MODELS TURNED ACTORS
Updated: Feb 10, 2019
As I ran a post on social media the other morning, I thought about all the actors who began their careers as models. Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa, Amber Valetta, Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Brooke Shields, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Travis Fimmel and Jessica Green to name a few.
Jason Momoa wanted to be known for more than just his looks. He starred in episodes of Baywatch in the late 90's/early 00's which gave him that first taste of life on-set. It took him many years to break the "pretty boy" persona and an incident in a bar that left him his trademark scar through his eyebrow. A bar fight broke out, someone smashed a glass into Jasons face during the surprise attack, where he needed 144 stitches. Luckily for him, there was no serious damage to his eye, nerves, the mobility of his face or his expressions.. and for his fans..? It added to his rugged good looks and quite possibly gave him a "leg up" on the roles such as Conan or Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones. Of course, I can't mention his name without also stating that his latest role as Aquaman was a triumph - and also boasting that reel management had the most people on set of any agency on the Gold Coast. Apologies for bragging - not :)
Charlize Theron is no stranger to tragedy but that didn't stop her career from starting as a model. Born with those stunning features, she was a natural selection for designers. But a turbulent family drama to rival any Hollywood feature film, saw her mother kill her abusive father in self defence. Charlize chose to rise above the tragedy and worked for major fashion houses before turning her talents to acting. Her most notable acting role was that of a real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 feature film called "Monster".
Charlize completely transformed herself with false teeth, prosthetics and weight gain, to be unrecognisable in her portrayal of the story which led to Aileen Wuornos being executed in the USA under the state law of Starke, Florida. To alter yourself for a role such as this takes commitment to telling the story. Picture below is of the real Aileen, Charlize from the movie and yet another photo of her stunning beauty.
Australia's own Travis Fimmel started his sexy modelling career as the face and body of Calvin Klein underwear. Gracing billboards in NYC that were the size of buildings, his trajectory was quick in the modelling world but he didn't waste much time turning his attention to acting where he was quickly cast in the lead as Tarzan. He turned his back on being a pretty boy and shaved his hair, grew a ZZ-top beard and kept accepting roles that didn't hark on his features. Fast forward to 2018 and he starred on the soon-to-be released Danger Close shot right here on the Gold Coast and employing reel management actor Beau Jones in a support role as Private Thomas.
There's no need to wonder about Cameron Diaz - she is a household name. Back when she was a model, Australia was one of her chosen destinations and she enjoyed surfing the coast, meeting fun Aussie locals and working with the best photographers in the world. Cameron is a fave with both the guys and the girls. Her down-to-earth charm keeps her working on great scripts with the best in the business. Below - Cameron from an early editorial shoot and on the set for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
Jessica Green is the model from the Gold Coast, a sweetheart who made a great name for herself modelling right here. Hollywood beckons after a feature film and she is currently in production shooting the second series of The Outpost. Jessica doesn't shy away from doing her own stunts and is making a respectable name for herself. You can find out more on Jessica and her body of work by heading to IMDb - the international ranking system of all your favourite stars. It fluctuates from week to week, usually depending on what movies are out.
Does this article inspire you to think of your opportunities..? As an actor, it is VITAL that you are training consistently. That means training of one sort or another every week.. better yet, work on it every day! You need to be working on your US accent, building your technique, being flexible and training with lots of different people too. Our actors are now being accepted for auditions on major Hollywood productions. You don't see the hard work they put in. You see the results. Get real in your approach. The best athletes, the best singers, the best dancers have rained very hard, what have you got to lose..?