The Polish American model, actress and animal rights activist met up with LuisaViaRoma in hills of Tuscany right outside of Florence to discuss her life, passions and style advice.
The shoot was done in beautiful Florence. What is it you love about Italy?
Italy is one of my favorite places in the world. If you ask me where I would have a second home or where I would want to live, it’s definitely Italy. But what part, I can’t choose. It’s all so beautiful. I think that people are so warm in Italy, fashion is always top-notch, the food is amazing – if I lived here I would be a few pounds heavier.
Social media – how do you use it? is it a threat or an opportunity?
Right now, I use social media to share my life and photos with my fans and people that follow me. A few years ago, I never thought that social media would explode and be so huge. Now it’s not only for fun and sharing your life with those that follow you but it’s also a job. The system of how you become famous, how you get a job has totally changed – it’s all about social media now.
What are your favorite accounts?
I don’t follow many accounts, my life is so busy and fulfilled with work that I worry about my account and what I put on social media, and I try to become creative and to post as much as I can.
Do you have a fashion icon?
I don’t really have one specific fashion icon. There are some celebrities that dress amazingly, but many of them wear fur, and you know that I’m very anti-fur.
A fashion piece that you cannot do without?
Shoes and handbags are those things you cannot do without because you can have a simple black dress and if you have amazing crazy shoes and a beautiful handbag it can make the look.
A perfect outfit for a date night?
Well, it depends on what the date is, but I think less is more for a date. I go for “sexy, but with class”, I like to leave a bit to the imagination.
You can never go wrong with a little black dress, every woman should have one in her closet.
You are very socially conscious. Why are you so passionate about animal’s rights?
I’ve always been an animal lover since I was a little girl, I’ve always rescued if I saw a little cat on the street, but later, when I got into entertainment business I’ve learned of all the reality, of all the things that go on with animals, the fur farms, the shelters, how people treat them horribly, so I just wanted to be their voice. And the bigger I become with my social media and with my work, I know people listen, that I can make a difference, I can make a change.
Tell us a little bit about being a presenter on television…
I love to do it! Live shows are tricky… like when I did Poland’s next top model, anything can happen, but over the years you learn to go with the flow. If you’re doing a show that you are passionate about and you love what you’re doing, it comes naturally.
What is one of the biggest hurdles you have overcome?
When I first moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, I had this big dream of becoming a model, and for the first two years, nobody wanted to hire me. Every agency I went to told me, “you’re 5,7, you’re too short, you’re too sexy, you’re too curvy, you’re not going to find work.” It took me a couple of years to finally start doing something, but I think the most important thing was that I didn’t give up. There were so many times when I called my mum and I told her, “I’m moving back home, I’ll just give up” but I just kept telling myself, “don’t give up, this is your passion, this is what you want to do, just keep fighting”. And I think also my ego wouldn’t let me move back because I left my boyfriend at that time, and he told I couldn’t be a model, I wanted to prove myself.
With all the ‘me too’ going on in the media right now, can you share with us your thoughts on women in the industry? Where do you see all of this going?
It’s a tough question… It happens everywhere, not just in the entertainment business. When powerful people take advantage of their position it’s very sad. Women shouldn’t have to be scared that if they go to a meeting something bad might happen. Hopefully, there’ll be an overall positive change, not only in the entertainment business.
Any advice to young girls who might be going through this?
Young girls can do what I did. If a producer or director comes up to you and say “Hey, let’s do dinner”, you need to say “give me your card, I’ll have my manager or my agent call you”, and let the manager or agent deal with them. You’d never go to a hotel room to meet with somebody, because what would you expect? Obviously, they don’t have the best intentions. Business for me is from 9 AM to 5 PM, if somebody wants me meet me at 10 PM for a drink, obviously something else is up. You always need to be smart, don’t be naïve.
Credits:
Special thanks to Joanna Krupa
Location: Villa Tolomei Hotel & Resort, Florence, Italy
