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All In A Family Way

MAYA KOTOMORI—How did you become a full casting director extraordinaire?

 

JOSEPH CHARLES VIOLA—I came from an acting background, so like, a very ensemble, very community-driven thing. There were special moments I was yearning for, where I could be my off-kilter self. Fashion was a space that I found really quickly, where people were actually interested in that weirdness, and I had something to offer to that space. But I love people—like, that's just my thing. I remember in high school, I did a career test, and it gave me hospitality and tourism as my number one result. I was like, I do not want to work in a fucking hotel, but doing what I do now, I really am working with people. Casting became so natural, because I am so social, and I am really unafraid to meet people, like stop them on the street. I just started doing little editorials for friends and putting them on to people that I knew in the creative industry, and then eventually, people started asking me to do editorials, personal projects. In theater, we have this thing, ‘Fake it ‘til you make it.’ I went to Boston Conservatory for two years—I was one of those Broadway-bound cookie-cutter types—but I just couldn't fit myself into it as hard as I tried, because, it really is so cookie-cutter, so narrow minded. With casting, I was like, Oh, I definitely have an eye for a different type of thing here, and it was never about doing it for the sake of being the person to do it. Me just thinking people were beautiful led to me start doing more scouting with a partner. I did the Lady Gaga Haus Labs launch, I did a whole bunch of commercial stuff, and other agencies would take my street scouts and place them as their mother agent and make ten percent. I was like, That's fucked up! So, I just took their contracts and made it my own, and I just started signing people. Casting was my way of finding people, but management was my way of being like, I know they can work. I know I can curate an amazing book for them. And I want to be here to protect them from the bullshit.

 

 

MK—I’ve heard about your non-traditional casting practices… Demi said that you cast her from Tinder?

 

JCV—Yeah, Demi and Wenhao are both from Tinder. Hector's from the J train at midnight! I remember I jumped off the train and stopped him—it was a gut punch. I literally got off three stops early because I was like, You look like that? I remember he had one headphone in with his friend, and they were dancing and just vibing. When I stop people, it's not always about Oh, you’re a model. For me, it's about, Oh, you really resonate differently, you have an energy and a magnetic quality that people really love. It’s the most random thing too, like I scouted Izzy at 2 Bros Pizza on 14th and 9th while waiting for my boss. He was 16 at the time, and he just moved back here for school a couple months ago. He hit me up like ‘I'm back,’ and I was like, ‘Let's do this.’ And now, his options are crazy! For a 5’10” white boy from LA to just come in and do that—it’s because he’s more. That’s what those gut punches mean. I just have a different eye. Not every ‘edgy’ or different kind of face is gonna work the way I want it to, but there are people that can and I'm willing to put the work in to investigate, and find those people.

 

 

MK—Have you always had those gut punches in your life, even with other things?

 

JCV—Your gut is your second brain—I don't know if you’ve heard that. But I kind of think of the gut as a way more valid compass than my brain a lot of times. I mean, modeling specifically, and also, through the world at large, there's so much saturation, and there's just so much that people deal with that they don't even have to, really. That's just not ever been my way of life, I’ve always been someone that would never break my back working under someone—and that's why I work for myself now.

 

MK—I was saying this earlier, but there’s this idea that a model is a vessel, but it’s always in a negative way—like, a model is a hollow shell and a designer fills it. But really, a model is a vessel in a positive way—they are people beyond how they look, that build a fantasy.

 

JCV—Yeah, I mean, I was one of those people that really came into the mix a couple years ago. I'm not groundbreaking, I'm not original, I'm not the first person to put people in the place that they should be in. But I know damn well that there's people that haven't done what I do. And I had to be here to do it, so that more people will try. I'm not claiming anything, but there are certain things I do claim ownership to, like my commitment to trans representation that I fought for well before people thought it was trendy and marketable. For me, managing is way more than just finding the next big face—it's about finding my next big thing. Like, it's my vision. I want people for the industry. It's not going to change just because I have to conform to certain things because the industry shifted.

 

 

MK—I’m thinking about ‘representation matters’—people think representation matters because they can find the right person to put somewhere. But it’s not about finding the right person to put somewhere, it's finding the right person… Period. You have to actually care about people to do that! Representation doesn't matter because it should matters. It matters, because people exist, and they don’t have to be made into anything, they just can always be found, you know?

 

JCV—Yeah, that's just reflective of people trying to turn other people into trends. So many people think what I do is so groundbreaking, and it's like, These people exist, bro! I just think they're beautiful. We're not here to put on a show. I'm confident that my kids are competent enough to get in front of that in these spaces, too. And they eat! I'm very, very focused, and I'm grateful that my kids are too. But it's not just about me—and it's never been just about me—it really is about them, and getting them to where they ultimately want to be.

 

MK—What was the craziest thing you’ve ever been asked to do on set?

 

ANNABELLE—The first time I modeled, I did a photoshoot with this girl who came up to me on the streets, and she had this whole thing planned out. I get to set and she’s like, ‘I changed my mind, and we have this raw octopus that we want to put on your shoulder.’ Totally unexpected and it was cold as hell. But it was a great experience in the end!

 

HECTOR—It was my second or third shoot, and they brought out a skirt and heels and a thong. It was unusual to me because I had never done something like that, and I know some people are more closed-minded seeing me in that way, and I definitely embraced a new side of me. I like having fun and doing things to take me out of my ‘normal,’ if that makes sense.

 

 

MK—What’s it like working with Joe? 

 

DEMI—Oddly enough, my first interaction with Joe was on Tinder! He was just on the app to scout, and at first nothing came out of it. Later, I did a project with Seventeen Magazine, and that’s what brought him to my [Instagram] page. I forget the first words we shared, but I remember he was like, ‘How tall are you?’ and the rest is history.

 

MK—How do you feel about modeling in relation to your lives? 

 

MAR—Modeling is like a gateway drug into other things [that involve] being in front of a camera, like especially if you want to do acting, which is one of my goals.

 

IZZY—I definitely feel like modeling is a means to a greater end for sure, if that’s what you’re going for. I like a lot of different disciplines and I want to be able to work in all of them, and I feel like modeling allows me to go into different disciplines, because they all intertwine.

 

MK—Do any of you do other creative work? 

 

WENHAO—I went to school for illustration at Pratt, that’s when I got scouted and started to model. I feel like modeling has helped me find a space through other hobbies.

 

MK—When I modeled, I wish I had someone to tell me what it’s actually like in front of a camera. How did y’all find your way in the industry? 

 

DEMI—I would say finding somebody like Joe. For me personally, he makes me feel really comfortable. Getting into modeling as an adult, I was really scared of how judgmental people can be in modeling. With Joe, I can do what I want, and there’s not that expectation. I mean I can't buzz my head without telling him, but you know… We’re people.

 

 

 

MK—What’s one of the funniest or most embarrassing things that’s ever happened to you while modeling? 

 

THURSDAY—I always take my phone backstage, and once my phone rang while I was on the runway. I also had the flashing light turned on and had a really scary ringtone—it was so embarrassing, I just turned to the casting director and threw my phone at him!

 

MK—What is your dream show? 

 

OLIVIA—Mugler. I think the house represents the ultimate glamazon fantasy, and I’d love to be a part of that.

 

ANNABEL—I would say Iris Van Herpen. I love the idea of being able to walk the runway in something big and flowy and just like, flowing in the wind.

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