Models Jordan and Zac Stenmark pursue acting in the United States
GENETICALLY blessed twins Jordan and Zac Stenmark have based themselves in the US — and trying to crack into Hollywood is a big part of that. They have been taking acting classes and want to be taken seriously for their dedication to “the craft”.
Confidential
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THEY say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere and Sydney’s Stenmark brothers are ready to test that theory.
The genetically blessed twins Jordan and Zac say they are serious about cracking the US, so serious they’ve rented an apartment in New York and a house in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills.
Since April the pair have split their time between Sydney, New York and LA — focusing on modelling but also with the aim of making their mark as actors.
“We love Australia, we love where we come from, it is home and we are so proud to be Australian,” Jordan tells BW Magazine.
“That is one of the reasons it is so great being over in the States, Americans love Australians. America is a bigger pond so there are big opportunities.”
The 26-year-olds are veterans of the Australian fashion industry. They got their start modelling part-time while studying agricultural economics at Sydney University and went on to become two of our top male modelling exports.
They have often visited the US for work but this is the first time they have based themselves outside Sydney.
“There has been so much work for us in America,” Zac says.
“Our relationship with Tommy Hilfiger has been growing and we’ve been working with them a lot more, as well as a lot of fashion and lifestyle stuff has been popping up. We are developing lots of contacts and looking at moving into film and TV. And America is the place you’ve got to be for that.”
The boys, who run their own health and fitness website, returned home this month to help launch the new Observatory Bar at The Langham Sydney in The Rocks, with a few other jobs booked before they return to the US later this month.
Maintaining those work connections in Australia is important to the boys, who still have a home in Sydney.
“We fly back here whenever we can to do some work and see the fam because we always miss Australia,” Zac says.
Their international work with high end brands such as Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren has given them a solid base for their new ventures.
For the best part of their career they’ve been billed as a double act but moving to the US has allowed them to also do solo modelling jobs.
“People have been booking us separately, which works really well for us because whether it is me or Jordan getting the job, it is great for our brand,” says Zac, who counts Canadian pop singer Shawn Mendes as a friend.
“We are twins and most people can’t tell us apart anyway.”
Acting has been a huge part of the boys’ decision to base themselves in the US. They have been taking classes and want to be taken seriously for their dedication to “the craft”.
“There are so many phenomenal actors and I guess we don’t want to be those models who think they can act,” Zac says.
“It is a tough job and you’ve really got to hone the craft so it is something we are giving great respect to. So the first thing we end up doing we really nail and that it is the right thing that suits us.”
Zac says the pair are particularly interested in drama, though he jokes his twin would like to explore comedy because “Jordan thinks he is quite funny”.
Jordan says he sees links between their fashion work and their shot at Hollywood.
“Acting is an extension of what we’ve been doing with modelling,” he says.
“You touch on it basically in modelling when you capture an emotion or a feeling but that is a still moment. The thing I love about acting is that you extend beyond that and are able to carry that emotion into a scene and express that as a character in a much bigger way.
“We don’t want to do gimmicky kinds of things just for the sake of it.”