Natalia Bryant lost her father, Kobe Bryant, and little sister, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, in January 2020; four years later, Natalia, who is studying at the University of Southern California’s film school, shared with Town & Country her feelings about seeing murals of her father and sister while driving around Los Angeles.
According to Natalia, while no one is exempt from challenges, seeing street art can be bittersweet, but she still appreciates the love. “I love seeing the murals. Whenever I see them when I’m driving around, I’m like, ‘Oh, okay.’ They feel like special gems,” she told the publication.
© GettyImagesAnd although the legacy of her lost family members weighs on her, she embraces every part of it with pride. “In terms of legacy, my main goal is just to be the best version of me that I possibly can,” she says.
Also, “understanding that there’s no expectation that I should have for each stage of life. I just need to know that I have to keep learning because there’s no finish line. You just have to keep pushing and being the best person you can be and soaking everything up like a sponge… The job’s never done.”
Thriving despite the pain
Natalia keeps herself busy while working hard, whether building a career in modeling or doing internships. In the summer of 2023, she interned for Beyoncé‘s Parkwood Entertainment and helped to create the imagery of the Renaissance tour. “It was such an amazing experience,” she told the outlet. “You can just talk to anybody in the office, and they’re amazing.”
© GettyImagesAlthough the specifics of what Natalia did while working next to Beyoncé are treated like state secrets, the young Afro-Latina only has great memories.
Natalia grew up listening to Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Shakira
During the same interview, Natalia revealed how her mom, Vanessa Bryant, likes to “test her musical knowledge.”
“I’m horrible with lyrics. Like, horrible,” Natalia says. “She’ll play the song, and it’s a throwback, and I’m like, ‘Mom, I swear I know this song! I swear I’m cultured! You raised me right!’”
Natalia said her mom would play tunes by Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Shakira, Beyoncé, Guns N‘ Roses, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, and Tupac. “I got to experience that. And my dad would play a lot of Jay-Z, a lot of Biggie Smalls.”
© GettyImages“I listened to movie soundtracks in my dad’s car, and now I have a playlist of all my favorite movie scores I listen to,” she said. Natalia, who is working on her thesis, even commissioned a score for her final project.
A model or a filmmaker?
Natalia knows she can handle both modeling and filmmaking; luckily, she doesn’t have to choose a career. “I think it’s fun to have my foot in both worlds,” she says. “They’re both collaborative, and you meet so many different people.”
© GettyImages“What I’ve always loved about film is that it’s such a collaborative art form,” she says, “and I view modeling the same way.”
