- 4 months ago
Heidi Klum may have done it all— but what truly defines her? In the premiere episode of ELLE’s "Defining", the supermodel, Emmy-winning television personality, and entrepreneur sits down with Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia to reflect on the highs and lows of a nearly three-decade career. From her early days as a Victoria’s Secret Angel and her fearless fashion choices, to returning to 'Project Runway' and raising her children in the spotlight, Heidi opens up like never before. Watch as the two get candid about friendship, resilience, personal growth, and the power of saying no.
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00:00I just want to ask, why did you want to come back?
00:03If something bad happens, I'm not going to dwell on it.
00:06I'm not looking back.
00:07You were also a Victoria's Secret girl.
00:10I always felt like I knew what my worth is.
00:14If you don't want to do something, you say no.
00:16In all the years that I worked on Project Runway,
00:20you were the first person in.
00:23Never late.
00:24Maybe one time you were late.
00:25I think because I was hungover.
00:27You were hungover.
00:30Hi, I'm Nina Garcia, and today's guest is a true multi-hyphenic.
00:34She's a supermodel, television personality,
00:37a long-time colleague, and a dear friend.
00:40This is Defining Heidi Klum.
00:44Heidi Klum, I'm so happy to be reunited.
00:47I'm happy to be with you.
00:48We've known each other for so long.
00:51I would say 30 years.
00:5330 years is a long time.
00:54Right? I mean, it has to be.
00:56Yes, because I first met you when you were a model.
01:00I was on many, many Elle shoots, always with Gilles Ben-Simon.
01:05Out of a lot of magazines, I have to say, you and Elle magazine,
01:09and Gilles really gave me a chance to model for like a fashion magazine,
01:13because I was always doing catalogs at the time.
01:16Yeah, but you were also a Victoria's Secret girl.
01:20Yeah, but I was kind of like, you know how when you have the soccer players that are playing soccer,
01:25and you have the ones that are on the bench waiting for someone to hurt their leg,
01:28and then they can have a go.
01:30It took a while with Victoria's Secret.
01:32When we had a day of shoot, they would maybe have me do two looks.
01:35They kind of wanted to see first if what I'm wearing sells.
01:39Right.
01:39So they're not going to put you in like 10, 12 shots.
01:42So I was always sitting on the sideline waiting my turn when I could do a photo, you know?
01:46Right.
01:47So I did that for a long time.
01:48And then later they were like, oh, okay, things are selling.
01:51Okay, but I have to tell you because back then the newsstand sales were really important,
01:57and your covers sold.
02:01Really, those are some of my favorite covers.
02:03Yes.
02:04Yes.
02:06Heidi Klum for Elle.com, pick one.
02:10Speaking about the modeling industry and when you were going through that,
02:14and at that time it was so sexualized in the media and in entertainment,
02:18and there's so much abuse going on.
02:21How did you protect yourself?
02:23And what advice do you give to the women coming up?
02:27I also have two daughters.
02:29That's right.
02:30And, you know, so I tell them, and especially my oldest daughter,
02:33she is now in the industry.
02:35She's been modeling for five years.
02:36I waited until she was 16.
02:38Yeah.
02:38I told her when, you know, in the beginning I would accompany her.
02:42And then later on, I'm like, I don't want to always be like the mom that's sitting there.
02:46And like, you know, I think it's important at one point, then they do this by themselves
02:50when she was old enough, like at 18.
02:52But I told her, if you don't want to do something, you say no.
02:56You don't have to be like horrible about it.
02:59If they say like, we want you naked, you don't want it.
03:02You say no.
03:03Obviously, before you do a job, you know what the assignment is.
03:06For me, for example, I won't do like a fur campaign,
03:10or I won't do an alcohol campaign or things like that, let's say.
03:14You always get asked before you do a job if you want to do the job or not.
03:18Anything else, or if it's lingerie or if it's swimsuit,
03:21you're always told before by your agent.
03:24So you can't say yes to the job and then you get there and you're like,
03:26I feel bloated.
03:27I'm not going to wear the swimsuit.
03:28Right.
03:28Not like that kind of saying no.
03:30But I feel like you need to know where the line is in order to protect yourself.
03:35Did you feel like you had moments at that time when you were starting
03:39that you were like, I am getting out of here because this doesn't feel right?
03:43Yes.
03:44Many times.
03:45Many times.
03:45Yes.
03:46I always felt like I knew what my worth is.
03:49And I was always like, this is not what I want to do.
03:53Everyone can do what they want to do.
03:54I'm going home.
03:55Right.
03:55You know what I mean?
03:56You were a model.
03:58You were a successful model.
04:00What was the moment in your career that you were like,
04:03you know what?
04:04I don't want to do this anymore.
04:05I need to do more.
04:07I remember running around New York and going from network to network
04:13and trying to sell Project Runway.
04:14No one wanted it.
04:15Like people were like, this sounds so boring.
04:18You know, you have to pitch.
04:19It's like I went to all the pitch meetings.
04:21If it was MTV or, you know, you name it, I went to all of them
04:25with all the producers at the time and they were like,
04:28yeah, it doesn't sound like people would be wanting to watch people sell.
04:32And we're like, no, because you have no idea.
04:33People in this industry, they're very passionate.
04:36They're flamboyant and they're loud and they're fun.
04:39And they're like amazing people and they have an amazing craft to show.
04:43So watching that process, also putting a time crunch on it
04:47and not giving them a lot of money and putting them all together
04:50is going to be amazing.
04:51And they were like, yeah.
04:52So most of them declined, declined, declined.
04:54And it was a enormous success.
04:59It was the first of its kind.
05:00And it came at such an incredible moment that it really was like a boo.
05:06Yeah.
05:06Hello, everybody. Welcome.
05:07Hi.
05:09You're in New York, 12 of you, the cream of the crop.
05:12I've always been inspired by your work ethic.
05:15I mean, every time they ask me about you,
05:17this is one of the things that I love to say.
05:20In all the years that I worked on Project Runway,
05:23you were the first person in.
05:27The first person, never late.
05:29Maybe one time you were late in all the years that we worked together.
05:33That was so wild.
05:34I think because I was hungover.
05:35You were hungover.
05:38Going back to the work ethic.
05:39The first one on set and the last one to leave.
05:43Well, yeah, when we were...
05:44Never complained, not once.
05:47Well, when we wrapped, I kind of had to then make up for the mistakes that I did during the day.
05:52Sometimes I didn't say it correctly or it needed to have like a faster flow or something.
05:57Everything was memorized.
05:59There wasn't an earpiece or a cue card or a prompter.
06:03Like people probably always think there's a prompter standing somewhere there.
06:06I had to like memorize everything.
06:09So in the moment, sometimes I couldn't do it as fluent as I wanted to.
06:13So I was up there till like two in the morning to do pickups
06:16of all the things I messed up during the day.
06:19Because also I wanted it to be good.
06:21That must have been a defining moment for you.
06:23Like, I did this and I did it so well.
06:27And then...
06:28No, of course.
06:29It feels great, obviously, when you have people that are actually liking what you're doing.
06:35In fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out.
06:39So I just want to ask, why did you want to come back?
06:43Where?
06:43To Project Runway.
06:44Oh, why?
06:45Because it's my baby.
06:46It is your baby.
06:47It is your baby.
06:48And your baby missed you.
06:50Oh, I'm coming to say hi.
06:52Hi.
06:53Hi.
06:54Good to see you.
06:58Let's talk a little bit about fashion.
06:59Yes.
07:00What do you love about fashion for yourself?
07:02You would think after so many years, when you see stuff, you're like bored.
07:06For me, no.
07:07I see a certain thing, even when I go to fittings.
07:10When I do a show, you know, for example, Top Model, that's probably like one of the biggest,
07:14where I need the most clothes.
07:16I need like 60 looks or something like that.
07:18So I literally spent like two days just fitting clothes.
07:22And I still, when I see something, I put it on and it is like amazing.
07:25I'm like, how do they come up with this?
07:28This is incredible.
07:30The way it's cut, the fabrics they use, the metals that are on there, the combinations,
07:35the mix match of stuff, you know?
07:37You take a lot of risks with fashion.
07:39Yeah.
07:39I feel like you, like you said it yesterday, like for me, more is more.
07:44Yeah. Yeah, because I feel like I am out.
07:47There's people all over the place that see when I'm going somewhere.
07:51I'm not going to go in something snoozy.
07:54Like, I feel like I'm in the industry of dreaming, of exploring newness,
08:00seeing different makeups or outfits.
08:03So I feel like I need to be wearing these fun things.
08:07Does it upset you if you get a comment, a negative comment?
08:10Sure, it's not nice, of course.
08:12But I still did not want to change, you know, who I was.
08:15Who you are.
08:16You know, and people would be like, oh, this looks crazy.
08:18Or, you know, I was on the don't page many times.
08:21You know, there were these fashion TV shows where, you know, you just walk the carpet
08:26and they rip you and shred you.
08:29Yes, yes.
08:30I had it many times.
08:32But I feel like we're all individually different.
08:35And I was always more colorful.
08:38And I just wouldn't listen to anybody.
08:45We could go into your personal life.
08:47There's been highs.
08:48There's been lows.
08:48There's been lows.
08:49How does Heidi...
08:51Yes.
08:52And...
08:52But...
08:53Yay!
08:53But, but...
08:55And...
08:55But you have this, like, positivity.
08:59Like, how do you deal with adversity?
09:01I mean, if something bad happens, I'm not going to dwell on it.
09:05I'm not looking back on it.
09:08I look at what's ahead.
09:09What is on your bucket list?
09:11You have done everything.
09:13A lot of things.
09:14Right now on my bucket list is four weeks of vacation.
09:19That you deserve.
09:21For me, that is, like, success.
09:24To do nothing.
09:27Not having to do something.
09:28Oh, I'm happy for you.
09:31Okay, we're going to play a rapid fire game of Inner Circle.
09:35I'm going to read you a scenario and you have to tell me who in your life would be there in that moment.
09:41Okay, Heidi, who is the first person you call when you get good news?
09:44Tom.
09:45Who do you call when you get bad news?
09:47Tom.
09:49Who is the most down to take a spontaneous vacation with you?
09:53Tom.
09:55Who's pushing you out of your comfort zone?
09:58I don't know.
09:58Nobody, really.
09:59Now you.
10:00Heidi.
10:01I don't know.
10:03When I'm sitting in the plane, this pushes me out of my comfort zone.
10:07I can't fly this damn thing.
10:08That's the problem.
10:09What do you mean?
10:10Like, I hate sitting in this little tube.
10:13I'm always like, I hope this guy knows what he's doing if something were to happen.
10:18And they don't freak out in the front, you know?
10:20So you're a nervous flyer?
10:21Yes.
10:22It's, you know, the luck of the draw if you have the captain that knows what's going on.
10:26That's so scary.
10:27You know?
10:27Now, was there a group of women that supported you?
10:31I mean, of course.
10:32Of course.
10:33You know, like Desiree Gruber.
10:35Desiree.
10:36Of course.
10:36She's been, you know, by my side from the very beginning.
10:40Like, even before I had Victoria's Secret, she was a friend of mine.
10:43And, you know, I said, you know, so what is this what you do?
10:46And she's like, I'm a publicist.
10:47And I'm like, this sounds like a foreign language to me, what you're saying.
10:52She's like, well, if you have something interesting, I'm going to get it out to the masses.
10:57I'm going to make sure people know about it.
10:59And I'm like, okay, can you do something like that with me?
11:01She's like, well, you don't really have anything that is of interest at this point.
11:05So then I got both illustrated.
11:07Right, right.
11:08Then I got Victoria's Secret.
11:10And then she's like, all right, now I can go to town with this.
11:14And who keeps you humble?
11:15Who keeps me humble?
11:16Honestly, I try to keep myself humble.
11:19Don't you?
11:19One hundred percent.
11:22I don't need someone to tell me that I'm lucky.
11:23But don't you think your family also keeps you grounded and humble?
11:27Yeah, but at the end of the day, I brush my teeth every morning in the mirror.
11:31I see myself.
11:32So I have that reflection.
11:33And I know that I'm lucky.
11:36I know I worked for everything, you know, but I know that I'm lucky.
11:40So I feel like I don't need anyone to tell me how lucky I am.
11:44I know.
11:45Right, you're thankful.
11:46I am very thankful.
11:46You have the gratitude.
11:48Yeah, I do.
11:49Yeah.
11:49Anyway, love you.
11:51I love you too.
11:52And I'm so proud of you.
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