With your experience as a model, we hear you are an aficionado on all things beauty & fashion. Any quick tips and tricks for young working fashionistas such as yourself?

Your big break came when you were cast in the 2011 blockbuster Real Steel. What was it like working alongside Hugh Jackman?

I will forever be grateful that I was cast in Real Steel. The entire cast & crew were so professional and they set such a great example on and off set.

I learned a lot and I will carry those lessons with me throughout my entire career. I could not have wished for a better introduction to the film industry. Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy, Stacey Snider, and Steven Spielberg all set a high bar for me! They were so kind, so real, and very polite to anyone around them on set. I have great memories with the Real Steel Family.   You have made appearances in several successful primetime programs some of which include Nip/Tuck, Entourage & The Vampire Diaries. What do you look for when selecting a role?   Well-written material, a good story, and an interesting character arc. I am not afraid of challenging myself and I constantly work on different genres and playing around with different accents.

You were born and raised in Ukhta, Russia and studied in the Unites States as a teenager. What was the biggest culture shock in studying & now working in America?

Sports! At that time, we didn’t have many sports in Russian schools. There were not a lot of school groups or activities. So being a part of a school sport was a shock, but definitely exciting for me. I enjoyed being a part of a co-ed soccer team and I also tried basketball. Although, I don’t recall basketball as being my future calling. 😉 As for working in the United States, I never really worked in Russia since I left very early. Working in the United States is really all I know. And I love what I do. Very thankful that this country gave me so many opportunities.

After completing your education in the states you were signed by Ford Models. What has been the most important casting tip you learned that you still use today.

Since a lot of modeling jobs are based on being the “right look,” I realized you can either be the most beautiful, the most talented, or the nicest, but if a client wants something different than you, there is really nothing you can do. You learn to go into the room, be prepared, have fun, and when you exit the room, you forget everything. Otherwise, you are going to drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what you could have done differently. You have to accept that if you did your best, that is good enough.

With your experience as a model, we hear you are an aficionado on all things beauty & fashion. Any quick tips and tricks for young working fashionistas such as yourself?

Work is work, but you are not going to enjoy it if you don’t take some time for yourself. Healthy body + healthy mind = happy YOU! Even if it’s a few minutes every day, take some time for yourself. Breathe. Do something besides work. And if you have time, spend that time in the spa, hanging out in the garden, painting, cooking, working out, anything that makes YOU happy!

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1353