When Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was a fashion-obsessed 15-year-old living in her rural hometown of Devon, England, aka “the middle of nowhere,” she cold-called her way around London looking for someone, anyone, in the industry to give her an internship as part of a work-study program at school. A small modeling agency in Soho said yes, and she promptly spent a week at its offices emptying ashtrays and making photocopies. And although she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do yet—design, yes; styling, maybe—not once did it occur to her that she had what it takes to make a career in front of the camera.
“I remember the models walking in, and they were like goddesses to me,” says Huntington-Whiteley, now 29 and based in Los Angeles. “They were so stylish and elegant with their beautiful skin and blasé attitude. I just remember being like, ‘Oh my god, these girls are like swans.’”
It wasn’t that Huntington-Whiteley was unattractive (though she claims her fair share of awkward-phase afflictions: a layer of baby fat, spotty skin, and overplucked eyebrows); it was simply a matter of how she was raised. “I don’t remember people saying, ‘You’re so pretty,’ or, ‘You’re gorgeous,’” she says of her childhood. “You were praised for getting good grades or winning the race. Being aware of how you look was never encouraged. I feel lucky for that.”
To be sure, in-flight Rosie—girl-on-the-go Rosie, never-in-one-place-for-a-long-time Rosie—is a mode Huntington-Whiteley knows all too well. Lately, though, as she moves into her 30s, she’s been wondering what it would be like to be less nomadic. “I sometimes feel like the last 13 years were spent in the air,” she says, adding that having her feet planted on more solid ground would allow her to cement meaningful new friendships and relationships, as well as tend to existing ones. “I look forward to starting a family,” she says, describing her bond with Statham as the “most cherished and sacred thing in my life.” She’d also like to see her two younger siblings, Florence and Toby, more often, as well as her parents. “The greatest gift they ever gave me was the freedom to go out and explore when I was young,” she says. “Now that I’m getting older, I feel more keen to spend time with them.”
Whatever the future holds, Huntington-Whiteley isn’t going to wait for it to come to her. “I’ve always had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve next,” she says, sounding not far from the teen who hustled her way to London. “I’m very driven, and I visualize what I want for my life.” And if that means fewer frequent-flier miles, we’ll just have to get our airport-style inspo from somewhere else.
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