photos / Shanna Fisher
styling / Kelly Brown
makeup / Grace Phillips @ State Mgmt Using Surratt Beauty
hair/ Robert Steinken @ The Celestine agency
story / Madison Frausto
The newest princess of ShondaLand, Medalion Rahimi, stars in a Romeo and Juliet aftermath, Still Star–Crossed as heir to the Capulet throne as Princess Isabella. The series revolves around a plot to end the bitter feud between the royal families, with many twists and turns in the historic fictional town of Verona. Her favorite part of sitting on the throne? “Definitely the costumes. And telling people what to do.” She laughs.
Medalion is a first generation Iranian and got into acting at a young age. “It wasn’t until my junior year of high school I decided to pursue acting. I thought, “Eh, why not try at least.” The Iranian beauty confesses. Years later her efforts found her peppered throughout series and films in Hollywood becoming a familiar face for her hard work and unique addition to all her roles. The experience of taking on the roles of another person has taught her something valuable, “We are far more capable than we think.”
Rahimi Iranian roots are something that Medalion holds on to dearly. Farsi is her first language and her family makes much an effort to keep the culture alive. When we asked about the attacks in Iran that had happened the morning of our conversation she took a moments and says, “We are very lucky that none of our family there was hurt, however, my heart hurts for the Iranian people. The attacks prove that the war against terror is not one against a specific religion or region. We are all at risk, and we are all in this together.”
In a Donald Trump era, these words are especially comforting to hear. Compassionately she goes on to say, “I feel pity for him for being so closed minded and inflexible. Someone in his position could do so much good for the world, but unfortunately, he’s just another leech. If he would actually take the time to really learn about the rest of the world and all the different types of people in it, maybe his eyes would finally be opened to its diverse beauty.”
Besides acting Medallion has other hobbies that keep her passionate and active, “Acting is the only passion that I knew I wanted to pursue as a career, however, I also love drawing and writing. I write a lot of poems and short stories. I also like to make jewelry and design clothes. Anything creative and crafty really. But recently, I got into MMA so I’m exploring my more physical side. It feels good to be able to kick someone’s ass.”
dress / Dolce & Gabbana jewelry / XIV Karats Ltd red gloves / Stylist’s own shoes / Prada
gold hoops / XIV Karats Ltd. shoes / Proenza Schouler pant set / Prabal Gurung
dress / Erdem shoes / Christian Dior rings / XIV Karat Ltd
dress / Mariù DeSica shoes / LeSilla Earrings / Vintage