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LouieAn Interview with Luke Cook, Fashion Model - Part 1
October 9th 2006 00:30
Luke Cook is a flourishing fashion model signed to Scene in Sydney and the illustrious IMG in New York. He's been a big hit in the Australian male modelling industry, and consequently has had huge exposure on catwalks, in fashion shoots, and in advertising campaigns. To date he has modelled for Jeanswest, Follow magazine, Follow Gentlemen and Talk magazine, as well as walked in Myer fashion shows and for hot-right-now fashion labels such as Funkulo. A former barman, Luke is now modelling full-time and is posing up a storm in Barcelona as we speak. Before he left, he filled me in on his experiences in the fashion modelling business and offered a candid glimpse into his personal life. Due to the massive length of the interview, I've arranged it into a series of 3 posts, this one being the first. Enjoy!
Sisi: How did you get into modelling?
Luke: About a year ago, I was in a gay bar with my girlfriend at the time, and a talent scout named Kirk scouted me. He took me to Scene in Sydney, and they took me on and sent some pictures of me to IMG in New York. IMG then said they wanted me over, so within a month I was going to New York and I hadn't even done any proper photos yet. From then on it's just been really smooth. When I came back from New York, people were keen to use me because they knew I'd been to New York and was with IMG, so it's been going strong for a year now.
Sisi: A year? So you're pretty new.
Luke: Very new actually. I'll show you my pictures. Pulls out his portfolio and lets me flick through.
Sisi: Wow, this is your whole portfolio?
Luke: Yeah, pretty much all the pictures I've ever done. A lot of these are by Justin Smith - he's the bomb, the best in Australia.
Sisi: So you do a lot of work with him?
Luke: He was the first guy who ever shot me, so from then on he has sort of liked me and he always uses me whenever he needs a guy. I'm lucky to know him because he's pretty much done my whole portfolio. That was the first photo I ever took with Justin. Points to the picture on the right.
Sisi: That's one of my favourites, and it was your first! You must have natural talent. I guess if you're interested in acting you need that in modelling, right?
Luke: Yeah, you do at times. But you can be a really good model with no acting experience at all or you can be a really good actor with no modelling experience. It's an interesting industry though. It's pretty scary because people put a lot of money into clothes, and I wonder why. I can't imagine that many people buying the clothes I wear. I mean, I see a model and I wonder what makes that model excel. You look at an amazing model like Gemma Ward, and you wonder what makes people see her and think, 'I want that'.
Sisi: She has a very unconventional look. What do you think makes you different from other models that keeps people using you?
Luke: I have a strong look; there are a number of models with strong looks and I'm one of them. But in the end, I'm not very different at all. It's all about how you promote yourself - you need to be able to talk to people. You can have a great look, but if you're a dickhead, you're not going to get any work. Even when I say that, I still think there are a lot of guy models out there who think they're the shit, but once they see that they're just objects of fashion, then they can understand.
Sisi: If you think that you're just an object, what do you like about modelling?
Luke: I get to travel overseas and work in any major city that I want, and that's cool, even if you are an object. The best thing for me is experiencing new people who I wouldn't normally hang out with. It's good for your tolerance to meet people you wouldn't normally associate with - it's good for you as a person to accept new things.
Sisi: All the new things and new experiences must've been quite shocking though.
Luke: Yeah, it was all just surreal. I honestly never thought I could be a model, so when I got my first pay check I thought, 'hell, people really give a crap that I look the way I do!'. I just laugh now - it's so stupid because I get all this money and I don't really have to do anything. It's pretty amazing.
Sisi: Was there ever a particular moment when you thought, 'oh my gosh I can't believe I'm doing this'?
Luke: No, there wasn't really a point when I thought that. When I heard that I could be a model, I sort of told myself in my head what it would be like, and it was pretty much exactly like that. I knew that it was going to be a competitive industry, and that I might have to get naked. When I was asked to get naked I never thought, 'I can't believe I'm naked right now'. I always meet really straight-as new guy models, who say they hate modelling because people want them to get naked. They have the right to refuse, but I find that interesting because I wonder what they were expecting. If you're surprised that a gay guy's trying to get you naked for his camera, then what are you doing here?
Tune in tomorrow for more Luke Cook, including photos of his naked Follow magazine shoot!
'Brief Encounters' editorial in follow gentlemen September 06 (IMG Models)
Sisi: How did you get into modelling?
Luke: About a year ago, I was in a gay bar with my girlfriend at the time, and a talent scout named Kirk scouted me. He took me to Scene in Sydney, and they took me on and sent some pictures of me to IMG in New York. IMG then said they wanted me over, so within a month I was going to New York and I hadn't even done any proper photos yet. From then on it's just been really smooth. When I came back from New York, people were keen to use me because they knew I'd been to New York and was with IMG, so it's been going strong for a year now.
Sisi: A year? So you're pretty new.
Luke: Very new actually. I'll show you my pictures. Pulls out his portfolio and lets me flick through.
Sisi: Wow, this is your whole portfolio?
Luke: Yeah, pretty much all the pictures I've ever done. A lot of these are by Justin Smith - he's the bomb, the best in Australia.
The first pro photo Luke Cook ever took (IMG Models)
Luke: He was the first guy who ever shot me, so from then on he has sort of liked me and he always uses me whenever he needs a guy. I'm lucky to know him because he's pretty much done my whole portfolio. That was the first photo I ever took with Justin. Points to the picture on the right.
Sisi: That's one of my favourites, and it was your first! You must have natural talent. I guess if you're interested in acting you need that in modelling, right?
Luke: Yeah, you do at times. But you can be a really good model with no acting experience at all or you can be a really good actor with no modelling experience. It's an interesting industry though. It's pretty scary because people put a lot of money into clothes, and I wonder why. I can't imagine that many people buying the clothes I wear. I mean, I see a model and I wonder what makes that model excel. You look at an amazing model like Gemma Ward, and you wonder what makes people see her and think, 'I want that'.
Sisi: She has a very unconventional look. What do you think makes you different from other models that keeps people using you?
Luke: I have a strong look; there are a number of models with strong looks and I'm one of them. But in the end, I'm not very different at all. It's all about how you promote yourself - you need to be able to talk to people. You can have a great look, but if you're a dickhead, you're not going to get any work. Even when I say that, I still think there are a lot of guy models out there who think they're the shit, but once they see that they're just objects of fashion, then they can understand.
Sisi: If you think that you're just an object, what do you like about modelling?
Luke: I get to travel overseas and work in any major city that I want, and that's cool, even if you are an object. The best thing for me is experiencing new people who I wouldn't normally hang out with. It's good for your tolerance to meet people you wouldn't normally associate with - it's good for you as a person to accept new things.
Luke Cook – people really give a crap that he looks this way (IMG Models)
Luke: Yeah, it was all just surreal. I honestly never thought I could be a model, so when I got my first pay check I thought, 'hell, people really give a crap that I look the way I do!'. I just laugh now - it's so stupid because I get all this money and I don't really have to do anything. It's pretty amazing.
Sisi: Was there ever a particular moment when you thought, 'oh my gosh I can't believe I'm doing this'?
Luke: No, there wasn't really a point when I thought that. When I heard that I could be a model, I sort of told myself in my head what it would be like, and it was pretty much exactly like that. I knew that it was going to be a competitive industry, and that I might have to get naked. When I was asked to get naked I never thought, 'I can't believe I'm naked right now'. I always meet really straight-as new guy models, who say they hate modelling because people want them to get naked. They have the right to refuse, but I find that interesting because I wonder what they were expecting. If you're surprised that a gay guy's trying to get you naked for his camera, then what are you doing here?
Tune in tomorrow for more Luke Cook, including photos of his naked Follow magazine shoot!
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Chantal
I'd like to know the same.
Love your new banner, by the way!
Comment by Sisi
Thanks Chantal, I love it so much! I even put it on my Myspace.. one day I'll get sick of it
Hopefully someone will kindly design me one even more beautiful...
Comment by Shani
...He said he had a girlfriend though!
Comment by Sisi
He doesn't have a girlfriend now but he's in Spain at the moment, and then New York, and then back in December I think...haha sorry Shani, you've got a while to wait...but don't you have your mister man anyway?
Comment by Shawn Peach
Went to school with luke, did drama for 2 years with him, he also acted in my short film great guy!
Love ya luke
Comment by Sisi
He is quite an awesome guy...how nice of him to be in your short film...you're a Trinity boy too I take it
And of course he's a legend for doing the interview!
Comment by kirk blake
kirkblake@hotmail.com
I also have another star, name Philip Marciniak who is also with IMG and Scene... the great agencies
Comment by Sisi
Philip Marciniak is amazing too, I remember seeing/reading about him in Sunday magazine last year...woahhh HOTTTT!!
Two IMG models under your belt...sheesh you do some nice work Kirk!
Comment by Matt James
Comment by Sisi
Comment by Shaunie