Has this been posted? Emily DiDonato for Elle Italia, october 2014 - Interview source: emilydidonatoitaly.tumblr.com/post/97840383624/emily-didonato-for-elle-italia-october-2014 It must have been nice to buy a house. "I still don’t believe that’s mine! I was in rent and I said to myself: "I want to stay here in New York for a while." So I searched for some apartments with my mother and I felt so adult. At the end I found this with a chimney, in an old building with one bedroom. I still like to look for a house in New York and sometimes I think to buy another one." It’s one of that condominium that asks for references? "Exactly. My mother helped me." What type is your mother? "She’s extraordinary. She’s a full time mom with three of us brothers. She’s beautiful: blue eyes and grizzled hair. When I started modeling I brought my mother with me and all still remember about her. Fabien Baron (artistic director, ndr) and the photographer Patrick Demarchelier always ask about her. Incredible, right? That’s because it’s easy to talk with her. She’s funny (at high school they gave to her the prize for best clown of the class): she was a real tomboy!" Is she a sporty type? "Both my parents are. They go in mountain bike, we do it together when I go found them. They are very sporty and in shape! You want to say to them: "C’mon, stop it!". We’ve also done 11 miles in the woods the last time that I’ve been there. And they have almost sixty years." What work does your father do? "Now he’s in pension but he was a firefighter in the Bronx for almost thirty years. When I was a little girl I didn’t realize, then I figured out how much risky his work was. He’s a tough guy." What do your siblings think about your success? "I think they’re proud but we never talk about it." Do you have italian ancestry? "My last name is italian but my grandparents were born in New York. We don’t talk italian but we eat spaghetti on sundays." How was your school? "When I was 14 I went to a little school catholic private mixed, my parents chose that school because of the intense sports program." You were very sporty? "Yes, I loved basket, soccer but especially lacrosse. I put my soul in it. But when I started modeling I had to stop: there was no need to risk punches in the face! Then they told me that if I wanted to become a full time model I had to stop acting like a boy." It seems that you are more interested at your shape form instead of your beauty. "I always prefered to push my body to the limit from the perspective of athletic rather than think: "Oh God, I’m pretty!". It’s boring. I’ve just returned from a course at the gym called Red Carpet Ready. But sooner or later I’ll be back on the basketball court. In the meanwhile, I’m doing the SLT." What’s SLT? "It’s a form of Pilates. The name means Strenghten, Lenghten, Tone. It exists by three years and I follow this course twice a week, more some other course. Sometimes I go running or I do gym at home." How do you train yourself? "I’m obsessed with the DVD of fitness. I buy them on the Internet, I’ve got a hundred of those DVD’s. One of them it’s called "Insanity"! Another is intitled "Brazilian Butt Lift". So when I am on trip I keep myself on shape in a little room." Is it true that it’s been a family friend to suggest you to become a model? "Yes, a photographer. He gave to me a number of an agency where I went with my mother. They looked at me and said: "We’re going to send you immediatly to some customer.". I was wearing some shorts and a top, and that same day I was engaged from Ralph Lauren. I couldn’t believe, I was scared." How was your first shooting? "All the people that were there that day are still my friends, we’re a family." Where your job takes you? "To Los Angeles, Paris, London. Last week I was in Mexico City, the next one I am going to Costa Rica; I have not seen much of Italy, I’ve saw only Milan and Venice. I’ve been at the Hawaii, where I shot my first commercial for Armani. Or in Switzerland and in Namibia, for Sports Illustrated." In Switzerland you were in bikini on the snow, I think you felt cold… "I felt more cold in Namibia. In Switzerland at that altitude the sun burns. There where a lot of people." You mean the equipe? "Not only them. When you shoot outside there are always a lot of people that stare at you, I imagine they think: "Look at her, what is she doing?" But the whole troupe supports you, right? "Sure. It’s a team work, everything has to be OK. Sometimes the situation becomes tiring: you’re cold, you’re hot, you’re tired, but there’s always someone that you have connection with and they help you." Talk to us about the last video for Giorgio Armani. "It was different from the first one shot in the Hawaii. In the first one I was really tanned. In this one I have a bit of make up. It’s the same woman, but now more transparent and beautiful." Wich was the most exciting experience? "Without no doubt the spot for Armani. I wasn’t even 18, I was terrified and I was so excited. I learned so much: I was surrounded by people with a lot of talent like Fabien Baron, and Acqua di Gioia brought me so many opportunities for my career." You have thrown yourself into this profession. Are you stressed sometimes? "This could happen at anybody and in any work. If I feel stressed I slow down, I take care of myself, I read a book, I go for a run and I calm down. I call a friend or my mother and I am ready to go." Besides your mother, who do you call? "Ali Michael, she’s a model but with the head on her shoulders." Do you have a role model? "Besides my mother I’d say Christy Turlington, she is my muse. I met her for a spot: they put us together in a little bus and we started talking. She is strong, beautiful, she has kids, a family and she works since the 90’s." Do you fall in love sometimes? "It doesn’t happen to me so often, what kind of love would that be? But right now I have a boyfriend." How is he? "I don’t want to talk about it too much but he’s a good guy that I met some months ago. I can say that he’s american, blond and he’s not inside the fashion industry. I am really happy." So I guess he’s not ugly… [Laughs] “No, he’s not ugly.” Source: emilydidonatoitaly #emily didonato #elle #elle italia #interview #model #MINE #txt #my txt
