The 31-year-old actress hits the beach and dishes on her role in the upcoming film.
Beach beauty!
Baywatch star Ilfenesh Hadera shows off her fit frame in ET's exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the 31-year-old actress’ sunny photoshoot with Red Bulletin magazine.
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Hadera rocks a sporty black bikini and a pink one-piece by Duskii, while posing on the beach in the stunning snaps captured by photographer, Dave Shore.
The Harlem, New York native also sat down with the lifestyle publication to dish on preparing for her role in Baywatch, where she plays Stephanie Holden, the love interest of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's character, Mitch Buchanan.
Despite being a "pretty strong swimmer" Hadera admits that the lifeguard training sessions were pretty grueling.
"For two months, we trained twice a week, two hours a session," she recalls. "Two hours in the pool is a long time. Swimming is insane exercise – a total body workout."
Even with the strenuous workouts, the cast -- which includes Johnson, Zac Efron, and Priyanka Chopra -- had a "great time" shooting the film.
While fans will have to wait until May 25 to see Baywatch on the big screen, Hadera promises that the highly anticipated comedy won’t be a "spoof" of the '90s TV series.
"There's still a huge emphasis on fitness and health: Zac transformed himself, and Dwayne's body is his trademark," she gushes. "But the film is also fun and doesn’t take itself super-seriously. It's by no means a spoof of the original Baywatch, but it's action-packed, with explosions and boat chases."
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Besides acting, Hadera, whose parents run a New York City organization that helps refugees like her father who came to America from Ethiopia, opened up about her upbringing and the "strong women" in her life.
"I'm really lucky to have been raised by some incredibly strong women," she says. "My mother and grandmother are the most compassionate, wonderful, lovely women I know, but they are f**king tough."
My grandmother is 84, and she's active, self-sufficient, smart, adventurous and as tough as nails," Hadera adds. "My mom is the same. She's my best friend, and she’s the f**king coolest. She's from Vermont and has a total hippy vibe. She never judges, always listens, and gives great advice."
See more on Hadera's shoot in the video above.
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