Having already graced runways, Vogue covers and TTC bus shelters, Cara Delevingne is gearing up to make a splash on the big screen. The 23-year-old model with those famously thick eyebrows is a revelation in Michael Winterbottoms new film, The Face Of An Angel. Shes got five other movies scheduled for 2015, including the upcoming YA adaptation Paper Towns and Pan, in which she portrays a mermaid. Shell also be out and about in Toronto all summer shooting Suicide Squad, gearing up to be our citys biggest production to date. As Enchantress in the DC Super Villain ensemble, she plays opposite Will Smith and Jared Leto. .
I sat down with Delevingne during TIFF 2014 in a round table interview at the Trump Hotel. Dressed sharply in a grey pantsuit, shess spunky and whip-smart as she introduces us to what shes all about.
Why do you have a lion tattooed on your finger?
Im a Leo. Its the first tattoo I got. I grew up being fearless in everything. I just used to climb anything. I lost that when I started modelling. When you work a lot and dont really know what you want, you just do it because the work is there. I lost that inner fire, so I got the lion to bring that back in my mind.
You always look glamorous, on runways and Vogue covers and even now. But you hear a lot of horror stories from the modelling world. What has your experience been like?
Its a glamorized business. Once youre in it, its like hurry up, hurry up, wait, wait, hurry up. Its a whole different way of seeing it. Modelling is based on your looks, so its not the deepest thing in the world. For me, when I first started I looked at it as the weirdest thing in the world. I never gave a shite what I looked like ever as a kid or a teenager. So for me, it was just like dressing up.
How did you get into acting?
I remember the first time I was onstage. It was a Christmas jazz musical. I was Mary and I had a really long solo. And I just loved causing a reaction, smiling, laughing or crying. It made me feel alive. From that day, I was like, I want to entertain people.
You also have directing ambitions?
I definitely want to be behind the camera at some point. I learned so much seeing Michael Winterbottom work. I always write. So many things inspire me all the time. It would be a crime to not write those things down.
And youre a musician?
You know that saying Jack of all trades, expert of none? I hope thats not true. I hope I can do it all. Im not going to fill my basket up too much. Everyone starts getting annoyed with me. Im already annoyed with me.
I started playing drums when I was nine. It was a really good release for me because I have a lot of energy. Im constantly moving, and rhythm is life. I hear it in everything even speech. Drums are my expression. If I get really angry, Ill play the drums for hours and get it all out. Its like my meditation.
You play a mermaid in the new Peter Pan movie with Hugh Jackman. Is Peter Pan as much of an iconic figure for you as he is for so many?
I loved Peter Pan. I never want to grow up. You mad? Age doesnt mean much to me. I know so many 50-year-olds who act younger than me, and I love those people. When you keep that kid inside you alive, its wonderful, one of the most creative things. The most creative people I know have that kid still running around in there like Michael Winterbottom.
