Did you think of yourself as good-looking when you were younger?

No, absolutely not. I was horrified at the pictures I took. It probably seems stupid now and impossible to believe, but I was made fun of so much growing up. My lips were very prominent, and my eyes were slanted. I think I looked cute as a kid now looking back, but at the time I thought I was a monster and people always called me horrible things — they used to call me 'nigger-chink.'

Oh my God! That's horrible!

Yeah, I never made fun of other kids in school, because I got so much of it when I was little. So when they first approached me at seventeen to be a model I didn't believe them at all.

What was school like for you?

School was great, although I didn't have a lot of friends. I was a very "A"-type personality, more concerned with grades than hanging out. I was a 4.0 student and ended up with six academic scholarships to college, all of them academic.

Why do you think you were so driven?

Chemical imbalance maybe? (laughs) I don't know why, but I've always been driven to succeed.

Did you do anything for fun?

I played football all through high school, defensive end and tight end. And I was a diver. I did three-meter and six-meter springboard right through high school and college.

It sounds like you worked very hard. What was your plan?

I wanted to own or manage a ski resort, that was my goal. I even started a ski club at my high school out on the plains of Iowa, just because I loved the mountains so much. It's still one of my favorite things to do, although I've switched from skiing to snowboarding. I used to be a die-hard skier until I strapped on a board one day. It made me so mad at first, because I fell down ten times just on the bunny hill, so it enraged me to the point I was determined to have it down by the end of the day, and I did. I've never picked anything up so fast in my life.

How tall are you, 6'1"?

6'2" I don't know why, but people who know me from modeling always think I'm shorter than I am. I must have a short-looking face or something.

You looked so elfin in those CK campaigns - you were very much the iconic youth, so maybe people think of you as smaller from those images.

Maybe. I've always had pretty much the same build though. I may fluctuate five pounds either way, but that's it.

God you're lucky.

Yes, there's no two ways about it, I've been lucky. But I do work out like a maniac (laughs). It's kind of the Sylvester Stallone thing. When he started his career, working out became his therapy and he would just beat himself up in the gym, like extreme. It was his way of keeping sane. And not that I'd go insane without it, but it definitely plays the same role for me.

What is your routine?

If I get to the gym twice a week I'm fine, because when I go, I punish myself so much I'll stay sore until I have to work that muscle group again. I work opposite muscle groups — biceps/triceps, chest/back, legs, etc, but I don't ever rest in the gym — I just move constantly around the gym upstairs, downstairs, every room and I don't stop for two solid hours.

I've had trainers like you before - I was in pain.

I'd be a hell of a trainer, though I might scare some clients away. (evil grin)