Myspace sat down with Nicole Trunfio, mentor on Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. Check out the exclusive interview below to learn more about this Aussie beauty. Remember to catch Nicole in the season finale, this Wednesday, June 3rd 10/9c!
What can you tell us about your experience on Make Me a Supermodel? Nicole: It was really great to see models from different parts of the country and even the world. Some of them were really down to earth and some of them were like the biggest divas ever! They were all brought together on this experience to become a supermodel and it was really interesting to see their growth and change and to see which ones didn’t grow or change. It was also really interesting to see how vulnerable they actually were and how much they wanted to win. All the different personalities were really great to experiment with as well.
What’s your most memorable moment this season? Nicole: My most memorable moment is probably working with Timothy Greenfield-Sanders which is in the last episode. He’s a world renowned photographer and he’s just very interesting and very intellectual and he was great to work with on the show.
Clearly the models on the show are learning a lot from you, do you feel like you’ve also learned from this experience in any way? Nicole: Oh yeah! I’m only 23 years old so for me it was also a learning experience. I’m still young so I learned a lot from some of the judges on the show that I really admire like Catherine Malandrino. She provided very good insight into this industry. You know it never ends.
What has been your favorite shoot or best overall modeling experience to date? Nicole: Shooting with Richard Avedon. I shot with him just before he passed away and it was a very memorable experience, it was just like working with someone that was so old school was awesome. And also working with Peter Lindberg was also great because it’s like being on the set of a movie all the time. I love the way he shoots! His photos always look like film stills or something like that. Shooting with Terry Richardson which is also another extreme is also very fun.
What’s the strangest wardrobe you’ve ever had to wear, either in a shoot or on the runway? Nicole: Doing the runway for Dior is always super super super strange because you can hardly recognize anybody once we have hair and makeup done. It’s always very creative and very cool. Yeah that’s probably the strangest thing. The Dior shows.
What kind of extreme sports do you like participating in? Nicole: I ride dirt bikes a lot. That’s like my little side passion that I really really really enjoy.
Where do you go to do that? Nicole: I go upstate in NY. I go on this 4 hour trail ride with my friend who has a house up there. It’s really fun. It’s great, it’s the adrenaline that I love. I’m pretty good cause I been riding since I was 5 years old. My friend says that I’m the best broad he’s ever seen on a dirt bike.
Who’s your favorite actor, and how do they inspire you in your own personal work? Nicole: Wow I have so many that I admire for different things. I love Cate Blanchett, I love Meryl Streep, I love Tilda Swinton and I love Elizabeth Taylor. I love these actresses because of their range and their versatility and how they take on challenging roles and how they represent women.
What about male actors? Nicole: Marlon Brando, James Dean and Sean Penn. I really like these 3 actors a lot.
We hear you play the guitar. What music inspires you? Do you ever write your own songs? Nicole: I used to have a band, it was called ‘The Bang’ but we broke up because of different career paths which I was really upset about because the music we made was so amazing. But I’m still writing a little bit and am acting so I don’t have that much time to purse that side of my career as much. It’s invigorating and relaxing to you know sit down at night and play the guitar.
What’s your favorite type of music? Nicole: I love acoustics and my favorite type of music is doo wop and electro and like old rock n roll. I love Neil Young. I love all the old blues like Robert Johnson.
What kind of music did your band play? Nicole: It was kind of like cat power meets old blues.
Was it all girls? Nicole: It was just 2 of us, me and my best friend. We used to sit at home and smoke 10 packs of cigarettes and just write songs. That’s all we did at night. It was really really awesome. It’s a shame we broke up and everything but it was a great experience. I cherish it every day and I have these songs to remember that time of my life. But in life things happen and things change. You never know what’s around the corner.
Where are you from and do you ever miss home? Nicole: I’m from a small town called Meriden. It is the center of the wheat belt in Western Australia. It’s a farming town. I went to a catholic school. It was really small and it was awesome. It was such a great lifestyle and I guess you don’t really realize it until you leave. Yeah I miss it. I miss the aboriginal culture, my family and I try to go back as much as I can, but it’s hard because it’s just so far away.
What do you miss most about home? Nicole: Ok. My family is Italian, like Italian-Australian and we have this weekend, it’s called sausage weekend where we go out on a farm and we make Italian salami like from scratch. All of my family is there and I have a really big family. This weekend it’s all about the kids so, all us kids do is ride dirt bikes, ride go-carts and play all over the farm while our parents make the salami. It’s just the best weekend ever! We just stay on the farm and there is no water or electricity so we just have a bonfire and my uncle stands with a bucket and showers us.
Farm girl to city girl…Which do you like best and why? Nicole: It’s hard. It’s so crazy to think that I made it to the big city you know. I never really had an intention to do it but now that I am here I just love the city. I love the creativity in the city. I LOVE NY! It’s my favorite city in the world. There are just so many people that are inspiring here. There’s just so much going on around me and like all of my senses are on fire all the time you know. This is like the greatest city in the world! I like being in the bush too but it’s just like relaxation, there’s not much to do, it’s just more of a chill lifestyle.
What’s been your favorite city to work in and why? Nicole: In terms of work I love Paris. I also love Milan. In terms of work it’s always the obscure places that we go to that I love the most. It’s never the city, it’s more like the beaches, the towns, and you know these really obscure places that nobody really goes to.
You’ve collected quite a few fans over the years and especially now with the show. What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you? Nicole: I still have problems dealing with that. Every time someone comes up to me and asks me for my autograph I turn bright red and I’m always like “really?” Sometimes it gets scary with people stalking. They are always outside of the tents during fashion week and they give you these strange love mixes and pretend they are somebody else and it just gets a bit creepy. But I just keep a low profile. I try to stay out of the radar a lot.
Do you have any siblings? How have they had an impact in your life? Nicole: I have a sister and 2 brothers and they have impacted my life because each one has something that’s so interesting and admirable that I get inspired by. My sister is just the most beautiful person, the sweetest, most sensitive, most introverted gorgeous person ever and I really admire her. My brother is the wildest, rebellious, craziest one and then my little brother is the coolest person I’ve met in my life. They’re all so different and it just shows how family can feed off each other in different ways. They have always been so supportive.
Are you the oldest? Nicole: No I’m 3rd. I’m the one that got tormented.
Since you were the 3rd child do you think you were like a blend of your siblings? Nicole: No I’m not a blend I’m also totally different myself. I was the smart one in school, the geek and the nerd. I was very challenging and curious, very different.
If you weren’t modeling, what would you love to be doing? Nicole: Acting. You know if you asked me this like 6 years ago when I didn’t even know what a model was I would probably say working at a video store or being a pro dirt bike rider or being in a band or something like that. When I was in the middle of the bush I never thought that I’d ever leave. I had dreams of leaving, like I knew something would happen but not to this extent. When I came to New York everyone told me “you should be an actress not a model” and I was like “really?” so I started taking classes when I first came here and I’ve been totally immersing myself in that world and I just love it and adore it.
Who would you say was the first to expose you to the modeling world and how did it become an interest? Nicole: I was actually scouted on the street by this woman who I thought was stalking me. It’s such a long story how it all began but ever since that moment when this woman Christine Fox scouted me on the streets it just went up and up and up from there. I won so many competitions all over the world and got these mega contracts and stuff, but it wasn’t until I met Tom Ford, Paul and Tommy Hilfiger that I really became a supermodel as opposed to somebody that was trying to make it. They really launched my career. If it wasn’t for those people I don’t know where I’d be right now and they’re great people to have behind you.
How did you get into the entertainment industry? Nicole: I realized the level that I wanted to be at, the credibility I wanted to have, I wanted to be more artsy and wanted to work in a more artsy environment all the time. I’ve always been a performer. Since I was a little girl I studied ballet, tap, and jazz. I used to perform every night at my house and that’s kind of what I knew best you know.
What would be your ideal role in a movie? Nicole: I think it depends what stage you are in life, but I definitely like the more unpredictable role. Stuff that’s challenging is great. My friends and I are writing a movie right now and my character is from New Orleans. She has a southern accent, she’s like this alcoholic that listens to blues music and sings blues music, and is going through her own personal transformation and self discovery. It’s kind of dark but I’m really excited to play that role. I think that once you finish with a role and you move on to the next thing, anything can be appealing depending how you feel at the time.
What are your favorite movies? Nicole: My favorite movie of all time is this movie called “Murmur of the Heart” it’s a French film that’s so amazing. I also love the “Bicycle Thieves.” On the non-artsy side of things I love Adam Sandler movies. My favorite movie since forever is “Happy Gilmore.” David Lynch is also one of my favorite directors. He’s like my mentor. I love his films and his art work. I love everything about him. He’s like the suavest most charming man.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ideally, what else would you like to do in the world of fashion and elsewhere? Nicole: Where do I see myself…I don’t really know and I don’t really care. I’m just kind of spontaneous. I’d like to embrace the world of fashion more and you know in 5 years I’d love to just be doing what I want to be doing whatever that is. As long as I’m doing what I want to be doing I’ll be happy no matter what it is.
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