Catrinel Menghia, 41, has openly shared her strong connection to sports, attributing her career successes to her disciplined upbringing. The actress, who now resides in Italy, is the daughter of two former professional athletes, which profoundly influenced her journey.
Internationally acclaimed for her work in fashion and film, Menghia has not forgotten her roots. Before making her mark on the fashion runways and at prestigious film festivals like Cannes, she was raised in an environment steeped in discipline, effort, and a winning mentality.
In Romania for Bucharest Fashion Week, the former athlete from Iași reminisced about her childhood in an interview with Observator, reflecting on the significant impact her athlete parents had on her education.
Catrinel Menghia: “Champion Parents, Discipline from Morning till Night”
Coming from a family where physical activity and achievement were paramount, Menghia practiced athletics until she was 16. Her mother was a notable gymnast in Romania, while her father won national titles during the communist era.
“I grew up in a family of athletes, of champions. My mother was a small champion of Romania in gymnastics, under the influence of Nadia Comăneci… and my father was the champion of Romania during Ceaușescu’s time. Sports were a major discipline in our household, often more important than school. My move to modeling was somewhat coincidental, an opportunity I chose to embrace,” Menghia explained.
Despite facing material hardships in her early years, the athlete’s mindset empowered her to overcome various obstacles.
“I had a very beautiful childhood. A childhood where I had absolutely nothing, as my parents were young and very poor… You don’t feel poor when you don’t know there is more out there,” she shared.
A Chance Encounter Transitioning to Modeling
The swift transition from competitive sports to the modeling world occurred right after an athletics training session, when a talent scout approached her on the street.
“I was coming from an athletics training session when a gentleman simply stopped me and asked if I wanted to participate in a fashion event,” Menghia recalled.
However, the shift from sports to modeling was not without challenges; her father initially opposed the idea due to her young age. With the help of artist Dan Bitman, a former client of her father while he worked as a waiter at the coast, Menghia eventually persuaded her family to let her move to Bucharest.
Helping Her Family with Early Earnings
“For me, leaving home and dropping out of school had a purpose; I aimed to make money. I allocated those funds to my grandmother’s well, to create an actual bath for her in the garden… My father worked as a taxi driver, and my goal was to earn enough to buy him a car.”
Now a Cannes award winner for directing her first film, Menghia acknowledges that the upbringing in a family of athletes has kept her grounded: “I am very aware that beauty has opened many doors for me, but it’s also crucial to know how to remain in those rooms.”
SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE.
