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stardom that eludes most models.
    Claudia was professional yet friendly, and we conversed easily, especially when I found out that she had originally wanted to be a lawyer and, as a young woman in Germany, had even worked in her father’s law office. For our shoot, I was dressed only in a pair of skimpy white underwear and lying on a bed, my body covered strategically by a sheet. Claudia was wearing a pair of unzipped jeans, and that’s all. She was naked from the waist up. The two of us were to lie in bed while the photographers snapped one photo after another. Claudia lay on top of the sheet, giggling and doing all sorts of antics that were meant to imply that she had really worn me out. My job was to feign exhaustion and pretend that I was asleep, while Claudia positioned herself next to me, on me, and around me in ways that highlighted the jeans. It was tough work, but I survived it.
    Working with Claudia Schiffer shifted my career into overdrive. Modeling opportunities flowed in my direction, and calls came for jobs at much higher levels. Over the next eight years or so, I found myself in ads with some of the most beautiful women in the world, including Heidi Klum, with whom I did a Caress body wash television commercial. I played the role of Heidi’s boyfriend.
    In 1997, I was chosen as “Mr. November” by Cosmopolitan magazine, a distinction that supposedly set me apart as one of America’s most eligible bachelors. In the ad for Cosmo , I was the down-to-earth guy who loves to work with his dad as a “hunky” fishing guide. Actually, that was not much of a stretch for me, since my dad did indeed own a charter fishing boat, and I loved working with him. Of course, the magazine portrayed me as their sexy fisherman, which was okay with me. The photos came out so well that Cosmo chose me to be on their “Man of the Year” cover. I was just a regular guy from New Jersey, and felt lucky and humbled to be selected.
    I made some good friends in the modeling world, but I never immersed myself in the wilder, more debauched aspects of the job to get ahead. My attitude was basically “Here I am and I hope you think my image can help sell your products. But if not, that’s okay.” I was always professional, cooperative, and respectful, but I refused to cross certain moral boundaries that others suggested might enhance my career. I was careful not to put myself in compromising positions, or if I found myself at an event that looked as though it could spiral downward, I’d greet the hosts and then make as hasty and gracious an exit as possible. Sometimes I’d simply leave.
    Little by little I established a reputation of personal integrity in the business. One person described me thus: “David is very professional; he’s real, doesn’t have an attitude, and is always a pleasure to have on the set. He can sure fill out an Armani suit, and he can sell a swim suit or surf trunks. He’s the guy we will use for our job.”
    Every agency that takes on a model hopes he or she will ascend to the top financial tiers in the business, and apparently some people thought that I had the potential to work at those levels, although I never really thought of myself that way. In fact, I often wondered, Why me? There are thousands and thousands of attractive people out there, and only one guy gets the job. To me it felt like a numbers game, and I was the lucky one. Sometimes I’d be in New York when I’d get a call to fly to South Africa the next day. Although I was happy to do it, I thought, I’m flying halfway around the world to Cape Town to be in some pictures. Surely, there are a lot of local guys in that city who could do the shoot just as well or better than I could. I never understood why they wanted me. But I enjoyed the work, and keeping myself healthy and in good physical shape was something that came naturally to me, so it was not exactly drudge work.