Daily Front Row

2011 November 28

Catching Up With...Marcus Schenkenberg

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(NEW YORK) We have so many reasons to give thanks here at The Daily, but the mere existence of Marcus Schenkenberg nearly tops the list. We've been ogling him at Cinema Society screenings for eons, but what does the original male supermodel do all day? This week, we decided to find out. Ring, ring...BY EDDIE ROCHE

 

How are you doing, Marcus?

I'm good! I'm good!

 

What are you up to these days?

I'm doing a lot of stuff. I did two colognes with a European company, I have a face cream line for men, and I also have a bodywear line that I'm selling live on QVC in Europe. It's everything from underwear to homewear to t-shirts and socks. That's going really well, too!

 

What's the cologne called? 

Marcus Schenkenberg.

 

Catchy! How'd you ever come up with that name?

It took a lot of brainstorming. I was going to call it "Don't Go Home Alone" cologne.  

 

Ha! What else? 

I also have a jewelry line called You Rock with Gellner, which is a pretty well-known, successful company in Europe. I'm also working on a jeans line. I'm probably going to launch that sometime in 2012. 

 

Do you use all of your own products?

Absolutely. They're the best! I won a prize in Paris for the design of the bottles for my face cream. 

 

You were acting a few years ago. Are you still pursuing that? 

Yeah, I am.  I'm supposed to do a pretty big movie in 2012. I also have a couple of films in the works. With the bad economy, producers don't take a lot of chances. Until you stand on set and they say "action," you're not 100 percent sure it's going to happen. I had so many movies that I was supposed to do, but they couldn't get the finances together.

 

Who represents you? 

I'm with Innovative for TV commercials, and I'm with Cinematic for film and TV. 

 

You occasionally walk the runway for the Dress To Kilt event. Do you just walk for fun now?

No, it's still work. In Europe, I get paid tons of money to do runway shows. I don't go for the collections in Milan and Paris, like when I started out. They really don't pay like they used to. It's good to do those shows when you are starting, for exposure, but now, I do special appearances. 

 

Where? 

I've been working a lot in Germany; most of my products come out there. It's pretty much the only country in Europe that has its economy together right now.  

 

At your peak, you earned $20,000 a show. Do models get paid anything like that today?

I do, actually, during special appearances.

 

How does it feel to be known as the first male supermodel? 

I feel very blessed and fortunate. With all my products, I'm making more money now than ever before. When I started modeling, I had no idea I would have so much success. I was one in a million. I remember the first time I went to Paris for castings, there were 400 guys in front of me. It seemed kind of hopeless. But the Calvin Klein campaign launched my career. I started working nonstop all over the world. I was very fortunate to get a huge campaign like that so early in my career.

 

How old are you now?

I'm 43. 

 

Do you still feel good looking?

I feel great. My body is completely the same as it's always been. The fact that I've been going for so long is kind of amazing. 

 

Are you married?

I'm not.

 

Any kids?

No kids. I'd like to someday, but it has to be the right circumstance. Luckily, as a man, I don't have a biological clock ticking. David Letterman had a baby in his sixties. I certainly don't want to wait that long, but I'd like to wait and make it right. 

 

Do you have a girlfriend now?

I'm kind of seeing somebody.

 

That's good! What was your favorite modeling experience?

I have two. The first would be the Calvin Klein campaign that launched my career, which was great because I didn't have to go on castings anymore. That's the most boring part of the job. I also loved doing the Versace campaign that was shot by Richard Avedon. He was one of the most brilliant photographers I ever worked with. There's a book of me and Stephanie Seymour. 

 

What was it like working with her?

It was great. I had a bit of a crush on her when I started modeling so when I got that booking, I was thrilled. I got to set and I was completely naked in every picture and she wore the clothes, so it was a little bit shocking at first, but it was a five or six day shoot and you'd get used to it. You'd almost walk to lunch naked. You don't care anymore. She was a sweetheart.  

 

You worked with the supermodels. Were any of them a pain in the...?

No. not at all. I worked with all of them—Cindy, Claudia, Linda, everyone. Even Naomi, who gets a bit of a bad rap, has always been super nice to me.  

 

Any romances?

Maybe.

 

Who? 

I'd rather not say.

 

Will you someday write an autobiography? 

I might! I've been contemplating it for awhile. I wrote diaries for twenty years. I have everything pretty well documented. If I ever write a book, I have a lot of material, for sure. 

 

Do you still go to fashion shows?

Not really, unless I'm in them. I've been to thousands. They don't bore me, but I have other things to do. 

 

Who was your favorite designer? 

Versace. I worked a lot with Gianni back in the day. I was on the cover of one of his books, Men Without Ties, and we went to London for a book signing. We had lunch at Elton John's house. Gianni was certainly one of my favorites. I also like Donna Karan, Valentino, Armani, and of course, Calvin Klein. 

 

There's a hilarious clip of you exercising with Jean Paul Gautier on YouTube. Tell me about that! 

He had his own talk show in Paris, I think. He invited me on and did an interview, and he asked me how I kept my abs like that, and he asked me to show him how to do sit ups properly, and we did. He's a funny, goofy guy. For such a big designer, he got down on the floor and started doing it with me. 

 

Do you have pictures framed of yourself in your home?

No. That's not my cup of tea. Those pictures will be remembered for a long time. I don't need to put them up myself. 

 

Do you collect art?

I have some paintings by friends, and some Marilyn Monroe pictures and a couple of pictures of New York City. I'm not an art collector. 

 

What do you spend the most money on?

Motorcycles and electronics. I have motorcylces in LA, New York, Frankfurt and Stockholm. 

 

Do you have homes in all of those cities?

No. New York is my base. I'm planning to get a second home soon, perhaps in LA or Miami.

 

No Hamptons?

Not so much. 

 

What advice would you give to a young male model?

Work hard and do your best, even if you're jet lagged and tired. Go to work and be professional. Have a good attitude. I like people and I'm always nice to people, unless they do something bad to me. Then I retaliate, of course. Be on time. Do your best and hope for the best. There's a lot competition out there, but the sky's the limit. 

 

What would 43-year-old Marcus say to 20-year-old Marcus?

I'd say don't worry too much. Things will be OK. I was always a worrier. I came to the United States with my best friend when I was 18 with $200 in my pocket. I had studied economics for two years. My parents wanted me to work in a bank, which sounded real boring. I came to find out what to do with my life, but I worried about money and how I was going to pay for food and rent. Things fall into place.

 

You're a true American success story!

Well, $200 is not a lot of money. I've been very fortunate.