Staiv Gentis is a French model, stuntman, actor and TV personality, but perhaps best known for being in a relationship with French model and actress Inès Rau, and for hosting the “Éveil” or “Awakening” video series produced by the GQ France media company, starting in January 2024.
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Early life
Staiv’s birth date and year are unknown, but he was born in France. In his interview for the “The Art of Sports” documentary in September 2022, he said that he became passionate about sports at four, and viewed himself as an artist athlete because sports and arts were, in his opinion, connected since the 16th century.
Career
Staiv started modeling in 2008, according to his interview with Le Curieux des Arts or Curious about the Arts online publication. However, according to Drouot, he only gained renown in 2011, when French artists and photographers Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard, romantic partners who jointly produced work under the name Pierre et Gilles since 1976, invited him to pose for them. The two created the resulting “Achilles ” painting based on their vision of a gladiator at the brink of death, and Pierre Julien’s marble sculpture, Dying Gladiator.
Some individuals shared the picture online in 2012 and praised Staiv’s physique, and Pierre et Gilles exhibited it at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France, from September 2013 to January 2014. In his Curious about the Arts interview, Staiv also stated that he met them through friends and that he posed for the artist duo about nine times from 2008 to 2017. He was the primary model for their works “Anger of Achilles,” “Orestes,” “King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba,” and “Silver Surfer.”
Acting
Staiv made his acting debut in an unnamed role 2014, in the short movie “Sangra Tango” or “Bleeds Tango” alongside its director Luzio Vega. He told Curious about the Arts that he also acted in theater, and that his favorite movies were “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Stanley Kubrick, and “The Cheetah” and “Death in Venice” by Luchino Visconti. Moreover, Staiv was inspired to start acting by watching films directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Luc Besson, and Thierry Harcourt. He also cited classical and opera music, particularly by choreographer William Forsythe and composers Richard Wagner and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for giving him daily inspiration during the early years.
Following a three-year break, Staiv played Control Room Solder in the 2017 “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” movie alongside stars such as Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, Dane DeHaan, and Ethan Hawke. Although he had a minor role, he still gained some renown. Consequently, Staiv was cast as Marin in the French romance film “Du soleil dans mes yeux” or “Sun in My Eyes” in 2018, and then as Owen in the 2019 comedy movie “Leatherdaddy.” In 2022, Staiv played Homme GIGN in the film “L’astronaute” or “The Astronaut” alongside Nicolas Giraud and Hélène Vincent, who also starred in “Sun in My Eyes.”
Stunt performances
Following his Hollywood debut in 2017, Staiv became interested in doing stunts. According to his IMDb profile, his first opportunity came in 2019 when he was hired to do motion-captured stunts for the “Ghost Recon: Breakpoint” tactical shooter video game, part of the “Tom Clancy” brand licensed by the video game publisher Ubisoft, which won the Gamescom Award in the Best PC Game category that year.
In 2021, Staiv was one of many stuntmen for the “Warlike” short movie about military training and the incredible ability of one woman, Target, played by Aurélia Agel, to overcome attacks by more robust and larger men. He also performed stunts in the horror comedy movie “Barbaque” released the same year, which was translated as “Some Like It Rare” for international release, a nod to the 1959 movie “Some Like It Hot.”
Self-improvement
Staiv was an aspiring bodybuilder, and did martial arts as a hobby before his acting and stunt work took off; he competed in the 2012 Muscle Mania Fitness Europe, but failed to rank among the top 20. However, that expertise was crucial for his online career, which combined with starring in “The Art of Sports,” led the host of the “CIRCADIAN” podcast to invite him as a guest in an episode broadcast in May 2023. During that interview, Staiv stated that he works as an holistic physical trainer, meditates, and conditions his mind regularly. Additionally, he revealed that he was interested in the topic of the use of psychedelics in medicine, eradicating social conditioning, awakening his mind, and researching ancestral wisdom.
Staiv discussed similar matters in “TIME FOR HUMAN,” “MEDIT’ACTION,” “INSPIRE Potential,” and “MOUVERS” podcasts in late 2023 and early 2024. GQ France noticed that, and hired him to host “Awakening,” during which he traveled to research and practice various disciplines related to spirituality and unconventional approaches to mental and physical health. For instance, in one of the first episodes, Staiv explores the philosophy of Shaolin kung fu, and trains with one of its leading practitioners, Master Shi Heng Yi.
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Moreover, on 30 January 2024, Staiv shared an ice bath with Wim Hof, a motivational speaker who popularized cold therapy combined with a specialized breathing technique that reportedly leads to health and wellness benefits. Celebrities who reported using Wim Hof’s cold exposure method include David Beckham, Liam Hemsworth, Orlando Bloom, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Social media
Staiv has almost 12,000 followers on his Instagram account, @staiv_gentis. He’s primarily posted about his passions, which included boxing, calisthenics, karate, and taekwondo.
Additionally, he posted motivational quotes and photos from his travels to monuments built or revered by Buddhists and workout routines to motivate his fans. Moreover, Staiv has an official YouTube account under the same handle, but has yet to post content. That indicates that he might expand his social media presence after the GQ France collaboration.
Ex-girlfriend Inès Rau
In 2015, online media publications shared pictures of Staiv kissing Inès Rau, who was born on 18 March 1990 in Nancy, France. Inès is a biological male who began female hormone therapy at 16 by taking medication purchased on the black market, as she was unsure how her parents would react. Thankfully, they supported her when she had a sex reassignment surgical operation at 18 – Inès described the aftermath as ‘a living reincarnation of her true self.’
During their relationship, Staiv and Inès posted pictures from a romantic vacation in Khao Raa, Thailand, and spent time in Paris, France. Although they never discussed it, they received support from the LGBTQ+ community for breaking the stigma when Inès became the first transgender Playmate of the Month in the November/December 2017 issue of Playboy magazine. She stated that while she’s proud of being a transgender person, she wanted to be treated as a regular female model.
Unfortunately, Staiv and Inès broke up at some point before 2022 and deleted all social media posts that showed them as a couple. Inès was linked to French professional soccer player Kylian Mbappé in 2022 and early 2023, and presented her new boyfriend to her Instagram followers on 5 January 2024, while Staiv seemingly remained single.
Physical characteristics
Staiv has light gray hair and hazel eyes. He is 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, weighs about 170lbs (77kg), and has an athletic physique.
Net worth
Staiv has a net worth of close to $1 million from his acting, modeling, hosting and stunt work.
