World Premiere Interview: Milan Krouzil

Interview by Christopher Uvenio

"My first job was booked directly from my agency in Milan. I can't remember which magazine it was for but it was an editorial with Peter Lindbergh..."
"I shot with Mario Testino soon afterwards for the Burberry campaign. I remember him being very passionate and meticulous about his work..."
"I think after living in NY for so long I'd love to live somewhere a little more tranquil and sunny...Barcelona has always been one of my favourite cities.."

Milan Krouzil started modeling when he was only 16 y.o, his first main job was an editorial with Peter Lindebergh and  was on the cover of L'Uomo Vogue when he was 17, he worked with many famous photographers like Karl Simone and Mario Testino among others.

Hello Milan,  I'm flattered you accepted to be interviewed for my blog!, to start this interview off, please give me some background information.
Hi Christopher, it's my pleasure. Well I was born and raised in Toronto so I'm city-boy at heart but any chance I get I love going out to the countryside. I've got one older brother who I've always been very close with. My Dad is from the Czech Republic and my Mom's from just outside Montreal. As for education... I was always going back and forth trying to balance the modeling with school and kinda doing both half-assed. So I ended up finally going back and finishing high school when I was 20. I'm most likely starting University next year for either architecture or landscape design. I've been living in Brooklyn for the past couple of years but I'm moving... going back to the Nomadic lifestyle for a bit.

-Let's look back at how you started modeling, tell me about how you got "discovered", how old were you then and how old are you now?My brother Jeno actually got scouted in Toronto and had been doing it for a couple of years. I met his agent Norwayne at a fashion show and he approached me and asked me if I'd sign with him. It took a little convincing cause at that age (16) I kind of just wanted to hangout with friends and be a regular kid. But I tried it out, and after traveling a bit it really grew on me...Now I get restless being in one place longer than a few weeks. I'm 25 now....damn  :)

-How did you get your first modeling job? What was it like?
My first job was booked directly from my agency in Milan. I can't remember which magazine it was for but it was an editorial with Peter Lindbergh. It shot on location in the basement of a church in NYC. I was really nervous cause I had no clue what I was doing...I don't think I got any sleep the night before. It was a big crew so I was pretty intimidated and acted pretty shy at first. But the story was of a Russian wedding and they wanted it to be as authentic and natural as possible so they got us some drinks, we danced and I definitely loosened up... maybe a little too much haha. It was a lot of fun... For a first shoot I don't think I could have had a better experience.

-You were on the cover of L'Uomo Vogue at the age of 17, were you ready to manage such a great success?
What was great about being so young was that I was also incredibly naive. I had no idea who or what was considered important in the industry. If I worked with prestigious photographers, stylists or got a “big job” I was pretty clueless so it was pretty difficult to let it get to my head at all. I would kinda gauge how enthusiastic I should react to something by how my bookers reacted to it :). My family has also always been wonderful about supporting me and helping me keep my head on straight. I think if any of it had gotten to my head they would have given me a swift kick in the ass.

-You worked more times with Mario Testino, how would you describe him as a photographer and as a person?

It was actually Paolo Roversi who shot the Vogue cover. But I shot with Mario Testino soon afterwards for the Burberry campaign. I remember him being very passionate and meticulous about his work. As a person he was very charismatic and had an infectious energy about him. And he had a great sense of humor- everyone laughed their faces off the whole shoot.
-On the fashion industry: who are the people that you really loved to work with?
My best experiences with people have been on long shoots in unfamiliar places. I think it's because everyone's so much more relaxed, you get to really know the people you're working with and everyone lets loose and has some fun. I've been fortunate to have worked with a lot of good people. The Hilfiger shoots definitely stick out in my mind... had a ton of fun with that crew. And it was amazing shooting in the NorthWest Territories and in Monument Valley. Also the jobs with Mr. Lagerfeld were a real pleasure...that man is a walking encyclopedia; he really knows something about everything.... a real history buff. I just enjoyed listening to his stories and picking his brain.

-Apart from modeling, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love learning - whether through reading, traveling, meeting different kinds of people. Drawing, sculpture and really anything that involves design and using my hands. And I'm really passionate about ice hockey - you can give me a piece of wood and any random object and I'll figure out a way to play.

-I know you've traveled around the world, where you would like to live other than where you do now?                                                                                               I think after living in NY for so long I'd love to live somewhere a little more tranquil and sunny...Barcelona has always been one of my favourite cities- great ambiance, and well... the beach! I'm actually leaving NY at the end of the month and I just might go settle there for awhile...

-Thanks Milan for taking your time to answer my questions, it was a gift to me and my readers!
My pleasure Christopher! Thanks for keeping me in mind and showing your support. Best of luck to you and the mag.