Rodrigo De Carli takes his modeling career to new heights on Oxygen's The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

BY CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA

I'm waiting at the coffee shop next to the Virgin Mega Store on Sunset Boulevard when Rodrigo De Carli arrives for our interview. With his battered baseball cap, shorts and knap sack, you'd think he was just another guy heading upstairs for some cardio at Crunch. I have in my mind that models are always pouty and walk through a mall the way they walk down the runway. But De Carli's warm smile, big hug, and apology for being three minutes late quickly dispel any stereotypes I may have.

De Carli, a Brazilian native, has been modeling in the U.S. for the past eight years, but his career has taken a new turn now that he is appearing on the third season of Oxygen's hit reality series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Hosted by the supermodel legend and former America's Next Top Model judge, the show focuses on a group of models who get advice and job opportunities from the very knowledgeable and opinionated Dickinson.

“I didn't know what the show was, but I knew who she was,” De Carli explained, noting he was familiar with her work before he even moved to the U.S. Dickinson apparently had a similar reaction when she saw De Carli standing in line waiting for his interview. She immediately pulled him from the gaggle of models and signed him to the show on the spot. “She was super sweet,” he remembered.

Despite almost a decade of steady modeling work, De Carli was more than willing to take pointers from his new boss. “You're always learning,” he said. “I haven't done enough and she has been in the business forever. Any kind of pointer she had to give, I took in.”

De Carli has been very pragmatic about his career when it comes to accomplishing his goals. Years ago when he got a bill from his immigration lawyer for thousands of dollars, he knew he had to pay up quickly if he wanted to stay in the U.S. and keep working. Although it wasn't his first choice, De Carli appeared in several ChiChi LaRue porn titles under the name Claudio Martin to cover the bill. Gay website Queerty made the connection between De Carli and his porn resume in November.

“Like I said, you're always learning,” De Carli explained. “It might not be the best thing in other people's eyes, but it helped me through a difficult time. I don't see doing it ever, ever again.”

Dickinson, who has made a name for herself in reality TV thanks to her outrageousness, impressed De Carli. “She's a strong woman,” he said. “People have different perceptions of her. In my opinion she's extremely sharp. She knows what she wants.”

The show, which has completed production, also offered De Carli the chance to see the underpinnings of the reality TV world. A stint in New York, De Carli came to Los Angeles to learn about the behind-the-scenes of the modeling business, specifically production and casting, so this experience was actually tailor made for him.

De Carli is openly gay, but he doesn't think sexuality is a factor in the U.S. modeling industry. “I feel like it's just the way you carry yourself,” he said. “I choose to believe it's not an issue anymore. In my country, not so much.”

Despite the impressions Americans may have of Brazil as a free-wheeling, sexually liberated place, De Carli said of his countrymen “we're not sexual, we're sexy,” and that the male-dominated society still has a long way to go in terms of gay acceptance.

Like many gay men in Los Angeles, De Carli said trying to find a relationship in Los Angeles “is the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. The dating scene is quite difficult. Or maybe I'm difficult. I don't know!”

When asked if he has any advice for aspiring models, De Carli offers,“Don't waste time, don't regret anything,” he said. “Take into consideration other people's opinions, but go for it.”

The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency airs at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesdays on the Oxygen network.

LIMITED RUN

GIDYUP! ON THE RODEO CIRCUIT

This documentary chronicles the beginnings of gay rodeos in 1976 at the National Reno Gay Rodeo in Nevada. Over the next eight years local rodeo associations were formed in Colorado, Texas, California and Arizona.

Fri., Dec. 21. Logo. 3 p.m. www.logoonline.com.

REVISITING WHOVILLE

The original 1966 special, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, will air with additional footage from a “making of” documentary, featuring interviews with Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel and Chuck Jones, who made this classic a timeless holiday treasure.

Mon., Dec. 24. ABC Television Network. 8-9 p.m. abc.go.com.

AMERICAN IDOLS

Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark co-host the 35th edition of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, live from Times Square. They headline an evening of celebration and performances by some of music's top artists.

Mon., Dec. 31. ABC Television Network. 10 p.m. abc.go.com.

HOMO MUST

Long Time Coming

It’s five times the laughs, loves, and longing as season five of Showtime’s hit series The L Word premieres. Sun., Jan. 6. 9 p.m. Showtime Networks. www.sho.com.