It can’t be easy transitioning from Sports Illustrated model to starring in the much anticipated action film Battleship, but Brooklyn Decker does it with ease…at least it appears that way. In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, the model turned actress talks about the transition to film, her modest upbringing, and her struggle with body image.
Decker was born in North Carolina and like many of Hollywood’s elite, she had a modest upbringing, but she wasn’t your average little kid watching TV and playing with dolls; she got down and dirty, and knows the value of the good outdoors:
“My parents had us very young. We lived in a modest house. We built forts, we hiked, we went camping and they wanted us to be independent. It’s how children grew up in the 1940s and 50s: outside all the time, playing in the dirt, riding your bike around. I played sports; I played the violin and the guitar. We weren’t allowed to watch TV. We didn’t have passports and we didn’t travel – it was too expensive. With my first paycheck, I sent my parents to Jamaica, so they actually got passports! They’re pretty grounded; it wasn’t until they saw the trailer for Battleship that they were like, ‘Ooh, this is a big movie, isn’t it?’
Decker said it wasn’t easy getting into acting, especially as a model. But with a little hard work and perseverance, she made it. She explains:
“I auditioned for two or three years and didn’t get anything. Then I started getting a couple of TV shows and finally my first movie. People would dismiss me, simply because I was a model. So [I had] to work extra hard hoping that [I was seen as] something more than just the way [I] look. As soon as I got Just Go With It, I left the modeling world behind, which is a big thing to do when you’re at the top.”
She’s also not your average waif-thin model. She’s strong and curvy, and had difficulty dealing with that in her early years. She reveals:
“I have boobs and I talk too much and I smile too much. I’ve never been runway skinny. No one wanted to hire me. My father advised me to make the most of my athletic physique, to nurture it and make it my thing. I did the whole juice-fasting thing, I tried all that – it was stupid, but you learn. I love sugar and coffee, but I try to balance healthy eating with the occasional indulgence.”
Father knows best!
Brooklyn Decker’s next starring role is in What to Expect When Expecting, alongside Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Anna Kendrick!
