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Modeling is no easy task. It’s an art made to look and feel flawless regardless of the situation. As onlookers, that’s something we can all agree on. Here’s Amandha talking to us about his lifestyle and what works best for him. If you are aspiring to reach great heights in this industry, or just in general, keep reading. This interview might definitely have pointers worth your while.

What is a typical day like in the life of Amandha Amarasekara?

It's generally an early morning wake, a walk into the garden with my dog, a morning routine (some meditations, affirmations, visualizations and a fun workout) that I consider my “morning cup of coffee” and therefore, a MUST, and then I jump straight into work which takes up the rest of the day.

Is modeling something you’ve always aspired to do? 

Not really. It was more a thing of chance. Like introducing marshmallows into hot chocolate. Life was relatively alright but after my first gig, life became this entirely new concoction and I didn’t want life any other way. 

How old were you when you first modeled and what was that experience like as a new timer? 

I was a relatively late bloomer. I was about 23 when I first got into it and it was every definition of the word ‘exciting’. It was thrilling, terrifying, a bit nauseating but when I was up there on the ramp, there was a split second where the lights focused, cameras pointed and it was just the audience and, at that moment, I felt love.

How would you say you have progressed in this field in comparison to your very first gig? 

I know I used to be VERY STIFF on stage, to a point where I was giving the Terminator competition. Before a show, it wasn’t just butterflies but bees and wasps and helicopters in my stomach, but now I feel a little more at ease with the whole thing. Now I just have fun with it.

Staying fit and healthy plays a key role in modeling. Or so we’ve been told. Can you talk us through your daily meal intake and fitness routine? 

This one’s easy! Every morning: Some form of bean (Mung, Cowpea or Chickpea)/ Red rice, coconut sambol (like the true patriot I am) and two eggs, followed by a bowl of oats, diced fruit and a scoop of protein powder. Lunch is a very standard rice and curry with less emphasis on rice and more on curry and dinner is a small meal with some form of protein and a cheeky green tea. I space them 2 to 2 and a half away hours from each other and every Tuesday, I just have more liquids than solid food so porridge, protein shakes and soups.

My workouts since last year have all been body weight exercises and cardio on alternating days, but I have been experimenting with Pilates, Yoga and Ab and Core Exercises with Barressential. 

I recently saw that you had completed an 8-year streak in sobriety. What has that journey been like? 

Long but the most worthwhile journey I've ever made. I was...in a dark place at one point in my life to keep things light. Blaming it on a bad set of friends is an easy way of waiving off guilt because the decision to do it was still mine; but it did get to a point of dependency and that’s where it got scary.

In retrospect though, giving it all up and never looking back was rather easy. I had three Everest like “Why’s” or reasons not to engage anymore and that just held me throughout. 

Here’s a question all the girls want an answer to. How single are you? 

I think I’ve forgotten how to ask a lady out. That single. (Ladies, help the man out. Take the lead)  

As someone who is attached by the hip to fashion, what is your take on today’s local fashion scene?

I love how progressive Sri Lanka is getting. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with some amazing designers who have taken Sri Lanka’s signature looks, polished and pushed them to new boundaries, have revamped older styles and reintroduced them and are even introducing new avant-garde takes, styles and looks into the country and I AM ALL FOR IT! 

I am a huge proponent and advocate of “Wear what you want to wear” and hey, the crazier, the better.

What is a professional goal of yours that you are yet to achieve? 

There are quite a few, but the one I’m working on currently is learning to be a musician.

While having fame on the internet has its perks, I am sure it also comes with an equal amount of hate. How do you handle the keyboard warriors that are constantly waiting to shoot you down?

This used to really get to me when I first started. I think ‘hate’ began to internalize after consistently being subjected to random hate as ‘I am a horrible person’ and ‘I have no value’. All the “Haters Gonna Hate” motivational talk fades away as the light of day does and it leaves you there, enveloped in darkness and alone, questioning the validity of your dreams, aspirations and even your existence.

But then a friend of mine introduced me to a philosophy called Stoicism which I began to resonate with very passionately. It was an explanation of what should be done during these times, which is simply removing the ‘I’ or ego from the equation and to reevaluate the accusations made. If they were right and I did indeed “suck”, then all I had to do was to practice and improve. If they were wrong, then the problem was with them. Not me. In either instance, I come out on top. 

The Behind The Scenes of your shoots on your Instagram stories always seem like an absolute ball. Are all shoots fun and games or is there a more stressful, soul sucking side to it as well? 

I think it’s the environment you create for yourself at that moment that becomes the make or break between a hilariously fun shoot and a dreary, “TAKE ME AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!” kind of shoot. It's also a mix between television commercials that last hours on end to photoshoots that finish as fast as an hour. One particular commercial lasted an afternoon, a night and the next morning. Towards the end of the shoot, to say that we looked like the walking dead would be a compliment, but we still managed to have fun with it.

So, it’s all about the attitude you bring in.

What is a model’s sleep schedule like and are there days when you’ve had to break rest to get a shoot done? 

It's supposed to be 7 - 8 hours but that depends on the show or gig. If it's a show that runs for a couple of days back to back, then you just have to make do. That, and I honestly just love the work I do, so I'm more or less fine with it.

People are very opinionated when it comes to the modeling industry. What are your words of wisdom for young folks trying to make their way into the field?  

If you want to wear something or dress differently, do it by all means. It's your body. Life is short. Do what makes you happy.

For the longest time, models have always been selected based on a particular skin type, an ideal height/weight etc. and people of today’s society have started fighting the stereotype and are trying to make way to have people of all shapes and sizes accepted in the modeling industry. What is your outlook on this? 

As a person who has been suffering with body image issues for the last decade, I am all for accepting different things, really. To say, in an industry that is so prevalent and influential, that you reject a body type is to reject a person of a particular stature and that is just not fair.

Where I do draw a line to this, however, is where we promote body positivity with both eyes closed. Being any weight we want is fine as long as we’re being healthy about it (by a doctor’s or medical professional’s standard) and we’re not using it as an excuse to waste away. 

Besides modeling, what do you partake in? 

I think content creation is my way of making people smile but since that also constitutes work, I relax more with music. I watch a great deal of British Panel Shows because I find them absolutely hilarious. I draw, play video games and go outside for that much needed escape from a screen and breath of fresh air, usually with my dog, Lemon - she has moods.

Here’s a TikTok question for you. As someone who struggles and takes forever to get a TikTok dance routine right, how long does it take for you? 

My longest video (practice, performance and re-takes wise) was about three hours, but hey, it doesn't have to be perfect. As long as you’re having a good time, you’ll be fine. Practice makes perfect.

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