What are three words you would use to describe your style?
3 words – Experimental, understated, comfortable 🙂
Let’s just say I’m not a jeans wearer lol
What was your most challenging role?
Life is challenging, roles are easy.
Who is someone you would like to work with that you haven’t gotten to yet?
It’s hard singling out just one person, but Brad Pitt is on my list; he’s actually from the same small town in Oklahoma, that my dad is from. 🙂 It’s a small town with 20,000 people to this year.
If you weren’t doing modeling/acting, what else do you think you would be doing?
If I were to choose a different profession, that would mean I completely dedicate myself to that area, but there’s nothing I understand more than acting or see myself doing for the rest of my life before quitting.
When and how did you decide to be an actress?
I started out as a gymnast on an Olympic Gymnastics team which required 10-hour training days after school, and along came my first photoshoots. If you asked a 5-year-old me where I am from, I would say Disneyland; I love that place and spent a lot of time there as a kid, singing and pretending to be a Disney princess. That is how my acting career started. I performed a lot in kindergarten and sang at all the school parties. I would cry to a sad song or dance to a happy one. In high school, when we lived in London, I performed in the theatre with my mom. The movies like “The Blue Lagoon”, “Endless Love” or “Splendor in the Grass” inspired me. A love story that made me “happy cry”. As a child, I thought I was witnessing someone’s real life, I didn’t know acting was an actual job. Little did I know that I, too, could make movies one day.
What do you like most about being on set?
I love being on set whether as an actress, a model, or now as a singer. I love expressing my emotions and I feel people’s energy. I am very empathetic. I know the intention behind people’s words so acting is second nature to me.
I have been on a lot of sets and every new project I work on becomes my favorite from being a rebel femme fatale opposite Steven Seagal to my shoot with Post Malone or working with Elijah Wood and Hillary Swank. I meet amazing people on set. I enjoyed working with Debra Granik and plan on working together again. I was thrilled to work with Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Vera Wang, and Emilio Pucci. I’m really honored to have shot for Oscar De La Renta in the very last gown he created, that became legendary.
How do you prepare for a day on set?
I prepare mentally. If it’s filming in the snow, in a dress, I trick myself into believing it’s not cold, therefore I never get sick. I put 150% into everything I do. If I need to, I will burn the midnight oil just so I know everyone’s lines on set. People I work with call me “the model who is ready for everything”. I’m very free on set now, from any challenge or scene that’s thrown at me in the moment- I already know I can play it. Improv is my favorite, and a director that can handle that will be my partner in crime. Freedom comes with experience and confidence. With the opportunities I had, I took the most out of them and with that came the knowledge that I’m the best, and I always deliver, prepared or not.
What’s the best compliment you’ve had regarding your work, performance?
I might not show it, but compliments mean a lot to me, it makes me stronger. And even a small remark inspires me to work so much harder. If you just ask me, I’ll take your suggestion and will make it happen.
I’ve done my own stunts for the projects, and after getting a trauma on set, I powered through it. I finished up filming the stunt scenes and the rest of the project. I want to do everything myself, because I believe with the power and desire to learn something, we can do most things ourselves. Nothing more exciting than learning new or mastering an old skill. Parts where extra training before filming is required are my favorite. I’m fearless. The nicest compliment I got despite being around seasoned actors who’ve been in the business for over 30+ years – among them all I owned the scene and stood out the most, making the scene mine.
What is your dream role and project? What are future plans?
Speaking of dream roles, playing real life people, delving into the past, and parts where I have to learn a new skill, are especially enticing to me: like playing a circus performer, a ballet dancer, a skier, or a girl, who lives in a small rural town, on a ranch or alone in the woods, or in an abandoned castle. I’ll be going back to London to work on more of those type of historical, classical projects. I’m very found of movies like “The Piano”, “The Other Boleyn Girl”, “Dangerous Beauty” and I can go on. I do know that’s when I’ll truly shine.
I always believed that everything happens for a reason. I secretly always wanted to sing. As a kid I listened to Avril Lavigne on repeat. And I always knew that I would write music, play instruments and sing. It’s been so long ago that I’ve had that dream that I almost forgot about it. Being on set with other artists like Post Malone, Halsey, Blondie and others reminded me about my childhood dream. I accidentally recorded a song and it turned out fabulous. I’ve never gotten so many compliments in my life about anything I’ve done! Right now, I’m most proud of my upcoming music, it’s a whole new adventure for me.
What is the most challenging incident that happened to you on set? And how did you deal with it?
When you are starting out, everyone is always psyching you out, how hard it is and how prepared you need to be. So, I’ve always over prepared to the point of knowing everyone’s lines and have researched every little detail for projects. Imagine my disbelief and shock when I’ve seen unprepared actors, who have been in the business for years, having the time of their lives not even touching the script before they came to set. And at the same it was the most challenging, I had to lead a bunch of adult, veteran actors through the scenes. I love being in front of the camera and giving different takes, and ways to play the same scene, finding the deep meaning below the surface of the text. And it is very challenging when you want to show more, but you get 2 takes and you are done, because I always come prepared, like a 2 take wonder. While the struggling on set actors get a million takes and waste everyone’s time because they are seasoned yet unprepared.
What is your daily routine?
I love being busy. The earlier I have to wake up, the more places I have to be – the better I feel and more motivated I stay. I live for the busy days, when I don’t have time to even touch my phone because I’m either working on a set, or sleeping. If I’m home I become a total introvert. I can stay home for days, without leaving the house if I’m not asked to be somewhere. I wake up, cook a Grand Marnier soufflé, exercise very mildly – like yoga, a walk with the dogs or a hike, practice guitar, or piano, and finish with a hot bath. My secret little pleasure – I love listening to love novels before I go to sleep, while cuddling one of my rescue animals. But no matter what stage I’m in my life – I always find time to visit many animal sanctuaries and spend a lot of time with the elderly.
How would you describe yourself (to people who don’t know you)?
Depending on my mood and my surroundings, I can be very different. I’m very social and will enjoy having a heart to heart with a stranger. I see myself in you. I want to know your life story, why you are the way you are. What makes you happy, who hurt you, what do you worry about at night. I love expressing my emotions and I feel people’s energy. I am very empathetic. I know the intention behind people’s words, so acting is second nature to me. I feel most comfortable when I am in front of a camera or in a large group of people. I prefer playing a character, becoming one with that person. Once I dress for the part, I believe I am someone else and forget about being myself. I am not performing, just being. I’m a team player, I want everyone to succeed because if everyone is thriving then so am I. I’m patient, I don’t argue, which makes me easy to work with. I think we have the same goal just to be happy. I think every stranger is my friend, and that’s why I want to help everyone. I trust easily, and can’t stand liars because they leave me heartbroken.
What are your best quality and worst default, how do they relate to your work? How do you turn your defaults around and how do you make the best use of your qualities?
I am a team player; I would much rather lead a group and have us inspire each other than be on my own. If everyone is thriving then so am I, I aspire for everyone to succeed and my patience makes me easy to work with. Except with myself as I am hard on myself.
As I live by the thought that we all share the same goal of being happy, I trust people easily which leaves me disappointed in the case people aren’t true to their words and say something they don’t mean. I take things personally and strive to help everyone and even though I don’t always get the same treatment, I embrace my weaknesses.
I am a person of routine, I get attached easily and think every stranger is a friend. This leads to me being heartbroken quite often as I experience and show emotion stronger than most. However, the best you can do is turn a downfall into something positive. If I find myself down – I cry, then adopt a new pet and move on.
Where do you find your fashion inspiration?
Last year I visited France, and decided to go to fashion design school in Paris. I was always drawn to fashion, and especially dreamed about designing my own clothing line. I wanted something versatile that men could wear and teen girls would love. A line with diversity. I’ve always loved animals, and spent a lot of my childhood volunteering at animal shelters and sanctuaries. I found a way to combine my love for animals, modeling and fashion through my exclusive, one of a kind merchandises – a line of clothing, backpacks, swimming suits, socks, and now fairytale themed face masks. The cool design makes kids and teens stay safe while enjoying and having fun wearing a mask. Unfortunately, with COVID-19 many have struggled, but I was taught to find positive in the negative. That’s how my original face masks came to life.
What is your secret to success?
Hard work is my only success. Hours of sleepless nights. I put my 150% in everything I do. If I need to, I won’t sleep all night, but I’ll know everyone’s lines on set. People I work with call me – a model/actress who’s ready for everything. The courage to try and the power to move forward when you are down. I believe the lower you fall, the higher you will rise. Modeling/acting portfolio is easy. But quality portfolio is challenging. First you have to know exactly what you want. And when you are starting out, you think you want one thing, then the market wants something else, and the people you are working with are going for a completely different esthetic. If you choose projects that you love despite all the odds, or what’s “cool”, or because everyone else is “doing that”, then you’ll have something to be proud of.
Who inspired you the most in your career and life?
People that make it despite the odds inspire me, people that do the impossible inspire me, people that help and give inspire me. And a especially people that do good for the world without filming it or looking for validation in return inspire me. I don’t idealize one person, because I believe we can all be that person that will inspire others, and as a result we all can inspire each other.
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