Q&A: Director Todd Stephens on the re-release of ‘Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!’
Back in 2006, the hit comedy, “Another Gay Movie,” featured four horny gay teenagers trying to lose their anal virginity. Two years later, writer/director Todd Stephens redoubled his efforts with “Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!,” chronicling the four friends trying to have as much sex as possible during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale. The … Read More
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Back in 2006, the hit comedy, “Another Gay Movie,” featured four horny gay teenagers trying to lose their anal virginity. Two years later, writer/director Todd Stephens redoubled his efforts with “Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!,” chronicling the four friends trying to have as much sex as possible during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
The sequel, now being re-released, is as crass — and as funny — as it was on initial release. Stephens showcases every body part — there are copious naked cocks and asses — (as well as every bodily fluid) but the story is oddly sweet.
In competing to have the most sex, the guys end up finding love. Andy (Jake Mosser) is a power bottom who falls for Luis (Euriamis Losada), a virgin; Griff (Aaron Michael Davies) and his boyfriend Jarod (Jimmy Clabbots) debate about opening their relationship; and Nico (Jonah Blechman, the only original cast member) finds what might be love in the form of Stan the Merman (Sean Paul Lockhart aka Brent Corrigan).
In a recent interview, Stephens spoke with Gay City News about “Another Gay Sequel.”
[caption id="attachment_61761" align="aligncenter" width="423"]
Todd Stephens.Phil Smrek[/caption]
When the first film was such a big hit, did you think about a sequel and wonder “how am I going to top this?”
I remember the moment my writing and producing partner Eric Eisenbrey and I thought of the idea. We were shooting a scene [in the original] with Graham Norton, and the idea popped into our heads to do a Spring Break movie. But we thought, how would we top this insanity? The only thing that made sense was who can have the most sex during this vacation. It was hard to top — the first one is pretty crazy — but we did our best to top [pause] it.
Looking back at “Sequel” now, do you cringe at anything or feel that some of the references are dated?
I cringe at the Asian jokes. The idea was to make fun of the stupid Asian stereotypes from the teen movies [e.g., “Sixteen Candles”] we were spoofing. But that has not aged well, and I would never do it again. I don’t like it. That’s makes me cringe. The idea was to make fun of everybody, but even with a film like this, that still doesn’t make certain things right. A movie like this and this kind of comedy, you are riding the line of what’s appropriate and inappropriate and sometimes you cross it. This was made at a time when these types of comedies were possible. No one makes these kinds of films anymore. You make a mistake, and it can end your career. We were having tons of fun being in that stupid, free “another gay” world.
You poke fun at the fact that three of the original actors passed on the sequel because “doing two queer films might hurt their careers.” But you do have queer icons RuPaul and Lady Bunny, as well as porn stars Colton Ford and Sean Paul Lockhart (aka Brent Corrigan) in the film. Can you talk about the casting?
I didn’t write any of the parts for anybody specifically. The idea was that people like Ru and Lady Bunny and Scott Thompson were my idols. I was celebrating out queer people in the media — and there weren’t that many. I was so honored that they agreed to be in the film. Even the porn stars. I felt why does someone have to have a scarlet letter of porn and never be able to do a non-porn film? The scenes with Sean’s Stan the Merman are my favorite. But it was also like “The Poseidon Adventure” — all the queer stars we could get in there.
Your film also addresses gay stereotypes from the very femme Nico as well as ideas about identity and acceptance — the “I am what I am” message. Can you talk about that? We’ve come a long way since the film was made, but some things have not changed.
Sadly, things have not totally changed. I always related to Nico in terms of feeling like I didn’t fit in. I didn’t fit into Sandusky, Ohio growing up, or even when I moved to New York. I’ve always seen people who are more feminine be marginalized. Why can’t we celebrate the queen? Now, with “Drag Race” they are becoming idols today. Then you see a show like “Heated Rivalry,” and if one of them had been feminine, the show wouldn’t have been as big a hit.
[caption id="attachment_61763" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Nico (Jonah Blechman) in "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!"Christopher Stephens[/caption]
You also depict couples dealing with virginity, monogamy, promiscuity, and being in an open (or closed) relationship. Did you have specific messages in mind? Each character finds their way.
I think that there is a heart under the silliness in both movies. I’ve been in a relationship for many, many years, and whether you are queer or not queer, being in a relationship you have to figure things out. Are we going to be monogamous forever? Are we going to model ourselves on the world and expectations we grew up with? But one bonus of being queer that that there is more open[ness] to relationship structures. For some people, being monogamous is the right thing, and for other people it isn’t. I wrote that film out at a time when I was trying to figure all that stuff out for myself.
What can you say about all the sex and nudity in the film, which is more comic than erotic? Was there an agenda about what you want to depict and show?
There was no rule. The [producers] were incredibly supportive and let me do whatever I wanted to do. There was no expectation of getting an MPAA rating. The more nudity was an aspect of trying to top the first movie and have it be more shocking and more crazy and more naked — but all the while celebrating sex positivity. No matter what your kink or fetish is or what you are into or not into, it’s OK.
The film has many gross out gags, from scat jokes to an animated song about pubic hair, and a vomit sequence. You make a golden shower sequence into a fun musical number. Did you ever think “This is going too far?”
I watch it now and I wonder if it was too far. At the time, it is hard to explain. We were in this free world of no shame and no fear. How can we be as stupid and as crazy as we can? We thought: How can we push it to the next level? By design, you push over a line that some people are not going to appreciate. When we were shooting the puke scene, there were moments where we thought, “What the hell are we doing?”
You’ve made several semi-autobiographical films with “Edge of Seventeen” and “Gypsy 83.” Were you ever as wild as the characters in “Another Gay Sequel”?
No. [Laughs.] I think part of being a filmmaker is that you can live out some of your fantasies in your films. They may not be anything you’d do in your life, but you can live vicariously in the characters you create.
What has been the wildest response to your film?
I remember when the sequel premiered at the Castro — it opened Frameline that year — and during the Q&A, someone stood up and asked, “What do you think straight people would think of this movie?” And I said, “I don’t give a f--k what straight people would think of this movie. I made it for us!” Everybody stood up and applauded. I got a standing ovation for saying that. That made it all worth it.
“Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!” | Directed by Todd Stephens. Available on all streaming platforms March 3
Todd Stephens.Phil Smrek[/caption]
When the first film was such a big hit, did you think about a sequel and wonder “how am I going to top this?”
I remember the moment my writing and producing partner Eric Eisenbrey and I thought of the idea. We were shooting a scene [in the original] with Graham Norton, and the idea popped into our heads to do a Spring Break movie. But we thought, how would we top this insanity? The only thing that made sense was who can have the most sex during this vacation. It was hard to top — the first one is pretty crazy — but we did our best to top [pause] it.
Looking back at “Sequel” now, do you cringe at anything or feel that some of the references are dated?
I cringe at the Asian jokes. The idea was to make fun of the stupid Asian stereotypes from the teen movies [e.g., “Sixteen Candles”] we were spoofing. But that has not aged well, and I would never do it again. I don’t like it. That’s makes me cringe. The idea was to make fun of everybody, but even with a film like this, that still doesn’t make certain things right. A movie like this and this kind of comedy, you are riding the line of what’s appropriate and inappropriate and sometimes you cross it. This was made at a time when these types of comedies were possible. No one makes these kinds of films anymore. You make a mistake, and it can end your career. We were having tons of fun being in that stupid, free “another gay” world.
You poke fun at the fact that three of the original actors passed on the sequel because “doing two queer films might hurt their careers.” But you do have queer icons RuPaul and Lady Bunny, as well as porn stars Colton Ford and Sean Paul Lockhart (aka Brent Corrigan) in the film. Can you talk about the casting?
I didn’t write any of the parts for anybody specifically. The idea was that people like Ru and Lady Bunny and Scott Thompson were my idols. I was celebrating out queer people in the media — and there weren’t that many. I was so honored that they agreed to be in the film. Even the porn stars. I felt why does someone have to have a scarlet letter of porn and never be able to do a non-porn film? The scenes with Sean’s Stan the Merman are my favorite. But it was also like “The Poseidon Adventure” — all the queer stars we could get in there.
Your film also addresses gay stereotypes from the very femme Nico as well as ideas about identity and acceptance — the “I am what I am” message. Can you talk about that? We’ve come a long way since the film was made, but some things have not changed.
Sadly, things have not totally changed. I always related to Nico in terms of feeling like I didn’t fit in. I didn’t fit into Sandusky, Ohio growing up, or even when I moved to New York. I’ve always seen people who are more feminine be marginalized. Why can’t we celebrate the queen? Now, with “Drag Race” they are becoming idols today. Then you see a show like “Heated Rivalry,” and if one of them had been feminine, the show wouldn’t have been as big a hit.
[caption id="attachment_61763" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Nico (Jonah Blechman) in "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!"Christopher Stephens[/caption]
You also depict couples dealing with virginity, monogamy, promiscuity, and being in an open (or closed) relationship. Did you have specific messages in mind? Each character finds their way.
I think that there is a heart under the silliness in both movies. I’ve been in a relationship for many, many years, and whether you are queer or not queer, being in a relationship you have to figure things out. Are we going to be monogamous forever? Are we going to model ourselves on the world and expectations we grew up with? But one bonus of being queer that that there is more open[ness] to relationship structures. For some people, being monogamous is the right thing, and for other people it isn’t. I wrote that film out at a time when I was trying to figure all that stuff out for myself.
What can you say about all the sex and nudity in the film, which is more comic than erotic? Was there an agenda about what you want to depict and show?
There was no rule. The [producers] were incredibly supportive and let me do whatever I wanted to do. There was no expectation of getting an MPAA rating. The more nudity was an aspect of trying to top the first movie and have it be more shocking and more crazy and more naked — but all the while celebrating sex positivity. No matter what your kink or fetish is or what you are into or not into, it’s OK.
The film has many gross out gags, from scat jokes to an animated song about pubic hair, and a vomit sequence. You make a golden shower sequence into a fun musical number. Did you ever think “This is going too far?”
I watch it now and I wonder if it was too far. At the time, it is hard to explain. We were in this free world of no shame and no fear. How can we be as stupid and as crazy as we can? We thought: How can we push it to the next level? By design, you push over a line that some people are not going to appreciate. When we were shooting the puke scene, there were moments where we thought, “What the hell are we doing?”
You’ve made several semi-autobiographical films with “Edge of Seventeen” and “Gypsy 83.” Were you ever as wild as the characters in “Another Gay Sequel”?
No. [Laughs.] I think part of being a filmmaker is that you can live out some of your fantasies in your films. They may not be anything you’d do in your life, but you can live vicariously in the characters you create.
What has been the wildest response to your film?
I remember when the sequel premiered at the Castro — it opened Frameline that year — and during the Q&A, someone stood up and asked, “What do you think straight people would think of this movie?” And I said, “I don’t give a f--k what straight people would think of this movie. I made it for us!” Everybody stood up and applauded. I got a standing ovation for saying that. That made it all worth it.
“Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!” | Directed by Todd Stephens. Available on all streaming platforms March 3 
