“My diapers were Calvin Klein”: who knew ‘Monsters's Cooper Koch is funny, too?
The star of CK's Pride campaign talks goals, grooming and being a queer advocate, all with a sense of humour
WHEN COOPER KOCH made his Calvin Klein campaign debut last month, it was his grandma, out of all of his loved ones, that was most thrilled to see him in his tighty-whities.
“She was very impressed,” the actor tells me in the run up to the release of some more undies shots (there are a couple of clothed ones, too) saved from the shoot to celebrate Pride month 2025.
For this moment, the person most proud of him is himself.
“It means the world,” he says before adding: “I’m so happy that Calvin Klein is such an ally to the gays.”
He never imagined he’d be this content with his sexuality.
When Koch realised he was queer, he wanted to hide away – “crawl into a hole and never come out.” But that was before he came to the conclusion that a man – or anyone’s for that matter – needn’t be defined by their sexual orientation.
Or, how Koch likes to put it: “Who they like to sleep with.”
“Straight people don’t have to accept themselves for being straight,” after all.
The Calvin Klein gig came less than a year after Koch’s sudden rise to fame last autumn with Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (a Ryan Murphy show that told the true story of two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in the late Eighties. Koch played the latter brother).
Quite the chapter 28 he has had, then.
With his birthday incoming (16 July), and 30 on the horizon, I asked Koch about his summer plans, his goals, his grooming tips (29 never looked so good) and more.
Esquire: When did you first discover Calvin Klein?
Cooper Koch: My diapers were Calvin Klein.
Have you always kept in this good shape?!
CK: To be honest, when I was told I got the gig, I immediately found a trainer and I haven’t stopped going since.
What does it mean to you to front CK’s Pride campaign?
CK: Being in this community, being an advocate for queer people, and being myself feels incredible and is so fulfilling.
What projects do you have on the horizon?
CK: I have committed to something that I’m VERY excited about, but that I can’t talk about that yet. I hope to be working as an actor (and, eventually, a writer and a director too) for the rest of my life.
How do you pick your projects?
I only want to do projects that really speak to me – projects that make my heart swell and that give me goosebumps. I’m not chasing the zeitgeist, I’m chasing the feeling you get when you make work that teaches you about yourself and about humanity.
The internet likes the idea of you taking on the role of Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming take on American Psycho. What are your thoughts and feelings on this?
My thoughts are: the internet is a crazy place, I think that role is already cast, and I’d die to work with Luca.
What’s something people might not know about your career?
This is just the beginning.
What has been the highlight of life post-Monsters?
I’ve been able to travel a lot. I had never been to Australia which was incredible. I’ve loved getting to go back and forth to New York. Europe! I’m going to the French Open finals this weekend!
Who are you hoping to work with in the future?
Ruben Östlund, Kristoffer Borgli, Pedro Almodovar, Kristen Stewart, Ben Stiller, Gaspar Noe, Sean Baker, Eliza Hittman.
What’s been your favourite outfit of the year?
The leather jacket look I wore to the Calvin Klein Collection show – definitely my favourite. The fit was perfect, and there’s something about a good leather jacket I always gravitate towards.
What’s one CK piece you’ve always wanted?
Every pair of jeans that I wore in the campaign.
What are your top grooming tips?
Have a good groomer and do ice facials in the morning.
What plans do you have for the summer, including your birthday this year?
French open, Hawaii, and my family’s cabin in Canada.
You are turning 30 next year. What are you hoping to achieve before then?
- I want the Menendez brothers out of prison (which isn’t really up to me, but I will consider it an achievement when it happens).
- I want to be in a movie. Or two. Or three!
- I want to make music.
Would you say you’re a typical Cancer?
1000%. I cry almost every day.
The Calvin Klein Pride 2025 collection is now available on the CK webstore.
Calvin Klein is proud to financially support organizations that serve the LGBTQIA+ community.
This story originally appeared on Esquire UK.
Related:
Cooper Koch on ‘Monsters’, fame, and stripping down for Calvin Klein
‘American Psycho’ is a perfect movie. Does it need to be remade?
