FRANCOIS SAGAT - Interview

Everyone knows Francois Sagat for his breathtaking body, his tattooed head and his participation in the gay porn and fashion in more than one way. I don’t think he’s just a gay porn superstar, with his exposure in pop culture, he’s definitely more than that, he’s a pop icon. Francois Sagat has become a cult phenomenon, he has completely changed his body and his life from that shy boy he was at school, to become known as one of the most desiderable man on the planet.

Everyone in his life has had one or a keep going metamorphosis.What about yours?
I don't think I'm keeping going into metamorphosis since a while now,it's been many years I'm the same now. I started doing changes in my body, looks and shapes when i was 24, some big changes I admit, almost violent. I'm really stable with my image since then with more or less weight, that's all. But I'm obviously aging , this: I don't choose it.(laughs).

I’ve red somewhere that you were really shy when you where boy, how much have you changed since your years as a teenager?
I was shy like a young feminine boy who was already self-conscious about his attraction for other boys very early. I was a bullied child in school. I guess the other children noticed already my obvious sensibility. Since then, I got very reserved and strictly cautious with people. I met so many intimidating people on my way that at one point , I almost absorbed their energy. Now I'm hearing sometimes that I'm a very intimidating person, that's crazy; its like a reverse effect ,and I absolutely don't control it. It's a fact. I'm still cautious with people nowadays , but in a different way.

Looking at you right now with your head tattooed, your strong and perfect body it seems you you were always beeing a strong and brave guy. Has your body become a way to feel much comfortable about yourself and who you are?
I guess its the same case for everybody, people that wanna have the balls to make a big change in their lives, in many ways, not only physically, but in different forms profesionaly, in terms of sexuality, esthetics...etc. I don't think my case is extraordinary, it's seems a big deal in your question, it's a very progressive process, also in my mind, I think i was also very strong in my mind as a teenager about all the things I was inspired by, also about my secret universe...etc. I 've always had opinions and self -confidence about some passions I had as a child ...I was believing in it. I admit I was a very fragile child in school yes, very sensitive about attacks but I knew very young ,those stupid young people of my age were not part of my world ,and that's why i may be stronger today.

Are you obsessed with body fit?
Yes I am. I don't wanna loose my body, and it's a very normal feeling, my behavior everyday is a constant work to stabilize what I built since 8 years now. I'm obsessed with being in shape .It's a very important motivation. But I don't have to prove anything to anyone.

Do you remember the moment when you’ve started working on your body transformation? Why did you wanna change?
I started in the early 2000, around 2002/2003 I had enough to look like a fragile young man. I liked muscle or athletic men...but they never paid attention to me , I was very frustrated. I did it for myself of course but also for the others.

How have you felt when your body started to look different?
Why do you wanna know that? I have no answer, it's too progressive, I feel that my body's still pretty average now, with all the years I spent at the gym. Many guys are big today. its not exceptional anymore. Im not the biggest guy at my gym for example. I'm not different, I don't feel different when I'm on the street with a hat on, with the hat on (laughs).
I feel that guys like Muscles, straight men like muscles, gay men like muscles, I like muscles, every men like another muscle men, not necessarily in a sexual way , but just to look at or to get compared with. I know it, I've experienced it. A trained, worked out body is always appreciable. Young Men , nowadays are really more aware about being attractive, taking care of themselves, going to the gym, being in shape, I think thats the new generation. It goes also with bisexuality.

You wanted to be known in the gay world and you had it. Was it all like you have been expected? Have you ever felt over-exposed?
Even if I 'm not doing anything for a year, I'll still be over-exposed, films are rolling (laughs), new dvd packages are released again, best of, videos, Vod, accessories, blah, blah, blah,...etc etc. Who cares. I didn't want to be known as a international pornstar, I 've never said that, never, it was not a goal. You're saying it, I didn't. It happened, that's all, then of course, I saw the success came really fast, I 've just played with it. But I was not dying for fame, no, no ,no. It's easy to be famous with internet now, then to make money from that, its another story.

Just to make the thing clear, is it true that how people see in you in your porno movie are far away different from you are in your personal life?
I 've been told many many many times I was a very very boring performer on films, that may be true, but I've been told I was a very very good and passionate pig in private, that may be true too. You have your answer.

You’ve had not only physical changes but even in your way of living, you have been working in fashion as a stylist assistant, then you went through porno and then into the author movie, how would you like to see yourself in the nearly future?
I don't wanna see myself in the future. I wanna see myself living the present moments, as bad and exciting as they are.

You have been practicing with different designers and fashion people like Jeremy Scott, Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne, Nicolas
Ghesquiere, Carine Roitfeld, Martin Margiela, Isabela Blow, Beat Bolliger. right? What have you learnt from these people? Who’s the person that has left more into you as a person?
That's very true, and that's the past and it's very far now. I spent a lot of time and brainstorming with Beat, I learnt a lot from Carine in a very short collaboration, I got a lot of inspiration from Nicolas Ghesquière, I still feel very lucky that I lived the last years of Mugler at "rue aux ours" and I found myself surprised that I stayed in touch with an amazing person named Jeremy Scott...

You’ve always been related into fashion, I remember the first time I’ve seen the lookbook you have done with Bernhard Willhelm, it was so nice and funny, maybe because you were been shooting in a kind of Peter Berlin style, what do you remember of that experience? Would you do something like that again?
Yes. It felt like a funny and exciting experience, very into self-deprecation a lot of good chemistry with all the team, and the photographer who was working for the calendar project I did the last Bernhard Willhelm show and it felt really familiar. I like it.

It seems to me from some interviews I’ve red about you in the past, you are bored about fashion, and some time it seems to me you are rejecting any kind of style and the fashion world is it true?
I just don't see any interest in wearing fashion, or designers, every day of a life for me, it has to be very occasional and rare. I 've always thought that this quote was "true": "Less is more" that's my opinion, for example I bought 4 pairs of sunglasses last week, they were from H&M and they were 5 euros each and they look amazing on me it’s the same with clothes I don"t buy fashion, but I loved to wear designer's clothes for photoshoot or videos, its immortalizing fashion, and its great, when I see "too fancy" guys in the street, with very studied looks during the day. I'm always thinking I would never do the same, but I don't mind on others. Fashion is not my world, but I know everything about fashion.

Have you ever asked yourself why if someone like you that has been so connected to fashion and than left, that thinks that clothes come always second is often asked to be shoot in a fashion story? And in a way is always connected to the fashion world?
It's maybe because when I'm wearing a Hervé Leger dress in high heels like I did last week, it happens that I actually look fabulous, I have a picture to prove it.

How is your perfect day?
Wearing a Hervé Léger Dress in high heels.

Francois has sent me the picture of him wearing a Hervé Leger dress in high heels, and yes! I have to admit he looks fabulous and hot...