Cara Delevingne Quit Modeling Because ‘I Lost Sight Of Myself’
Cara Delevingne, now 23-years-old, has been modeling since she was 16, so no one can really blame her for falling out of love with the modeling industry. Taking a break from being a high fashion model has done her career some good as well. Following up Paper Towns, Cara’s much-anticipated portrayal of Enchantress is about to be seen in the world premiere of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, proving that Delevingne is as ambitious in acting as she has been with modeling.
Now, Cara is ready to balance more evenly her modeling and acting ambitions, as she expresses her reasons for breaking from modeling in the first place.
Cara Delevingne On Her Break From Modeling
Cara says that, while she may have been enjoying a successful modeling career, she really wasn’t happy with her life. She says she began to recognize that her need for approval was getting out of hand and that it was making her miserable to constantly strive for the acceptance of others. Delevingne says she ultimately came to realize there were far more important things on life.
Ms. Delevingne adds that regretting her past mistakes and holding onto guilt was keeping her from moving forward with her life. Cara says she still has much to learn, but at least she can now move forward without as much baggage.
“After all, no matter how many people like you and your work, it doesn’t matter if you don’t like yourself.”
Cara Delevingne Was Caught Up In Her Own Success In High Fashion Modeling
Sarah Doukas has an eye for talent. She signed Kate Moss, Cara’s mentor and best friend, years before she recruited Ms. Delevingne to the same agency, Storm Model Management. Cara left school in 2009 to model for Storm, and by 2012, she was named model of the year at the British Fashion Awards. Delevingne would again win that award in 2014.
Cara says she worked hard to achieve a sense of stability in the fashion industry and a good reputation, beyond the judgements of her appearance. Delevingne says this is what led to her need for validation from her peers in the fashion and modeling community.
“As a result, I lost sight of myself and what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be successful,” Ms. Delevingne says. “I think it all stemmed from a deep-down feeling of wanting people to like me and love me.”
Ultimately, Cara left modeling to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. She once cited Charlize Theron as her role model for her ability to use modeling as a way of jumpstarting an acting career. While Cara has already acted in a number of films, including Anna Karenina (2012) and Pan (2015), modeling has never really left her blood.
Cara says it’s taken her time to learn that there’s more to life than work, and even within her career, there’s room for variety. Ms. Delevingne says it’s all about achieving a balance.
“I’ve opened my mind, and now I embrace new things with a childlike curiosity,” the Suicide Squad actress said. “I’m spending more time doing the stuff I love. And I’ve been able to do better work because of it.”
Cara revealed that she hasn’t always jumped at every career opportunity, even before she learned these important life lessons. For instance, she was offered a recording contract with Simon Fuller, but declined the opportunity, because she was told she would have to change her name.
Ms. Delevingne also turned down an offer to play Victoria Beckham in the Spice Girls musical, Viva Forever! When asked why she didn’t take the role, Cara Delevingne described the opportunity as “career suicide.”
Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 3.
[Image by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images]
