World Premiere Interview: Derrick Hayes

Interview by Christopher Uvenio  

I was shopping at a A&F store in MN and the manager took some digitals and sent them into corporate and I was cast for the quarterly...
DNA was one of my earlier jobs...I was really impressed when I got the cover.  Since then I have done two more covers and stories for DNA.  I’ve had the cover of Blue and Genre also...
I lived in LA for 4 years prior to coming to NY to pursue acting...

Hello Derrick, it's an  honor for me to interview you, to start it off, though you are very famous, please give me some background information.
I'm originally from Big Lake MN and have one younger sister and we were raised by our mother. My mother is number 1, she has helped and supported me every step of the way.   I grew up working construction and playing football.  I went to college for 2 years where I played strong safety and received my AA degree.                          How did you become a model? How old were you at the time?It started when I was shopping at a A&F store in MN and the manager took some digitals and sent them into corporate and I was cast for the quarterly.  I was 20 at the time.  A year later I moved to LA and started out with Warning Models and Spencer Salley as my booker.

Did you have any idea about what was involved in being a model?I had a very vague idea of what modeling actually meant but I had no idea how much competition was out there and how much money could be made.  It was hard to learn to deal with rejection but it's part of the business.  

Let's talk about your first photo shoot for Dna Magazine, was that your first job as a model? How did you feel in front of the camera? How many times have you been featured in that magazine?DNA was one of my earlier jobs and I shot with a few guys that were veterans, so I was really impressed when I got the cover.  Since then I have done two more covers and stories for DNA.  I’ve had the cover of Blue and Genre also.

You are a very successful model and you have done several campaigns, in your opinion which of them has contributed the most to your success?

It was defiantly the Guess campaign with Paris I had billboards and usage worldwide and everyone knows who she is so it drew alot of attention.
So you worked with the famous top girl, Paris Hilton, when did it happen? How was it like working with her?
We shot that almost three years ago.  It was a very surreal experience.  I spent time with her a few times outside of work and she really is a sweet girl.

Surely you have already achieved your purposes in the modeling market but  is there still a fashion campaign and a designer would you like to work for?I’ve always had a hope of doing Ralph Lauren or Polo.  I feel it suits my look and I'd love to have the tears in my book.
Apart from modeling, would you like to pursue another field, such as acting? If so what role would you like to play?
I lived in LA for 4 years prior to coming to NY to pursue acting but it's the most difficult thing to get into.  I would love to an get into films and really work with character development.
I think its an incredible skill to physically and mentally transform into another person.  I moved to NY in hopes to get onto the soap circuit.

Tell me something about yourself, how would you describe who Derrick Hayes is? Which adjectives would you use?
I'm very laid back and sometimes too laid back. I'm not confrontational and sometimes that doesn't work in my favor.  I love my life and am always looking to have fun and meet new people.  
Thanks Derrick for taking your time to reply to my questions, it was a gift to me and my readers!
Thank you and your readers.  The pleasure was all mine!