COVER STORY: Gabrielle Union
By Bonnie Siegler
Despite a difficult past, Gabrielle Union has a joie-de-vivre unmatched by any Hollywood starlet, and that’s why we love her — and why you will too.
She is what most people would call a feminine, realistic woman, with a soft voice that can be interspersed with a hearty laugh and a gracious smile revealing deep dimples. She lacks the grandiosity of the high-strutting Hollywood personalities; her politeness is real, not functional. At 37, actress Gabrielle Union has the knowledge of experience — both in wins and defeats — and a sense of what really matters in life. “I’ve always had a large group of girlfriends,” says the actress now co-starring on ABC’s new sci-fi drama FlashForward. “I never knew how lucky I was until I started acting and being on location with no easy access to my friends, I never felt lonelier in my life. I hold a mirror up to myself a lot and I’m constantly asking myself if I’m providing the kind of friendship that I would want to have. Sometimes I have to pull it together and put someone else first. My friends are like my life line; they’re the oil and the gas that makes me go and move forward.”
