Natalia Bryant talks about how her late father, Kobe Bryant, inspired her career goals and life in general in a rare interview.
The 18-year-old model, who signed up with IMG models in February, has revealed parts of her childhood and how it helped her mold into the person she is today.
Upclose & Personal
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Natalia regarded the late NBA legend as her greatest motivator in a special Q&A feature she did with the modeling agency, which was published on September 2. In the interview, she credited her early interest in filmmaking to her father.
Kobe passed on his passion for cinema to his eldest child.
“My dad and I would always watch as many movies as we can and we’d go on movie marathons,” Natalia recalled. “And then we’d always analyze as many movies as we can and we’d talk about it for months. Anywhere we’d go we’d just keep talking about different films and how it, like, reminds us of where we are.”
The family loves traveling, and throughout their trips, the rising model said they bonded over finding connections between their favorite movies and real life. “It’s just things like that,” Natalia explained, “it just really inspired me and I was like, ‘I want to do this forever.’”
Life Goals
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Natalia, who attends the University of Southern California, is hoping to add an additional Academy Award to the Bryant family’s list of accolades. In 2018, the basketball star accepted the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball.
“In 10 years,” she shared, “I want to win an Oscar. I’m not sure for what, or for what Oscar category, but that’s on my list. And I want to make a film where I can incorporate fashion and those fashion aspects, and I think combining my two passions, that’s just amazing. I want to be able to do that.”
Her Fashion Inspiration
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Meanwhile, for fashion, Natalia credits her mom, Vanessa Bryant, as her biggest influence. Earlier in the week, the mother of four jetted off to Venice, Italy to watch Dolce & Gabbana’s star-studded runway show.
“I probably take the most style tips from my mom,” Natalia said with a laugh.
According to the model, her favorite part about fashion is that she can always find “inspiration from other people.”
“I love how fashion inspires different people from different cultures and different parts of the country,” she explained. “You can gain inspiration from everywhere and anyone, and I think that’s the most beautiful part about fashion is that you can find inspiration anywhere.”
Natalia also spoke about how her mom helped her earlier this year when they starred in a short film for Bulgari and Vogue titled A Mother’s Legacy. According to People, the project, which also featured Melanie Griffith and Stella Banderas, centered around the special daughter-and-mother bond and the important life lessons one passes on to another.
“Over the years, she taught me confidence, and that beauty comes from the inside first,” Natalia spoke about the film to Vogue. “Beauty fades, so be sure to be positive, confident, and like who I am, my morals and views. That’s definitely helped shape who I am as an individual.”
In terms of work, Natalia opened up on social media about feeling “reluctant” to spend time away from home, but decided to “enjoy life a little bit and not think about everything I have on my plate.”
