Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/786765
OLIVIA CULPO WALKS INTO THE ALL-WHITE HOTEL LOBBY dressed in head-to-toe black, from her bateau faux-fur sweater to her patent leather loafers. The perfection of the tableau is a bit dizzying—what with a bit of black in the hotel furni- ture, and a touch of white on her manicured fingertips—and for a moment it seems possible some Art Deco design fairy has waved her wand. It's not inconceivable. The former Miss Universe, now a fashion influencer and entertainment personality, may be sought out for her unscripted appearances—say, stepping in to perform with the Boston Pops during the city's holiday festivities, when she was only supposed to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." But when it comes to her own life, very little happens off the cuff. The ultimate beauty queen who began as Miss Rhode Island actually began as an accomplished cellist. From musician to model to beauty queen, Culpo has harnessed her discipline and poise every step of the way. The next step comes this spring, when the 24-year-old appears in her first substantial film role with the release of American Satan. (In 2014, she had a cameo in the Cameron Diaz flick The Other Woman .) In this upcoming film, Culpo plays the long-suffering girlfriend of a teen rocker, with all the typical young-rising-star angst on the table: dropping out of college, struggling to find gigs that match your ambition, floundering financially, making poor choices. None of which resembles her own path, despite the fact that before her current boyfriend, Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, she dated pop music wonderboy Nick Jonas, who few would have described as a struggling teen musician. Culpo was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, the third of five children in a close-knit Italian family with a strong musical spine. Her mother, Susan Culpo, plays the viola in the Boston Symphony Orchestra; her father, Peter, was a professional trumpet player before he became a restaurateur. All five of the Culpo children (three girls and two boys) played music ambitiously—at camps, in competitions, anywhere and every- where. It's what Culpos did. BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 51 BOSTON From model to model citizen, former Miss Universe OLIVIA CULPO is ready for her next step: the Hollywood spotlights. by NICHOLE BERNIER photography by MIKE ROSENTHAL BEAUTY