Page 82 - Demo

82 || FASHION MAGAZINE || NOVEMBER 2014Tampa with my parents and wasn%u2019t sure what was going to happen. This lady came up to me and my Mom at a grocery store and asked if I was interested in modeling. I said no right away, (my Mom) said yes, got her information and from there it was game over.%u201d Those skills picked up in the Navy were quickly put to good use. That%u2019s right %u2013 Modeling is another thing our new favorite piece of eye candy can tell us about first hand. is career began at a young age in Chicago, and took him all the way to New York, where he even lived with Actor Channing Tatum for a spell. It wasn%u2019t long before he was booking gigs with the likes of Trump Magazine, GQ and Abercrombie & Fitch. %u201cI wouldn%u2019t say modeling was a dream, I kind of fell into it and I%u2019m forever grateful for that.%u201d (Translation: %u201cThanks, Mom!%u201d) Upon moving to LA looking to continue his modeling career, and hoping to expand into acting, he felt he had to do something to set him apart from the competition. %u201cJax was a nickname that I had when I was younger, so it wasn%u2019t a random name change. I knew how common the name Jason was, so I decided to make it official to hopefully stand out a little more.%u201d Judging how his career has taken off, I think we can all concur he had the right idea. Today, his role as the sexy bartender/pseudo-villain on the hit reality series, Vanderpump Rules is one you%u2019re likely already familiar with. Two weeks prior to booking the part he had fallen out of modeling and was ready to pack up and head back to Florida. Luckily for his fans, he was successfully lured into the gig by Stassi Schroder, who he was dated at the time. Despite how well he plays his bad boy role, (and how much we love watching it) he admits that in reality he%u2019s not all bad... %u201cIt%u2019s actually funny, because everyone that I meet says %u2018you%u2019re such a different person than on the show%u2019. The show is 100% real but, believe it or not, I do have a heart and I really am a good person!%u201d As for where he and Stassi stand today, they%u2019re no longer together and the breakup was one Jax admits he handled in an extreme way. %u201cLast season I was dealing with a lot, one being my break up.%u201d %u201cI just make careless mistakes, and one thing I have learned is once you do something, own up to it. Honesty goes a long way. I am working on myself every day.%u201d We%u2019re sure his current girlfriend, Carmen Dickman hopes to avoid a public breakup anytime soon, so here%u2019s to hoping that all ended with Stassi; But one thing we%u2019re sure of is the actor/model consistently working to improve himself and expand his still-blossoming career. s if he needs anything else to fill his time, he has also successfully launched his own line of shoes and sweaters, XCALIBUR. (http://www.xcaliburbrand.com) Working with the CEO of the company has also inspired him to think big, and given him the chance to have a lot of creative control. %u201cWorking for yourself and being your own boss is really cool. It%u2019s definitely a lot of work but it%u2019s amazing to see the final product. It%u2019s uplifting and keeps me striving for more!%u201d I think I can speak for all of his fans when I say we certainly hope he keeps %u201cstriving for more%u201d%u2026 We aren%u2019t even close to having seen enough of Jax Taylor yet!