Natalia Bryant opens up about her father Kobe in rare interview
"My Dad,” Natalia responded when asked what motivates her.
Natalia Bryant is sharing memories of her late father Kobe Bryant in a rare interview.
Natalia, Vanessa and Kobe Bryant’s eldest daughter, signed with IMG Models in February, theGrio previously reported. At the time, the 18-year-old shared a black and white picture and said she’d always had “a love for the industry and ever since I can remember I wanted to model. There is a lot to learn but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively.”
Natalia has now taken part in a Q & A and photoshoot with the famed agency that was uploaded in a video on Thursday. In the nearly six-minute video, Natalia smiled and laughed as she shared some of her favorite things. Lavender is her favorite scent, history her favorite subject, Paris is her favorite city and jeans are her favorite kind of clothing, she said.
She also reminisced about her father.
“My Dad,” she responded when asked what motivates her.
Natalia recalled a time when the NBA great convinced her to swim with sharks as a child.
“My dad convinced me. But it was like, when I was really little, so I asked him, ‘Are they nice sharks?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, that one’s really nice,’” she remembered.
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died on Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash alongside seven others.
Natalia shared that her father fostered her love of movies.
“My dad and I would always watch as many movies as we can and we’d go on, like, movie marathons,” she said. “And then we’d always analyze as many movies as we can and we’d talk about it for months.
Anywhere we’d go we’d just keep talking about different films and how it, like, reminds us of where we are. Like, oh my gosh, that architecture reminds me of, like, this piece from this film. So, it’s just things like that, it just really inspired me and I was like, ‘I want to do this, forever.'”
Natalia also has aspirations of following in her dad’s footsteps by becoming an Oscar winner in the next decade. The Los Angeles Lakers legend won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball in 2018.
“I’m not sure for what, or for what Oscar category, but that’s on my list,” she said. “And I want to make a film where I can incorporate fashion and those fashion aspects, and I think combining my two passions, like, that’s just amazing. I want to be able to do that.”
Natalia said her mother is her biggest style influence. Vanessa was at her daughter’s side in August when she began her freshman year at the University of Southern California earlier this month.
Vanessa posted a picture of herself, Natalia, and daughters Bianka, 4, and Capri, 2, helping Natalia on move-in day.
“Today was rough. (This was before the tears came down). Missing ✌?forever. I love you @nataliabryant BE EPIC and FIGHT ON. ❤️?,” Vanessa wrote.
“I love you!!” Natalia responded.
Watch Natalia’s interview below:
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