Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 6, 1994                   TAG: 9409080034
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By ROD STAFFORD HAGWOOD/FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT EXACTLY MAKES A `HUNK'?

Don't believe women when they say he seems sensitive, or has a certain aura or any other such drivel.

In the ``Diet Coke Break'' commercial, you never really get a good clear shot of male model Lucky Vanous' face, for cryin' out loud.

It's his chest.

From the moment he flung off his shirt to better swig Diet Coke, Vanous (it's a Czech name) became the Next Big Thing.

Now he's profiled on Entertainment Tonight (his workout routine was the hot topic, his wife was barely mentioned) and photographed by fashion shutterbug Bob Frame for a calendar. He has an exercise video coming out for the holidays. He's co-hosted the Clio Awards (advertising's big enchilada), which he says is to be broadcast on FOX-TV sometime before the end of September, and he co-produced the upcoming Supermodel of the World on pay TV.

``I think of it all as an opportunity,'' Vanous says. ``There's no way you can put your finger on what really made this commercial. It's a great song. It's a great product. There's the twist, the gender twist [female office staff ogles half-dressed construction worker Vanous]. There's the humor. It's a great commercial - but it all works together.''

He never mentions his own hunkiness when talking about the spot. Even when relaxing in the lobby of a Fort Lauderdale radio station, after an appearance on the morning show, Vanous tries hard to steer the conversation away from his good looks. When morning host Bobby Mitchell called him the ``Diet Coke hunk'' on-air, Vanous looked embarrassed, obviously uncomfortable with the label.

He seems determined to connect with people. When someone pays him a compliment, asks for an autograph or just wants to say hello - Vanous focuses entirely on them. He keeps intense eye contact and shakes hands like he's running for office.

Like many male models, Vanous is comfortable with people looking at him as long as he can focus the attention where he pleases. It's a control thing. He doesn't really relax until the subject of traveling comes up - it is through his travel adventures that Vanous puts the whole fame and fortune thing into perspective - fame is a means to an end. If being the ``Diet Coke hunk'' means more adventure, then bite the bullet, smile for the camera, show them your nipples.

``I have nothing bad to say about modeling,'' Vanous says. ``It's been great. I'd sometimes look around at all the other models and think: These guys are serious. I'm just having fun. I just wanted to travel. Right away I went to all the modeling capitals - Milan, Hamburg, Paris, Japan. Most people were into the fashion, the designers and all that, but I just wanted to see the Himalayas. Runway was great. And then there were the catalogs, which usually meant some exotic trip.''

The 33-year-old Nebraskan (now living in New York City) has appeared in 25 commercials, including American Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Visa and Carnival Cruise Lines.

It all started with a monthlong vacation from studies at the University of Nebraska, which he was attending following Army Rangers service. Vanous went with a friend who was going on a look-see with Elite Modeling Agency in Manhattan.

``Some guy outside the building made fun of my cowboy boots, so I made fun of his cheesy Italian loafers,'' Vanous says. ``The guy was a scout for Elite. That's how I was discovered - it was all a joke. But I wanted to travel. I knew how much that would broaden me. I knew that when you traveled you got a perspective on people and cultures.''

It was in the military that Vanous learned to scuba dive - a skill he used during the Supermodel of the World taping in Hawaii.

``There are these underwater caverns that look like cathedrals with smooth walls like stained glass. The sun comes down and just filters through. It's beautiful. We also go to a luau. A real luau. Luaus have a history that people don't know about. They're all male, first of all. And there are chants with voices that can just take you to your knees. I wanted to show that in the show. I wanted to show the real thing.''