MODEL/ACTRESS/DANCER JACQUELINE HONULIK LIVES EVERY DAY TO THE FULLEST
BY JENNIFER VIKSE
INDUSTRY: How did you get started modeling?
Jacqueline Honulik: I grew up a ballerina. To this day I still feel that ballet is the most exquisite form of art…The desire to create one type of art or another with my body was just something that I grasped onto at a very young age. Around the time I was in middle school, I began catching the eye of different agencies: be it at a mall, a carnival, or walking the streets of NYC with my mother or father. Looking back now and thinking about my eighth grade self as a model is still rather perplexing all ears, bony limbs, and braces. My love for the arts never stopped, and I did have the opportunity to dance with both the New York City and American Ballet in various productions; however, I did choose a standard and expected future and attended college. I did long to perform and because of that I joined a touring Ukrainian dance group as my heritage is incredibly important to me. Fast forward to my senior year of college when, on a whim, I decided to enter the Miss Connecticut USA pageant. Much to my surprise, I ended up winning the title! And so began a renewed interest in combining both my body, my spirit, and my quirkiness into collaborations with like-minded artists.
IM: Tell us about some gigs you’ve done.
JH: Some of my favorite gigs and photoshoots involved travels with my mother. I’m an only child, and my mom and I are genuinely enmeshed in the best possible way. She was previously a graphic artist so her eye for detail is exceptional. She has traveled with me to many New York Fashion Week shows as well as photoshoot upon photoshoot. I love the performance aspect of modeling, and consequently favor modeling for both television and film. I became a SAG-AFTRA actress in 2011 and the majority of my favorite experiences came from working on those sets. Patience for long hours and a strong work ethic are essential. My first television gig (and likely one of my favorites) was playing a model on CBS’s Blue Bloods for designer Marc Bouwer. After that experience I was hooked. I have appeared in advertisements for Grey Goose vodka, Food Network, CBS sports, ESPN, Kay Jewelers, and VH1. Recently I had the opportunity to play a model in my favorite television series, Succession. I have an incredible respect for the great actors of film and television having studied acting continuously since 2010, and Jeremy Strong is in a class apart. To watch him work was a masterclass in itself and I am forever grateful.
IM: What is your favorite thing about the winter season?
JH: Some say that the winter is far too long, but in my opinion, it is fleeting and ephemeral. That first snow can come and go so quickly. The snow melts and that initial beauty is just a distant memory. And then (for a snow lover like me) I sit and wait for that next coat of fresh snow…it might come, it might not the beauty of nature.
IM: Does your background influence your look?
JH: The funny thing is I’ve never given my look or my style much thought. In a sense, I’ve often been typecast as a ‘60s or ‘70s throwback, and the fact that I might reference that period of time in my look and style was never intentional. But in a sense I am in awe of the effortless beauty of the ‘70s.
IM: Where are you currently living? JH: Fairfield, Connecticut.
IM: Tell us about your career. JH: My interests are, well, complex. Those complexities led me to the career that I have now. I am a flight attendant for a major U.S. airline. It is a job that suits a person like me to a T: a restless soul, perpetually on the move. I think that like most, I have a brain that just won’t switch off so flying offbeat trips at odd hours throughout different time zones is likely what suits me best! The schedule also coincides closely with shoot schedules for both photos and TV/film.