This feature appears in the pages of VMAN 47—now available for purchase!
There comes a time when fashion editorials crave the depth of cinematic magic and the complexities of characters that comes with it, with models interpreting a persona that defines the essence of a story. But for Canadian model and actor Noah Mills, fusing the two elements comes naturally. Having grown up under the fashion lens after becoming a campaign fixture for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, and Michael Kors, Mills solidified his status as an industry icon at a very early stage in his life and career. Now, at 38 years old, Mills understands the duality and purpose of character embodiment, on-screen and off. “In hindsight, I always remember feeling so uncomfortable with having to live up to this hot guy, on a show, shirt off, [type of person]. I feel so far from that now, [especially] in my acting work.”
After making his cinematic debut in Sex and the City 2 as Nicky Marentino, the “hot straight guy” and brother of Mario Cantone’s character who finds himself wrapped up in a wedding night sexcapade with Kim Cattrall, Mills caught the acting bug and began to wonder what life could be like outside of the glossy magazine pages and glimmering catwalks. “I had this crazy aptitude for acting,” he says. “When I went into acting school, it was such a therapeutic and psychological environment that I had never been in. The introduction to acting was cathartic but very potent. I think it was sort of natural for me to tap into.” Mills went on to make appearances in television shows such as The Enemy Within and short films like Wracked. Now temporarily living on the shores of Hawaii, a stark contrast to the smoky skies and powdery-soft snow that blanket the rocky edges of the Wyoming mountains, Mills is gearing up for the role of a lifetime. He is set to star as Jesse, a former Washington D.C. homicide detective with a dark past, in September’s upcoming crime drama television series NCIS: Hawaii. “It’s been interesting learning about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service—it’s a new world for me,” he says. “Moving to Hawaii was abrupt and obviously exciting. There’s no guarantees in this business, so to get that phone call after the [audition] process where it was down to you and four other guys was crazy. I’m a big sports fan and it’s the closest thing I’ll ever get to being drafted, you know what I mean?” With the show set to premiere on the 20th, we’ll be sure to see all of Noah’s honed in experience metamorphosize in front of our eyes, saying ”I’m so ready—I’ve been on two other shows and those were huge learning curves and I’m sure this will be too, but I think this show comes from a more successful lineage because of the other shows that have been so successful. There’s a lot of pressure but also a lot of hype and good expectations for the show. So I’m happy that I had the experience to feel super confident now.”
Going from the doe-eyed boy next door who captured the fashion industry’s attention to the ever-evolving man who understands his craft and purpose more, Mills isn’t putting fashion or his modeling days behind him just yet. “I like the way I photograph and feel in my clothes and body now [more] than I did back then. I’m bigger, I’m older, and I just understand myself better,” he says, adding that VMAN’s wintery escape to Wyoming allowed him to embrace that. “This shoot is what I love about fashion. I think for anyone in the industry who’s in front of the camera, what’s fun is to evolve. I always want to have something to do with [fashion] because there’s this ability to play a little bit more. Film is very scheduled and exactly what is being achieved for this page of this script. With fashion, you can just set it up and have fun.”
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This feature appears in the pages of VMAN 47—now available for purchase!
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