Colin Egglesfield: A Gorgeous Star on the Rise

This week I’m featuring one of the sexiest men alive (to heck with People magazines list! If they haven’t figured out to put this guy on their list….they’ve no credibility with me.) Colin Egglesfield is both a successful actor with a sweet job as Josh Madden on ABC’s soap All My Children, and one of the most popular male models around. If you don’t recognize the name, go check out his website, ColinEgglesfield.com and you’ll whack yourself on the head in one of those “I could have had a V-8 type moments”. The guy has been the face and body of the biggest print campaigns around. Calvin Klein, Versace, Nautica, Clinique….the list goes on.

Before interviewing Colin, I literally had to shake my giggles out for about three hours. He’s that insanely handsome. It was very stressful to me, until he said “hello”. Besides being ridiculously delightful to look at, the boy is sweet! Pleasant, funny, down to earth, smart and thoughtful. The kind of guy anyone would adore, even if he were not so pretty. Colin is the all-American man, with a cautious Irish mother who just happens to be a big star. Interestingly, he only happened across show business while pausing before medical school.

On the fitness side, Colin’s body speaks for itself. He’s not genetically gifted; he works damn hard. He runs, lifts and cycles. He’s mastered nutritious eating in a way that allows him to continue looking quite perfect all the time, without having to starve or suffer. He’s not strangely large or small…….he’s just right. Fit. Fit. Fit. So enjoy learning about the guy who you may have drooled over in the men’s section of department stores, or just wanted to be like (if you’re a guy). I did. And when you’re done, check out Colin’s custom T-shirt company ShoutOutClothing.com. The ever-changing T’s are perfect for fun events and everyone on your gift list.

Fitz: How did you get into modeling and acting?

Colin: I decided to take a one year break after graduating from the University of Iowa and before attending medical school. I kind of fell into a modeling contract and then pretty immediately landed on runways around the world.

 

Fitz: University of Iowa is a big sports school, did you compete while there?

Colin: I played rugby at Iowa, but I originally played football at Illinois Wesyleyan University. The school was just too small for me, so I transferred to Iowa.

Fitz: Did you grow up playing football?

Colin: Yes, but I played a lot of other sports growing up too. Baseball, karate, track…I was always doing something.

Fitz: Do you still play?

Colin: Now I run marathons.

Fitz: Nice!

Colin: Thank you. I love running; it’s good for me both mentally and physically.

Fitz: How did you land the Calvin Klein campaign?

Colin: Well, I just went in for a casting…never thinking I’d actually get the job. I had to try on a variety of CK clothes for a group of execs, and then the group of models was narrowed down and I found my self in Calvin Klein’s office trying on a bunch of different things for him.

Fitz: The Calvin Klein? You were in his office?

Colin: Yep.

Fitz: And then what happened?

Colin: He brought in a group of other people to help make the decision, and I was grateful that they chose me. My years working with CK have been terrific. A great experience.

Fitz: You’re also on the box for Nautica and Versace underwear, which speaks volumes about your physique. How do you prepare for that photo shoot?

Colin: I lift a lot of weight to build size and then do a lot of cardio to stay lean. It’s OK to be a bit bigger for photo shoots. Although, I’m more cautious with my eating for that kind of work.

Fitz: You play Josh Madden on ABC’s All My Children, and end up shirtless fairly frequently. Do you prepare differently for television?

Colin: Absolutely! The television truly does add ten pounds, so I lift more for fitness than size and really go hard on the cardio.

Fitz: What does your Mother think about your shirtless scenes and underwear modeling?

Colin: My mother is Irish and very conservative, so if I’m going to have a love scene or something like that….she leaves the room and won’t watch it. She really would prefer that I’d keep my clothes on more often. It’s cute.

Fitz: What kind of exercise do you do?

Colin: I lift weights two to four times per week, working all of my major muscle groups. For cardio, I run four to ten miles, three to four times per week. I’m often training for a marathon, and enjoy spinning classes whenever I can get to them.

Fitz: Do you follow any particular running program for the marathons?

Colin: Yes. I’ve actually used a Runner’s World magazine, training program. It helped.

Fitz: What are your eating habits like?

Colin: I normally choose a lot of lean meat and veggies. I make great choices throughout the entire day. On the weekends I’ll have a burger, some pizza or a beer, but I NEVER stuff my face. Portion control is very important.

Fitz: What’s on your MP3 player?

Colin: Cold Play, Snow Patrol, house music, and music by DJ Tiesto.

Fitz: What’s your favorite healthy food?

Colin: I love to cook steak in a pan and place it on a big fresh salad with lots of chopped vegetables.

Fitz: Favorite junk food?

Colin: Chocolate chip cookies

Fitz: How many push-ups can you do?

Colin: I’m not sure.

Fitz: Want to figure it out?

Colin: OK! (At this point, Colin actually gets down on the ground to get the true answer to my question. I sit back and giggle.) 50! Fifty on my first set.

Fitz: Where is your favorite place to vacation? Do you workout on vacation?

Colin: I love warm places like the Bahamas and Hawaii. I love scuba diving. And yes, I exercise wherever I am.

Fitz: Modeling is a tough industry. Did you ever experience the crazy pressure to lose weight or suffer physically.

Colin: No, thank goodness. I always worked to remain in great shape, but it’s much different for the women. It’s very sad; I really feel bad that so many of the female models were pressured to starve and worse. I actually love that Dove campaign that highlights the beauty of real women. It’s definitely what’s on the inside that counts in the real world.

Fitz: What do you look for in a woman?

Colin: I like a woman who has a sense of humor, is sweet, and considerate. I’m drawn to women who think of others.

Fitz: If you were to compete with your costar Cameron Mathison on Dancing with the Stars…who would win?

Colin: Oh, I’d kick his ass! He’s been great on the show and we’re all so proud of him, but I could definitely whip him on the dance floor.

Fitz: Who would win if you and Cameron were in a boxing match?

Colin: He’d kill me! He’s way bigger than I am.

Fitz: Advice for others who want to look better naked?

Colin: Find someone who finds you beautiful and the rest will take care of itself.

Fitz: You’re not only an actor and model, you’re an entrepreneur. Tell me about Shout Out! Clothing.

Colin: We offer high quality T’s for men, women, and children that have the soft side of Velcro adhesive on the front and back of each shirt. It also comes with a huge pack of letters, numbers, shapes and symbols, so you can personalize and change the message on your shirt as often as you want. They’re fun!

Fitz: Thank you so much Colin! You’re the ultimate role model for fitness, a great actor and a really nice guy. I love the ShoutOutClothing.Com T-shirt you gave me as well. My whole family is getting them for Christmas.

Colin: Thanks Fitz!

Check out Colin’s advice for earning your best beach body here.