of the agencies. Once school was out [my mom and I] went up there for a week and ended up staying six weeks. I met with Elite and with Next. Elite said, "We'll call you at the end of the day and tell you if we want you," and Next said, "We want you." I said, "Okay."

Instead of spending her junior year abroad studying, Molly found herself traveling to Germany, London, and Milan to model. Though giving up the opportunity to graduate from such a prestigious college was difficult, it has been five years and she has not gone back to her sisters at Delta Delta Delta.

aem: Was it difficult for you, coming to New York and entering the world of modeling?

ms: Overall, I didn't really have a difficult time, though at times it was difficult. Being so young and coming from a town of 35,000 people, everything seemed really BIG. Coming to New York, then going to Europe - it really opened my eyes. I made some very good friends early on who are still my friends. Everything was so easy: you went out, you worked. The pressure is much different when you first start than it is later on. You donÕt really know what everything is about. I was a horrible dresser. I still dressed in flower prints. I slowly learned the way you put yourself together - the way you present yourself. Stefan was in the clothing business [at the time], so he taught me.

aem: Being from the South myself, I can attest that New York alone changes your entire way of dressing.

ms: Oh, yeah. Then think about Europe - Paris - where the women are so put together, so different from Americans. Now I teach my mother: "Mother, no blue eyeliner!".

aem: Speaking of, what do your parents think about your modeling?

ms: At first they were cautious because I had worked so hard to get into school. It was an amazing school and it was a lot to give up. Ultimately, though, they were so supportive. If they hadnÕt been, I wouldn't be where I am today. [My mom] came and stayed with me for a while. Modeling is a great business. You can make a lot of money and travel around the world, but if you don't do well, it can be one of the hardest jobs ever, because everything depends on the way you look. That's out of your control. Every morning when you get out of bed you canÕt make everybody like you. They'll say: "Your calves are too big," "You need to lose ten pounds," "You need a nose job and your ears pinned back." No one is perfect. I see these girls who start at 15 or 16 and IÕm glad I didnÕt start that young. I'm 25 now and I've been in the business for five years, and I'm glad. Unless you have really good morals and a really good team (agents, parent, friends), it's really difficult. I remember on my first job I made $1,000 for a Philadelphia newspaper and I thought I was rich. I was like, "I have made it...this it it!" You slowly go up [money-wise] and I wouldn't say it jades you, but it warps you. You've got to have really good people [around you]. I know girls who spend every penny they make and once they stop modeling at 30, 25, or whatever, they don't have a dime. They wonder where it all went. I thank my parents for the way they brought me up. I also had people tell me, "Be careful. It's your career." Sometimes models forget that; they think theyÕre going to piss off their agents [by speaking up], but, in the end, they work for you and you work for them. ItÕs a 50/50 relationship. If it's not working - change. However, you also have to listen to your bookers.

aem: As a former agent, I know it's essential to have a give and take relationship with your clients. I always tried to get feedback for my clients because you both need to know what works and what doesn't.

ms: Absolutely. It's like with Victoria Secret. I'm working for them a lot now, but for one year my agent kept saying, "You have to see Molly." I was working for J. Crew a lot, at the time, and they thought I just wasn't right. After the sixteenth time, I'm in and they're amazing.

aem: Were you in their recent show?

ms: I was shooting for MTV and I had to choose. That is what is becoming a little difficult now because I am trying to make the transition. Now itÕs all about managing a little bit of modeling, TV, acting class.

aem: How did the MTV gig come about?

ms: Months and months of waiting and interview after interview. My friend, who is an agent at William Morris, suggested this publicist to me, Louis Kay. He's Rebecca Romijn's publicist. So I met with Louis and he told me that he didn't think Rebecca was going to renew her contract [with MTV] and that they would probably be looking for a new House of Style host. So [MTV] called me in; I think it was December 9th. I had to talk about myself for one hour in front of the camera and had to bring in ten things from my wardrobe and talk about why I thought they were stylish. I was so nervous.

aem: When Louis suggested
House of Style, was it
something that you had wanted to do?

ms: Yeah, but I had never really
donemuch TV except commercials. I went into another interview where I had to interview people on the street and talk about their style. Then, I had to interview Kurt Loder and I was terrible. I was a disaster. I thought I was never going to get it, but five months later they called me in again to talk about myself and bathing suits. Then, the last week of April, they called me and said I got the job. It was great. It's a wonderful opportunity. I look up to Cindy Crawford and Rebecca Romijn. Rebecca has been so helpful and so nice. I called her up after the first taping and said, "I'm doing so badly." She said, "You never saw my first tape." My executive producer, Chad Hines, has been helping me through good and bad, showing me tapes and trying to make me better. It's a lot of hard work. We're doing another series called Mission Makeover and they picked up 25 more episodes of it. So, we start shooting that at the end of July. Then we have the MTV Music Awards. There are some other things boiling, but I have to wait on those.

aem: Were you nervous about stepping into the shoes of your predecessors?

ms: Absolutely. I even said to them, "No one's going to know me. I'm just
Molly Sims. They're Cindy and Rebecca..." They said, "Don't worry. They each brought something to the network and it's your time to bring yourself and what you have."

aem: So tell me about Mission Makeover?

ms: It's a lot of work, but the kids are amazing. They have no idea, when we show up, that they're going to get a makeover. It really gives these kids confidence. They start to smile and stand a little taller at the end of it. They look great.

aem: That can be a great feeling - you feel like youÕre actually helping people.

ms: Oh, absolutely.

aem: What is the best aspect of making the transition from modeling to acting?

ms: What has been great about House of Style is that I can bring so much of what I've learned in modeling - wearing different designers, meeting different people, being exposed to different cultures - [to the show]. And...I actually get a chance to speak; I'm not just a coat hanger.

aem: Where do you want to go from here, more TV/film?

ms: Yeah, but one day at a time. I'm in acting classes now and we'll see.
I donÕtwant to go into it without good acting work behind me. As amodel,
you arealready so stereotyped. You donÕt want to just go in
thereand make an idiot of yourself. You almost have toprove yourself more.Right now, I'm learning a whole lot from MTV.

aem: Well, I think Rebecca Romijn is a great example ofsomeone who has taken it step by step from modeling to acting and is definitely being taken seriously.

ms: Absolutely. Again, it's about having the right people. You have to have an agent who knows it's better to take a small part than a
big part; it's better to wait if youÕre not ready.

aem: What would your advice be to a young person who is trying
to break into modeling?

ms: Finish high school! DonÕt forget about where you came from, even
when you're making tens of thousands of dollars, because it can all be over like that. Treat people with respect. Just because youÕre a model, itdoesnÕt make you better than anyone else. It is awonderful business - you can travel the world, meet many amazing people,and have so many opportunities.It's not the end of the world if you donÕt get a job. In the end, just be happy.





PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Zeppetello
STYLIST: Eric Orlando for Stockland Martel
HAIR: Fred Parnel for Bryan Bantry
MAKEUP: Pep for Bryan Bantry
MODEL: Molly Sims, Next