James McDonell stars in MMSCENE Magazine’s December 2026 digital cover story and sits down with Editor-in-Chief Zarko Davinic for an exclusive interview. The Australian model looks back on early path that began with jazz and tap, took him into professional ballet and eventually brought him in front of the camera. He also talks about what it took to make a home in Europe and the parts of Australia he still thinks about when he’s away.
INTERVIEWS
“The range of bird sounds in Australia is like nothing else, and I miss that soundtrack,” McDonell tells Davinic. He misses the beach and the wildlife, too. His first visit to Europe took him to Novi Sad, Serbia, where his best friend danced at the opera and he joined the company for class on a few visits. Living in Eastern Europe brought its own adjustments. There was a different language to navigate, and a casual “How are you?” could come across as intrusive in places where small talk worked differently from what he knew in Australia.
The story of how he got into modeling comes down to a haircut and a second set of photographs. McDonell had enjoyed taking pictures and posing for them since childhood. When he knew he would be moving to London, he researched agencies and sent out his first applications. Some turned him down and others never replied. He tried again after a haircut, sending fresh digitals to the agencies on his list. Next London signed him, then introduced him to Wonderwall when the Milan agency came to London to scout.
Ballet had started with a little persuasion, too. His teacher spent two years trying to get him to take a class. He finally agreed at nine and loved it immediately. By the time he was dancing professionally, he worked five or six days a week, with conditioning on his own time and rehearsals and performances that could take up evenings and weekends. He had to be ready to go on if another dancer got injured. He brings that readiness to last-minute bookings, along with the ability to take a correction and make a small adjustment to how he holds or moves his body in front of the camera.
For the cover story, Specchio d’Acqua, Tommaso Aprilino photographs McDonell, with art direction and styling by Francesco Maria Ben Messaoud. The wardrobe features Issey Miyake, Stefano Mugnai, Sandro Paris, Manuel Ritz, PSIDE, Scarosso, Random Identities, Stetson, Maison Margiela, Corneliani, Campomaggi, Ferragamo and Diesel. Edoardo De Falco handles makeup, Alessandro Pompili styles the hair and Luca Fancellu retouches the images.
McDonell stepped away from professional ballet to give modeling the time it needed. He still dances for his own enjoyment and singles out Romeo and Juliet for the way the score and choreography let dancers develop their characters. His plans for the next five years are open. Even the question of where he’ll be living is part of what excites him.
See the full story + read our exclusive interview with James McDonell here.
