Ashley Smith on Magic: The Gathering, Indie Sleaze and Independent Movie Making

Words: Gina Tonic | Photography: Andrea Ofelia Riba | Hair: Charley Mcewen | Makeup: Aimee Twist | Lighting: Felix Bartlett | Nails: Maraschinos of Hollywood

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It would be hard to not be entranced by Ashley Smith, she enters rooms looking like the most glamorous creature to walk the earth and within minutes has you grinning back at her signature smile as she earnestly fills you in on her morning. There’s a dual sweetness and silliness that is unexpected in a woman who has been in “the industry” for so long, but it’s arguable that’s what has given Ashley so much longevity - as well as being drop dead gorgeous, she’s incredibly likeable.

Growing up in a thrifty family in Texas gave Ashley the tenacity to aim for her dreams as soon as she was able to; leaving her hometown to pursue modelling in New York just three days after graduating from high school. From there, her career has seen her plastered on the pages of Vogue and Playboy, walking for Balenciaga and Chanel and becoming a favourite of the infamous Ellen Von Unwerth. 

Ashley is the definition of multihyphenate though and while she still models on occasion - as seen in our editorial below - her work as an actress and musician (sharing the stage with Dani Miller in their band Trashwold) has received accolade after accolade from the underground scenes where she finds the most gratification.

We were chatting on set about how you’re taking the time over here to continue pursuing acting - how’s it going?

It's going pretty well. I'm kind of starting from scratch here. I have my acting agent in LA, so now I'm focusing on finding a manager or agent over here and getting connected with casting directors. It takes time. I'm mostly reaching out to friends who are also actors, asking them what’s going on and where to hang out. 

I’ve been seeing a lot of plays; my friend Mason took me out to see some, and I got to meet the head of Cabaret, among others. It’s a bit of being nosy, trying to figure out where and what everyone is doing. Moving to a new town, you have to be that nosy friend, asking when people are available for coffee or to hang out. I don’t know many people here yet, even though I’ve worked in fashion a bit. My experiences have mostly been brief, like participating in London Fashion Week or working with Katie Grand. Those were my only memories of being here before, so starting fresh is a bit intimidating, but also inspiring. I believe I can make it happen, and now I just need to motivate myself. It takes an hour to get anywhere in LA, and dealing with parking was always stressful. Now I just get on the train and zone out or use my phone.

Now I live in Essex, it’s a bit more necessary to drive for local activities. I have a push scooter, which might seem odd because it’s mostly kids who use them.

I feel like the kids look at me and think, “Wow, I want to be like that one day.” It sounds weird, but I want my younger self to look back and think, “Yeah, we did it. We kicked ass.” When I see young kids or teens on the street, looking at me with wide eyes, I feel like I’m doing something right. My goal is to keep my inner child happy and excited. I want to do epic things that make my inner child proud.

Life’s too short not to find joy in what you do. Even if you don’t love your job, it’s crucial to spend time on hobbies that you enjoy.

Do you have any hobbies?

I have some nerdy hobbies. My husband and I recently got into Magic: The Gathering. I started collecting Pokémon cards again, and now I’m into Magic. I love being a nerd. I used to suppress that side of me when I was first starting in fashion, trying to fit the chic, high-profile image. But now, I’m embracing my inner nerd.

I also roller skate and am really into martial arts. I do nunchucks and other training. Part of the reason is that I want to do superhero roles someday. I’m beefing up my resume with weapons training to stay ahead of the competition.

What would your dream role be?

I think I’d either want to play a superhero or a supervillain, maybe one with a redemption arc. I really love characters like Poison Ivy, you know, Uma Thurman’s portrayal.

Are you excited for Joker 2?

Absolutely! I’m really excited, especially because Lady Gaga is in it. I’ve been playing Beat Saber, and I got the Lady Gaga package. It’s so much fun because it’s almost like using swords. I pretend I’m a superhero, swinging a sword and smashing things to Lady Gaga’s music. It’s like having a Katana in a fight scene, a bit like Kill Bill vibes. I’m really into comic book aesthetics.

Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World?

I haven’t watched it yet, but I think it’s on Netflix now. I’ve even written some short scripts that end up becoming more elaborate than planned. I wrote one in the style of Scott Pilgrim, featuring metalhead girls who drink energy drinks and turn into super metal versions of themselves. They end up playing a crazy show. It’s something I wrote a while ago but it might be a few years before you see it.

I always underestimate how long things take.

Totally. I’ve shot so much stuff in the last two years, and I still don’t know when it will be released. They often don’t tell you, and there’s always the delay for festivals. I just had a movie at Tribeca Film Festival, which came out faster than expected. We had to stop shooting because of the Hollywood strike, but we got a waiver to finish. The process just takes forever.

We had to write to SAG to prove our situation and get an exception. The strike was more about the big guys taking advantage. People are getting paid less and less—writers, actors, models. The industry has changed so much.

Even in the last decade, it’s been insane.

It’s crazy. My band, Trashworld, just released a song called Fuck Work. It’s ironic because I love working and pursuing my passions, but we’re living in a world where we’re expected to work for free. The song critiques the obsession with getting opportunities and endorsements for free, only for companies to benefit while we get nothing.

It’s absurd. The situation is similar to what’s happening with streaming and big studios. They want to pay less and less for everything, which affects everyone. But on the flip side, it means there’s more investment in indie and low-budget films. These smaller projects are getting funded because they’re less risky compared to big-budget films. It’s like when the overly polished looks of celebrities become less popular, and the more raw, messy, and creative stuff gets more attention. Trashworld is embracing that side of things—more bratty, weird, and glittery. It’s like the music you need when you’re hungover—authentic and unfiltered.

The Trashworld EP dropped recently - what’s the response been like?

It’s been going well. This is my first album ever, so it's a new experience for me. Dani, who’s involved in a lot of side projects, including Surfbort and her personal work, has been great. We’re doing everything independently, just putting ourselves out there and saying, "Hey, check out our cool stuff." 

We know our music isn’t very commercial, and that’s kind of the point. We’re aiming to be a bit disruptive and take bigger risks. Most of the art I like to create tends to be in that vein — different and unconventional. It’s funny because my husband works in radio and plays a lot of popular music, so when I play him my music, he’s often unsure about it. But that’s okay; it’s not meant for everyone.

Is indie sleaze back?

Oh, 100%! But can we not with the skinny jeans? I saw a bunch of football fans getting on the train the other day — these big, manly guys with skinny jeans. I was like, no, don’t.