Photography SAM DAMESHEK
Styling DAZ MERCHANT
Model KELLY GALE from MAGNOLIA ENTERTAINMENT
Graphic Design SARAH SMITH
At PETIT ERMITAGE'S TOPANGA CANYON
Wearing DOLCE AND GABBANA, BALENCIAGA, YVES SAINT LAURENT
You know when someone says they’re a f***ing introvert but they’re five minutes into a story with no signs of stopping? That’s Kelly. She says she only likes ten people, max—but when she talks, she’s open, present, and funny without trying. We talked about finding her anger, navigating fear, moving from modeling into acting, and building a beauty brand that actually works. No fluff. No filters. She’s not trying to sell you anything—she just made something real.
DAMESHEK: You called yourself a f***ing introvert, but you haven’t stopped talking for five minutes.
GALE: I know. Everyone says that. But it’s true. I barely like ten people.
DAMESHEK: Do I make the list?
GALE: You flaked on the barbecue. So… no.
DAMESHEK: I had no car. Malibu is far.
GALE: Excuses.
DAMESHEK: Every model says they want to act. When did it stop being talk for you?
GALE: I actually started in theater. Acting was always the goal. Modeling came later—kind of as a f*** you. I got bullied for being ugly, so I thought, if I become a model, no one can say that anymore. But I never loved it.
DAMESHEK: And acting gave you something back?
GALE: Yeah. Modeling teaches you to shut down. No one cares about your opinion. Acting forces you to feel everything. You bring your life into it.
DAMESHEK: You said at one point you couldn’t even feel anger.
GALE: I couldn’t. People would do something awful and I’d feel sad, but never angry. I hadn’t raised my voice since I was a kid.
DAMESHEK: But now?
GALE: Now I get pissed and let people know. I have access to all my emotions again. Modeling doesn’t love that version of me, but that’s fine.
DAMESHEK: Would you say acting helped you find that?
GALE: 100%. You have to use your real emotions. And the prep can be intense. Like before a scene I’ll scream or punch a pillow to get where I need to be. I learned a lot of it from Joel. He’s coached me a lot.
DAMESHEK: Do you journal as your characters?
GALE: Yeah, and I use AI sometimes. I type in what I know about the character and ask it to give me a hundred questions I can answer to go deeper. I write backstories, diaries—I go all in.
DAMESHEK: What kind of role do you want most?
GALE: Relationship drama with amazing writing. Something like Marriage Story. Everyone wants to cast me in sci-fi because of how I look, but I want raw dialogue, just two people in a room.
DAMESHEK: Let’s talk about fear. You said you’re scared all the time but still do the things that scare you.
GALE: I made a list one New Year’s of my top three fears. I faced all of them in three months. Jumped out of a plane. Swam with sharks. Not sharing the third.
DAMESHEK: Fair. Let’s talk about Chandra Beauti. When I came to your place, it wasn’t some influencer setup. You were actually using the stuff.
GALE: I’ve been making this stuff since I was three. At 13, I overheard a client say they needed to retouch my cellulite. So I started researching. Gotu Kola, coffee, cypress—I was making scrubs in my mom’s kitchen. That’s what became Chandra.
DAMESHEK: And you really use it.
GALE: Every day. No perfume, no filler. I tell people—copy-paste the ingredients into ChatGPT and look them up. There’s no hidden b*. If it doesn’t resonate with people, that’s fine. But it’s real.
SAM: How do you balance being the face of something with not wanting to feel like you’re selling?
KELLY: I don’t think about it like that. I just do things with good intentions. That’s what matters to me.
SAM: What makes you feel seen?
KELLY: People who don’t assume. People who ask the right questions and actually listen. That’s everything.
SAM: You just described what I want soap to be.
KELLY: Then keep going. It matters.
