LOS ANGELES – Veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell, one of the stars of the new Oxygen model competition show “The Face,” has quite the checkered past.
From her guilty plea for throwing a cell phone at a personal assistant, to her guilty plea for assaulting a former housekeeper, to her guilty plea for spitting in the face of two police officers following an argument over lost luggage, Campbell sounds ... scary.
Brittany Mason, one of the models vying the top prize on “The Face,” is just getting to know her.
“I think the word to really sum up working with Naomi Campbell is... she is ‘unpredictable.’ She is very passionate about what she does, and her style of mentoring is a sort of tough love,” Mason told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “We have different personalities; I think that is why I ended up with Coco (Rocha) as my coach. All of the teams seemed to reflect the personalities of their coaches.”
Mason was however taken aback by Campbell’s compassion, which she witnessed first-hand during the show’s casting special.
“I had a very difficult and emotional moment in front of all the coaches and I felt like my career flashed before my eyes,” she said. “They (the judges) asked me to tell them exactly why I was there and why I am so driven. Things came out that were difficult for me to talk about, but I still shared because it is part of who I am and the greatest influence for my drive. Naomi stood up and gave me a huge hug. She held me for a minute, and I felt like she understood my pain.”
“The Face” follows three of the world’s most successful supermodels – Campbell, Rocha and former “Victoria’s Secret” Angel Karolina Kurkova – who are pitted against one another in the quest to find the face of ULTA beauty, one of the fastest growing beauty retailers in the country.
“This show is fresh and we are not focusing on drama just to get attention,” Mason insisted with regards to what sets this series apart from the many model-driven shows that have come before it. “Also I feel I need to make this clear, all of the girls, aside from Stephanie, are not aspiring models and just learning how to do it. All of us are professionals and have careers.”
And while generating drama may not necessarily be the primary objective of the reality series, put a group of ambitious, gorgeous young women all seeking the same outcome in a room together, and it’s only natural that claws will come out.
“Jocelyn, Sandra and I thought we were going to kill each other! The walls are very thin and our rooms are all next to each other. Team Coco heard a lot of screaming coming from their room,” Mason said. “Team Coco in general doesn't seek drama, we all like to take the high road and be classy instead. So I avoided being around those fights. I did not want to be part of it.”
But whether Mason wins or loses, “The Face” is already helping her career.
“People recognize me out and about; I’ve been contacted by people from all over the world expressing their support. I even heard from my fourth grade teacher,” she said. “I have a lot of things in the works right now, I am spending a few months in L.A. to take advantage of more film and television opportunities and have another special project in the works that the show will take to another level. It has been a whirlwind, and this is only the beginning!”
“The Face” airs on Oxygen Tuesday’s at 9pm ET.
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