Tommy Dorfman, who rose to international attention through her portrayal of Ryan Shaver in the Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why, has stepped back into the spotlight with a fresh wave of personal and professional revelations. As of May 2025, she is making headlines following the release of her deeply personal memoir, Maybe This Will Save Me, which offers raw insight into her journey since 13 Reasons Why first aired.
In recent interviews, Tommy reflects not just on the popularity of the show, but how it upended her life overnight. She describes the experience as one that brought recognition but also isolation, panic, and the pressure to uphold a public persona she didn’t yet understand. Now, years later and with greater clarity, she shares her truth—not as the character of Ryan Shaver, but as Tommy Dorfman.
Table of Contents
The Role of Ryan Shaver: Tommy Dorfman’s Breakthrough
It’s impossible to separate Tommy Dorfman from the cultural wave of 13 Reasons Why. The character she played, Ryan Shaver, was a fiercely opinionated and artistically inclined student who played a pivotal role in Hannah Baker’s story. At the time, Tommy was relatively new to television, and landing such a bold, visible role propelled her into sudden stardom.
While many actors might celebrate that kind of visibility, Tommy admits that the experience was far from glamorous. She was only 24 when the first season launched on Netflix. The attention was immediate, intense, and emotionally exhausting. In public, strangers recognized her. Online, the pressures of fame followed her. There was no guidebook for how to handle it, and she often felt unprepared.
Today, when reflecting on 13 Reasons Why, Tommy Dorfman calls it a blessing with complicated emotions. She doesn’t discredit the show’s importance or impact, but she emphasizes how the role challenged her identity at a time when she was already questioning who she was inside.
Tommy Dorfman 13 Reasons Why: A Story of Transition and Healing
Since her time on the show, Tommy Dorfman has gone through a life-altering transformation. In 2021, she publicly came out as a transgender woman, a decision she describes as freeing and terrifying at the same time. This revelation wasn’t made for public applause—it was, in her own words, a survival move.
Tommy’s memoir, published in early 2025, lays bare her emotional struggles. She writes openly about addiction, heartbreak, dysphoria, and the journey of reconnecting with her body and voice. Fame gave her a platform, but it was her inner work that gave her purpose.
Here’s what Tommy’s journey teaches us:
- Fame isn’t fulfillment: Visibility brought recognition but not inner peace.
- Healing is not linear: She discusses relapses and breakthroughs with equal honesty.
- Identity evolves: From actor to author, from male to female, from performer to truth-teller.
Her ability to share vulnerably is what sets her apart in the entertainment world. And while 13 Reasons Why introduced her to the world, Tommy’s current presence is far more self-defined and centered.
Where Tommy Dorfman Stands Now in 2025
As of this year, Tommy is not just an actress or a former Netflix star. She’s a writer, a speaker, and an advocate for mental health and transgender rights. Her book, Maybe This Will Save Me, is already being hailed as a powerful contribution to queer literature. She no longer plays by Hollywood’s rules. Instead, she focuses on creating space for real stories and real healing.
She’s also indicated interest in returning to acting, but only under the right circumstances—roles that align with who she is today. No longer trying to mold herself into a palatable version of fame, Tommy has learned to say no, to prioritize her peace, and to share only when it serves her truth.
Tommy Dorfman 13 Reasons Why: The Legacy and the Lesson
The phrase Tommy Dorfman 13 Reasons Why will forever be associated with a defining chapter in her career. But today, that chapter serves as a stepping stone rather than a label. Tommy has moved beyond Ryan Shaver, and beyond the tightly-scripted world of Netflix drama, into her own story—one that’s unscripted, complex, and more powerful than fiction.
What makes her story resonate is not just the fame, but the vulnerability. Her transformation—both personal and public—gives hope to anyone grappling with identity, purpose, or visibility in an overwhelming world.
Want to truly understand the journey behind the name Tommy Dorfman? Pick up Maybe This Will Save Me—a memoir filled with grit, healing, and a voice that’s finally her own.