Actor Tim Pocock on his role in queer Australian thriller ‘Body Blow’
Out gay actor Tim Pocock commands the screen as a troubled cop in “Body Blow,” a wildly entertaining queer Australian thriller now available on demand. Pocock plays Aiden, who has been assigned to a division of the force that protects and serves the gay community. On his first day, he meets Cody (Tom Rodgers), a … Read More
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Out gay actor Tim Pocock commands the screen as a troubled cop in “Body Blow,” a wildly entertaining queer Australian thriller now available on demand. Pocock plays Aiden, who has been assigned to a division of the force that protects and serves the gay community. On his first day, he meets Cody (Tom Rodgers), a twink who works at a gay bar where Fat Frankie (Paul Capsis) performs in drag. Aiden has an encounter with Cody in the alley behind the bar where he handcuffs the cheeky bartender before having his way with him. It is not the first line crossed in “Body Blow.”
In fact, writer/directed Dean Francis goes over-the-top as much and as often as possible, which is what makes this erotic thriller so enjoyable. Aiden is NoFap, buying a cock cage at one point to stop touching himself, something he does all too often. His relationship with Cody runs hot and cold as Aiden tries to control his impulses and only have sex when there is love. When Aiden and Cody get involved in a murder, it bonds them — but may also break them.
Pocock, who executive produced the film and performed a song on its soundtrack, plays Aiden with a steely intensity, swaggering through this strange, queer noir with considerable aplomb. The actor spoke with Gay City News about making “Body Blow.”
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“Body Blow," directed by Dean Francis, is available on demand.Dark Star Pictures[/caption]
You must have known what you were getting into here when you read the script for “Body Blow.” What appealed to you about playing Aiden?
There were a lot of things that drew me to it. I’m at a point in my life and my career where I want to do something different. I’ve spent my time in teenage drama land, and I've done the action superhero stuff as well. I am very lucky to have been able to do those things. But it’s always fun to do something that is just a bit different, a bit more challenging. When I read the “Body Blow” script the first time, I didn't understand the character and the choices that he made. That was intriguing to me. I wanted to understand him and make his actions make sense. But on top of that, I had never played a gay character. I was at the point in my life where I was very comfortable with my sexuality and wanted to play a gay character.
Aiden is complicated. He is trying to stay in control of himself. but he feels like he is letting himself down. How did you understand his mindset?
Aiden is in a cocoon phase. He has done stuff in the past he is not proud of, and he has been given a second chance. He does not want to squander it, so he is resolute in proving himself not just to the people around him — but to himself as well. But Aiden is surrounded by all these crazy, kooky characters and gets caught up in their drama. He tries to stay true to himself and be a good person. It was important for me that, even though the film is quite outrageous, that he isn’t. He does take everything seriously. I very much approached it as if it was a very gritty drama. I drew inspiration from Ryan Gosling in “Drive” and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Nightcrawler” — films about troubled men who are stoic in who they are as people while they encounter outrageous situations in a crazy world. I focused on that old school, leading man gravitas to ground the character and make Aiden seem real.
How did you identify with him?
I found a way to relate to the character so that when he does make some of those bizarre choices, I had a reason and a justification that was rooted in reality. Even though I don’t condone how he struggled with his sexuality — it’s not the way that I've struggled with mine; I’ve had my own demons with my sexuality as well — it was more about tapping into having that negative relationship with yourself, your sexuality, and how you express it. For me, it was Catholic guilt. For him, it was obviously other things. Whenever some of that kind of shame, or that guilt or, those questions came up, there was a very deep meaning behind it. So, when I was playing the role, I was very, straight down the line. My job was to, ironically, be the “straight man,” and take everything seriously.
In the opening scene Aiden listens to Duke Ironheart who talks about the power of the penis. Aiden is NoFap, and one could have a drinking game if they imbibed every time Aiden touches himself. What are your thoughts about Aiden’s addiction?
I felt sorry for him. I think he has a very negative relationship with his sexuality, and with the way that he expresses his sexuality. Growing up, I did as well. I literally wrote a book about it. I dealt with my shame about my sexuality in ways that were quite extreme. The sort of self-hatred and all that kind of stuff is something that I can really relate to, even though they were for different reasons. I have empathy for myself and other people in a similar situation and feel sorry for people who are stuck in that kind of mindset. That is sort of how I approached why Aiden made those kinds of decisions.
I like that Aiden only wants to have sex with someone in a committed relationship, which is why he is wary of getting involved with Cody. What are your thoughts on their relationship?
It is a quintessential film noir relationship — the twink fatale who is being manipulative and untrustworthy. But there is a backstory there. Because Aiden has a high IQ, he can see through all of that. Even though there are a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, Aiden sees there is something more to Cody because there were times where he longed for him. Cody is one extreme and Aiden is the other. Aiden’s intentions are good. His mantra for self-improvement is not necessarily something that he wants, or really believes in, but he has told himself, this is what I am going to do, because it is my measure of success right now in my self-improvement. Cody needs to sort of come down from his level a bit, and Aiden needs to rise up. Through their chaotic rollercoaster of a relationship and all of the crazy things that go on, they end up being this yin and yang, actually. There is this big “romantic” line Aiden has, “I want you to be my boyfriend because I want to fuck you.”
The film does objectify your body with scenes of you naked in your cock cage. What are your thoughts on playing that?
We did film the movie a few years ago now. I’m not in that shape anymore. I wish I looked like that right now! Again, it was something that I’d never done before. I’d played the high school heartthrob on a series called “Dance Academy,” and I did an American series on NBC called “Camp,” where my character was just the shirtless guy all the time. The sex in “Body Blow” is literally part of the storyline, because the film is about sex and attraction, and artistically part of the noir genre.
Growing up, and even after I came out, I thought I’ll never play gay, and I’ll never do erotic scenes, because that’s not who I am, and I’m not comfortable with it, and I don’t want to be seen that way. But, as I have said, I turned the corner on that. When I got the script, I liked the uniqueness of it. We have intimacy coordinators now, and these sex scenes are very highly choreographed. Every single hand movement has been pre-thought out, pre-rehearsed, and you still have to sell it. That is a whole new level of performance that I’d never had to kind of consider before. It is still very unsexy, though. Poor Tom [Rodgers], I think the sex scene was the second scene that he had ever filmed. It was baptism by fire.
You are also covered in blood for an extended period of time in the film. Can you talk about that?
Those were my least favorite days. It was so uncomfortable. Fake blood is so sticky, and I was absolutely drenched in it. Over the course of our 7-week shoot there was a day where we went back to shooting the blood scenes. The suit was all crusty, so the armpits were hard. I am sticky on my hands and face. I couldn’t turn because the suit was stiff as a board. I did not enjoy the blood scenes. I had to pick up a garbage bag and my hands kept sticking to the plastic. I could not wait for that to be over!
How does “Body Blow” shift your career to the next level?
“Body Blow,” came to me at a time when I started being a very public advocate for the rainbow community. I did a documentary in Australia about the schooling system that I was raised in, which was a bit cult-like. And then started working with Equality Australia, which is a non-profit here that champions the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. I worked with them on legislative changes in New South Wales, banning conversion therapy, those kinds of things. Then this film came up, and I was like, wow, you know, I am really embracing and championing my gay identity now, so this feels like the absolute right thing to do. I think getting to that point of comfort in myself, and the kinds of characters that I want to play, it led to probably the most, centered and most grounded performance that I have given before. Ironically, it’s probably the butchest and most straight character I’ve ever done even though it was my first time playing gay. It opened my eyes to the different kinds of stories that can be told, and how genre films like this can use gay identity to flip the script and show these tropes in a different light and maybe make a few different points along the way. It has opened up a whole new ball game for me.
“Body Blow” | Directed by Dean Francis | Now available on demand | Distributed by Dark Star Pictures
“Body Blow," directed by Dean Francis, is available on demand.Dark Star Pictures[/caption]
You must have known what you were getting into here when you read the script for “Body Blow.” What appealed to you about playing Aiden?
There were a lot of things that drew me to it. I’m at a point in my life and my career where I want to do something different. I’ve spent my time in teenage drama land, and I've done the action superhero stuff as well. I am very lucky to have been able to do those things. But it’s always fun to do something that is just a bit different, a bit more challenging. When I read the “Body Blow” script the first time, I didn't understand the character and the choices that he made. That was intriguing to me. I wanted to understand him and make his actions make sense. But on top of that, I had never played a gay character. I was at the point in my life where I was very comfortable with my sexuality and wanted to play a gay character.
Aiden is complicated. He is trying to stay in control of himself. but he feels like he is letting himself down. How did you understand his mindset?
Aiden is in a cocoon phase. He has done stuff in the past he is not proud of, and he has been given a second chance. He does not want to squander it, so he is resolute in proving himself not just to the people around him — but to himself as well. But Aiden is surrounded by all these crazy, kooky characters and gets caught up in their drama. He tries to stay true to himself and be a good person. It was important for me that, even though the film is quite outrageous, that he isn’t. He does take everything seriously. I very much approached it as if it was a very gritty drama. I drew inspiration from Ryan Gosling in “Drive” and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Nightcrawler” — films about troubled men who are stoic in who they are as people while they encounter outrageous situations in a crazy world. I focused on that old school, leading man gravitas to ground the character and make Aiden seem real.
How did you identify with him?
I found a way to relate to the character so that when he does make some of those bizarre choices, I had a reason and a justification that was rooted in reality. Even though I don’t condone how he struggled with his sexuality — it’s not the way that I've struggled with mine; I’ve had my own demons with my sexuality as well — it was more about tapping into having that negative relationship with yourself, your sexuality, and how you express it. For me, it was Catholic guilt. For him, it was obviously other things. Whenever some of that kind of shame, or that guilt or, those questions came up, there was a very deep meaning behind it. So, when I was playing the role, I was very, straight down the line. My job was to, ironically, be the “straight man,” and take everything seriously.
In the opening scene Aiden listens to Duke Ironheart who talks about the power of the penis. Aiden is NoFap, and one could have a drinking game if they imbibed every time Aiden touches himself. What are your thoughts about Aiden’s addiction?
I felt sorry for him. I think he has a very negative relationship with his sexuality, and with the way that he expresses his sexuality. Growing up, I did as well. I literally wrote a book about it. I dealt with my shame about my sexuality in ways that were quite extreme. The sort of self-hatred and all that kind of stuff is something that I can really relate to, even though they were for different reasons. I have empathy for myself and other people in a similar situation and feel sorry for people who are stuck in that kind of mindset. That is sort of how I approached why Aiden made those kinds of decisions.
I like that Aiden only wants to have sex with someone in a committed relationship, which is why he is wary of getting involved with Cody. What are your thoughts on their relationship?
It is a quintessential film noir relationship — the twink fatale who is being manipulative and untrustworthy. But there is a backstory there. Because Aiden has a high IQ, he can see through all of that. Even though there are a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, Aiden sees there is something more to Cody because there were times where he longed for him. Cody is one extreme and Aiden is the other. Aiden’s intentions are good. His mantra for self-improvement is not necessarily something that he wants, or really believes in, but he has told himself, this is what I am going to do, because it is my measure of success right now in my self-improvement. Cody needs to sort of come down from his level a bit, and Aiden needs to rise up. Through their chaotic rollercoaster of a relationship and all of the crazy things that go on, they end up being this yin and yang, actually. There is this big “romantic” line Aiden has, “I want you to be my boyfriend because I want to fuck you.”
The film does objectify your body with scenes of you naked in your cock cage. What are your thoughts on playing that?
We did film the movie a few years ago now. I’m not in that shape anymore. I wish I looked like that right now! Again, it was something that I’d never done before. I’d played the high school heartthrob on a series called “Dance Academy,” and I did an American series on NBC called “Camp,” where my character was just the shirtless guy all the time. The sex in “Body Blow” is literally part of the storyline, because the film is about sex and attraction, and artistically part of the noir genre.
Growing up, and even after I came out, I thought I’ll never play gay, and I’ll never do erotic scenes, because that’s not who I am, and I’m not comfortable with it, and I don’t want to be seen that way. But, as I have said, I turned the corner on that. When I got the script, I liked the uniqueness of it. We have intimacy coordinators now, and these sex scenes are very highly choreographed. Every single hand movement has been pre-thought out, pre-rehearsed, and you still have to sell it. That is a whole new level of performance that I’d never had to kind of consider before. It is still very unsexy, though. Poor Tom [Rodgers], I think the sex scene was the second scene that he had ever filmed. It was baptism by fire.
You are also covered in blood for an extended period of time in the film. Can you talk about that?
Those were my least favorite days. It was so uncomfortable. Fake blood is so sticky, and I was absolutely drenched in it. Over the course of our 7-week shoot there was a day where we went back to shooting the blood scenes. The suit was all crusty, so the armpits were hard. I am sticky on my hands and face. I couldn’t turn because the suit was stiff as a board. I did not enjoy the blood scenes. I had to pick up a garbage bag and my hands kept sticking to the plastic. I could not wait for that to be over!
How does “Body Blow” shift your career to the next level?
“Body Blow,” came to me at a time when I started being a very public advocate for the rainbow community. I did a documentary in Australia about the schooling system that I was raised in, which was a bit cult-like. And then started working with Equality Australia, which is a non-profit here that champions the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. I worked with them on legislative changes in New South Wales, banning conversion therapy, those kinds of things. Then this film came up, and I was like, wow, you know, I am really embracing and championing my gay identity now, so this feels like the absolute right thing to do. I think getting to that point of comfort in myself, and the kinds of characters that I want to play, it led to probably the most, centered and most grounded performance that I have given before. Ironically, it’s probably the butchest and most straight character I’ve ever done even though it was my first time playing gay. It opened my eyes to the different kinds of stories that can be told, and how genre films like this can use gay identity to flip the script and show these tropes in a different light and maybe make a few different points along the way. It has opened up a whole new ball game for me.
“Body Blow” | Directed by Dean Francis | Now available on demand | Distributed by Dark Star Pictures 
