Millburn-Short Hills Magazine May 2017 | Page 18

First Person Talent Runs in the Family LILY BRAHMS, model, actress and Millburn High School senior, is a relative of Johannes Brahms, and talented in her own right How do you manage the demands of school, the college application process and your work? I have to set bound- aries, and tell my agent sometimes that this is getting to be too much, and book time off. That took a long time and courage to do. The hardest thing is to fit in a personal life. Last years I worked every weekend between November and May, so I hadn’t spent a weekend with my friends. It is about setting boundaries and prioritizing. How do you organize yourself when you have to miss school? As I was acting first, I had a work permit and the school understood I had special circumstances. I had to increase communication with my teachers, and let them know this is what I do and I am going to be gone sometimes. I learned about self-advocacy. My grades got better after I started modeling more because I just had to make time. I had to focus; I learned time management. If I can work on a paper due next week, I will get it done in advance. Tell us what you have been working on… I was working all summer. I did my first traveling job; I got to go to San Francisco, which was great as I have family and friends there. I have been doing a lot more editorial (magazine) work. Hopefully soon I can do some runway work. Runway involves more traveling, and the schedule is more hectic, which I enjoy. 16 MAY 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE You played Clara Chickerling, the sister of one of the main characters on The Nick. What have been you favorite acting and modeling jobs? My favorite acting job was on The Knick. That was a really fun show to work on because the wardrobe was fantastic! It took place in 1900, and you learn all these weird things about New York back then. I got to wear a corset, which was painful, but fun. I loved the modeling shoot I did for Nylon because it was in the Gramercy Park Hotel, in the penthouse suite. I got to sit in my robe and have my nails done. It was a busy shoot day but the clothes were amazing. In an image-driven industry, how do you keep yourself looking and feeling healthy and strong? I do Pure Barre to stay fit, between three and six days a week. You have to not compare yourself to others, which is kind of impossi- ble, but you have to keep it down. You are being scruti- nized for your looks. You have to tell yourself you are here for a reason, they wanted to see me, and that is the key to staying healthy. What advice would you give a fellow student interested in modeling? Have other aspirations too. Modeling isn’t something that works out for a lot of people. You have to realize it is such a disposable career. Your face can go out of style! Your whole look can suddenly not be desirable anymore so it is important to have other options and to focus on school. What does the future hold? I want to go to college on either coast; I am limited to New York and Los Angeles. I might defer to work full time for a year and make some money and travel. Traveling is a big dream of mine, and I would like to see as much as I can while I have the chance to get paid for it! ■ AS TOLD TO JO VARNISH L ily Brahms, 17, is not your typical Millburn High School senior. On her father’s side, she’s related to the great German composer Johannes Brahms. As an actor, she graced our screens in Cinemax’s The Knick as Clara Chickering, and as a model she has appeared in Nylon, Seventeen and CoverGirl. When she moved to Millburn from San Francisco in 2006, Lily took acting classes at Maplewood’s Acting with Emily, and The Paper Mill Playhouse. She was scouted at a New Year’s party in Millburn during sophomore year, and is now represented by New York Model Management. We sat down with Lily at Rock ‘n’ Joe to discuss how she juggles her high school work and college applications while navigating the world of modeling as one of New York’s rising stars…