Naomi Campbell and Empire’s Jussie Smollett cover Attitude’s September Style Issue
By Will Stroude
The world’s most famous supermodel Naomi Campbell and trailblazing Empire star Jussie Smollett cover Attitude’s September Style Issue – available to download now and in shops next Wednesday (August 17).
Campbell takes to the cover to champion friend and Empire co-star Smollett, who she first met when he was just eight years old. In her exclusive interview she talks about her passion for LGBT rights, her charity work and activism as Attitude looks back at the career of one of the fashion industry’s most legendary icons.
“I have been surrounded by gay men my entire life, and because I have grown up working in the creative and fashion industries, many of them have become like family to me,” she says. “I’ve always said without gay men, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Jussie, who is working on his debut album and has just wrapped filming Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, has drawn universal acclaim for his portrayal of gay musician Jamal Lyon in the Empire, currently filming its third season.
The 33-year-old first addressed his sexuality publicly in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres back in March 2015, and tells Attitude that being out and proud in Hollywood has only helped his burgeoning career.
“I get tired of the idea of someone telling me what my truth is. I’ve said from the beginning of my journey: I do not hide who I am. I love who I love. No one is going to tell me that somehow that is going to be my disability.
“I am told so many times that I should not walk truly in my blackness, that I should not walk truly in my sexuality, I should not walk truly in who I am. I say thanks but no thanks, fuck you and goodbye. I honestly think that me being myself has actually helped my career move forward.”
You can read the full interview with Naomi and Jussie and check out their exclusive joint shoot in the new issue Attitude, available to download now from pocketmags.com/attitude.
It’s in shops next Wednesday (August 17), and print copies are available to order from newsstand.co.uk.
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