Little Miss Sunshine
Her American Dream was simple... fend for herself, live a little more and maybe find love. Now model Kerrie McMahon’s sexy poster is stopping traff ic on Sunset Boulevard and she’s partying at Leonardo DiCaprio’s and the Playboy Mansion
CLAD in a designer bikini, less than a fortnight ago Kerrie McMahon was being photographed professionally on the beach in Malibu, the upmarket Los Angeles suburb beloved of celebrities and wealthy entrepreneurs. With Pacific ocean waves lapping around her ankles and a grey whale occasionally visible from the shoreline, the January sun warmed the day up to a pleasant 18°C.
Her chilly native Dublin must have at that moment seemed like worlds away. And if the glamorous setting alone didn’t remind her how far she’d come, what happened next certainly did.
‘Suddenly we spotted the paparazzi combing the area,’ explains Kerrie. ‘Apparently they were on the lookout for Bruce Jenner – the reality TV star – who was supposedly in the vicinity. They didn’t find Bruce but they did spot our shoot. Before long, they had their cameras and video-recorders out, capturing me in action on the beach – much to the frustration and anger of my own photographer who understandably enough didn’t want the paps muscling in.
‘In the end, we had to admit defeat, pack up and move to the nearby Topanga beach to finish off the job in peace.’
It is a scenario that Kerrie, also an aspiring writer, could hardly have imagined just a few years ago. By her own admission a ‘shy and introverted’ teenager growing up in the middle-class suburb of Dundrum and attending the well regarded Muckross Park College in Donnybrook, she never had particular aspirations to model – much less to grace one of Sunset Boulevard’s famed billboards.
Yet if today you were to look up at one particular, newly erected sign in the centre of the 35km-long street in downtown Los Angeles, you would spot Kerrie – lounging on white, Cal- ifornian sand, brandishing a bottle of 138 Water in her left hand. It is the first major campaign for the 25-yearold model who is now being touted by several US websites as ‘the one to watch in 2015’.
‘Seeing that billboard for the first time a week ago was incredible,’ she explains. ‘It is just so gigantic; it’s quite hard to take in that it’s really me.
‘I had kept my family – Mum, Dad and my elder sister, Alison – posted as it unfolded and sent them a video clip of me seeing it for the first time. I’ll never forget that moment.’
Kerrie admits that her parents raised their eyebrows at the somewhat risqué nature of the image but says overall they’ve been extremely supportive. ‘The first thing my mum said to me is that she wished I’d been wearing a top. But ultimately she is really proud – that and the fact that her friend quietly reminded her that she was always the first to sunbathe topless when she was my age. My dad was fairly cool about it too. He said, “What a great poster. Just be careful about who you work for and stay safe.”’
It is certainly an arresting image – but Kerrie says that the desired look in California is very different from the one demanded of Irish models on home soil. ‘I actually have what they describe as an “innocent” look. My timing has been good though – it’s a look that is really in demand at the moment.
‘Actually, most people here initially think I’m Russian – until I open my mouth that is,’ laughs Kerrie. ‘I haven’t lost a bit of my Irish accent.’
It certainly has been a remarkable journey for the UCD arts graduate – who initially had her heart set on writing and still plans to take up her pen again once her career in front of the camera eventually begins to wane.
‘A couple of years ago, with the help of bestselling author Marisa Mackle, I wrote a book, Confessions Of A Teenage Ballerina, which is based on my own experiences of growing up.
‘Rather than completing my Transition Year in Muckross, I auditioned for a ballet school in north Dublin. When I was told I’d been accepted, I was ecstatic. I felt that this was all I’d ever wanted; it was a dream – a platform that would allow me to go to London and perform or teach there. But at the same time I had a growth spurt and my body began to change. I hated it: I wanted to be tiny and skinny but instead I was 5ft9ins tall and getting male attention that only made me feel horribly uncomfortable.
‘I thought the answer was to rigorously control what I ate. It started out as a diet – restricting calories and cutting out food groups – but I took it to the extreme.
‘In the course of a year, I morphed from a happy, full-of-life teenager to a withdrawn skeleton. I had to give up dancing. It was a very dark time in my life and one that is painful to look back on even now.’
Kerrie said removing herself from the ballet world helped her gain perspective and that, with the help and support of her family, she began to regain weight. However, the model adds that she was ‘socially backward’ in the aftermath.
‘I missed out on those crucial years of finding yourself and growing in confidence,’ she says. She returned to Muckross for her Leaving Certificate and went on to study information studies and sociology at UCD. A subsequent stint interning for a Sunday newspaper helped bring Kerrie out of her shell but she says she remained hugely introvert. ‘I was in my early 20s, still living at home with my parents. I rarely drink so I didn’t know how to navigate the social scene either. I’d never had a boyfriend or been in love.’
She describes he r initial plan to travel to America two years ago as ‘a moment of madness’ – albeit one that stuck. ‘Teenage Ballerina had just been released and I fancied
I morphed from a happy full-of-life teenager to a withdrawn skeleton
going somewhere warm to do a bit more writing. I decided the time had come to push myself and to finally grow up. For some reason, LA just seemed to tick all the boxes.
‘I had no intention of “making it big” or anything like that. My little American dream was pretty simple: fend for myself, get by, live a little more than I had – maybe even fall in love.’
And to her surprise, Kerrie turned heads from the moment she landed: ‘The very first day I got there, a photographer approached me in an Apple store and said he wanted to take my picture. Then he showed me his website, which had loads of nude and provocative images. I was shocked. Needless to say, I politely declined. Little did I realise that he was a big name here and that the modelling style in LA is just a lot more risqué than it is in Ireland.’
In time, more and more scouts approached her with offers of modelling work. ‘I still wasn’t brim- ming with body confidence. But after a while, I thought “Why not give it a shot?”’
For the last two years, Kerrie has split her time between LA and Dublin – spending increasing amounts of time in the former as the job offers roll in. ‘One of my first modelling jobs was for the Chanel store on Rodeo Drive. I had to pretend to be a mannequin, staying as still as possible for three hours. It was difficult. Every minute felt like an age. Still, the money was good. The jobs can be very lucrative here. But in saying that, it can be very hit and miss too. I’ve seen some models land a $50,000 job one day and then not work for months afterwards.’
There are other advantages to living Stateside: great parties and A-list celebrities.
‘I’ve been to a house-party with Leonardo DiCaprio and Skybar with Al Pacino. I sat beside Orlando Bloom at the Chateau Marmont; I see Alessandra Ambrosio at my local farmers’ market; and I’ve had my picture taken with Jessica Alba.
‘Eva Longoria is a regular sight, too. There was a double date set up for my friend and me with two actors from Gossip Girl. I bagged an invite to the Playboy Mansion’s Midsummer party – it is all pretty amazing.’
She adds: ‘ A man here will be very direct if he’s interested and a lot of them have no problem telling you how much they earn, the value of their house and the car they drive.’
Sadly, though, none has yet proved right for Kerrie: ‘ I’ve met some really nice guys in Los Angeles. There have been a few dates but – and this sounds like a cliché, I know – I’m too busy for love right now.’
On her downtime, Kerrie hits the beach, cycles, goes for coffee (‘a daily caramel frappuccino’) and takes a yoga class or goes for a hike.
‘Because I don’t drink, I love that in LA you’re not confined to a night club or a pub for entertainment,’ she says.
The future for Kerrie looks extremely bright. ‘The 138 Water people told me that a Brazilian model they booked for a similar campaign to the one I’m currently involved in nabbed a $150,000 gig shortly afterwards.’
Tomorrow, she also meets LA Models representatives who are eager to sign her to the agency that regularly supplies cover stars to the world’s biggest fashion titles. ‘The meeting is on the back of the billboard stuff – it’s really opening doors.’
Excitingly, there is now also talk of movie roles.
‘Nothing’s secured yet – and, initially, anyway the roles would be small. But it’s another area for me to possibly consider. If I can wing it onto a Hollywood film set – then brilliant.
‘I don’t expect to be an Irish supermodel,’ Kerrie adds. ‘But I’m really happy that I am now relaxed enough about myself and my body to be able to enjoy it. And if my shape or look isn’t right for a job, I just accept it and move on.
‘Growing up is about learning to love yourself for who you are – and LA has certainly helped me to do that. For me, all this is my dream – and I just can’t believe it’s actually coming true.’
A man here will be very direct if he is interested but I’m too busy for love right now