Make Me A Supermodel

Among the final four models who made to the finals on Make Me A Supermodel, Perry Ullmann was unfortunately the first model to be eliminated. However, over the course of the season, he really proved to be a versatile model, as well as a natural-born leader among the competitors on Make Me A Supermodel. This talented model excelled in almost every challenge, especially the ones involving acting.

Perry was also tangentially targeted by the tabloids when his girlfriend was alleged to have begun a relationship with Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend. Perry spoke to BuddyTV and made it clear that he and his girlfriend have worked through their struggles and are happy together. He also spoke about the appeal of acting versus modeling, and about how great it is to have gotten a modeling mentor in Tyson Beckford, "the biggest male supermodel that ever walked this planet." Below, you will find an audiofile and a complete transcript of the interview.

Hey everybody. This is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I'm talking to Perry from Make Me A Supermodel. Perry, what was it like standing in front of the judges, waiting to hear their final verdict? Was it really stressful?

You know, it's kind of funny. It's been like a long journey for all four of us up there, and we've been on that panel numerous times. And it's kind of like, everything happened in slow motion. At least for me, I was thinking about the first time I walked down the catwalk or all the photoshoots we've done. And so, I really wasn't stressed out. I was just kind of more thinking about everything that had happened that led me to that point. But I'll admit, when they were announcing who was leaving and who was going to win, you get the butterflies in your stomach and you feel like you have to go to the bathroom or you gotta throw up. It was real nerve-wracking, but for the most part, I was just concentrating on everything that I had done previously.


And after the elimination, when Ben joined you backstage, you two were talking about how you were disappointed that Holly had beat you out. Was there really that much animosity between you guys?

Well, the thing was, at least for me – I'm not going to speak for Ben – there was no animosity. We all looked at Holly like a little sister of ours, and she looked at us like big brothers. We kind of rag on each other a little bit, but we know that we all have each other's back and we all love each other. The thing with that was, I had just found out that I was eliminated, and obviously I wanted to win, and I felt like I was definitely deserving to win. Given the circumstances of the show, what a supermodel truly is, I didn't quite feel like Holly necessarily had a lot of those abilities. But after a while, I realized that this is something that she deserves, this is something that she's been pushing for for ten years plus. And I was truly happy for her, actually. I congratulated her. I told everybody that I was happy that she won because this is her lifelong dream, this is something that she's been doing forever. So, you know, if I didn't win, if Ben didn't win, then I'm truly happy that Holly did win.


What's the one thing that you're going to take away from your experience on the show?

There's more than one thing that I'm going to take away from this experience, but one of the most important things is, I now know that I do have a career in this business, I do have longevity. I would say, one of the most important things is that people are supporting me and people see that I do have a career and that this is something that I really do want. And another thing is, I've gotten a chance to speak with some people and people who watch the show, and having them tell me that I inspire them to do whatever it is that they want to do because somehow, I've touched them. I think that's the most important thing to me right now because, several months ago, nobody knew who I was, and I was trying to break into this business, and I was always looking for mentors, I was always looking for people to get guidance from. And now that people are asking me for advice, "What should I do about this?" That is probably the coolest thing about this entire process.


Tyson Beckford seemed to have become a mentor of yours, and how cool is that?

I can't even tell you how cool Tyson and I's relationship has been. I think the thing with Tyson and I is, we're like the same, you know? We have the same goals. We want to do everything in this business. We don't just want to model. And he's told me that I remind him of himself, and I think that's how we relate to each other and we understand each other. And to have the biggest male supermodel that ever walked this planet really believe in me and really want me to win and do well, I mean, I can't even put into words how great that makes you feel. It's like being a basketball player, and you have Michael Jordan to coach you and to tell you how things are going to go. I mean, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm just so blessed to be a part of it.


Yeah, that's really awesome. Switching gears here, in the final episode, you received a surprise visit from your girlfriend, Amanda, and you eventually made up with her. Can you just take us through your decision process with that?

Well, you know, the thing between Amanda and I is, we've gone through every up and down you can imagine in a relationship, and the one thing that we've never lost is our ability to love each other. Amanda and my relationship is something that we want to hold dear and tight to us. I mean, we want to show people that you can go through struggles, but as long as you still believe, and as long as you still love and trust, then you can work anything out. I mean, I'm just going to say that everything is really great and I'm happy that she's a part of my life.


You had said once that you also want to pursue a career in acting. If you had to pick one, modeling or acting, which one would it be?

Oh, you gotta do this to me. I've been labeled on the show as an actor trying to be a model, and acting has been a huge passion of mine. It's something that I've wanted to do before I even considered modeling. It's really hard because to work with the best people in the business on the modeling side, we've gotta do so many different photoshoots, we've gotta do acting assignments. If I had to pick one right now? Oh my God, why are you doing this to me? I know this is going to sound bad, but I have to say both. I just have to. I can't choose because modeling is acting also. I mean, you saw the photoshoot where I had the crazy hair and I had to, you know, do the tuck-job and stuff like that. That's not like a normal photoshoot; that's becoming a character and trying to make that believable. To me, that's acting. So, modeling is both worlds, so I'm kind of torn, I'm kind of impartial.


Yeah, that was my favorite photo of yours that you had done because you really transformed yourself. It was really amazing.

I think that's everybody's favorite photoshoot of mine. And, I mean, it's like, "That's not even me! Why don't you like the other ones?" But, you know, it's cool.


So, what's next for you, now?

Well, I plan on becoming an astronaut. No, I'm just kidding. What's next for me is still up in the air. I mean, it's definitely going to be in this business, and I definitely want to pursue acting and modeling even harder than I ever have before. I know there's going to be a lot of amazing opportunities waiting for me within the next few days, weeks, months, whatever the case is.

Oh, sorry. You're breaking up.

I'm so sorry. I'm actually playing Super Mario Brothers right now, while I'm talking to you, so I'm kind of moving around a little bit. I'm just kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. What I was saying was, I'm definitely going to hit this industry as hard as I can now, especially with this opportunity that's been given to me. Having the exposure, having people in the industry watch me in a week-to-week basis, I definitely feel like my career is going to be on the up-rise, and that this is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I hope that you see me in movies, I hope that you see me in campaigns, I hope that you see me everywhere.


Yeah, I'm sure that we will. Best of luck to you, Perry.

Thank you so much.

-Interview conducted by Debbie Chang
(Image courtesy of Bravo)