Evan Landry chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing Connecticut in the 2026 Mister USA competition.
Motivational speaker and politician Les Brown once said: “Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.” This quote applies to Evan Landry, 21, who will be competing in the Mister USA finals in Las Vegas next month.
Mister USA
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment.
It believes in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.
On competing for Mister USA, he remarked, “Honestly, it’s all really new for me. It’s very exciting but it’s also pretty overwhelming at the same time. I did my first professional photo shoot right before Miami Swim Week, and then, I got into Miami Swim Week, and now, I’m doing Mister USA, which is pretty crazy.”
“I feel a lot of emotions but I have a lot of support behind me. I’m pretty proud of where I’ve come from and a lot of people are proud of where I’m coming from. I’m from a small town, so doing Mister USA is honestly unreal,” he said.
“I am very proud and passionate to be representing New England. While I live in Boston, I honestly love every state in New England, and a lot of my closest friends are from Connecticut, so I told them that I have them all covered,” he said with a sweet laugh.
In this year’s Mister USA, Evan wants to spread awareness of people believing in themselves more. “A couple of months ago, I kept my head down. I was working in construction and doing a bunch of different jobs. That all changed when I got the opportunity to do a photo shoot out of nowhere, so I would like to spread awareness that if people believe in themselves, then they can accomplish anything they put their mind to,” he elaborated.
Daily motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, he said, “I am motivated by younger self. When I was 14 and going into high school, I didn’t realize how small I was until I got into that football locker room and I was the smallest person there.”
“Ever since, I started going to the gym every day, and I started working on the physical aspects of my life. Back then, I had zero confidence, I didn’t believe in myself, and I always had doubts in my mind,” he said.
“So, for what drives me every day is thinking what if that younger version of myself were to be face to face with myself right now, how good he would feel and then also just seeing all the people that really support me and believe in me. Whenever my friends tell me that I inspire them, that means a lot to me,” he added.
Future plans
On his future plans, he shared, “I don’t think that far into the future, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me to get into acting. A lot of people would call me ‘Channing Tatum’ when I was in college. I’m just trying to take every opportunity I can and fulfill it to the best that I can and that I can perform.”
“I had a call with one of my agents, who is best friends with my mom, and he was talking about building value to myself every day, no matter what it is, and just being able to do multiple things that would add more value to different industries,” he noted.
“I just don’t want to be a one-trick pony. I want to really be able to do everything that I can do as much as possible,” he added.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Evan said, “Success, to me, isn’t really all about the money. It’s having that freedom of being able to chase things that you love and not being able stressing over jobs or paying rent. I guess it all comes back to money, but at the end of the day, a lot of people are way too consumed about where they should be and how they’re supposed to be doing it.”
“Success isn’t really about landing that huge job. It can simply be believing in yourself, and seeing yourself accomplishing things. Being better than you were last year. As long as you are better than last year, and the person you were back then, that’s a success,” he acknowledged.
“As long as you keep improving yourself, adding more value in your life, and being happy with where you are at, that’s real success,” he added.
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, he said, “My parents (my mom and dad) are my biggest supporters of all time. They have always gone to the moon and back for me. Also, my friends have been super supportive. I come from a reall small town, and it’s not very common for an opportunity like this to happen.”
Closing thoughts on Mister USA
Evan remarked, “When I am competing in Mister USA, I want people to see me as a goofy and not so serious person. I’ve always been going with the flow. I don’t want them to be me as somebody who is super serious. I just want them to see me for my true authentic self.”
“Lately, I’ve been getting more and more comfortable in my own skin, and that’s really all I want people to see out of this pageant. I’m loving who I’m becoming, and I can’t wait to showcase that on the Las Vegas stage,” he concluded.
To learn more about 2026 Mister Connecticut Evan Landry, follow him on Instagram.
