With homosexual rights a current hot button issue, the casting of gay adult film star Sean Paul Lockhart (known in the industry under the pseudonym Brent Corrigan) in Tim Sullivan’s “I Was a Teenage Werebear” has given the film some unexpected publicity.
“Werebear” is Sullivan’s segment of CHILLERAMA, a horror/comedy anthology he is doing with fellow indie favorites Adam Green, Joe Lynch, and Adam Rifkin. It follows a day in the life of Ricky O’Reilly, the closeted new kid who falls for Talon, Malibu High’s mysterious bad boy. When aroused, the two transform into bestial leather daddies.
Lockhart and Sullivan recently spoke out about the “controversial” film, and The Huffington Post even picked up on the story. Here are some highlights:
Sullivan, on his inspirations: “Each one of us is doing homage to a different genre and style. I choose the surf musicals of the 60’s crossed with Lost Boys and Twilight. As a gay man, I’ve always been drawn to the queer subtext in films depicting teenage angst. With our fight for equality reaching a fever pitch, I felt it was time to fully embrace the gay undertones that peppered my previous films, and this time bring them front and center.”
Lockhart, on the controversy: “I recognize that my controversial background made me a risky chance for the lead in this role. It does, though, show the promise of the future if a group of mainstream filmmakers are willing to set all of that aside, in order to make something fun and not meant to be taken too seriously. But sometimes the “light” approach is the best way to reach people about the serious issues of the world, the plight for acceptance and tolerance among gay youth, and how that struggle is frequently met with adversity, in the form of bullying & taunting … There is a place for each an every one of us as individuals in this world. That is the true beauty in all of this!”
A full 90-minute interview with the duo can be heard here. Gabby West (below, SAW 3D), Lin Shaye (2001 MANIACS), and Anton Troy co-star in the segment. CHILLERAMA is currently in post-production and aiming for a spring/summer 2011 release.