My mom’s been married three times; my dad has been married a lot. I didn’t really see my dad that much.
I think I’m extremely vulnerable and that in some ways I seek out rejection. Never feeling like you’re getting that pat on the back from dad is probably at the heart of that.
The records in the house I really remember were, well, Glen Campbell’s ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘Galveston.’ Even as a kid, I knew these songs were glorious. My dad also had records by Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, and then there was also the Eagles and Don Henley. Anything Texas, which includes Don Henley, was big.
My mom played every sport possible. My dad is ‘extremely’ competitive. You can’t even play Ping-Pong with him.
When I was on Broadway when I was little, I remember always driving through Times Square with my dad to the theater. Now when I go back, you can’t even drive on Broadway in the 40s. New Times Square is too touristy to me.
My mom had a job, and she also took care of us, and she also took care of Dad – I always saw her pulling triple duty, doing more than I ever felt like she needed to. I made a promise to myself that it would be more of a team effort in my family someday. And because of that, I became more independent.
I haven’t mowed a lawn in quite a while, but I remember hating that when I was growing up. To please Dad, you have to get it right, and that’s the thing. You have to please Dad.
When I was 7, my dad asked his friend to teach me. I played my first tournament competition when I was 8. I remember I shot around 125.
I lived in Peckham for the first 12 years of my life and then my mum and dad decided they really didn’t want to bring up their children there. So they saved up money and bought a house in Plumstead, semi-detached, three bedrooms.
My dad was a theater actor, so he had an agent, and he brought me into his agency when I was maybe four years old. That was how I started. I started modeling, and it progressed from there.
My dad’s from Zimbabwe, and my mom is Danish, Irish, and Norwegian, so I have influences from a lot of different places.