Harper\'s Bazaar USA - 12.2019

him to be alone and sad?’ It was an awful trick.” I ask if she was

scared for Elon’s welfare or angry with his choice. “I was ... sur-

prised,” she says, sighing. “But he came back to my house every

weekend. And none of the kids ever mentioned their father in my

house. Around me it’s like he didn’t exist.”

Musk became self-sufficient by studying nutrition and becom-

ing a sought-after dietitian, along with her modeling side hustle.

Her dietary training also changed how she viewed herself and

taught her how to eat properly. Says Musk, who

at one time weighed more than 200 pounds,

“I was still modeling, and I was South Africa’s

only plus-size model! But as a nutritionist,

I would tell my clients all the time how to eat,

and it changed their lives. It took a little while

to change my own, but I did it.” Among her

go-to foods: easy-to-cook frozen vegetables

like broccoli and carrots; hummus; cottage

cheese; and whole wheat bread, which she

assures her clients is “not evil.” There’s also her

secret staple—bean soup—which was so cheap

and satisfying, it nourished her family during

their lean years. “I still make it all the time!”

she says. “It is still so delicious.”

I mention that her life should be optioned

for a movie. “Wouldn’t that be something?” she

says. I wonder who should play all the characters,

and we begin a little game. “Timothée Chalamet

should play Kimbal—just tall and joyful. He’s

the new hot guy in Hollywood, isn’t he? So

definitely Kimbal. I feel like Cameron Diaz

could play Tosca. And Charlize Theron should

absolutely be me because she can speak Afrikaans,

as I do.” And what about Elon, the famous enigma

behind so many inventions? “Oh, Elon is this

strong guy with a great sense of humor,” she

says. “He’s a little goofy, so the Rock!” We start

laughing and can’t stop, even though Musk isn’t

big on Fast & Furious—she likes Law & Order:

SVU and Dancing With the Stars instead.

I ask if she’ll move to Mars should Elon’s

legendary space colony prove successful. “Only

if the whole family is already going,” says Musk,

who is close to all three of her children and

her grandchildren, whom she frequently watches

when their parents are working. “Do you know,

once Tosca had a film launch and Elon had a

rocket launch on the same day?” she says, laugh-

ing, explaining how she ended up babysitting

seven grandchildren in one night. “You’d think

with all their technology they could coordinate

these things.”

And will there be room for a husband on Mars? “Oh, I’ll never get

married again!” Musk says. “What am I going to do, take him along

to my fashion shoots and make him bean soup? Come on! I love

living alone in an empty house. I get to work out at night. I get to

come and go as I please. I get to walk around naked. I think people

can be happy in relationships. I’ve seen it with my twin sister and my

parents. Romance is great. But I will never take care of a man again.

I want,” she says, stretching her arms toward the sun, “my own space.” ■

“People think I’m

positive and fun.

But I had to talk

about what

I endured.”

Down to earth. Sunglasses, Kenzo. See Where to Buy for shopping details. Hair: Cynthia Alvarez for IGK Hair; makeup: Bob Scott; manicure:

Lisa Jachno for Tom Ford Beauty; production: Adrian Rae for Art Department; prop styling: Carl Dove.