Jonathan Waud is set to take off. As a finalist on the second season of Bravo's hit show Make Me a Supermodel, he has made quite an impression on the judges and American men everywhere.
The 27-year-old construction worker/model turned more than a few heads when he posed wearing only a scarf in a recent episode. This husband and father really knows how to take care of himself, and he really knows his audience. Born and raised in Southampton, England, he graduated from the University of the West of England in Bristol with a degree in French and international business and went on to study in the south of France before moving to Los Angeles. Once in L.A. he co-wrote a screenplay, lost all his money, and had to work as a contractor's assistant before starting his own handyman business.
Jonathan met a woman, fell in love, and fathered a child. He got his start in modeling late in life (21!) when he met a fellow countryman at a coffee shop who introduced him to an agent, and the rest is history. So how did this blond Brit become the heartthrob of boys and girls everywhere, and how does he keep his bod in such great shape?
Advocate.com: Hello?Jonathan Waud: Sorry, I'm out of breath. I was doing my 100 perfect pushups.
Really? Yes. A hundred in the morning and 100 at night. Have to maintain.
Of course. Are you busy now with the show and everything? Yes. I'm in Boston with my family now; we're going to the beach. Then I have to return to L.A. And of course the finale on Wednesday.
Is it live? No, unfortunately. Last season, they got the live viewer vote, but we got kind of gypped and it was just judges' decisions. The show was taped end of last year. So we've just been watching it on TV along with everyone else.
Can you tell me who won? Not yet. Call me on Thursday [ laughs ].
What was your experience on the show? Being on the show was character-building for me. It was very much like boarding school -- living with people you wouldn't normally choose to live with -- or work with. I realized my patience was less than I thought I had. If the opportunity came up again, I doubt I would do it. It has a slight sort of trapped feeling. We were well taken care of ... but still. Watching myself on TV now is very, very, very weird. I feel I came off as slightly boring. What you see is me, but only about 50%-60% of me. The Jonathan portrayed on the show is a tamer version of me. I'm much wilder (according to family and friends) than that.
At 27, you are one of the oldest in the house. How did you deal living with people still in their teens? I was very aware of myself. I'm usually crazy and playing around, but I was careful not to show too much. I was always aware of the cameras. Branden, who's like 18, was talking about girls and getting drunk and I thought, Was I like that at 18?
What about drama? I tried to avoid it. But it's difficult at times not to get caught up in it. Amanda and Jordan had issues, and they would come to me and bitch. I would say to them, you're both kind of wrong. In that environment guys get along better than girls. But I never looked at any of them as competition. The judges were my competition, and these guys were just my flatmates.
Now on the show there were only two gay contestants- That seemed unrealistic to me. Only two out of 16? I know the industry, and I don't think that's representative.
You have gays in your life? My friends and loved ones are about 50-50 [gay and straight]. I own a construction company and 70%-80% of my clients are gay. I'm more inclined to hang with gays in my daily life. The show certainly didn't represent my life or situation.
You're a hot guy who's straight and married with a son, but you know, as a male model, that men will mostly be looking at you. As a model, my job is to sell a product. Because of the show, I've gotten hooked up with 2(x)ist and I've done a calendar shoot for them and hope to work with them more in the future. I made very good friends with Shawn [fellow contestant] and I've met his husband, and they have stayed with me in L.A. This industry is better left in the hands of the gays. If we only had straight designers the clothes wouldn't be as good, the photos wouldn't be as good. I've worked with female photographers and female makeup artists and the shoots just weren't as good. Gay photographers really know how to push me and bring out a deeper side. Emotions versus just looks.
So you don't mind that a lot of men will be dreaming about your pictures? If a buyer is attracted to you, they will be attracted to the product you're selling. I don't mind [ laughs ].
Any negatives to the business you've chosen? In modeling you have to have a strong jaw; no glass jaws here. In one day you can have someone tell you how wonderful and beautiful you are and then someone else will tell you to get out of modeling and go away. It's easy to take the praise, but you can't take any of it too seriously. I'm lucky. As long as you have a good support group, you should be able to stay afloat. People have been writing to me and commenting on my Facebook page about how they want to get into modeling but they are too short or the wrong size or whatever, and I tell them there are all kinds of modeling and you just have to find your niche. All kinds of people like all kinds of different things.
So what's next for you? Well, I want to travel more with my wife and [21-month-old] son. Good modeling gigs afford you international travel with your family. Then, I suppose, to use the show's exposure to build my brand. Self-branding and then let the people come to you. You know, then the cars and the houses, etc. [ Laughs ] I just want to work and support my family doing what I love.
