Models We Love: Christopher Leabu

Out: Where are you from?
Christopher Leabu: I am from Cleveland, Ohio.

What were you doing before you started modeling?
Attending high school, hanging out with friends and participating in sports (ie. wrestling, football, etc.)

How did you come to be a model? Were you scouted? Is so, where?
I have read a few rumors on how I became a model and they all are very entertaining. Everything from being sighted on the street to being scouted on the dance floor! In truth, a family friend sent photos of me to the photographer, Bruce Weber. The next day I was flying first class to Miami, South Beach, to shoot Abercrombie & Fitch. It was all very surreal.

What was your first shoot? Were you nervous?
Again, my first photo shoot was with Bruce Weber for Abercrombie and Fitch when I was 17. I wasn't nervous for the shoot at all. All the people involved in the shoot were very professional and made me feel very comfortable.

What do you like most about modeling?
The people I meet, traveling, the uncertainty...

What do you like least about modeling?
The sporadic work schedule. I've had to miss vacations for jobs and vice versa. It's just the nature of the beast.

What was your favorite shoot to work on? Why is it your favorite?
I have been fortunate enough to have had a bunch of photo shoots that were fantastic. To choose a favorite is very hard but honestly, it had to be my very first shoot with Bruce Weber for Abercrombie & Fitch.

What is usually the reaction when you tell people that you're a model?
I am not one to tell people I model but my friends are. So, usually when people inquire it goes in stages: first they don't believe you, and then they ask if you get to keep the clothes, and then want to know how much money you made on a particular shoot.

What's your fitness routine? How often do you work out? What do you do at the gym?
I get really bored with working out so I try to change my workout often. When I go to the gym the idea is to get in and get out. I switch things up from doing cardio, to lifting weights, and combination of both to keep my body tight. I try to work out at least 3 to 4 days a week, but honestly that number changes. Some weeks I work out 4 times and other weeks I don't work out at all. Fortunately, I know my body and I know what I need to do when I need to do it. Half the time I go to the gym and the other half I am outside working out. I do everything from running, jumping rope, lifting weights, to doing the basics of a "Rocky" type workout, which is chin-ups, push-ups, pull-ups...etc.

What's your diet like? What are your favorite foods? Do you have to avoid any foods to maintain your body?
Big thanks to my Dad for giving me great genetics. I don't diet. I love food. Favorite foods include seafood, pizza, steak, cheese, vegetables,...the question should be what foods don't I like.
Like everything you have to listen to your body. If you feel like garbage from eating bad food then you should clean yourself from that feeling by working out, and eating better to flush that out of your system. No one should have to avoid things that they want to eat.

Who are some people you'd like to work with in the industry that you haven't yet?
Cindy Crawford. I have always had a crush on her.

What do you see yourself doing after modeling?
Acting

Do you have any other side projects that you're working on?
Yes, I just finished a short film that was submitted to Tribeca Film Festival called A Lovely Leave based on a short story from Dorothy Parker.

Are you particularly interested in fashion or is it just a job? Who's your favorite designer?
I am interested in fashion. I love living in NYC because you see so much of it! Everyone here is unique and has their own sense of fashion.. I do not have a particular designer that is my favorite. I like to wear clothes that look and feel good regardless of whose they are.

Christopher is represented by Samuel at Request Models.