Interview

Launch Mediaplayer »

Jesus Luz, the handsome Brazilian model, has been getting a lot of attention lately. But it’s the kind of attention that can put undo pressure on a young man, especially one as good-looking as Luz, as the prying eyes of the world attempt to dissect and deconstruct every aspect of his life: his work, his love life, his taste in pop music, blah, blah, blah.

The 23-year-old Luz grew up in Rio de Janeiro, raised by a mother who worked as a hairdresser. He has a love for the Brazilian beach life—surfing, soccer, and cavorting amongst the waves. His life over the last couple of years has been a veritable whirlwind. He moved to New York City part-time, has appeared in campaigns for clients such as Dolce & Gabbana and Pepe Jeans, and has started booking top tier DJ gigs, too—among them, the party for the DVD release of Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District last fall.

When we caught up with Luz on the phone for a few mintues recently, he was typically frenetic: meeting with his modeling agency in New York City and then rushing back to his apartment to get ready for a jaunt to Rio, where he was planning to visit family, take a few fashion appointments,and spin fist-pumping house music for the hometown crowd. Of course, there was one subjectLuz is not allowed to talk about—and we were asked not to mention . . .

JONATHAN DURBIN: Hey, Jesus, how are you?

JESUS LUZ: I’m good. I just got back from Ford Models and I need to pack. I’m leaving tomorrow at 5 A.M. for Brazil. It’s crazy. I just got back [toNew York City] from L.A. and I’m leaving again. I have jet lag.

DURBIN: You grew up in Rio, right?

LUZ: I came to New York to visit my aunt in 2006, but I spent most of my childhood in Rio. Rio is very rich in nature. I like to spend timeat the beach, in the countryside. It’s always been very important to me. When I’m in nature, I feel like I’m recharging my soul.

DURBIN: Were you an active kid? Did you surf?

LUZ: Yeah, I used to be a body-boarder. But most of the time I just swam at the club and at the beach. I learned how to body-board and a little bit about surfing, but [I wasn’t a] professional.

DURBIN: Did you swim competitively?

LUZ: Yeah, I did. When I was very young, like seven or eight, I did some competitions. I was pretty good. Now, it’s more like a hobby, something to do to be in touch with the ocean. When I spend time in Brazil, one day of my week I need to go to the ocean, even if I’m not going to spend time there—just to look at it, or dive for a second.

DURBIN: There’s the ocean in New York, too, but it’s not quite the same.

LUZ: Yeah, but you have the beach like two hours from here. In the Hamptons there’s a lot of good surf. The Hamptons are very nice.