Carnival Row's Cara Delevingne Talks Pride, Fear Over Coming Out And Learning To Be True To Herself

screenshot cara delevingne carnival row
(Image credit: Amazon)
(Image credit: Amazon)

She's managed to parlay her success in the modeling world into countless movie and television projects – but that isn’t the only mold that Cara Delevingne broke. Over the years, the Carnival Row actress unashamedly showed off her androgynous style and female partners, proving that one could have a major Hollywood career and be openly out to the world. In her recent revelations about pride and being true to herself, though, it appears that wasn’t always so easy.

When it comes to her sexual identity, Cara Delevingne has been fearless in her honesty about it as a journey of discovery as you go. She seemed to find her true self right in front of us, as she first identified as bisexual, then genderfluid and now pansexual. Yet apparently, Delevingne was actually quite scared to be so open about it all. She told Paper Magazine:

I think Pride, for me, is accepting wherever I am that day. As in, I am proud to be wherever I feel in that moment. Growing up, I didn't feel a lot of pride at all – I was quite scared. I was fearful. I was in hiding. I think many people in the community know what it's like to have to hide part of yourself. So to be proud is to really be able to feel free to shout from the rooftop, 'This is who I am, take it or leave it. I love myself.' And there is nothing anyone can do about it. I think that's truly inspirational and truly something I wish I had as a teenager, but how inspired I am by people and teenagers and young people who can do that.

As June recognizes Pride Month, it is apt that the actress is translating her queer identity into her new collaboration with PUMA. Her old all-black outfits aren’t gone entirely, but Cara Delevingne is incorporating more color into the scheme. She revealed that becoming more comfortable in her identity was actually “a big inspiration” for the collection. The same appears to apply to Delevingne’s work in movies and television, as well. She said:

Through incredible brands like PUMA and jobs that I've been able to do, whether it be movies, or music or anything like that, I've learned to love that unique part of myself. That's all I want, to show the stories of people who never really get the chance to. For those people who grew up with people that may not love all those parts that make them unique, but they are not alone.

The Amazon series Carnival Row, though a fictional telling of fae versus human, manifests as a true representation of people being divided and shamed for who they are. These themes clearly align with the aims of Cara Delevingne, who plays the show’s lead, Vignette Stonemoss.

The new season of the Cara Delevingne and Orlando Bloom was delayed due to the pandemic, but it will be finish up filming the second season this year. Hopefully, those signature Victorian corsets will be a little looser this time around.

Lauren Vanderveen
Movies and TV News Writer

Freelance writer. Favs: film history, reality TV, astronomy, French fries.