Page 9 - Real Style Spring 2020

CRUSHING ON
harlotte
CHARLOTTE MCKINNEY ON REDEFINING HER ACTING CAREER, A NEW ACTIVEWEAR COLLABORATION, AND OH SO MANY SHOES.
BY HEIDI HOFSTAD
CHARLOTTE MCKINNEY IS ALMOST READY FOR HER CLOSE UP—literally, and figuratively (read on for the latter)—as we chat over the phone, her glam squad is getting to work. “I’m sitting in the makeup chair right now. I have a little beauty shoot with my hair and makeup team who are amaz- ing. I work with them all the time. The shoot is fo- cused on beauty and my skincare,” she says dialing in from Los Angeles. Before deep diving into her complexion and my questions, McKinney confirms that I’m calling from Canada and adds proudly, “My mom is from Windsor, across from Detroit, so I’m technically kind of Canadian. I’ve gotten to work in Toronto and I really enjoyed it. Everyone I meet from Canada I genuinely really like. I just love it out there. It’s more easy going.”
Debuting in a Carl’s Jr. commercial airing dur- ing the Super Bowl in 2015, the model-cum-actress has since appeared in GUESS campaigns, televi- sion shows and on the silver screen in Baywatch, Mad Families, First We Take Brooklyn, and recently Fantasy Island. “I got to shoot this film in Fiji, so
spending three weeks [there] was amazing! It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever filmed. There definitely were challenges because it was so hot, but it was a really fun experience and I really enjoyed it,” McKinney says of her latest flick.
The blonde, blue-eyed, bombshell, who grew up in Orlando, and dropped out of school at 17 years old to model in Miami, is focusing her star power on building her portfolio. Hitting refresh, so to speak, this means flexing her acting chops to progress be- yond roles within the “bikini girl” realm. “I feel like a lot of casting directors and people really just kind of write me off as this one person, but this year I’m hoping to kind of show more of a variety to me,” McKinney explains. When asked to describe her dream role, McKinney visualizes, “Something su- per stripped down—no makeup, something raw, and maybe a little darker—just something where people would be like, ‘Oh, wow. I didn’t even know that was her.’ Just something more outside of the box for me. I think that is something that will help people see me in a different light.”
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