Jhona Burjack

Jhonattan Lucas Tolentino Burjack, or as we all know him, Jhona Burjack, is our pre-eminent cover model who is known internationally for starring in campaigns for brands such as Moschino, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.  Jhona has being pointed out by British Vogue as one of the most beautiful catwalk models of all time.

Jhona started his modelling career at the age of 17, after accompanying his girlfriend, Gabriella Pires, to the offices of Mega Model agency, which immediately offered him a contract of his own. A month later, he moved to Italy with Gabriela and went on to land a succession of top notch jobs. He is considered the one of the most successful Brazilian male models of his generation.

We shot Jhona in London and had the opportunity to catch up with him…

Wow you have been busy….where are you now? And how are you?

I’m currently in Milan. Yesss! Thank God I’m living a very good moment of my career, achieving what I have been dreaming of and working hard to continue making all my dreams to come true as a model and as an actor. I’m just so grateful for what I have now, it just makes me feel more motived to keep going stronger in my path.. 

At the age of 17, you started your journey in the modelling industry, how was your first meeting with your agent, how did it feel? 

It was very strange for me, because I am from the countryside and am used to just work with animals on the farm and dealing with uncomplicated people. When I first met my agent, he told me that I was going to travel the world working as a model. It just sounded so far removed from anything that I could imagine, I didn’t even know what fashion was about... my mom actually was more confused than I, she didn’t want me to leave her.

How does it feel to be named one of the most beautiful catwalk models by British Vogue?

I felt surprised but I agreed with them... lol 

Do you feel the pressure of being so successful when you go to castings?

Each time I go to a casting , It always feels like the first time. I get so nervous… When my career started, it was not so easy, and so many times I heard “No” from clients and I saw many opportunities flying away, many doors closing before my eyes, and my agency losing hope in me.

Even now that I’ve done so many great projects, and I have a lot of experience, I always get nervous, because I think that the client will reject me. I’ve had this trauma I guess: I still don’t feel comfortable going to castings ...  

You have a very positive and humble approach to life, where does this come from? How do you maintain your positivity in an industry that is so competitive? 

I came from a very simple family and from a simple life back in Brazil. I used to also work as a fisherman with my father, and you know, when you fish you have to wait for so long to catch one, during those moments I would listen to philosophical stories from my father, and other older men, and their wisdom would make me think about the meaning of life. Also from my mom, who is a very great person who taught me  values in life based on her religion. 

When I started to travel with modelling and by observing all kinds of people and different cultures from all of the world , I gained a broader philosophy which reminds me of my position on this world as a human being... 

Do you prefer modelling or acting? If you had to choose only one of these carriers for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

This is a very difficult question that I still don’t know how to answer. These two types of work are similar but so different at the same time. I love the freedom that modelling gives me, I love the friends and the people I have met thought it, the opportunities I have to travel and work around the world. I also love the challenges which acting gives me, it always questions me on how well I know myself, my limits, my feeling and knowledge of life...

Tell us about your character in Eramos Seis, Lucio. Do you have anything in comino with this character?

Lúcio was a guy ahead of his time, the story was set in the early 1940’s and at a time when the Brazilian people were living though great hardship and when WW2 was about to explode. He came from a very well educated and political family, growing up seeing his father fighting against the fascists.. Lucio became a communist and dedicated his life to fighting against capitalism, oppression, the nazis and fascism back in Brazil, and to furthering the rights of workers who were exploited in the big factories of the time. He was an idealist who he ended up in the second war fighting as a soldier, and almost died of his wounds. He was a romantic guy, he married and had a beautiful family. This is story is based in a true story inspired from a famous book in Brazil. 

I have some things in common with Lúcio but I have also learned so much from this character. I have, through all of my life, been very romantic just like him and with Lúcio I learned to study more about politics, and to use my power to speak out about things that I believe and to fight against the things I don’t find correct, such as racism , homophobia, oppression, and censorship….

Tell us about your most incredible experience in modelling yet.

For sure my first Moschino fragrance campaign “toy boy”.

It was a dream of mine and when they invited me to be part of it, I just couldn’t believe it. When the day of the shoot arrived, we had to fly to Los Angeles and we shot it in a Hollywood studio, with so many people working on the set. I felt like a Hollywood star. The day was so beautiful, the mood of everyone, the smile, my excitement, and such good vibes from my colleagues, it was magical.

We had so many challenges on the set which made it it even more exhilarating. When we finished, we felt like the day passed so quickly but we had actually spent more than 18 hours shooting. I was sweating, and so tired, but so satisfied.

So far the best job I have done... 

You pretty much have done it all, what would be your dream acting role and your dream modelling job?

I would love to work as a actor for a international production, maybe in Hollywood, maybe in London o in Europe. Maybe working for Netflix or for Disney, Universal studio who knows! As for modelling I’d like to do another fragrance campaign, a watch campaign, a beautiful car campaign. I have endless dreams, if I could tell them all I would use all the pages of this magazine and also the next. What have I already have achieved?

this is just the beginning!

We’ve read that your girlfriend Gabriella Pires is also a model, are you guys competitive with each other, and if so how do you handle it? 

Yes she is a model, and for me she is the best female model of her generation. But no, we are not competitive, we love to celebrate our achievements together and she is very supportive. If today I have succeeded, it is because I have her by my side everyday encouraging me and motivating me to keep going strong in my path... 

Any advice on Models starting out? What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your career so far?

Try to understand this business, people who work on it, the stories about fashion, get to know about models who have made their name in this industry. Be patient because at the start it’s not easy, there is a lot of waiting around and rejection until you get the jobs. You’ve got to invest a lot on your career, and be prepared to live away from your family for seasons. Be healthy on your body and mind, do sports, read books, follow and watch how great models perform, study new languages, invest on acting courses, theatre and dance. I feel like modelling asks a lot from new talents but please remember, it’s not just about being beautiful, you have got to have something else, you must be versatile and when you get the job give it your 200% to make the job as nice, as fun and as beautiful and honest as possible.

I have learned that this job often gives models a lot of confidence, power, ego and money. The most important advice I would give is to never ever let the ego, the fame, the money buy your soul. Always be humble, always be polite and be kind to the others. Nobody is more special than anyone else. We are all equal. Who you are, will show in your work too. If by chance you feel one day, that something has changed inside you for the bad, go back to your home, stay a couple of days with your people and put your feet on the floor again. This world is tired of selfish people, there is no space for these types of people anymore. We must be part of the change which we want to see in the world. Our work has a lot of importance to society: we are not just “models” but we are also role models.

How has covid effected you? You were back in Brazil with family…

In the beginning of the crisis I was so afraid. I felt like the world was about to end. I was in Rio de Janeiro filming for a tv soap opera I am in, and we had to stop everything and go back to our homes (in my case to Brasilia) so I stayed there with my parent and siblings for 6 months. My mom and my dad couldn’t go work and in the beginning I was able to take care of them. I have to confess that I got a bit bored in the first month without work or traveling, but then I realised that I really needed that break, for so long I was too busy to spend time in the place I was born and with my people. Since I started modelling I have never stopped, I was going everywhere, doing everything, and then the world stopped. I just loved staying with my parents and my siblings again and hear their stories and remember that they are everything that I have, they are my roots, my origins. This pandemic allowed me to get back to where it all started, to find that simple country boy which I used to be.... 

Where is your favourite place to visit and where to live? 

I always like to go to London. I love to spend some time there, meet my friends, walk around the city, visit museums and go to the theatre.I have such a good connection with this place. London welcomed me so nicely when I first moved there for work and I learned so much. I have achieved so many things in this place that I just want to one day have my own home here. London makes me believe that all I desire is possible!

You love cycling, tell me more about your relatively new passion..

I always loved to cycle since I was 5 years old but I didn’t have a bike of my own, my family never had the means to give me one so I always borrowed my friend’s bike to ride. I was obsessed by it. The years passed and when this year with the pandemic, I went back home to Brasilia and because of the lockdown I couldn’t do any sports, so I bought my first bike ever. My first dream!

 I started to cycle every single day during the lockdow , around the mountains and forest of my hometown , exploring the waterfalls and jungle, I had a wonderful time. It helped me with my anxiety, to get fit (I lost 6kg in 3 months), helped raise my spirit and allowed me to feel free. I now realise that I may have gone too far as I cycled more than 5.000km in 5 months, which is a ridiculous number for a beginner like me. That said, now I could not survive without cycling in my life, it’s a new lifestyle....Go buy bikes guys and let’s help the world! 

What’s your motivation in life?

Give my family a comfortable life; 

Make all my mom’s dreams come true. I want to tell her that she doesn’t need to work anymore and give her a beautiful house with a garden;

Marry and have a beautiful family:

Have my own farm with my animals, my kids running around it, have sea close to me where I can swim and fish everyday until I get old;

Teach my kids how to be  better human beings and see them grow up to become great people;

Be happy and be able to make art until the day I die...

Jhona exclusively in Moschino

You can follow Jhona on Instagram @jhona_burjack

Photography by Dimitris Theocharis