“Trew Mullen is truly unforgettable”
By Michael Aaron Gallagher of StayFamous.Net
Trew Mullen
Trew Mullen is the sort of girl musicians write songs about. The enchantingly beautiful, doe-eyed California native has been a natural in front of the camera ever since she was young, when she began her career as a Guess Kids model. With a quirky playfulness reminiscent of the French cinema darling Amélie Poulain, to the intellectual sophistication of a brooding artist, who pens enigmatic poetry in her spare time, Trew is unforgettable in every way.
In front of the camera, she can transform from swimsuit bombshell to fashion firecracker in an instant. When she isn’t starring in music videos for entertainers like Nick Jonas (“Remember I Told You”), Charlie Puth (“The Way I Am”), and YouTube star Logan Paul (“No Handlebars”) or acting in the scary Crypt TV series “Sunny Family Cult,” she is building her impressive modeling resume.
Over the years, she has worked with a number of notable brands, including H&M, Sunglass Hut, Harley Davidson, Verizon Wireless, Beats by Dre, Pac Sun, American Apparel, and countless other companies like Frankie’s Bikinis, Brixton, Joyrich, Jeffrey Campbell, Kitson, Foreign Exchange, Cotton Citizen, Alcott Space, Seychelles, DSTLD Denim, The Celect, Otis Eyewear, Satine, Brashy Studios, Earnest Sewn, BikiniBird, Fashion Nova, Benefit Cosmetics, and Colourpop Cosmetics.
From gracing the cover of the 2015 Surfing Magazine’s Swimsuit Issue to being featured on Vogue Italia for her unique style, she continues to tirelessly pursue her own version of the Hollywood dream.
StayFamous.Net recently set out to discover more about the talented model and actress as she reaches for new heights in her career. Here is what she had to say:
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “Can you tell me a little bit about your background?”
Trew Mullen: “I grew up in Los Angeles, in the valley—or its edge. I was partially homeschooled and traveled often with my family, which probably tells enough to paint the picture of a certain isolated perspective. I’m French, German and Irish. My Omi and Opa came from Europe after the war, while my Gommie and Grandad traveled much of the world for his work in aerospace. They’ve settled to a quiet town and built a lovely home in the midst of nature—I’ve grown up climbing these rocks and swimming in these ponds.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “How would you describe yourself for people who don’t know you?”
Trew Mullen: “Many say I’m introverted and observant. Others get confused by this…I can conjure up a free and opinionated spirit when my mood calls for it. I also curate much stillness. Sometimes I find myself jarred from the outside world because I’m constantly distracted and drawn in. I like to create a lot of space around me. It allows me to be the best company when I decide to join in with others. It also means I’m a bad texter.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “You seem to have a really strong creative side. Did you pursue writing or the arts in school?”
Trew Mullen: “I’ve always leaned on creation. I drew at a very young age and picked up the brush for what failed to be a more serious endeavor later in life. My mom and both my grandmothers paint so that influence exists too. I was also a very serious (for being very young) dancer; I thought it was going to be my career. I was taking five classes a week and would continue to practice the moment home from class. I had such dedication, it’s something I’m trying to learn again from my younger self—sometimes I feel our youth that has more to teach us than what we pay attention to.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “How did you get started modeling?”
Trew Mullen: “It came by suggestion at a young age…and without instruction. My family wasn’t part of the business and my mom forbid herself of ever becoming a ‘show mom.’ I remember, slightly, digging moats in the sand when she told me I “booked Guess.” I had no association with what these terms or brand names were and went back to building my castle. It wasn’t until I was on set with a whole crew that I really understood the mass of what I was a part of. I think it was the first casting I ever went on too. I was twelve.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “You have done some really cool photo shoots over the past few years. Is there one that particularly stands out for you that you are the most proud of how it turned out?”
Actress Trew Mullen
Trew Mullen: “My favorites are the ones they let me play on! I used to love working with Andy Wauman aka Gutterdust. He let me get weird and made me comfortable experimenting. We worked together a few times but for The Celect and Noe Undergarments was the very first. Gilad Sasporta too—he paints a world not just the photo.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “A few years ago, you had the chance to be in Surfing Magazine’s Swimsuit issue, what was that experience like for you?”
Trew Mullen: “Yes, I was so young at heart! I felt so honored to be a part of that project. I remember it as if it were a dream I once had. That’s how it lays with me. Warm water, collaboration, small crew, a world away from my world. Giggles, room service, sun rise—then sunsets. Quite the gig to remember.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “You have so much confidence in front of the camera, regardless of whether you’re modeling a dress or a swimsuit. Have you always been confident in your own skin or was that something you had to learn over time?”
Trew Mullen: “In ways my confidence has grown and then shrunk as a model. A lot of comparison confronts you and a lot of awareness forms around externals. My best work has been in an environment of trust with the photographer and interest with the work at hand, that’s when you really get to play and want to play! And it shows. If I’m ever in a space of feeling conscious I try not to shoot— it reads and the work is never worthy. But no, confidence in my skin is something I actually have to work to be kind to myself with…on pretty much a daily basis. Now we get to compare in abundance and in a matter of three quick scrolls. Please don’t fall into the death trap of comparison, you will find nothing kind, helpful, or loving there.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “Both modeling and acting can be extremely difficult careers to pursue. What motivates you to keep doing what you do despite the challenges?”
Trew Mullen poses for the 2015 Swimsuit Issue of Surfer Magazine.
Trew Mullen: “I seem to be unable to make amends with the real world and all of its ‘brutality.’ Along with the pedestrian step by step that other careers often bring. I have known myself to be vulnerable within the world and here it serves me. I have only found myself taking action in the world of art and expression. I have difficulty taking action and finding purpose in the world without this. It’s all that makes any sense or has any meaning to me. And it gives meaning to things in my life, that without it, would have no meaning.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “Is it difficult for you to choose where to put your focus and energy, given that you have so many strengths and directions you could go?”
Trew Mullen: “This is a great struggle for me. I feel constantly spread thin because all of my endeavors—although all additive and cumulative, are a lot to keep afloat. Especially in the shifting of gears I’m currently in. I find sitting still and marinating with my art tends to help ease my way into these decisions and remind me of what I’m most compelled to do. But it’s so difficult to turn down opportunities and close blue doors to open green. I take it hour by hour in the last minute, demanding world and business!”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “As an actress, what kinds of projects are you looking for? Is there a kind of role you could see yourself playing on television or in a movie?”
Trew Mullen: “I think the truth here is that I won’t know what I can do until the story comes my way and I start digging. That’s also the scary part! But I do have fantasy of stories I’m curious of and would be honored to tell. I very much think I have something to share for someone living with a mental oddity or disability. And I would love to tell the story of young love and all of its immaturity and coming of age that sprouts or dies around it—and the collaboration with the actor that would follow. I just think that world, to fall in love so innocently again, would be so fun to play in! If I can’t guarantee certain things in real life what a gift it would be to have it in story.”
Michael Aaron Gallagher: “If you could write the script for how you would like the next few years to go for yourself, what would you like to do? Is there an opportunity you want to pursue or a long term goal you have for yourself?”
Trew Mullen demonstrates her talent for high fashion modeling.
Trew Mullen: “To grow my art and skill in a way that begins to support me outside of my apartment walls and in the rooms with other creatives. My biggest fear is to book something and feel a fraud. I know there will always be growth to water but I think if I can hone in on this, genuine storytelling will begin. I guess I’ve found that to write is not enough. The words alone have not been enough. I suppose I need a whole life force to share the things I need to share and to do them the service written words deserve. If they were enough to ever write, they were enough to live by. I’m sure it’s only other poets that read my words to know only still the slightest of what they mean to say. Maybe it’s my skill that lacks, but the majority will read and sail over them all too quickly. If only I could give them a life force—the words would then be only the smallest piece of what they mean to say. It would be so much more to just stand there and let the words drip out of me, and it would be my standing that says so much more than my words. This is the gift of acting—clear story, with much less left to muddy its water or lessen its stream.”
For booking information and more about Trew Mullen follow her on Instagram @TrewMullen.
“Trew Mullen is Truly Unforgettable (Interview)”
Copyright © 2019 by Michael Aaron Gallagher
Photography courtesy of Trew Mullen
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