Walking tall in Taiwan

  When Taiwanese heartthrob Dylan Kuo Pin Chao enters the room, he usually towers over everyone else. But, on paper, he prefers to keep his height a secret. “Until some years ago, I didn’t dare disclose my height. I was always worried that it would make it difficult for me to get good roles. I didn’t want to be too tall for the leading ladies. They used to be shorter in those days. But nowadays, the leading ladies are much taller.

 Dylan Kuo usually plays the handsome, clean-cut hero in dramas and movies. “When I was 14, I was already 1.8m. Now, I am about 1.88m,” says Dylan, 30. He is an experienced model, so the SODA Runway show should be a breeze for him. He still recalls his first runway show. “I was 19 or 20 then and there were quite a number of prominent female models. They were very encouraging and gave me many pointers on how to pose. “Initially, I was very shy and not used to being in the same room as the ladies – especially when they stripped during changes of clothes.” Dylan’s first modelling stint was memorable, too. “It was for a fashion spread in GQ, a magazine for men. I was still very young, only 19. And I had to work with foreigners aged 27 or 28. They looked very mature so I felt a little out of place. “But they were very professional and actually quite nice, giving me pointers on facial expressions.” Later, he headed for modelling stints in Europe, which he secured quite easily, thanks to his height