She is Miss World Bulgaria, a model turned filmmaker, life coach, philanthropist and a big Bollywood buff!!
FACE’s Managing Editor Neha Sachar Mittal caught up with Margo Cooper who is every bit the impeccable combination of beauty and brains.
1) You started your career as a ramp model. You were crowned Miss world Bulgaria in 2019. How has the journey been since?
Being part of Miss World was a unique experience and it inspired me to continue my work as a social activist and to use my publicity in the right way to bring awareness or to support those who need it the most. Being Miss Bulgaria is at the top of my career in pageants but it’s just the beginning for me in other fields. I always set goals that may seem unreachable but it motivates me to work hard.
2) You did your masters in charity marketing. Do you have a philanthropic side to you that our readers would like to know more about?
When I started to be a part of non-profit organisations first as a volunteer while travelling the world it truly changed my vision. I think a giver gets more from giving and serving others. Then I just wanted people to learn how they can help others and to see the world through their hearts. That’s how I started to make movies and reports on different causes and then I just wanted to make it more professionally and decided to study what I’m so passionate about. I went to study philanthropy in London where I have lived for the past years the next year after Miss World. Helping others made my life fulfilled and I got a feeling I found myself.
3) What are the causes that are close to your heart and why?
I like to bring up the subjects which are important, but people try to avoid them. Like sex trafficking, child marriages, and child labour. I know that we don’t see these kids daily, because it is always hidden from people’s eyes but it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. Every day I’m thinking that there are children trapped in horrible circumstances just hoping that someone will help them. We as adults of the world must protect them, because children get into all those scary circumstances because of us, too.
4) Tell us about your pet project “Compassionate travels”?
I just genuinely care about what’s happening in the world and I’ve been always trying to reach out to some small organizations and ask how I can help. There are a lot of documentaries about different causes in the world but they don’t say how to help. So, I just continued to do what I was always doing but I wanted people to know how to help others and what they can do right now. The first project I filmed in Mumbai was about victims of sex trafficking who are mostly underaged girls, some of them are not even teenagers, one organization which rescues them from red-light districts and takes care of them, providing all sorts of help and education (Rescue foundation). Impossible to stay indifferent and not do anything about it. Hopefully, I will be able to make more projects and more people will get involved. I’m aiming to support children and smaller organisations that care for them and basically who become their family.
5) We believe you are a huge fan of Indian Cinema and its actors. Any favourites?
There are a lot of good and truly professional actors in the Bollywood industry. Won’t say anything new, Shah Rukh Khan is the most famous Indian in the world after Gandhi.
6) Do you wish to join Bollywood at some point? Any roles in the recent past that you might have seen and wished ‘it was you’?
For me, acting and particularly in Bollywood is one of the ways to express myself in the world. Becoming an actress is already taking a new role in my life. I won’t stop being a social activist, model and life coach. Everything I’m doing in life is my passion and I aim to succeed in many ways. This time I came to conquer Bollywood.
7) Yoga is one of the many things ‘Indian’ you have fallen in love with… can you name a few others?
Yoga and meditation are strongly integrated into the Western world. I’m very fascinated to try Leela, it’s a game coming from ancient India for understanding yourself. Also, I’m fond of architecture in India and all the palaces here. Hope to see you as much as possible. I love Indian culture but what makes me come back here are the good people.
