Gossip Teen

AnnaLynne McCord strikes a pose for the cover of Prestige magazine’s August 2010 issue. The former model talks about being homeschooled, the virtues of hard work and the ever present stereotype that casting directors still assume:

On being homeschooled: “I studied through 12th grade. You can do that with homeschooling because it’s more flexible. I just blew through the grades and graduated early. I don’t think I missed out on anything by not going to high school. Home schooling is becoming more common in the US. It’s not that unusual in the southern and western states. The day I graduated, I was off to Miami to become a model. My parents, being so conservative, did not like it, of course. But I was always a pretty headstrong daughter and I was financially independent, so nothing was going to stop me. I packed my bags and my uncle drove me to South Beach.”

On surprising casting directors: “I had interesting reactions from casting directors. To them, I suppose, I looked like this blonde bimbo with a New York attitude who should be a model, not an actress. I remember one of them apologised to me when I had finished my audition. He said: ‘Oh my God, you really can act!’”

On working hard: “The truth is that you have to work to be an actor, and I work my a– off. I come from a background where you have to work to succeed in anything.”

The 23 year old was a stand out on Nip/Tuck. She currently plays Naomi on 90210 and is very active in an organization called The Blind Project; a non-profit group that is dedicated to helping women and children who are enslaved in the commercial sex trade of Southeast Asia.

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