Reality show Make Me A Supermodel was the kick-start to her modelling career in 2008, and now Australian beauty Shanina Shaik will take on the big screen in a Hollywood Blockbuster. The Victoria Secret model, who was born in Melbourne and now lives in New York, will make her film debut alongside Veteran actor Tom Cruise in a re-make of The Mummy.
Set for release in June of 2017, the new version will be directed by Alex Kurtzman and will have a contemporary spin. Rather than following the original 1925 setting, the current project will be firmly rooted in our modern day era. With both Cruise and Kurtzman on board, the writer behind the Transformers franchise and the 2009 Star Trek, the film is expected to be huge.
The 25-year-old confessed to the New York Post that she had previously lacked the confidence to take on acting, and that this self-doubt had prompted her to decline offers for several other movies including Superman 2 and “a movie starring Bradley Cooper.”
Encouraged by “seeing other models try an acting role”, Shaik pushed aside her insecurities to consider that “maybe I could do it.”
Undoubtedly, the number of models transitioning from catwalk to screen has been rising steadily in the last few years. Cara Delevingne, Abby Lee Kershaw, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Megan Gale are just several examples, while other models like Jessica Gomes have similarly expressed acting aspirations. (See Gallery below of Models who have acted.)
Shaik, who was the fifth Australian model to walk for Victoria’s Secret has featured on numerous Magazine Covers including Harper’s Bazaar Australia and Arabia, and Vogue India.
Her exotic looks are an exquisite result of her Lithuanian, Pakistani and Saudi Arabian heritage, which arguably give her a universal appeal. However it wasn’t always so. Shaik now speaks publicly against bullying, following her own experiences of being taunted at school for not fitting into any physical or cultural box.
Times have certainly changed and the model now has a busy schedule ahead, with The Mummy announcement coming only months after announcing her engagement to DJ Ruckus in December of 2015. With a wedding and a feature film on the cards, this star is only set to rise.
