What do you consider to be your big break?
At this point, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. feels like a game changer — it has changed the trajectory of my career.
I first noticed you in that classic episode of Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw attempts to model, trips in her stilettos and ends up as “runway roadkill.”
Alan Cumming and I played fashion designers. We called ourselves Dolce and Gabbana even though we didn’t resemble them at all. I was the one of the few men on Sex and the City who: A.) Does not sleep with Samantha; and B.) Does not get naked.
Ironically, you used to model for Giorgio Armani.
He’s the guy who gave me a shot on the runway. I was nineteen at the time, and I remember meeting this icon, this legend. That year, he was turning 60. This year, he turned 80, so it was exactly 20 years ago.
What kind of advice does Mr. Armani give his models before the show?
I was the youngest one — and the only Italian. He told me: “Be proud and walk with confidence. You’re Italian.” Then he slapped me. I have been walking with confidence ever since.
