'It's a misconception that models can't act'

Valid point

She took the modelling world by storm at a very young age. Hailing from Australia, Lisa Haydon says she never thought she would end up in Bollywood. With the kind of effort she has been putting in, there is no doubt that this leggy lass is leaving no stone unturned to make it big in the industry.

Having debuted in Aisha, where she was seen romancing both Abhay Deol and Arunoday Singh on screen, Lisa says she got the part by chance.

“I started modelling out of passion. But it was only after I came to India that my career took off in a big way,” says Lisa, whose mother is an Australian and father, an Indian.

“Stepping into the film world was a pure destiny and a coincidence. It was actually Anil Kapoor, who spotted me in a coffee shop and I remember him staring at me. I was like, ‘Oh my god! Anil Kapoor is staring at me’,” she laughs and adds, “a few days later, I got a call from his casting agent and the rest is history.”

It was not all that easy, to begin with. Lisa didn’t know a word of Hindi. “I am still working on the language but I am far better now. Sonam too was a great help on the sets. Since I don’t come from an acting background she would always advise me on how I could try few scenes differently and how to make things more realistic,” says Lisa.

Modelling, she says, gave her that extra advantage in front of the camera. “Modelling is a great platform, as it helps one be natural in front of the camera. I feel it’s a misconception that models can’t act. To be a good model, one also needs to be a good actor, as our face and body language have to convey the ideas behind the collection on the ramp,” adds Lisa.

So now with one movie in her kitty, will modelling take a backseat? “Acting is definitely a priority, but I shall be modelling as and when I can. I don’t want to limit myself, especially since I want to do all kinds of roles in life. But it is a gradual process. Right now, I want to take one step at a time,” she signs off.