 Before Ratajkowski left London at the age of five , she was obsessed with theater . She began acting as a child , staging shows for her family . Ratajkowski 's first formal role was as Elsa in an adaptation of The Little Match Girl at the North Coast Repertory Theatre School in Solana Beach , California . Later , in 2004 , she played Harriet in the interactive Lyceum Theatre production of Harriet Potter and the Throne of <unk> . Ratajkowski grew up without television ; she tried soccer , acting , and ballet before modeling . 
