As a student of the catwalk, Alton Mason looked to Naomi Campbell. "I wasn't really studying the guys, to be honest with you. I was studying the women because women carry this power that is unmatched." His own walk became "this equilibrium of masculinity and femininity." It's served him well. Since his New York Fashion Week debut in 2016, the five-time consecutive Model of the Year has walked 143 runways and starred in 86 campaigns. After earning the admiration of Virgil Abloh and Karl Lagerfeld (who had, shockingly, never put a Black man on a Chanel runway before), Mason made his Hollywood debut, dazzling as Little Richard in Baz Luhrmann's Oscar-nominated Elvis. But for a career that has, historically, felt all too finite, "you're missing birthdays, funerals, and sacrificing so much," says Mason. "I have seen a lot of people lose themselves." He's working on finding himself instead.
MASON WAS BORN in Nebraska, but he and his family lived in 11 countries over 13 years his dad was a pro basketball player. "I never had a best friend because we always moved. When I am spending time with someone, I cherish the present differently."
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Vanity Fair US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Vanity Fair US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ayo Edebiri – Funny Girl
The Bear made Ayo Edebiri a Hollywood darling. Now she's making Hollywood worth our attention.
THE HIT MAN
Between Anyone but You and the upcoming Twisters, GLEN POWELL has seen all kinds of action on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's hottest young stars
TAKE NO PRISONERS
The State Department's hostage point man, Roger Carstens, works to free US citizens from captivity, whether they're being held by Vladimir Putin or Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. ADAM CIRALSKY embeds with America's top negotiators through 15 months of rescue efforts with the highest of stakes: liberty or death
Bibbidi Bobbidi WHO?
Disney is on the hunt for a new CEO to replace the legendary Bob Iger when he retires (again) at the end of 2026. Inside a $200 billion kingdom looking for a new king or, for the first time ever, a queen
Magical Thinking
GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ's One Hundred Years of Solitude has never been faithfully adapted for the screen partly because he wouldn't allow it in his lifetime. With a Netflix series now in the works, VF tracks the long journey of a masterpiece
Shots in the Dark
The Ozempic weight-loss miracle has a dark side: As desperate patients contend with shortages and skyhigh prices, a world of criminals and con artists are filling the void with lifethreatening counterfeits. KATHERINE EBAN investigates our alarmingly active pharmaceutical underground
The Writing on THE WALL
The promise of poststrike opportunities kept TV writers from losing hope last year. Now a new season of bleak financial realities is testing their resolve all over again.
JUSTICE Without Borders
Inside the effort to prosecute Russians for Ukraine war crimes in Argentina
Beyond a BOUNDARY
With sped-up matches and a bevy of big-money backers, cricket is pitching an American resurgence
VANITIES
NICHOLAS GALITZINE kicks into high gear