Claire was gracious enough to invite the Fashion Bomb staff to attend last night’s Rolling Out‘s Mirror Mirror awards where she, Jennifer Williams, Chef Roblé, Bridget Kelly, Daisy Lewellyn, Johnny Nunez, and Sessilee Lopez were honored for their career success and positive contribution to the black and brown community. Although I was invited as a guest, I, being the nerd I am, took the event as an opportunity to do a little work, and chat with some of the noted honorees. I caught up with model Sessilee Lopez, who (hilariously, might I add) dished about the movie she’s working on, her recent Aaliyah-themed shoot, and… horniness. Yup! Horniness!:
I read on WWD you’re working on a movie. Can we get a little more tea on that?
Sessilee Lopez: How do I word this without getting in trouble…? Um, it’s like “Mahogany” meets “Boys in the Hood” meets “Gia”. And I’m mahogany Gia! And it’s really cool! We’re doing some stuff here in New York, and we’re shooting the rest in Paris, and it’s really exciting and actually, really scary. But… I guess if you’re scared, your heart’s in it!
You’ve been modeling, and obviously acting is a different animal
Totally.
So, what has been the biggest challenge about translating your day job into your new venture?
It’s a fashion-based film so it’s not so farfetched. It sort of parallels to my life. But I guess just getting into the process of getting into character. For me, I’m the type of person that likes to keep things buried, and not really shed light on it. So now, I have to bring all that stuff that I don’t really think about into it, because my character is very complex. She’s very emotional. That’s the hardest part. For me, it’s easier with my coach, she’s amazing, and she recommends to stay in character for as long as possible.
Daniel Day Lewis style!
It’s hard! Because I’m talking about leaving our classes, because I’ve got castings, and I’m like… sad, or horny . Or, you know, whatever! So, it’s like, I need to get my life, and yeah… that’s it!
So, you did that Aaliyah shoot. Can you please tell me about that, because she’s such a legend.
I was surprised that I got booked for it! But I love her, and a lot of people misconstrued the whole story. They thought that I was trying to be her, and a lot of people loved to hate it, and it kinda hurt! But it was more based off her style. I wasn’t tryna be Aaliyah, but it felt good! We were watching her videos, listening to her music, dancing, it was really fun, and I want to do some more!
Lastly, What’s your brown girl beauty secret?
I love avocado, honey, and apricot mixed. But if you put some sugar in it… yeah, I do sugar because I have dry skin. It works as an exfoliant. It’s really good, because it leaves your skin super soft, and it gets rid of some stuff. And it’s cheap! You know the price of avocado? It’s like a strong 25 cents.
Okay, actually, real real last question. Alexander Wang at Balenciaga… your thoughts?
I…. hope that he books me for it! [HEAR THAT MR. WANG?] But I think it’s great! He’s really talented, and that’s a no brainer right there. He’s going to fit in and do really, really well, and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with because he is so talented, it really makes sense. I was at his sample sale and I was literally like, ‘why am I still in line? It’s an avenue away, and I’m still in line!’ Everyone loves Alex, so obviously it’s going to be really long. I’m really proud of him.
Serving with Sessilee Lopez
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~Jihan
December 13, 2012 2:53 pm
Great work Jihan. She’s beautiful and seems super cool. I can’t say that I would have known they were channeling Aaliyah had it not been for the tagline. Don’t we just love that Aaliyah’s being celebrated?!?!?
December 13, 2012 3:04 pm
I love Sessilee, she’s such a beauty. She’s been my fav model since she did the Latina cover back in March ’09.
Nice to see she’s venturing out to other projects as well.
December 13, 2012 3:29 pm
Love Sessilee. She’s been my fav model since she did the Latina cover in March ’09.
Nice to see her venturing out to other avenues.
December 13, 2012 3:32 pm
love! I enjoyed the interview!
December 13, 2012 3:38 pm
I can’t wait to try that exfoliating mix!
December 13, 2012 4:11 pm
I love her honesty about her skin regimen but remember to try this on a small area of your body first. Natural products can make skin conditions worse.
December 13, 2012 4:19 pm
great interview!
December 13, 2012 4:22 pm
YAAAASSSS Jihan. I see you serving indeed. WERK girl.
December 13, 2012 6:05 pm
Where in the world does she find $.25 avocados?!
December 13, 2012 6:45 pm
great interview! shes my favorite model. she holds it down EVERYTIME.
@Georgia…we have em’ here in miami. everyone has a tree so we steal them.
December 13, 2012 9:17 pm
Georgia
Miami boo. Everyone in down there has an avocado tree, so its money value is significantly lower.
December 13, 2012 9:52 pm
Hmmm…I’ve actually never heard of this model. The Aaliyah styling is on point.
December 14, 2012 12:25 am
Love her && the shoot was nice!! Can’t wait to see the movie!!
December 14, 2012 3:16 am
@ Georgia Right!!! I just bought overly ripe avocados for 78 cents from WalMart! Then again- it’s December, in Norcal…
She sounds fun! I’m really interested in that movie! I love fashion films, so I’m all in.
December 14, 2012 5:31 am
The shoot was a little confusing IMO because…they really look so different. Sessilee Lopez is tall, gangly and looks Ethiopian or Somalian and completely ethereal whears Aaliyah had a totally different look and steez. It just didn’t work, thats all, I didn’t hate it though…
December 14, 2012 10:03 am
Adore her. The all black issue of Italian Vogue when she channeled Grace Jones..Amazing