Godfrey Gao is honoured to be labelled a “male god”

Photos: Tammi Tan

Most of us know the gorgeous Godfrey Gao as a model (he was the first Asian male to front Louis Vuitton) or an actor (he’s been in Taiwanese idol dramas and Hollywood fantasy flicks alike). But did you know that the 1.93m-tall hunk is also known as… DJ Goddy God?

Yep. His alter ego (he gave himself that name) was born when the music lover spent his first paycheque on a mixer and turntables. “I started practising at home and just making a big fuss – my parents hated it!” he recalled with a chuckle during a group interview last night, hours before he was set to hit the decks at H&M’s Singapore Fashion Week after-party.

While that was the first time he worked his music-mixing magic in Singapore, Godfrey is no stranger to the spinning scene in Taipei, where he has hosted several New Year’s countdown parties. And, as one might expect, he garners a significant amount of mostly-female attention at such events.

“I remember the first time I was DJing at a club, all I could see were a bunch of girls with their phones this close to my face and screaming,” he said, taking my mobile from the table in front of him and holding it mere centimetres from my nose to demonstrate. “It was kind of hectic but I had a good time.”

Here are a few other things the multi-talented “nan shen” (男神, which literally means “male god”) divulged about himself during our 15-minute chat:

He likes being called a “male god”

“It’s an honour,” Godfrey candidly admitted when asked to share his thoughts on being bestowed such a prestigious title. “Of course, there is some pressure because having that name means you’re everyone’s dream guy, so I try to keep my image and style that way as best as I can.”

So which part of himself does he consider the sexiest? “I guess it would be this bad boy over here,” he said, stroking his signature beard. And of course, such a feature deserves plenty of TLC (tender loving care) – in addition to keeping it in shape by trimming it once every few days, Godfrey shampoos and conditions his precious facial hair.

When it comes to love, he doesn’t have an ideal type

After brushing off a supposed report that he prefers dating older women, the 30-year-old expressed his desire to settle down and become a dad. However, his hectic, jet-setting schedule makes it “quite impossible” at the moment.

“Eventually I want to find the right person and start a family, I love kids,” he gushed. Yes, ladies, I know you just sat up straight waiting for a description of this “right person”, so here’s how Godfrey himself put it: “I’m not picky when it comes to ‘types’, but I am picky about character. We have to get along, have similar interests and have trust – if there’s none of that then we shouldn’t bother.”

He would love to take on a Korean project

After working with Koreans several times, such as on reality boxing show Brave Heart (a Chinese programme with a Korean team behind it) and with Yoo In-na and Ahn Jae-hyun in upcoming rom-com Wedding Bible, Godfrey has the urge to have a slice of the Hallyu pie.

“Korea is doing big things right now, and I would love to go there and appear in a movie,” he said. “Many great Korean actors and actresses are going to China and learning Chinese, so I’ve got to start learning Korean!”

Godfrey Gao oppa, anyone?

He lost out in popularity to Girls’ Generation’s Yoona

Another Hallyu heavyweight Godfrey will be sharing screen time with is Girls’ Generation’s Yoona in God of War Zhao Yun, his first period drama. As someone who came clean about not being too familiar with kimchi-land’s celebrities, he seemed pretty surprised to find out just how well-loved the doe-eyed starlet is at the Chinese epic’s recent press conference.

“Everyone was cheering for her while the rest of the cast could only sit back and clap,” he chuckled. “It was fun to work with her.”

Hollywood has come a-callin’… again

It looks like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was not the last we saw of Godfrey in the English-speaking movie world. “I have a lot of good projects coming up, including Hollywood productions, but I can’t say anything more about them,” he said.

And yes, he said production(s), which means there will be more than one. We’re definitely keeping our tabs on that.

BONUS: He seems fascinated by phone cases

Before our interview commenced, Godfrey couldn’t help but pick up my phone (a pink one with a pink cover) and another reporter’s phone (inside a pineapple-shaped case) to admire briefly. Fans, if you’ve been wondering what presents to send him…