THE ART OF BEING STRAIGHT: Q&A with Jesse Rosen
In Jesse Rosen’s feature-film debut, The Art of Being Straight, 23-year-old Jon (played by Rosen himself), recently arrived in Los Angeles after leaving behind his girlfriend in New York, discovers that Southern California has more than sunshine and hot chicks to offer. Like, a hot-in-the-pants (male) boss who simply won’t take no for an answer. So, that leads to a kiss, which leads to some more intimate stuff, which leads to self-denial, identity issues, and problems with anti-gay buddies. Being straight — if you ain’t, really — is not just an art form. In fact, it’s a chore.
In writer-director Rosen’s laidback, unpretentious dramatic comedy, which is currently playing at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills in addition to being available on Here! on demand, characters must come to terms not only with who they are, but with who others think they are. That’s no easy task, and Rosen has a generally capable cast helping him convey that message. Particularly good is Rachel Castillo’s Maddy, who identifies herself as a lesbian but who doesn’t hesitate (too much) to become physically close with the (male) history teacher next door.
What I liked best about The Art of Being Straight, is Rosen’s refusal to label his characters. Jon may come across to some as a closeted gay man, but just because he’s in denial about his attraction to other men doesn’t necessarily negate the possibility that he may be into women as well. Even the straight buddies come across as less hetero than they pride themselves to be, considering their obsession with who’s gay who isn’t, what’s gay what isn’t.
Jesse Rosen has kindly agreed to take part in a q&a (via e-mail) for the Alternative Film Guide, and in his very first answer he’s dropped a revelatory bomb about a certain contributor to this site whose identity shall remain hidden for propriety’s sake (though "you know who you are!"). See below.
The Art of Being Straight will next open in Ft. Lauderdale (June 19) and Columbus, Ohio (June 26). More information here.
Watch the trailer here.
Photos: Courtesy of Here Media / Regent Releasing
Jesse Rosen, Johnny Ray Rodriguez
Could you tell us how much of what goes on in The Art of Being Straight is factual — or inspired by factual events — and how much is fictional?
I based the film loosely on someone who works at the Alternative Film Guide office, but I won’t name names. You know who you are! No, I’d say there’s a nice blend of fact and fiction within the film. It’s certainly inspired by events in my own life, but also events in the lives of friends and people I had spoken with when I was in the thick of doing research for the film. The character of Maddy is loosely based off of an old friend of mine, but barely any of her subplot, if at all.
The Art of Being Straight is your first film as a director. What was it like to direct and star in a film that you wrote? In other words, how comfortable (or uncomfortable) were you directing your own piece, having the producers making sure that you kept costs under control, having to choose what to leave out, what to keep in the final cut, etc? And what about directing yourself?
Starring in this film was by no means ever my intention. Our lead, who was the last person to be cast, dropped out three days before shooting, and we could either shelve the film (which is eternal damnation in LA) or say (*)&^ and go make it. I was pretty insistent on going forward, so was glad the producers believed in me at that point to do it.
Luckily, I had a tremendously creative, passionate crew that weren’t afraid to give feedback as we shot. I looked to everyone on set who thankfully was willing to be honest and open about what the scenes required. From our DP Aaron Torres to on-set producers Amy Wasserman and Ursula Camack, to our grip who yelled out "That didn’t look real enough!" after a gay sex scene take…
I was very lucky to be working on a team that all had the same goal: they believed in the movie and wanted it to be great. We definitely had to make big choices as to what to shoot and what not to shoot, especially when you’re heading into a day with 16 pages. I had to combine scenes, and make quick, on-set decisions as to what scenes just maybe weren’t necessary.
Jesse Rosen Interview: Part II
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Tags: Gay Interest, Gay Movies, Interviews, Jesse Rosen, Johnny Ray Rodriguez, Los Angeles Screenings, The Art of Being Straight
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Very handsome guy. The screenplay needed one more round of revisions, though. But all in all a perfectly acceptable and entertaining first film.