Draya Michele may be known for her over the top personality on VH1's Basketball Wive's L.A. but she recently decided to move on from reality TV and see what else is out there by quitting. She shared details on already making a name for herself as an entrepreneur by starting her own swimwear line, Mint Swim, and her starring role in her first film, Will to Love with Marques Houston.
Don't expect to see Draya Michele returning for another season of cat fights and drama on BBW. As reported by IBT, the reality star is "completely over it" and wants to focus on more positive endeavors and a more private life. According to the site, reality TV is just not the platform she chooses to elevate her career any longer. The 30-year-old mother said her presence on the show allowed people to watch her grow up, and now that she's grown, she wants to be done with it.
The former Instagram model sat down with BET to tell how she enjoyed the show in it's beginning stages but now, she feels like "it ruins a lot of families, relationships, work relationships." She revealed how reality tv has tarnished her name and now she has to work extremely hard to rebrand herself, and she's already started the process.
The former BBW cast member recently starred alongsided Marques Houston and Keisha Knight-Pulliam in the romanctic comedy Will to Love, in which she portrayed Candice Koleto, who she describes as a manipulator.
In a Rolling Out interview, she spoke about the character and how she landed the role. She explains how she got a call from Houston, asking her to read over the script and after doing so, she felt the character fit her just right.
"I told him, 'This is me! I want to play this part. I can do this, so just trust me.'"
Taking on this role has inspired the young mother to further her career in acting. She believes working on this film has already taught her so much. "I feel like now when I read scripts, since I know how a movie is shot, now I can read scripts better," she explained. "I do auditions better. I just have an overall better confidence about myself."
She has also been working on a swimwear line that, according to the site, she began four years ago. Mint Swim is a line that is fully developed, designed and marketed by Draya herself. She explained how her social media accounts play a huge role in marketing and networking for the business - and it's free.
"You could pay for a commercial to air on TV and hope that four million people see it, or you could be me, and you could just post something on Instagram and you know 4 million people are going to see it because you have them following you," she said.
Mint Swim releases the swimsuits year-round and, according to Vibe, is gearing up to release the "Casinon Collection" which, according to the site, "teeters on the edge of sassy and edgy."
