At the age of just 12, Mychal-Bella Bowman is already making waves in Hollywood and the modeling world. Bowman started modeling when she was only two years old and has modeled for Gap, Under Armour, Nordstrom, Target, True Religion and H&M.
Her modeling gig saw her become the face of global brands like Nike, Gap, American Girl, and Barbie/Mattel. She has also appeared in commercials for McDonald’s, Hertz, Disney, and Target.
Bowman has also featured in multiple movies and TV shows. She became widely known for her role as Grace in the series The Underground Railroad. The Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning limited series was based on the novel by Colson Whitehead.
According to Bowman, she discovered the camera was her thing and after she booked her first Disney commercial, she knew she was walking on purpose. “Well me and mom use to watch Disney channel as a tot and I would say I wanted to be on tv! The power of words huh! Manifestations are real! Look at me walking in my purpose!” she told thelanote.com.
Bowman noted that it was easy for her to fall in love with acting at age 4 because it never felt like work. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve only fallen more in love with it,” she told Sweety High. “Getting the chance to act alongside other kid actors has been great and being able to relate to them makes me love every aspect of being an actress.”
Besides her passion for modelling and acting, she is also a philanthropist. Her passion for giving started around the same time she developed a passion for acting. She recalled as a 4-year-old, she would donate two big tubs of gently used toys to other kids.
Today, she collaborates with non-governmental organizations from wide sectors, including health, anti-bullying, education, homelessness and mental health awareness, to further their missions. And her labor has not gone unnoticed.
She was honored as the National Black Arts Festival Celebrity Youth Chair for the time recently and as a humanitarian with a performance at the ESPN ESPYS 50th Anniversary of the passing of Title IX ceremony, according to Forbes.
“I feel as if I discovered my life purpose in acting. To be able to bring a character like Grace to life at age nine was magical!” Bowman was quoted by Forbes. “But my purpose is also to give hope to the hopeless. I want to be a world changer as an actress and philanthropist. If a little girl from North Carolina can convince her mother to close her business of 25 years and move to LA to pursue her dreams, so can you. Do what you love and love what you do. That is key.”
