FACES
Paige Mobley
P
aige Mobley has a promising modeling and acting career which has only just begun. At 18 years old, the rising performer and college student has appeared in magazine spreads, starred in the series finale of Gossip Girl, and has modeled on BET. Growing up in Birmingham, Mobley walked right across the street to school at Holy Name. “It was the most wonderful place to grow up in. I have a lot of midwest manners that I learned from growing up in Birmingham,” she said. Her first moments on stage came as a competitive dancer. “After I was done with dancing, I realized I didn't like to dance. I more liked to be on stage.” Mobley began performing at the Village Players and the Community House in Birmingham, where she performed lead roles in a dozen shows. “That’s where I sort of learned to be an actor,” she said. Attending Academy of the Sacred Heart was a pivotal time for Mobley. “It was the best experience I think thus far of my life,” she said. “I was a theater kid and a dancer. I did a few plays at school, but I was really involved in extracurricular activities outside of school.” Her dad’s profession as a photographer was the reason she first contemplated modeling. “I was around that my whole life. When I woke up one day and was 5’11’, I was like, what am I going to do? It was one of
those things where I tried it a little bit with my dad and really liked it.” Mobley applied to Pace University in New York City in hopes of getting into their musical theater program for college. “I had to fly out, audition at every single school, sing, do a monologue. I was thrilled when I got into Pace because out of 1,500 kids, only 20 get in, 10 girls and 10 boys. It’s a very selective program. I was honored,” she said. Recently, Mobley starred on the Gossip Girl series finale as Chuck Bass’ date to a party. “I was only expected to be in the background and was giddy to be there anyway. I started to meet everybody, and they were like let’s give you a little part, so I got there and got myself a part,” she said. Mobley is no stranger to television performances, having appeared on 30 Rock and modeled on BET’s Rip the Runway. She is going out for more auditions, hoping to land a role on a new ABC family show. “Every time I’m on TV my parents make a huge deal of it and put it on every TV in the house and watch it three times over and DVR it and rewind it,” she said of her support system. “Some of my friends are very shocked; other friends don't even care and just treat me the same as they always have which keeps you very grounded in a very vain business. I think it’s very important to be surrounded by friends who are so normal. I’m just Paige.” Story: Hayley Beitman
Photo: Irene Mahmud