Cindy Crawford has opened up about her career path and said she realized acting was not for her.
The supermodel, who landed a handful of roles in the ’90s, said quitting acting felt freeing.
Cindy Crawford says she realized acting wasn’t for her after being criticized for her film roles
Supermodel and Meaningful Beauty founder Cindy Crawford sat down with Moira Forbes at the 2026 Power Women’s Summit. The pair discussed the evolution of Crawford’s career and the journey of her brand.
Crawford reflected on her short-lived acting career, saying she realized acting was not the right career choice for her. She recalled facing heavy scrutiny and criticism for her performances. Crawford landed a handful of roles during the ’90s, including the 1995 film “Fair Game” and 1998’s “54.”
“I think even the things that you try and that maybe don’t succeed in the way that you hope they would, they’re still learning experiences,” Crawford said.
“As a model and you’re on the cover of magazines, like all of a sudden you’re getting scripts sent to you and people maybe wanna act,” she shared.
Crawford recalled facing criticism for her acting performances. During her first audition, she remembered receiving a script to read. It was only after the director reacted that she realized reading the script meant actually performing the scene in front of him.
After being “criticized” and “raked over the coals” for her performances, Crawford came to an important realization. “I realized in doing that film, I’m very comfortable in front of the camera being Cindy Crawford,” she said. “As soon as you try to put words in my mouth that aren’t me, I couldn’t even believe it … for me professionally, it was like, ‘I can shut that road.’”
Though Crawford’s acting career may be over, her daughter, Kaia Gerber, has continued pursuing acting. She landed a role in the 10th season of “American Horror Story.” She also appeared in the 2023 film “Bottoms” and is currently working on Ryan Murphy’s new FX series “The Shards.”
