6 minute read
Covergirl Sophie Monk
Words by Bec Doyle | June 15th 2021
When it comes to the gorgeous Aussie bombshell Sophie Monk, being herself is literally her day job. One of the biggest personalities in Australia, Sophie opened up about her career and personal life, and had me in tears of laughter throughout the entire conversation. She’s down to earth, unfiltered, and complete with just the right amount of self-deprecating humor. Although she admits she's made plenty of mistakes, in a career that spans over two decades, she says she’s right where she’s meant to be.
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On what would be the longest first date ever, Josh and Sophie fatefully sat next to each other on a 16- hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney. The recently engaged couple hit it off immediately, and were chatting the entire flight. Sophie reveals that she made the first move: “He said he was single and I was like, can I kiss you? I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, cause I'd been on the flight for a while, and we just made out on the plane!” The rest is history. After 3 years together, Joshua Gross proposed. The couple celebrated their engagement on April 24th at their home on the Central Coast with their close friends and family. Sophie credits her time as The Bachelorette for helping her with her confidence when it comes to dating, “The show was awesome, it was such an adventure as well, and just learning about myself...I think with what I do in the industry, you can be confident, but you're not really.”
Photo by Glenn Nutley, Hair & Make-up by Normie Gonzales, Styling by Natalia De Martin
Sophie wears Dress by Mariam Seddiq, Earrings by Balyck Jewellery
Sophie literally does it all. She got her start in the girl group Bardot, which shot to fame in the reality TV series “Popstars”, in 2000. Since then she has appeared in feature films, hosted shows like Love Island, had a stint as The Bachelorette, was a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, won The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, and has been an on-air host for some of Sydney’s biggest radio shows. “I like doing everything, cause I'm not really good at any of it, I'm kind of average,” she says with a laugh. That self-deprecating humor is what makes her so lovable and relatable, but it’s obvious her talent runs deep.
Now, Sophie is getting back to her roots, revealing she has new music set for release this year. She told me, “I started with one song because I don't even know if people want to hear my music.” In a surprising contrast to her Bardot days, her new tracks are more in the Jazz genre. “I grew up as a classical singer, and I love Jazz, I love singing Jazz. It's not what people are used to hearing from me.” Weeks away from filming the music video for her new track Nice to Meet you, she reveals that “The vibe is very ‘cigar lounge feel’. The video is going to be me on stage, kind of old school, 1920’s.”
Photo by Glenn Nutley, Hair & Make-up by Normie Gonzales, Styling by Natalia De Martin
Sophie wears Dress by Zhivago, Earrings by Balyck Jewellery
Reflecting on the ten years she lived in LA, Sophie says it flew by. “‘I look back and it feels like a weird dream.” At that time she was focused primarily on acting, but says she was terrible at judging scripts, writing off projects that ended up being hits. She recalls the endless auditions, and some admittedly ‘interesting’ choices she made, including turning down an offer for a role on the hit retro-sitcom That 70s Show. She says comedy was where she excelled, landing roles in films like Date Movie and Click, alongside Adam Sandler. She recalls the disappointment of regularly making it down to the final two for roles, and not booking them. “It's tough, especially in LA. You hear more No’s than Yes’s. And your self-esteem can go down, but you have to not take it personally. You know it could be a hair color thing. Well that's what I told myself”, she adds with a laugh.
Sophie admits she’s been “known” for some other lewks too. “Fashion wise, it’s ridiculous online what you can find of me, like what was I thinking, and why did I think I was so cool?!” She laughs as she recalls a particular pair of leggings with a not so flattering positioned seam. “I used to wear them all the time in LA, to go get a coffee. But there were so many paparazzi, and it made me look like I had a camel toe, but it wasn’t, it was the seam in the pants. So there’s so many photos of me online if you google it, of just the camel toe. I felt like my camel toe was getting more press than I ever got.”
It's no secret Sophie loves a spray tan. “They struggled on Entourage with the lighting for me cause I was so orange, they pulled me aside and said ‘Next time can you not spray tan?’” She says back then she would go to the fake tanning machines, that are fairly well-known for not providing the most optimal results, “You’d turn around like you’re cooking in an oven.” Surprisingly, the Aussie blonde is not one for beach days. “I only go to the beach for an Instagram photo. I burn really easily. I'm that person wearing the hat with the flap at the back. I'm not as cute as I make it look.” It's clear that a history of self-tanning, rather than sun baking, was a smart choice for the blonde bombshell. Sophie is looking youthful and more gorgeous than ever on our Summer cover shoot. “It was so fun to dress up again!”, she says with excitement. She admits that it’s a nice change from the usual tracksuits and gold Uggs that her high-fashion stylist reluctantly has to pull for shoots, because: “It's kind of what I'm known for now,” she laughs.
Photo by Glenn Nutley, Hair & Make-up by Normie Gonzales, Styling by Natalia De Martin
Sophie wears Dress by Dion Lee, Earrings by Balyck Jewellery, Heels By Lana Wilkin
If you follow Sophie on social media you’ll see square after square of her hilarious comedy sketches for different products, with some epically beautiful portraits scattered in between- of course! She is extremely selective when it comes to these partnerships, only promoting brands she personally uses or believes in, and loves the freedom and creative control these brands allow her.
Her fiance Josh even does his part as videographer and editor, and apparently does quite a good job - a nice break from his usual work in neurosurgical robotics, I’m sure!
With such a diverse portfolio of work, there really isn’t much Sophie Monk can’t do. She’s even toyed with the idea of stand-up comedy, and we eagerly await that day! Currently in talks with a production company about a scripted TV series loosely based around her life, and the rebooted series Beauty And The Geek airing later this year, Sophie’s unfiltered, hilarious, and kind-natured soul will continue to be a huge part of Australian culture, gracing the screens of millions of Australians for years to come. Sophie acknowledges just how lucky she is to be able to do what she loves everyday, performing and entertaining. “Moving back to Australia, I kind of fell into a place where I was allowed to be me. It’s so much easier to be myself. If I can keep doing this forever, I’ll feel pretty lucky.” ■
Photo by Glenn Nutley, Hair & Make-up by Normie Gonzales, Styling by Natalia De Martin
Sophie wears Gown by Constantina Danis, Earrings by Faith Jewellery
