Realm of the Vamp

A new star is on the rise. KAT GRAHAM speaks to VIVIENNE TANG about ’90s fashion, ‘keeping it old school’ and how you should never meet your idols

SINGER, ACTRESS, DANCER and model – there’s little that talented Kat Graham hasn’t turned her hand to. We haven’t even mentioned that she’s drop-dead gorgeous, and we can add funny to that list too. Mostly known for her role as Bonnie in the hit TV series The Vampire Diaries, the ambitious, 22-year-old starlet, who is half Liberian and half Russian, can also hold her own when it comes to fashion and style.

You’re good at multitasking. Which discipline do you enjoy most?
I enjoy them all. I don’t do anything work-wise that I don’t enjoy and have a passion for. I never saw myself growing up into just one thing. Even as a little girl I was into singing, dancing and acting. I just knew that everything would come in handy at one point, and at one point it absolutely has. I have built my career on the foundation of keeping it old school, and that goes for being like all the old-school actors, like Frank Sinatra who could dance, sing and act. It was required at that time.

Do you have any idols that you look up to?
Career-wise I’ve always liked Janet Jackson.

Have you worked with her before?
No, I never have. My dream is to have a career along the lines of what she created. I’d much prefer to never meet my idols. You’ll always be let down. So I would rather enjoy her from the viewpoint of a fan, and work with people like the Quincy Joneses and Tyler Perrys of the world – those kind of multifaceted producers.

You started in the entertainment industry when you were six years old. Was that a good or bad thing?
It was a great thing. It was absolutely meant to be. My first headshots were at five or six. It’s been something that I’ve always done. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t going to auditions, shooting and growing up on a set. It matured me and gave me such a great sense of the world, of different people and playing different characters, where everyone is praised for being different, praised for doing a good job and being something other than yourself. I could never let it go.

How did you get into it?
My mom got me into it. We moved from Switzerland after my mom separated from my dad, and she put me into everything immediately; pretty much as soon as we landed on American soil. From that point on, I just never stopped working.

You almost have three different images: there’s Kat, there’s Bonnie from The Vampire Diaries and there’s this larger-than-life music persona.
That’s so funny, because I feel there is really only me. Bonnie is a character created by [The Vampire Diaries writer] LJ Smith [and producers] Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, and I just step into her shoes. Once we wrap, I’m back to Kat Graham. Bonnie doesn’t come home with me. My music self is just me being able to be myself 110 percent. I don’t feel like it’s a put-on. Everyone kind of performs and then they get off stage, but they’re still them.

You speak numerous languages. Are you fluent in all of them?
I’m fluent, obviously, in English and Hebrew, but I don’t speak Spanish, French and Portuguese so often. A language is like the piano. If you don’t practise every day, you’ll miss a step. You’ll forget a word or you’ll forget a note. Not many people speak anything other than Spanish and English around me, so it’s really hard to keep finetuned, but I try when I have time. That’s what I do in my free time.

What has been your biggest gig so far?
I would say The Vampire Diaries. That’s definitely the biggest exposure I have today. We’ve started our third season already. I just won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Scene Stealers for season two. It’s my first award, so it’s really exciting.

What do you want to focus on in the future, TV and film or music?
Definitely both. Music is something that I’ll never let go of, and it’s something I constantly strive to make bigger and better. I would love to go on a world tour and dedicate my life to music. Honey 2, the film I did that was released internationally this summer, has done really well. And I’m going to be greedy and ask for another lead in a theatrically released film, because it’s a dream. I can’t say that I don’t want it.

Let’s talk about fashion. You have a unique style. It’s very daring.
That’s what they tell me [laughs]. What’s normal to me and what I’m comfortable in is completely bizarre and out-there to other people. I would never wear a T-shirt and jeans and leave my house. I would be mortified. I base my style around an era instead of what’s hip at the time. I consistently stick with the ’90s. That’s really my style. It’s kind of ’90s couture. And then, for award shows and stuff like that, I can be a bit more avant-garde. But I still try to keep it ’90s.

Which designers do you go for?
I’m big into Jeremy Scott, who’s a good friend of mine. He always creates these themes and fun prints. He’s incredible. And I really love Thierry Mugler, who has incredible structured pieces. My friend Laura Fama, she’s a designer, and her line is called Dimepiece Designs. It’s got this hipster take on the ’90s, and even modern stuff with these big baggy tank tops, leggings, bandage skirts and dresses. She’s pretty amazing.

What about shoes?
I love Giuseppe Zanotti. He’s one of my favourites. I know that young readers will read this and be like, “What are Giuseppe Zanotti shoes?” So I always like to mention a more common brand that my fans can go and get, and that I actually wear. They’re Report Signature shoes. They’re so fun and have such a great style. I’m really into them. And Michael Kors has got some really cool Oxfords.

Would you ever launch your own fashion line?
No, no, no. Fashion is a very expensive thing to start, stay in and be successful at. I have so many friends who are incredible designers, who are so talented and have such a passion for it. I have a passion for style. I’m not really fashion. Grace Jones does it. She’s style, she’s not fashion, because fashion changes every season and style remains the same. So I’m style. I enjoy having a style and a sense of self, but I don’t enjoy creating things that other people might like. I don’t care what other people buy. I just care about what I like [laughs]. So that’s not a really healthy place to start as a fashion designer.

What’s happening over the next few months?

I did a film with [actor and comedian] Cedric the Entertainer a few years back, and that’s finally coming out. It’s called Dance Fu. And the film I did, Honey 2, is in theatres now. Season three of The Vampire Diaries will take up 10 months of my year. And we’re dropping a single very very soon. By the time this magazine hits stands it will probably be out. I’m super excited about that.