Stardust
Meadow Walker is ready to go—to the sea or to the moon. She may keep it low-key, but as she tells Michelle Li, she dreams big.
Interview by MICHELLE LI
Photos by NICOLE MARIA WINKLER
Fashion by CHLOE GRACE PRESS
MEADOW WALKER wants to go places—down, to the depths of the ocean floor, and up, into the unknown of outer space. It’s no wonder that the model and actress spent her childhood away from the public eye, with all the room one could want to imagine her dream world. Now, the 26-year-old is ready to go there—on her own terms. Like her late father, Paul Walker, taught her: Lead with passion. After all, what’s the spotlight to the deep sea?
Michelle Li: You’ve made a name for yourself as a model, but you do so much more—just like your dad, who had such a huge legacy onscreen. Now that you’re older, what do you value the most?
Meadow Walker: I want to be happy, healthy, and living on a farm in the countryside with animals. I want to have a balanced life and be successful without compromising my personal identity. I want to continue my philanthropic work and modeling and acting, but really I just dream of a very wholesome life surrounded by my friends and family.
Michelle: You’re putting in all the work now because you’d like to simplify your life later?
Meadow: Exactly. I am still in my 20s, so I want to hustle now while I can.
Michelle: Your dad had a deep love for the ocean, is that what made you want to start the Paul Walker Foundation?
Meadow: Yeah, it really stemmed from the fact that the ocean meant a lot to my dad, and a lot of my core memories are with him by the water. I started it when I was 16 with the goal of empowering and providing access to students pursuing marine biology through a scholarship program.
Michelle: What were some of those special memories?
Meadow: I grew up in Hawaii, and then we moved to Santa Barbara, so we were always by the ocean. I started swimming and scuba diving when I was really young. My father actually wanted to study marine biology when he was younger. After he passed away, I wanted to do something to continue his legacy, not just of Fast and Furious but his personal interest and passion for the ocean. It was a huge part of our relationship. Whenever I’m in the water, I feel like I’m with him and it is really special.
Michelle: When do you feel the most confident?
Meadow: When I let go of any fear of judgment. If I ever find myself thinking, What are people going to say? or What is this going to do? that’s when I go into a spiral. It has taken me a lot of time to get here, and I would be lying if I said that it doesn’t still affect me. I think it always will.
Michelle: How do you avoid taking comments from others personally?
Meadow: I used to be so critical of myself. But after growing into myself more and working on things that I genuinely care about, I’ve come to realize that it’s never personal at all.
Michelle: What grounds you?
Meadow: When my dad passed away, there was so much attention on me, and I didn’t really understand it at all. He raised me fully outside of the industry and wasn’t around when I entered the public eye when I started modeling at 22, but I always remember him telling me to keep my friends and family close. I refuse to Google myself or anything like that because I think it’s a trap you can easily fall into.
Michelle: How do you prevent falling into that, though?
Meadow: When I was younger, I wanted things to happen quickly— especially in the modeling industry, which is so unpredictable. I was like, Why aren’t 900 jobs coming in at once? I want them all. Now when I look back, I’m so happy I did things the way I did. I’m just allowing things to happen the way that they’re meant to. It has taken me a lot of practice, but I’ve gotten a lot better with trusting the process and accepting that the universe has its own plan. You have to step back from a situation and look at it from a different perspective. You have to ask, “What’s actually going on here?”
“I refuse to Google myself ever because I think it’s a trap you can easily fall into.” — Meadow Walker
Michelle: What’s been your biggest fashion accomplishment so far?
Meadow: There have been so many incredible moments. One that stands out is shooting with Steven Meisel. That was truly a pinch-me moment.
Michelle: Is there something you think people misunderstand about you?
Meadow: I used to wonder what people thought of me, but I’ve learned to let that go and embrace that I’m quite a nerdy and awkward person. I realized people respond so much better to that than me trying to guess what they want me to be like. I can be quite shy and reserved in large groups. People might interpret that differently than I’d hope, but I try not to focus on how I’m perceived.
Michelle: What brings you joy?
Meadow: I fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu at a young age, and I’m still such a huge Harry Potter fan.
Michelle: How do you de-stress?
Meadow: Doing Star Wars puzzles with my family.
Michelle: Star Wars? I wouldn’t expect that.
Meadow: My first bedsheets were Star Wars. I also love going to Disneyland—specifically Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!
Michelle: What would be the soundtrack to your life?
Meadow: Anything from the Cure.
Michelle: Where do you go when you need to get away from it all?
Meadow: Nature. The ups and downs of life can be a lot for my brain to tackle. I’m happy to have something outside of the modeling industry that brings me back to reality.