Did you ever reach a point where you felt you could stop fighting?

I kind of got freed in the ninth grade, when I realized I'd become a pretty outstanding athlete. That gave me a lot more confidence in my abilities. Not so much in myself, I have to say, but my abilities. And then I got hurt again ... I broke my jaw.

How did that happen?

Well, it was at a party down at a house in North Carolina and there was a situation where I was forced to defend my friend and um, while I was pulling this guy off of him I got hit in the face with a lead pipe. And that's when I lost my temper and that's when other things happened and then I got pistol-whipped with a gun that guy had. It was quite the scene. It took three hours before I even realized I had a broken jaw, there was so much adrenaline pumping through my system. I think I have five plates in my jaw now. Five plates and eight screws. It was an experience.

Can I ask you, when you were younger, did you think you were good-looking?

I thought I was a pretty good-looking guy and I did go to a few model searches.

Did you get that sense from how girls responded to you or from your friends or ...?

Actually from my Mom and my sisters. My sisters were always involved in pageants and they looked like they were having fun. So I went to one of the model searches and wasted my money. They all told me I was way too short. So it was a breath of fresh air to come to New York and find the agency I'm with to this day (Major Model Management). Every agency but Major said my height was an issue.

I guess the time I actually started to get confidence in myself is when I got Abercrombie & Fitch with Bruce Weber. That was a big turning point in my life because I suddenly realized 'Hey, I'm not just the person I used to think I was, there's a lot more to me.' And that's where having Jason Kanner (of Major Models) is great because he throws it at me. He tells me how it is. He tells me if I'm looking good today or if my hair looks like crap. He's honest with me. He's a straight-shooter. His honesty for an average person would seem brutal, but I accept it because it's real.

How did you look at modeling? As a ticket out of your hometown?

I think I saw it more as a hobby or something different to do. I'm always up for a challenge. And this was something I saw as a challenge. There's really not much I can control. And that's why it can be kind of strenuous on you. A lot of it's the market, timing, luck, opportunity, relationships with clients, with your agent ... the reason I'm still here is because I really feel there's more for me to do yet. So I will probably stick it out until I'm riding a dead horse. (laughs)

So the first thing that happened as far as modeling goes is that a photographer approached you about doing a paid photo shoot, is that right?

Yes. I had no ambition about it at all. I just saw it as a way to get paid once and that was it.