Brad Rowe's memories of "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss"
I can't post my interview with Brad Rowe about his flick "Shelter" until Sunday because it is tied to publication of my newspaper column. But I figured I'd share with you some of what he told me about being in his breakthrough film "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" with Sean Hays a decade ago.
Plus, by highlighting this material early, it gives me a great excuse to run a buncha pictures from the movie!
Comparing the gay roles in "Shelter" and "Billy's," Brad says: "In "Billy," I was the pursued and now I as in the role of the comfortable out-of-the-closet guy pursuing the young cute guy,. it was a reversal of roes creatively."
Comparing the drama "Shelter" to the comedy in "Billy's" "The difference is, in sort of the colorful, comical farce that 'Billy's' was. You have a detatchment to the emotional side of it. Sean is trying to find love but there's a funny side to it. On this, even though there were some light moments, it's a much more dramatic piece."
On working on and promoting a gay indie film again: "It was totally easy and totally fun and I think that does translate onto the screen. With 'Billy's," I had the chance to be around some of the alternative press and promote a film like this and be in a situation that ("Shelter" co-star) Trevor Wright (w/Rowe, right) had never been in. I had a sort of mentoring role for him, almost a built-in relaitonship . My character helping him come out of the closet and in a real way, helping him in the process of doing his first gay-themed film."
Greg Hernandez has covered the entertainment industry for the Daily
News since 2001. He's considered a bit odd by some for his obsession
with box office numbers, has been known to camp out near the kitchen
at premieres for first crack at the hors d'oeurves, and Greg's never
seen a red carpet he didn't want to stroll down.