Interview with Richard Cerqueira - Part two

What do you enjoy most about your profession? What do you enjoy the least?
I enjoy the praise and attention. The pay for cover modeling is not very good (even if it’s a national magazine like Esquire) they figure it’s a bit of a privilege to be on the cover and that it’s self- promoting so the pay is very limited. For mainstream modeling however the pay is wonderful as well as the locations you shoot in and the perks you get; from celebrity packed parties at VIP rooms to expensive free designer clothes. Another fun thing is that once in a while someone recognizes you on the street and asks for a picture and/or autograph; sure is flattering. The part I like the least is the irregularity of work, you can go long lengths of time without booking any jobs, the same down sides apply for actors. I also don’t like to always have to watch what I eat and constantly have to maintain my body in such great shape. I love the way being in great shape feels and looks, but believe me I would also like to just take it easy and eat anything and everything I want for a while and just take a along vacation from the gym.
What was your most enjoyable shoot? Your funniest?
I can’t recall any particular shoot that has been the most enjoyable, but I will say this much, when the model you work with is beautiful inside and out, and you and she click, the time just flies by and the pictures look that much better. The funniest shoot, if you can call it that, was for a cover that I was dressed as a Native American Indian and had to wear real Indian clothes. Well, if you know anything about some tribes’ clothes, there isn’t much there, I was nearly naked for the shoot, bare assed with just a minimal piece of suede covering my goods…we all laughed at my getup when I came out of the dressing room. I had to re-adjust the outfit with every pose to keep from having a “wardrobe malfunction”.
How long a day do you generally work?
I no longer model full time, when I did it was like any other job, a full day that sometimes had great rewards and sometimes seemed like an exercise in futility. A book cover shoot takes only about an hour, so you can easily do several in a day if booked. Are there certain times of the year when you’re busier than others? Summertime is the busy time for the modeling industry, but it is really very irregular.
If you had to pick a favorite picture of yourself, what would it be?
A photographer by the name of John Falocco has taken several series of photos of me mainly in black and white. There is one photo of myself, where I am wearing striped, spandex shorts and I am pulling the shorts down to just the point where there is nothing X-rated showing yet sexuality is clearly implied. In this photo I was at probably the most fit I have ever been. It's an old photo, taken basically when I got started in modeling, but it is probably my favorite to this day.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to put more energy into trying to land an acting job. I have gotten several requests to audition for a few daytime soaps as a leading man, but so far, nothing has panned out. I also have a fledgling Jeep parts business where I sell components that I have actually designed myself, so I have hopes that one day I will be able to generate substantial income from this labor of love. Of course, I’ll continue to model and acting just as long as they keep asking me to regardless of what I do in the future.