet interview).
• They added that telling the truth had cost them relationships but also brought roles they could not have dreamed of.

The pattern: Terakes’s coming-out was deliberate and political, framed as a demand for equal treatment rather than a confession. It set the tone for how they navigate the industry.

What surgery did Zoe Terakes have?

Details of gender-affirming surgery

• In December 2022, Terakes shared news of gender-affirming surgery with the message “I look like me now” (Star Observer).
• The surgery was widely reported as a milestone in Terakes’s transition, with coverage also appearing in QNews.

Social media announcement

• Terakes posted on Instagram: “I look like me now” (Star Observer). The exact date of the procedure was not disclosed.

What is Zoe Terakes famous for?

Role in Wentworth

• Terakes played Reb Keane, a trans man character, in the hit Australian prison drama from 2020 to 2021 (Wikipedia).

Role in Talk to Me

• Terakes appeared as Hayley in the 2022 horror film Talk to Me (Wikipedia).

Other TV and film appearances

• They appeared in Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) and made their on-screen debut at age 17 in Janet King, according to Wikipedia (Wikipedia).

Marvel cameo

• Terakes was cast in Marvel’s Ironheart in 2022, becoming the first transgender actor in a Marvel TV production (IndieWire).

The trade-off: each role has come with increased public scrutiny, but Terakes has used the platform to normalize trans presence across mainstream Australian and international productions.

What is Zoe Terakes’s background?

Early life and education

• Terakes is an Australian actor, reportedly of Greek ancestry from Crete (Wikipedia). Exact birth year is uncertain—sources list either 1999 or 2000 (IMDb; Wikipedia).

Career beginnings

• Terakes trained in theatre and made their first screen appearance in Janet King at age 17, reportedly coming out to the industry as non-binary and transmasculine at 19 (Wikipedia).

Activism and writing

• Terakes is an active advocate for trans rights and published a book, The Shape of Us, in 2025. They have spoken about the need for safer sets and pronoun inclusion.

Timeline: key milestones

• 1999/2000 – Born in Australia (Wikipedia; IMDb)
• 2020–2021 – Portrays Reb Keane in Wentworth (Wikipedia)
• 2021 – Appears in Nine Perfect Strangers; states pronouns publicly on Instagram and YouTube (Instagram; YouTube)
• 2022 – Stars in horror film Talk to Me; cast in Marvel’s Ironheart (Wikipedia; IndieWire)
• December 2022 – Announces gender-affirming surgery on social media (Star Observer)
• 2024 – Discusses non-binary identity in-depth (YouTube interview)
• 2025 – Publishes book The Shape of Us

Quotes from Zoe Terakes

“I look like me now.”

Zoe Terakes on gender-affirming surgery, via Star Observer

“hello my name is zoe terakes my pronouns [are] they them.”

Zoe Terakes, AACTA Awards red carpet interview 2021 (YouTube)

“I didn’t want to be forced to come out because cisgender and heterosexual people don’t have to come out.”

Zoe Terakes, same AACTA interview

For the Australian entertainment industry, Terakes’s trajectory shows that authenticity on set isn’t just a personal victory—it’s a professional one. The implication: staying visible may cost relationships, but for Terakes, it has won roles that were previously unimaginable.

Related reading: Wentworth star Zoe Terakes shares news of gender-affirming surgery: ‘I look like me now’ · Actor Zoe Terakes shares news of gender-affirming surgery

Readers interested in the actor’s evolving public identity can explore Zoe Terakes pronouns and career for a closer look at their pronouns and career milestones.

Frequently asked questions