SOMW: So tell us about yourself. What is your name and where are you from?
LAURA: I am Laura La Rue. A lot of people ask if that is really my name, and yes, it is. I promise! I was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, California. Now, I live in Hollywood. I’ve been with Elite Model Management for print and LA Models for runway for about four years now. I love them both so much!
SOMW: What made you start modeling?
LAURA: I never even thought about modeling until this one day when I was thirteen years old. I just woke up and decided to search “modeling” in Google. I stumbled across this website that scouts for models and started talking to the lady who ran it, Vanessa Helmer. She told me I had potential and set up a test shoot. Once we got the pictures back, she had me meet with a bunch of different agencies, here in LA, and right away, Elite signed me. It was one of the best days of my life!
SOMW: (ok we get juicy now) What major choices have you had to juggle for your career?
LAURA: I’m lucky I have such a supportive family because I wouldn’t have been able to do most of the stuff I’ve done without them. The first major choice that I had to make was when I was fifteen and my agents wanted me to go work in Asia. At this time, a lot was going on: my mom was in the middle of an ugly divorce, our dog had just died, and we had moved from a big house into a little apartment. My mom and I were both ready for this adventure and decided to take it. So, I worked in Osaka, Japan and Singapore for three months. It was a life changing experience that I will never forget and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
SOMW: So what has been the most memorable job you've had?
LAURA: My first time working for David LaChapelle, without a doubt. I remember going on the casting for this job. I had shown my book to some girl, she took a few polaroids of me, and that was it. But, then as I was walking out, this man stops, looks at me and says, “You’re fucking beautiful.” I was very flattered and said, “Thank you! My name is Laura,” and he said back, “Hi, I’m David.” I nearly died. I played it cool though. I told him it was nice meeting him and walked out. Sure enough, my booker calls me that night and tells me I got the job. I was so excited!!! The job itself was absolutely incredible and I’ve never seen anything like it. I was working from 8 in the morning till 4:30 the next morning. The preparation for this was insane. Every thing had to be perfect. We didn’t start shooting till midnight! This was one of the most memorable, long, tiring, amazing days of my life.
SOMW: Do you have any influences in the modeling world? What goes on in your head when you model?
LAURA: The first model that I ever looked up to was Gemma Ward. I would study all of her photos and learn poses, faces, style, etc. I just thought she was the epitome of beauty and class. Now that I’ve been doing this for a little while, I don’t have to think much when I’m working. Before I start a shoot, I ask the photographer what they want, and then I’m good to go. In front of the lens, I become the person that they want. It’s like acting without speaking!
SOMW: What are some misconceptions about your world that people outside the industry have?
LAURA: That the people IN the industry are mean! I mean, of course there are some that aren’t the sweetest, but it’s like that in every industry! Out of my four years of doing this, I’ve probably met ten mean people, at the most. Every body else has been super sweet, fun, and funny. Another thing that I love about these people is that they are all extremely hard workers and perfectionists. There’s nothing better than working with people who truly care about their job and the result of their work.
SOMW: What are some of your dream brands you would want to work for?
LAURA: There are so many companies that I want to work for! Urban Outfitters, Prada and Victorias Secret are the first three that come to mind. I always love flipping through Urban Outfitters catalogs. I think the photography is great. Prada is always extremely edgy and original, and those are my favorite kinds of shoots. Victorias Secret would just be a lot of fun, I think. Rolling around in the warm sand of a tropical island while wearing the hottest bikinis? Doesn’t get much better than that.
SOMW: If an aspiring model without any friends was dropped in the middle of L.A, what advice would you give them?
LAURA: I would make sure that they knew that there would be lots of rejection, but to not let it get them down. If you’re going to be a model, you MUST have self-esteem and confidence. There are tons of castings that you’ll go on and the clients won’t even want to look at you or they’ll see you for two seconds and immediately say, “Thank you. Bye now.” It’s extremely important to not take it personally and realize that it’s not the end of the world. Don’t let it take over your life. For me, modeling is one of the “roles” that I play in this world. I play it the best that I can without taking it too seriously, and make sure that I balance it out with every thing else in my life.
You can read more about Laura and details about her shoots with David Lachapelle at lauralarue.wordpress.com or follow her Twitter @Laura_La_Rue.
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