With fashion month in the very recent past and Vogue World Hollywood just around the corner, you can’t blame us for having models on our minds. They’re everywhere: strutting down the runways, zipping from one show to the next on the street, all over our Instagram feeds—and on our screens.
From leading ladies to campy cameos, models continue to play integral parts in some of the most memorable films of our time, from Emily Ratajkowski in Gone Girl to Lauren Hutton in American Gigolo—and, of course, Gisele Bündchen in The Devil Wears Prada. Models also make for natural action stars: Grace Jones and Barbara Bach took up the Bond Girl mantle, while Devin Aoki raced a hot pink convertible in The Fast and the Furious franchise. There’s also a mother-daughter pair among our list: Cindy Crawford starred in the 1995 thriller Fair Game, while Kaia Gerber played a cheerleader in the 2023 satirical sex comedy, Bottoms.
Here, in honor of those who have dabbled in showbiz, we take a look at 23 of our favorite models in movies.
Angela Lindvall, CQ
In Roman Coppola’s 2001 directorial debut, Lindvall plays Valentine, an actress portraying a secret agent named Dragonfly, who becomes the subject of director Andrezej’s fascination.
CQ, Billy Zane, Angela Lindvall, 2001, (c) United Artists/courtesy Everett Collection©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection
Twiggy, The Boy Friend
After retiring from modeling, Twiggy turned her aspirations toward the screen, collaborating with her friend Ken Russell on 1971’s The Boy Friend. The MGM production cast Twiggy as Polly Browne, an assistant stage manager who steps in when the lead actress breaks her ankle.