LOS ANGELES — Decorated performer Mick Blue has stepped outside of the adult industry to appear in "Dutch III: International Gangster," a new mainstream crime movie currently streaming on BET Plus.
Directed by Salvator Sclafani, who co-wrote the script with Manny Halley, the film stars Lance Gross ("House of Payne") and Jeremy Meeks (aka "Hot Felon").
Blue plays a security contractor hired to guard a gangster’s boat in Italy.
"My character works for this Italian gangster named Mancuso, who stole a valuable red diamond, and these three hot women crash a party on his boat to steal it back," Blue explains. "Unfortunately, I don’t stop them in time and Mancuso winds up getting killed — but at least he gets laid first."
The former XMA Male Performer of the Year landed the mainstream role at the end of 2023.
"It was right after the SAG-AFTRA strike, and I got an audition request for two roles," recalls Blue.
Weeks then passed without hearing back, but in January 2024, someone involved in the production reached out to him via IMDb Pro.
"At first I thought it was fake," Blue admits. "But then I received the schedule and an official contract, so I called my agent and told him it seemed to be a serious offer."
As it turned out, Blue didn’t land either role he auditioned for. Instead, the director wanted him to play "a much more fun role," which he shot in March 2024 in Marina del Rey, California, which doubled for Italy.
Blue says he found himself admiring the scale of the production and noting some key differences between adult and mainstream shoots.
"There are way more crew members on a mainstream movie, and a lot more preparation that goes into it before you actually get on set," he observes. "We had shooting schedules a month in advance, and a full script. We even did a script reading over Zoom because the actors were spread out all over the world. And the budget was certainly higher. It wasn’t a multi-million-dollar movie or anything, but I think it was the second-highest budget category in SAG, which determines the rates that performers are paid."
Blue was especially impressed with the production design, which helped Marina del Rey pass for Italy.
This was not Blue’s first mainstream production. He earned SAG eligibility after appearing in Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series "Who Is America?" back in 2018.
At the time, he had no idea that he would be working for Baron Cohen, who was in disguise.
"I didn’t even know it was him until after I was done with the production," Blue remembers. "I just knew they were looking for an uncircumcised guy willing to show his penis on camera."
Blue didn’t pursue more SAG work until March 2023, when he filed paperwork to join the guild — along with $3,000 in mandatory dues. Once he was accepted, Blue hustled to create profiles on casting websites such as Backstage and Actors Access, in addition to getting new headshots and cutting an acting reel.
That’s when the strike hit, derailing his mainstream momentum.
Fortunately, several months into the strike, agent Michael Zanuck contacted Blue via Backstage and offered to represent him once the strike was over.
Since then, Blue has auditioned for several high-profile productions and series. He appeared as a prison inmate in Season 2 of the hit Netflix series "Monster," booked two episodes of soap opera "General Hospital," and worked with Oscar winners Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain on the indie movie "Lear Rex," in which he plays a Roman soldier.
"I wear a full facemask and don’t have any lines, so you probably won’t even be able to tell who I am in the movie," he laughs. "But it was a great experience."
Blue does have a speaking part in “Dutch III,” however. He says it felt good to make a significant contribution to the movie, one that was appreciated by other members of the cast and crew.
"It’s not a big role or anything, but it was really nice to be recognized at the premiere, because I didn’t expect it," he shares.
"I wasn’t even sure if they were going to finish the movie, because for the past year, every time I looked at IMDb Pro, it said it was still filming," he adds. “Then, two weeks before the premiere, I got an email saying that 'Dutch III' was going to stream on BET Plus on July 31, and inviting me to the premiere the night before."
Blue says his thick Austrian accent both helps and hinders him as an actor.
"A lot of casting directors are looking for American accents, but sometimes they’re looking for actors with European accents, which helps me because there’s less competition," he notes.
Blue says that he was honored to play Jules Jordan in Ninja Thyberg’s acclaimed porn industry drama "Pleasure," but that the roles he’s currently auditioning for don’t have anything to do with the adult industry. Instead, he sees smaller projects like "Dutch III" as stepping stones that will hopefully lead to something bigger down the road.
"I had a great time," he says. "Overall, it was a wonderful experience."
“Dutch III: International Criminal” is now streaming on BET Plus.
Follow Mick Blue on X.com.
