May 26, 2005 |
Top Model 4 Champ Wins Gracefully
by Ben Katner
TVGuide.com: Is it my imagination, or did you seriously sharpen your competitive edge in the homestretch?
Naima Mora: I'm a very laid-back, easygoing person. I am competitive, but I take my strokes very gracefully. But seeing that the other girls were so... [Pauses] I use the word "fierce." They were very headstrong about it all, and I realized what I was lacking. So yeah, I did actually make a conscious decision to be a little bit more hardcore. TVG: Was there a point where you knew you had it in the bag?
Naima: I have to say that probably the most confident I ever felt in the competition was the day of the runway show. That was my last test, our final exam, and I really wanted to be focused and prepared. TVG: You know that thanks to you (and maybe American Idol's Nadia Turner), mohawks are gonna make a comeback in a big way.
Naima: I don't want to take all the credit for it; it comes originally from my heritage. It was part of my creativity. TVG: Well, you certainly look much cuter in it than, say, Mr. T!
Naima: [Laughs] Thanks a lot! TVG: You mentioned on the show that you went through a really rough patch, kind of a lost period where you were always partying...
Naima: That was a part of my life [during which] I really had to learn when to withdraw and when to extrovert myself more [sic]. Am I being clear? TVG: Sure. You've got to pick and choose the times to let the outgoing part of you come out.
Naima: Right! Exactly. But the beautiful part, and this is the best advice I could ever give [to young girls], is to just really accept yourself for who you are and be totally comfortable with that and embrace yourself. TVG: That's a tall order!
Naima: It's very, very, very hard to do. And I didn't get it until recently. TVG: I wonder if runner-up Keenyah Hill ever will. Was it your strategy to just give that bee-yotch enough rope to hang herself?
Naima: Oh, no! [Laughs] No, that's not in my personality at all. I don't have to belittle my character or change myself and my good nature to try to teach somebody a lesson. I don't think it's my place to do that, either. TVG: Good lord, Naima, you really are a class act! And speaking of acting, since you kicked tail in the acting challenge, are you hoping to follow in the footsteps of Top Model 3 winner Eva Pigford and become a TV star?
Naima: I would love to! I think that acting, as far as I'm concerned, is a further means of expressing myself and finding yet another creative way to express who I am and what I do. I haven't explored it that much, so I don't know how good I would be at it. There are wonderful, amazing actors out there who I would feel a little intimidated to be next to, but I have confidence and I would love to try it.
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