CHARLOTTE D'ALESSIO IN CONVERSATION

Nov 10

LA Photographer Sam Dameshek in conversation with model and muse Charlotte D’Alessio

Charlotte wears: Paco Rabanne Chainlink Dress, Balenciaga SS19 Square Knife Pumps - Dean (right) wears: Comme Des Garçon Homme SS21 Foil Lapel Blazer, Randy (left) wears: Miu Miu Early 2000’s Blazer, Jean Paul Gaultier AW00 Metallic Long Sleeve, Rick Owens SS20 Pants

Sam: Your bio says you were 'discovered' at Coachella - what does this word 'discover' mean to you and how do you break away from your initial preconceptions and entry into modeling and influencing today?

Charlotte: Everyone always brings up this fucking coachella thing and it’s so funny because I’ve since forgotten that experience. I’m grateful for being discovered, and I feel like I've won some sort of lottery there. I never really think about it, it’s not conscious how I broke away from that. I was scouted before that actually, as a child model with Ford. They do not pay kids well, in Canada at least. I did that for 2 years. Sears was my main client.

Sam: The Canadian kid models should go on strike.

Charlotte: Seriously. So I already knew a little about modeling. I’d technically been discovered before, but it was on a bigger scale online after Coachella because of the celebrities that were posting me. I thought it was so cool, I’m just a normal girl from Canada, like ‘holy shit, why do people care?’

Sam: What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Charlotte: I don’t know! This is tough, what do you think?

Sam: I think a lot of people misunderstand you. I think a lot of people try to understand you, but have preconceived notions. You’re a really inviting person that’s very kind and likes to talk to people. You can isolate yourself in some ways, and even when I first became your friend I wondered initially if it was a pretentious thing, or a protective thing. You’re very much just doing your own thing.

Charlotte: I definitely am in my own world. I certainly am very unapologetic about it because I don’t know how to live another way.

Sam: A lot of people don’t know how creative you are. To certain people, when they group a lot of people of your status together, it’s easy to jump to stereotypes about the scene of Hollywood, but I think in a lot of ways you’re just this girl from Canada. What is something you want to discover about yourself?

Charlotte: What I want to discover is what exactly it is I want to say to the world. That’s why I have a podcast, I have something to say, and it goes in all these tangents, but I want to narrow my specific point of view in totality.

Sam: What is the ethos behind your podcast ‘Between Good and Evil’

Charlotte: I look at ‘Between Good and Evil’ as a time capsule. I like to collect all these interviews and have them be super raw, fly on the wall, discovering the guest’s point of view and belief systems. I don’t want an overall theme, or specific guide or funnel, just a real conversation with magic between me and the guest. The ethos is saving that moment in time forever.

Sam: Do you watch them back often to relive that moment in time?

Charlotte: Not often. There’s a few I refuse to watch back. I refuse to watch my interview with Lukas Sabbat, that is my least favorite interview of myself. I can’t watch it, I’m so bad. I love Luka, we’ve been great friends, but some of my points of views and opinions at the time of that interview, I no longer stand by.

Sam: What about our podcast we recorded?

Charlotte: Someone came up to me once and asked specifically about our episode - that they’d watched it multiple times, so I think we should rewatch that together.

Sam: I think we’re pretty similar in many ways, do you think that interviewing people helps you discover things about yourself like a mirror effect?

Charlotte: For sure, sometimes, but it’s never my intention. It’s more about analyzing the guest, I can’t help but do that. It’s my communication style. For the most part, I’m trying to get to the bottom of them, and understand how they look at the world, which sometimes can ultimately alter my own point of view. I think it’s more therapy that does that, not my podcast.

Sam: You and I have discussed therapy quite a bit, it’s something I still haven’t done, and something you seem to have a very positive relationship with. What has therapy done for you and why do you think it’s important for people?

Charlotte: I had behavioral issues when I was young, so I’ve been in therapy since I was seven. I was very reactive, so I don’t know a life without therapy…

It’s allowed me to get a grasp on why I feel the way I feel. I think it’s good because you’re not burdening your friends. There’s things you don’t want to tell a friend, and just a therapist. It’s a true confessional, if you’re not catholic, you get to go to therapy. You have this person who doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t judge. It’s nice to have a sounding board, someone who asks you questions you never thought to ask yourself. There are so many blind spots as a person, and therapy reveals them.

Sam: How does social media affect your approach to your career? Do you limit your use on the platforms?

Charlotte: I limit it sometimes. My approach to my career on social media has always been, dont try to hard, be authentically yourself and that’s it. It serves some people to try hard. My MO with the instant gratification of social media is f I’m going to try really hard at something, it’s not going to be collecting views. I put my intention into delayed gratification. For social media, I like to have fun with it, and that’s always paid off for me. For the most part, it's the spur of the moment. It really affects your mental health, putting all your value into how many followers and views you get. I don’t put my value to you there, I allow the app to be fun.

Sam: I think it’s good to see social media as exactly what it is, a platform. I can view it negatively when people place too much value onto the platform itself rather than just using it as a tool to showcase whatever it is they put on that platform.

Do you have any style icons?

Charlotte: I don’t. There are people’s style I really like, but I don’t necessarily try to dress like them. Gwen Stefani, in her day, style icon. My favorite designers are Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier. They’re so fun and playful. I’m more inspired by things: designers, movies, cartoons, life, art, rather than specific girls who have good style. But I always appreciate a single well-dressed girl, whether you’re Bella Hadid or fuckin’ Kelly Cutrone. I love Julia Fox. My favorite style is when you look at someone and know they’re dressed completely as themselves. It’s not a trend.

Sam: As you step into your acting career, what is your process of breaking down a character?

Charlotte: I actually have a specific thing that I do. I put my phone up, and do a video diary as this character in a meta world. I do these as well. Whoever it is, I put my phone up and I record myself and talk as that character, about my problems, and create this improv world. I make myself cry about something, empathizing as the character. This way I can connect with the character’s heart. I don’t use any substitution, just imagination. That’s what I’ve found works for me. I don’t journal, I just video diary.

Sam: We’ve worked together a lot now, what’s your favorite part about working with me?

Charlotte: That we’re friends. You’re very chill, you don’t overshoot. You’re extra cautious about the set environment. I think you grew up in a time, this Me Too era, where photographers weren’t thoughtful, and you’re always sensitive and checking in to make sure everyone’s comfortable. And that we get to smoke your rolled cigarettes.

Sam: You’re one of very few models I work with that gets hands on with the creative process, what advice would you give other models to take more control of their image?

Charlotte: A lot of it comes from desire. A lot of models aren’t as geared towards loving aesthetics. My advice would be to get more curious about developing your own vision, and letting go of fears to say your opinion. I don’t get access to creative control, but I’ll always give my opinion gracefully and humbly, even if it's with people I don’t know. There's a way to phrase it, ‘this could be fun if we….’ that steers the boat and gains their trust, which also shows you care. I think photographers like when there’s a sense of freedom and fun. It’s also okay to be slightly disagreeable.

Sam: What does the term ‘it girl’ mean to you, and how does it make you feel to be deemed as one?

Charlotte: I’m very honored that people call me that. I think there’s all different types of ‘it girls’ - overall I think it’s a confident girl who’s doing her own thing and gets eyes on her.

Sam: I think it’s any girl that’s building a world around them. Everyone is a brand, from the music you listen to, where you go, how you speak, how you dress, how you walk, everything is a part of your brand. People associate that word with a facade, which sometimes it is, but when it comes to an ‘it-girl’ that brand comes naturally and isn’t forced.

Charlotte wears: Fleur Du Mal lingerie Randy (right ) wears: Miu Miu Early 2000’s Wool Blazer, Ludovic De Saint Sernin SS20 Leather Pants,Rick Owens AW20 Bauhaus Ballistic Boots

Dean (left) wears: Number Nine 90’s Blistered Leather Blazer, Vintage Leather Pants, Gucci by Tom Ford SS00 Python Cowboy Boots

Charlotte: I think it’s when you’re not trying to be anything, but you are exactly who you’re supposed to be.

Sam: You’ve had very few relationships, and recently you told me one day you’d make somebody happy, to me this was pretty obvious. My question is, one day, do you think someone will make you happy?

Charlotte: I do, but I never really worry about it. I’m pretty picky, and I’m not jumping into relationships because I know one day it’ll happen naturally.

Sam: Is it pickiness, or just avoidance?

Charlotte: Both. I actually tweeted the other day, “I wonder who if I would have dated had I not had these commitment issues.” I don’t think it’s me being completely avoidant, but I do often logically talk my way out of something. I’m looking for something so specific, I won’t compromise.

Sam: Do you find it hard to open up to people?

Charlotte: I don’t. I don’t find it hard to be honest, that’s how I look at it. I don’t see sharing vulnerabilities as a big deal because it’s just honesty. Your mom once told me I was so brave in my podcast, and I thought, what does she mean by brave, like fuck, should I be worried about what I’m saying? I think other people notice it in me, being bold, but it’s just normal for me to be this way.

Sam: As soon as you start treating personal things as just relative, they’re normalized and you can invite more of this energy in. Sometimes people place too much importance on something private that others don’t even give a shit about.

Charlotte: It makes you a stronger person if you can just say it.

Sam: For this MERDE shoot, you were the creative force behind the images. Not everything needs deeper meaning, but I’m curious to know where you found the inspiration for the concept, if any?

Charlotte: With a lot of art, I want to see a female point of view. I like the idea of telling a story without telling a story. There’s two men and a woman, you get to fill in the rest. You get to caption it.