Why Kate Upton loves Boracay

LOS ANGELES—“It was my first-ever Sports Illustrated (SI) shoot,” said Kate Upton, perky as she is lovely in person. The model who has 1.35 million followers on Twitter alone was telling us why Boracay, an island paradise in the Philippines, was special to her. “It took two boat rides to get there after the plane ride. It was so beautiful; I loved it.”

Photos of Kate, and several other models, in various itsy-bitsy bikinis on the white sandy beaches against a backdrop of crystal-clear waters—Kate with a bamboo pole and a pair of lucky starfish—appeared in the 2011 swimsuit issue of SI.

“I stayed there for four days,” added Kate about Boracay, a haven located about 315 kilometers from Manila. “Some of my favorite photos [were taken there]. The scenery was gorgeous.”

And so was Kate on this recent morning at the Four Seasons Hotel in LA. Dressed simply in a Chanel jacket, top, jeans and pumps, Kate was casual, friendly, cheerful, and often broke into laughter—an endearing quality (well, one of many).

“I also loved traveling around Europe,” said Kate, who went on to be the cover model of SI’s 2012 and 2013 swimsuit issues. “I loved Paris and Portofino. I went to Antarctica. I loved the Philippines. [The people] were amazing. Namibia—I’d like to go back to Africa. It’s incredible there. I love animals; I loved that whole experience.”

Curvy idol

Declared the 5’ 10”, voluptuous woman, who has 1.4 million Facebook fans, “I’ve always loved my body.” (No kidding, Kate.) She does have curves, in contrast to anorexic-looking models. “I lived in Florida. We were always in bikinis. We were always envious of the curvy women. Everyone on the beach was just admiring them when they walked around. I was a teenager and I was like, I want that (a shapely body). I got it, and now I love it.”

Added Kate, who graced the cover of Vanity Fair’s 100th anniversary issue: “It’s funny—when I first started modeling, I never looked at myself as any different from other models. I was [just] going along with it… none of us were competitive. We all sat around in castings, waiting to see who got the job.”

Claimed the charming blonde who costars in “The Other Woman” with Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann: “We all remained friends, best friends. When the media [attention] came, that’s when I started to think that maybe I was different. But I still loved my body.”

She recounted, “When I started modeling, I tried to have the best body and not eat so much. But I noticed that everyone was talking about it in the news, about how I wasn’t that skinny, I was like, ‘Oh perfect, I don’t have to try anymore.’” She laughed. “I am kidding. Kind of.”

 

Gold bikini

We told Kate that we grab SI swimsuit issues just to read the articles. She chuckled. Asked what it was like to pose in a zero-G plane for the magazine’s 2014 swimsuit edition, Kate replied, “I was so excited to experience that because I grew up in Melbourne (Florida), which is so close to Cape Canaveral.” The resulting pics showed Kate floating in a tiny gold bikini. “Our field trips every year was to the Kennedy Space Center. So to actually experience zero gravity was like [coming] full circle for me.

“It was so crazy because you never realize [how many] muscles you use just to stand up. When you are experiencing zero gravity, it’s actually easier to make somersaults than to stand still. It took me a second to get the hang of it. I jumped with all the muscles that we normally use and I slammed my head on [the ceiling] of the aircraft.”

In Nick Cassavetes’ “The Other Woman,” Kate, Cameron and Leslie play women who seek revenge on their lying, three-timing man (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). The 23-year-old said she was lucky to work with Cameron and Leslie in her first major role (she did cameos in “The Three Stooges” and “Tower Heist”).

 Defying gravity
In one scene, Kate, in a white bikini, runs in slow motion and appears to defy gravity while on earth. “When you go to the beach, everybody’s wearing bikinis or bathing suits,” she said of filming that beach scene. “But when you are filming and nobody else is wearing bikinis, it’s very uncomfortable. We had 60 people on the set and they were staring at me. It’s my first (major) film. I was like, awkward.

“Leslie and Cameron could tell that I was feeling uncomfortable. They came and ran with me off-camera. They were like, ‘You are killing it. You are doing awesome.’ They were in their bikinis. That’s how they were the entire shoot—always there by me, always encouraging and cheering me on. So I was really lucky.”

Kate volunteered that what she heard Leslie say in a joint interview reinforced her own outlook in life. “Leslie said that when she first started acting, somebody said to her that ‘you have to commit to the role, go one hundred percent. And if you are going to make a joke, go all the way.’ I always go all the way.”

Tortured costar
“We tortured him,” Kate said of the three femmes’ revenge scenes on Nikolaj’s philanderer character. “He had those nipple things attached to him and when they were taking them off, they were pulling his real hair. I admired him so much for fully committing to the role, helping our characters hate him. But he is such a great guy and family man. It was really lovely to work with him. He’s definitely hot.”

Kate claimed that she has been cheated on. “Everyone has been through some sort of betrayal, whether it’s by friends, boyfriends or family.  [You may be] heartbroken at the end of it, [but] you have to move through it.”

Flashing the smile that has won the adoration of many men all over the world, she quipped, “I find that the best revenge is just to move on, wear some tight hot pants as you walk away. I think not giving a man even the chance to explain himself is the best revenge.” (“Revenge in Tight Hot Pants” should be the title of Kate’s next movie.)

 Unimpressed

Listen up, dudes—Kate is not blown away by shiny sports cars or expensive gadgets. “I appreciate men just being themselves. Flashy things don’t really impress me.”

Kate, who was born in Michigan but raised in Florida, talked about her family. “I have two older sisters and a younger brother. So definitely I have a third child syndrome; I am very loud

and always try to get the attention.” Laughing, she said, “I covered my food so my siblings wouldn’t steal it. But we have a fun family dynamic, always teasing each other and laughing.”

“My mom (Shelley) was very successful at tennis,” she shared. “There’s so much success in the family.” Shelley was a former Texas state tennis champ. Kate’s uncle, Fred, is a US Representative for Michigan’s 6th congressional district. Her great grandpa, Frederick, cofounded Whirlpool, the major American appliance manufacturer. Kate herself was an equestrian champ and competed on a national level.

“Everyone just teases you for your success,” she said. “I feel like I had the perfect childhood. I grew up on a five- acre [property]. I had horses in my backyard. My family are my best friends in life.”

She still rides horses but just as a hobby. “I still have my horse (named Robbie) and I ride him all the time. He’s in Florida with my sister. Riding is very therapeutic for me, to feel like I am just being out there with my horse. It makes me feel that I am back at home.”

A Presbyterian, Kate stressed, “Yes, I definitely believe in God. It’s a huge part [of my family)] and I am very religious.”

Looking into the future, does she see herself acting or modeling or being a model-turned-mogul like Kathy Ireland? “Can I merge both careers?” she asked aloud. “It’s hard for me because I feel like I want acting to be my new path. I don’t know where it will lead to or what the end of it will be, because there’s no book that I can read, like, this is how you become Cameron Diaz. But I hope that this path continues. If I fade out and go on a business venture in the future, that will be my next fun thing.”

(E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)