ANDREI CLAUDE-Interview with the actor and model

Andrei Claude Interview

The Reading Cafe would like to welcome actor and cover model ANDREI CLAUDE. Andrei has long been a favorite of many of The Reading Cafe members for his romance covers.

TRC: Hi Andrei and welcome to The Reading Cafe. We would like to start with some bio information

 

 

Photo courtesy of : Ben MacFadyen

NAME: Andrei Claude
Date of Birth: September 1979
BIRTHPLACE: Malta
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Black
RESIDENCE: London, England
MARITAL STATUS: Single
SIBLINGS: Sister
FORMAL EDUCATION: Accounting degree

TRC:  Will you please tell us about yourself?

Andrei:  I suppose I appear a little reserved to most people, however I feel I’m outgoing and I like to socialize a lot, and meet new people from every corner of the world. I like to travel, but I’m more of a city person in general.

TRC:  As a child, what were your interests and hobbies?

Andrei:  I was always involved in sports, most times at a competitive level. So I liked to keep myself in good shape and be physically fit to have that competitive edge.

TRC:  Did your parents support your career decisions?

Andrei:  Yes, all my family has been always extremely supportive with my decisions. Sometimes I feel like they believe in me more than I do.

TRC:  You have always had an interest in fitness and health. What or who was your inspiration in this direction?

Andrei:  Like I said earlier, being involved in competitive sports at a very young age was probably the beginning. However, taking fitness to the next level was the result of watching too much Bruce Lee, Rambo and Rocky movies! I just admired actors like Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, JC Van Damme, and of course the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

TRC:  What is your daily workout regimen?

Andrei:  Unfortunately it’s not the same it used to be, however, my ideal workout regimen would consist of 4 days per week, and hour session of weight lifting each session. I don’t really do cardio, unless I have very little time to lose the body fat.

TRC:  Have you ever considered opening your own spa and fitness club?

Andrei:  I have been approached by a few people to partner up on such projects, but to be honest it was never really in the cards for me. I enjoyed the fitness lifestyle itself, not the business side to it. And I felt that would change my perspective completely.

TRC:  Have you ever considered writing a weekly or monthly column about fitness and health?

Andrei:  Yes, I actually did that for a fitness magazine for a short while. We also documented my workouts and had them published.

TRC:  Your image graces the covers of many romance novels- How and when were you discovered?

Andrei:  Well, I basically showed up out of the blue at possibly the world’s largest romance novel convention, which was being held in Saint Louis, Missouri back in 2005. It was my manager at the time that convinced me to go and signed me up for their international annual contest, titled Mr. Romance.

TRC:  Do you remember the first romance novel cover where your image appeared?

Andrei:  Yes, I believe it was called Vamprotica 2005, where I portrayed a modern day vampire.

TRC:  Was there ever a shoot that went completely wrong?

Andrei:  No, not that I recall. I have had shoots where the pictures didn’t end up getting published though. So perhaps sometime did go wrong there…

TRC:  As a cover model and actor, you have travelled extensively. What or where was your favorite workplace destination and why?

Andrei:  I ended up staying in New York for around 3 years after getting involved in the romance novel industry. I can come up with many reasons for that, some of which might be justified, but the truth is I just loved the city. Now that I’ve moved on from the book covers I’m living in London, and I really got to like this place.

TRC:  In 2005, you were awarded the title of Mr. Romance. Did the title open more doors in the romance cover industry?

Andrei:  Oh yes, definitely. People in the industry “ know ” you. So most of the work actually came to me. I would get phone calls from photographers directly and get booked in for photo shoots.

TRC:  Do you know the number of romance covers that your image has appeared upon?

Andrei:  Not exactly. I would say in the region of fifty probably, between print and e-books. After a while I worked with photographers on stock photos, so they would buy the rights over those pictures and then sell them to the publishers. Sometimes they end up on a book 2 years later.

TRC:  Did you always have aspirations to be an actor or a model? If not, what did you want to be “when you grew up”?

Andrei:  I don’t recall wanting to be an actor, it was more the characters that aspired me. I wanted to be those characters in real life. Hence wanting to build up my physique to look like Rambo or Bruce Lee. The heroic characters where the ones that aspired me the most.

TRC:  Have you ever considered runway modeling?

Andrei:  Not just considered it, been there done that. I worked in Milan for a short while as well, doing catalog and fashion work.

TRC:  There is much controversy regarding NUDE modeling. Many pictures cross the line between sensual to erotic to pornographic. What is your opinion about NUDE modeling?

Andrei:  I never did nude modeling, whether for artistic purposes or otherwise. However, I have nothing against it provided it’s done in good taste. It’s just the human body in its natural form at the end of the day.

TRC:  What would you advise the younger models just entering the business about NUDE modeling?

Andrei:  I’d say it’s probably not going to be a spin off to anything fantastic!

TRC:  You have appeared in a few short films and movies in the last couple of years including the 2011 film – His Promise. Will you please tell us something about the film?

Andrei:  Well, the film His Promise was a co-production with a friend I met here in London. His name is Kamran Qureshi, who’s an extremely talented film and television director in Pakistan. It’s a short story about a man who is falsely convicted, and served two years in prison. During the incarceration his brother is murdered and he’s out to get the people responsible for that.

 

TRC:  In which film, may we find your most recent appearance?

Andrei:  I’ve just finished a feature film titled ACT I, which will be released in Summer 2012.

TRC:  It’s All About Romance is a blog site where you occasionally write your thoughts and feelings. Would you please tell us about the blog? Why the title – Its All About Romance?

Andrei:  I like to share my thoughts, so that was the original idea for my blog. With regards to the title, well I just had to have the word Romance in there, and let’s face it life is all about romance. So that gave me a basis to begin writing, then I could expand on it.

 

 

Photo courtesy of : Ben MacFadyen

TRC:  Describe your ‘ideal’ date?

Andrei:  Very conservative, a pleasant meal is a good restaurant, followed perhaps by a movie theatre?

TRC:  What are you currently working on?

Andrei:  Right now it’s a short film titled Crimson Ribbon.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Fillet Steak

Favorite Dessert
Anything chocolaty!

Favorite Model of Car
There’s too many great cars, but if I had to chose one Aston Martin DB9?

Favorite Movie
Oh, I can’t choose one! The Shawshank Redemption, The Wrestler… I can go on and on

Favorite TV Show
Friends

Last Movie that you saw
Hugo

Milk or Dark Chocolate
Dark

TRC: Thank you Andrei for answering our questions. We look forward to your next project. We wish you the best of luck with your acting career.

LINKS to Andrei’s Websites:
Facebook Page
IMDb
It’s All About Romance