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Untamed Magazine
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UNTAMED
MAGAZINE
BEYOND
AGE
INTERVIEW
JAN GRUND PEDERSEN
On modeling, reinvention, and refusing to play it safe.
THE UNTAMED INTERVIEW
"To show you can do anything at my age."
JAN GRUND PEDERSEN
Started modeling at 61, not by plan, but by chance.
THE UNTAMED HIGHLIGHTS
A lifelong love for theater and acting.
Shy off camera, confident in front of it.
Believes the fashion industry is slowly changing its perception of age.
Chooses the unexpected over the safe option.
He started modeling at 61. Not because it had always been the plan, but because life finally gave him the opportunity to explore something that had been waiting inside him for decades.
Jan Grund Pedersen is a Swedish model, actor and theater lover who chose reinvention over routine. In this exclusive UNTAMED interview, he opens up about age, identity, confidence and what it really means to be untamed at 61.
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These photos were taken
in an abandoned building tucked away
in the Mallorcan countryside. What caught my attention was the contrast between the worn, graffiti-covered walls and the simplicity of a white
shirt and black trousers.
As the shoot went on, it became less about the clothes and more about confidence, shedding your protective layers and feeling comfortable in your own skin. The abandoned building wasn't just a location—it became another character in the series. Sometimes beauty is found in places that have been forgotten.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your modeling career?
I started very late. It was in a sense Covid that gave me the opportunity to start a new chapter in life. In my youth, from very young up through High School my passion was theater/acting and being on the stage, which gave me an opportunity to channel the “exhibitionist” in me. Off stage or camera I am Swedish shy. Don’t want to inhabit too much space. After High School it was time to get serious, and find a profession, and acting was not really considered a real job where I come from. So instead I went to University and eventually a regular work.
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What inspired you to become a model?
This was really all about timing. I had a couple of friends who encouraged me to try, and since Covid hit, it gave me more time to explore the possibilities – and I also traveled (I was sick already in April 2020, and considered myself immune) to meet different photographers to build my portfolio.
What has been the most exciting or memorable shoot you’ve worked on?
I was at a shoot in Copenhagen, where we were filming a commercial for a company that rents high-end office space, and the agency wanted it to look like a luxury perfume commercial. This was to be done in one day (my flight back to Stockholm was at 20.00), and I got the list of shots at 8.00 in the morning. I couldn’t believe that we were going to do all of those in one day (I was in every shot), since I just came from a shoot where I spent three days having dinner at the same table (for a kitchen applience company). But we made it – and I really love the result.
Have you faced any challenges in the modeling industry? If so, how did you overcome them?
My challenge has of course been starting so late (I am now 61). Agencies don’t want to invest in someone they cannot really mold in the same way as a young person. That’s why I have spent a lot of time seeking up photographers in different ways to create my own portfolio. I have also tried to find opportunities in many different ways – a lot online.
How do you prepare for a big shoot or runway show?
I don’t really have any groundbreaking ways to prepare for a shoot. I don’t overeat the day before. I get plenty of sleep. And I eat as little as possible before the shoot. (So I prefer morning shoots, since then I can usually skip breakfast, but have an early dinner 😊)
Do you prefer editorial, commercial, or runway modeling, and why?
I prefer editorial shoots, since they give more room for artistry. Specifically for those where there is an idea/mood or specific estethics that is the basis for the whole shoot. Then it’s easier to try to embody or interpret that in my own way, and also have the freedom to do so.
What role do you think storytelling plays in modeling?
I think that is very important, at least for me, both as the model or the viewer of the photos. If it’s just a pretty picture it’s easy to forget or quickly consume without digesting. A story will hopefully trigger some kind of emotion and make a more lasting impression.
What are your biggest career goals for the future?
I have never really walked a runway (well, I did one very local at a Swedish venue), so this is something that I really would like to do. I picture myself in some avantgarde creation, stomping fiercly to loud mucic – preferably also in some fake rain 😅
This is what I “struggle” with though – when I have the opportunity to choose style for a more artistic shoot I love to go the more unexpected route. To show that you can do anything at my age. At the same time I know that the safe way to get good photos is by doing the very expected – dressed in suit, shirt and possibly even tie. I know it works well for me. But it is very safe. And I can’t say that I in general play the game of life very safely.
Life is too short to play it safe.
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JAN GRUND PEDERSEN
THE UNTAMED INTERVIEW
Some people wait for the right time
JAN GRUND PEDERSEN made his own.
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