Chanel Iman On Her Carefree Nude Scene In Dope

Chanel Iman On Her Carefree Nude Scene In Dope
In the new movie Dope (out in theaters now), model-turned-actress Chanel Iman plays Lily, standing in for that first beautiful woman who actually takes a liking to an immature, teenage bull. You know the one. Her target: Malcolm, a geek living in the Bottoms, “the drug-infested, gang-run ghetto part of Inglewood” (per Dope‘s own summary). Obsessed with ’90s culture and oblivious to the world around him, Malcolm gets caught in the crossfires of a drug deal gone awry. Dope sends him racing across the neighborhood, with Lily as his main source of distraction. She really wants a piece of him. Iman is fierce as hell in the part.

Like many Victoria’s Secret models, Iman slid up from the world of photoshoots and runaways to the big screen. Dope is her first acting role and it takes advantage of everything she does as a model. Her striking photographic identity relies on an eclectic background—she’s half Korean and half African-American—and a casual intensity. Follow her on Instagram. She makes it look easy. We sat down with Iman to talk all things Dope and to finally ask her what we’ve been wondering for more than a year: how did wind up in Beyonce’s “Yonce” video?

Chanel Iman Robinson known professionally as Chanel Iman is an American fashion model perhaps best known for her work for Victoria’s Secret.She walked the 2009 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In 2010, she became a featured model on Victoria’s Secret’s website and was used in several of the company’s campaigns. In 2010, Iman became a Victoria’s Secret Angel.2010 she is signed with IMG MODELS

Chanel Iman @ Cher Michel Klein – Spring 2007

**There are scenes in Dope that require substantial nudity. Which struck me—for a first-time actress and well-known model, showing skin might be an artistic demand you shy away from.**

I was very comfortable with being on set and everyone was very, very professional. Yes, I take off the jumpsuit, and I’m seducing Malcolm, but I felt that’s who Lily is, you know? She doesn’t care. I didn’t think about it because she doesn’t think about anything she does. And just went for it, dove in and gave it my all. I knew what I was signing up for, and I knew that this was something that was going to be successful. I wanted to do it.