Falcon/NakedSword is giving Zachary Zane of “Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto” fame the cinematic treatment, with director Marc MacNamara and screenwriter Ben Rush crafting the upcoming feature “Dirty Words” around Zane’s notoriety as an author. To learn more about the project, its challenges and rewards, XBIZ sits down with all three gents.
“Zachary and I are personal friends, but I’m also a big fan of his writing and sensibility,” Rush says. “Tim Valenti, President and CEO of Falcon/NakedSword, and I were talking to him about partnering with NakedSword to offer short-form sex advice videos on our social media platforms when the idea came to me.”
A movie like ‘Dirty Words’ gives us a unique opportunity to market our erotic content to a broader audience.
Rush says he had been wanting to set a project in New York, which is home turf for both Zane and MacNamara. Despite being a longtime admirer of MacNamara’s work, Rush had yet to collaborate on a film with him. The stars aligned over the summer and the two got to work finding a strong cast, as well as shooting locations in Manhattan and on Fire Island.
Zane recalls, “Ben Rush gave me a call asking if I’d like to be in a gay porno, and obviously I said ‘yes.’ When I saw the cast, I initially asked if I could have a role as a vers performer, but then decided I should leave the actual sex to the pros. As a sex writer, I really wanted to be on set and see how the sausage gets made and, well, sucked too.”
Writing the script, Rush set out to maximize the fun factor with a little bit of camp, while also honoring Zane’s personality and tone.
“He gets recognized on the street often and, because of the nature of his writing, is frequently asked to advise or comment on the intimacies of peoples’ sex lives,” Rush notes. “I witnessed it firsthand while we were shooting. It made me think: What would it be like to never really get a break? To be working nonstop?”
In “Dirty Words,” Rush decided to explore what it would be like for someone kind and approachable like Zane, who feels obliged to be “on” all the time, to finally escape from the day-to-day to Fire Island — only to find that his fans want to connect no matter the geography.
“MacNamara is a blast to work with!” Rush enthuses. “I wish we’d had the opportunity sooner. He’s very creative, and his sense of humor contributes to a warm on-set atmosphere. He’s extremely practical and skilled in every area of production, which is truly amazing to watch. We both appreciate quality material, hot sex and a good laugh. Working together, we were able to put all three of those things on the screen.”
For his part, MacNamara, who has been writing and directing in this industry since 2008, says he enjoyed the professional dynamic with Rush, whose passion he admires.
“Porn is such a dirty word, but it doesn’t have to be,” MacNamara says. “I love when your mind gets involved before your body does, and that we both love to create.”
Working with the two Falcon/NakedSword honchos was enjoyable for Zane as well, who found the trio’s combination of wit and entertainment value a big plus.
“These two old queens are absolutely hilarious, constantly dishing out one-liners and cracking up the entire cast and crew,” Zane says. “I was also impressed to see how efficiently they worked with the performers. When they got the scene they wanted, they quickly moved on to the next one. They were very efficient, with no diddle-daddling, which I and everyone in the cast really appreciated.”
Hearing Zane’s assessment of him as “old,” Rush admonishes with mock offense that 29 is still quite youthful. Then, rising above any further discussion of anything so trivial as age, he explains the casting process.
“While discussing the initial concept with Zachary, I asked him if he had any adult performers whom he, shall we say, particularly ‘appreciated,’” Rush recalls. “Michael Boston was one of the first names out of his mouth. As I’m a fan of Michael myself, we locked in our lead then and there. I’ve worked with Alexander Müller, Braxton Cruz and Travis Connor on past projects and wanted to do something fresh with them, but I also loved the idea of writing for performers who are new to me.”
Also included in the “fresh” roster Rush and company assembled are Matty West, Harold Lopez, Oliver Hunt, Beaux Banks and Axel Rockham, each of whom has a good standing relationship with MacNamara.
“Casting is always very tricky in porn because what you are looking for is great chemistry,” notes the director. “In mainstream movies, it’s important for co-stars to have that magic dynamic. In porn, that importance becomes paramount, so I look for guys who I know have similar sexual turn-ons. For story-based movies, it’s also necessary to give roles to guys who have interest and ability in acting.”
Rush breaks down the premise and performances of the first sex scene, which he notes sets up the entire narrative.
“Zachary is out and about in Manhattan and is spotted by porn star Michael Boston,” he says. “Michael, as it turns out, is an avid reader of Zachary’s work and stops him for some advice about an upcoming sex date he’s scheduled with one of his regular East Coast hookups. Zachary really goes the extra mile by following Michael to his apartment and demonstrating some oral sex techniques on a large dildo. From there, Michael has the confidence to take Alexander Müller’s entire dick down his throat.”
MacNamara underscores that Boston underpins the first and last scenes of the movie, as he is seeking out sex advice from someone who literally wrote the book on the subject. Though already a seasoned sex professional, Boston finds himself going further than ever before, ending in the final scene: a threesome flip-fuck that he says he cannot wait for fans to see.
The second scene finds Zane traveling to Fire Island for a little weekend rest and relaxation, when suddenly fans Oliver Hunt and Harold Lopez run into him at their hotel. Letting their enthusiasm get the better of them, they ask for some rimming tips to spice up their playtime, and Zane delivers by suggesting some ideas, including the newly named “Doggy Chow” position.
Rush describes the third scene: “Enjoying the Fire Island shoreline, Zachary lies on his beach towel thinking about his own sex life. He’s great about giving counsel to others, but where’s his piece of the pie? When he spots Matty West — who, coincidentally, is in the middle of reading ‘Boyslut’ — and pal Harold Lopez taking in some rays, his mind wanders to a place where the two studs are fucking each other on the sand and then in a lounge chair on a waterside deck.”
Rush reveals some humorous backstory to that third scene: When West first received the script, he immediately messaged Rush back with a photo of himself reading “Boyslut.”
“He’d just gotten the book and was halfway through when he saw our storyline,” Rush says. “He even brought his hardcover edition to set so Zachary could sign it for him. Life imitating art, right?”
For the fourth scene, after a day at the beach, Zane makes his way to the Pavilion at the Fire Island Pines. There, he overhears boyfriends Beaux Banks and Axel Rockham talking about bottoming, and he cannot help but insert himself into the situation. Zane explains the best positions in which to ease new bottom Banks into anal play before the two lovebirds go back to their room to practice. Turns out, Zane knows exactly what he’s talking about.
“In the fifth and final scene,” Rush reveals, “Zachary is making his way back to Manhattan on the Fire Island ferry when new friend Michael Boston calls with an invitation. Michael is about to host a three-way with Braxton Cruz and Travis Connor and would love to make it a fourgy with Zachary. Worn out from his little vacation, Zachary passes — this time. But he gives Michael a few suggestions that will help him be even more of a rock star in the sheets.”
With the movie complete, Rush set his sights on marketing the film in a way that would capitalize on Zane’s background and built-in audience.
“A movie like ‘Dirty Words’ gives us a unique opportunity to market our erotic content to a broader audience,” he says. “Zachary’s fans make up a wide cross section of gay, straight and bisexual men and women, and his ‘everyman’ appeal makes him the perfect person to provide accessible sex and health content. He’s not didactic in his approach; he’s fun and relatable and makes people feel comfortable with intimate topics.
“His own book and blog, as well as his writing for Men’s Health, Cosmo, GQ and The New York Times, to name a few, have positioned him as a relatable truth teller who doesn’t shy away from answering the — ahem! — hard questions,” Rush continues. “His various platforms give him a stage on which to marry the popular interest in porn with sound and practical sex advice, and I can’t think of a better person to help deliver that kind of messaging.”
Zane, for his part, characterizes his personal brand as “queer sex,” drawing a parallel with Falcon/NakedSword’s brand offerings, even if they both go about it differently.
“Falcon creates gay porn, whereas I write about my personal experiences having sex and about the larger culture surrounding queer sex,” he says. “Still, it makes sense for us to collaborate with social media content and articles — and also create porn together.”
Reflecting on how the film might inspire or shape future releases, Rush emphasizes that Falcon/NakedSword has always sought to be a leader in terms of talent, content and innovation — a promise they plan to continue delivering on with projects like “Dirty Words.”
“Working with thought leaders who contribute added value to our adult entertainment product is a priority, and this movie is a clear example of how interestingly it can be done,” he affirms. “Expect to see more of these kinds of collaborations.”
Chiming in, MacNamara expresses his own conviction that everyone should be talking about sex, considering how many people desire and enjoy it.
Summarizing the situation pithily, he concludes, “Keeping an open dialogue and making the subject of sex and sex advice less taboo will only lead to better anal.”
