
Is Justin Theroux dating Canadian artist Petra Collins? Here's five things you should know about her
Newly single Justin Theroux has been linked to 25-year-old artist Petra Collins in new reports, though neither has commented or confirmed. The star of The Leftovers announced his split from wife Jennifer Aniston in February.
Last month, Justin shared a photo on Instagram of two people wearing graphic t-shirts with their heads cut out of the frame and tagged Petra, who is presumably the woman on the right (her curly, shoulder-length locks are visible). This was one week before the 46-year-old and Jennifer revealed their breakup. They later shared that the former Friends star would have custody of their three dogs.
So who is Petra Collins? Here are five things you should know about the homegrown art star...
She grew up in Toronto and didn't always plan on being a photographer
Petra grew up in Toronto's North York neighbourhood. Like her younger sister Anna, she studied dance and intended to pursue it as a career until a dislocated knee in high school halted her future plans in their tracks. Not one for academic pursuits, Petra soon found another creative outlet in photography. The New Yorker still considers the Canadian city her home, and last summer put on a solo show of photos featuring her family and her childhood home at the CONTACT Photography Festival.
She dropped out of college to pursue her dreams... without a safety net
Petra dropped out of classes at the Ontario College of Art and Design to jump start her career by moving to New York City. “I basically packed two suitcases of negatives and I left,” she told the Toronto Star. The artist has said she made the move with just $500.
Her big break came courtesy of Rookie's Tavi Gevinson
Encouraged by a friend to submit her work to Rookie, the teen mag started by 15-year-old fashion phenom Tavi, the then-19-year-old found an outlet for her work. "It became this really big and important part of my life that gave me a lot of creative freedom," she told Fashionista. "Every month I was thinking of different things to shoot, almost like a great class where I had regular assignments."
She and Selena Gomez are close friends and collaborators
After Petra photographed the singer for Wonderland magazine in 2015 the two became fast friends, posing together on social media and hitting the town. The shutterbug also stepped into the director's chair for Selena's risque "Fetish" music video. But Justin Bieber's beau has since unfollowed Petra on Instagram, fuelling further speculation over her relationship with Justin Theroux as Selena is a known friend of Jennifer Aniston's.
Her portfolio includes everything from Vogue to Gucci to Kim Kardashian
At 24 years of age, Petra has checked so many career highlights off her list. Not only has she shot and starred in Gucci campaigns but she's also walked the runway for the Italian label, not to mention shooting for other powerhouse brands like Adidas and Nordstrom. Her work has appeared in Vogue, she's snapped stars like Kim Kardashian and Brit Marling for the cover of Wonderland and she even had a role in Transparent. Oh, and her work has appeared in major museums like the Tate Modern. Feel like a slacker yet?