Model, Actor & Influencer Jarry Lee from NYC

I’m a full-time model, actor, and influencer living in Manhattan, New York City. I grew up in Wales and England and was formerly a journalist — I was an editor at BuzzFeed for 4 years and covered books and culture. Before that, I worked in digital marketing for book publishers like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins.

I graduated early from NYU at the end of 2014, and attended Choate Rosemary Hall for prep school — I studied web programming, creative writing, and psychology, none of which I really use anymore today (beyond occasionally coding troll Twitter bots). For fun, I’m an avid long-distance runner, pie baker, classically trained pianist, and cat mom to @potatobengal. I also produce and write arrangements of songs in 3-4 part harmony, and am currently working on releasing original music as well.

Was being a model and actor something you’ve always wanted to do growing up?

It wasn’t a career path I considered because I didn’t see many Asian models and actors. I’ve always enjoyed writing and reading so I wanted to pursue poetry and screenwriting in childhood. I was the poetry editor for NYU’s literary magazine for a couple of years before I graduated, and I also edited my prep school’s lit mag.

I never considered poetry as a viable career as most writing isn’t lucrative, but it’s still fun. I actually had thought about working in tech because I enjoyed coding websites from a young age and because it runs in the family (both of my parents have computer engineering PhDs), but ultimately decided it wasn’t for me.

How do you keep up to date with all the latest fashion styles and trends?

I’m old-school, I still read magazines. I’ll turn to VOGUE, for example, to help spark new inspiration for editorial shoots sometimes. Instagram and other digital sites are easy to browse through too, and I also enjoy looking at the wardrobe choices in TV series or films I like.

What is your proudest achievement so far?

Last October I ran a half marathon race for the first time as part of a sponsorship with ASICS. I was on the cross-country running team in school but hadn’t done any races longer than 10K for a few years. The 13.1 miles really pushed me physically. I trained for about 10 weeks, and finished the race in 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 49 seconds.

Do you have a strict beauty or exercise regime that you follow?

I love skincare and stick to the same products once I find something that works for me. My exercise routine tends to be more fluid — I focus on strength training and weightlifting, but I like mixing it up too.

Photo: Kenneth Morton

If you could collaborate with anyone past or present, who will it be?

Sandra Oh is one of my favorite actors and I’d love to be able to work with her someday.

Photo: Kenneth Morton

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

I enjoy playing classical piano, baking pies, cooking in general, long-distance running, and taking care of my bengal cat Potato (he has his own Instagram @potatobengal). My other passions include karaoke, graphic design, video games (I used to stream Fortnite), coding Twitter bots, and playing the ukulele very badly. I’ve also begun dabbling more in photography lately. I’m currently focusing on writing and releasing more music on Spotify.

Modcloth Louis Seigal SQ

What is a funny attempt a guy has tried to know you?

Someone once tried to slide into the DMs of my cat’s Instagram account, which is even more silly because I post photos of my boyfriend on that account all the time!

The Set NYC Steampunk Ball, New Year’s Eve, Pimcomedy Dec. 31, 2018

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Jarry. One question before we end, how do you define “sexy”? 

There’s nothing sexier than self-confidence. Loving and accepting who you are makes you beautiful inside and out — and it shows.

Follow the beautiful Jarry Lee on:

Instagram: instagram.com/jarrylee

Twitter: twitter.com/jarry

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jarrylee

TikTok: tiktok.com/@jarryleeofficial

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/21jOKR2LZ543fbzjEhXsoW

Website: www.jarrylee.com

iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jarry-lee/1516070637

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jarrylee

Images by Jarry Lee unless stated otherwise

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