Well, production on DARE was finally done, and as you may recall, it was now several months later after we had shot that one day for OhMan! Studios' movie UNSPEAKABLE. We had to shoot at that time because a model that BRUNO RICCELLI wanted was in town, but we weren't ready to do the entire movie. Now, we were, and the first thing to do was cast the rest of the film.

Originally, EDDIE STONE was to play Stone, the guy who hunts down war criminals and brings them to justice, but he was now on hiatus and no longer available, so his part had to be recast. I immediately thought of MATT MAJORS. I had shot Matt for MSR Video's film SEX IN THE CITY years ago, and I had wanted to direct him ever since. Little known fact: Matt was originally going to play JASON RIDGE's role in CANVAS, but then he got sick and had to back out. I contacted Matt's agents, then sent him the script. He agreed to do it.


Matt Majors

Next, I needed someone young and innocent-looking to play the grandson. I decided on COLE RYAN, another model I had wanted to work with years earlier in a project, but his agent wouldn't let him do it, afraid of his being overexposed and burning out too soon in the biz. I found out that Cole was good with dialogue, and I sent him the script to see what he thought. He also liked it and agreed.


Cole Ryan

DAN CROSS was still hot to play the Grandfather, and I was completely cast. At least I thought so.

Two days before the shoot, I received an IM from the cast member playing Siggy, Stone's informant (let's call him MR. X). MR. X said he was all ready. He had memorized his lines and was ready to go. Just one thing: how much was I paying him?

"You know how much I'm paying you," I typed back. "We agreed on this back in January when I first cast you."

"But that was my old rate," he wrote back. "I get twice to three times that much, now."

"Doesn't matter," I continued. "You agreed to it then, that's what I've budgeted for, and I have no more money."

"I'm not sure I can do it, then," he typed. "Let me think about it."

"I'll give you until noon tomorrow," I wrote back, convinced that he would change his mind. "If I don't hear from you by then, I'll start looking for someone else."

The smile was wiped off my face when at 12 noon the next day, I still had not heard from him. Now frantic, I contacted some agents with my problem. I needed a model who...

1. Could handle 5 pages of dialogue
2. Was local
3. Was available the next day
4. Was a bottom, and
5. Would do the job for the same amount of money as I was paying MR. X.

Howard at FABSCOUT came to my rescue. "How about BRAXTON BOND?" he asked. "He loves working with you, and he's willing to do it."

I jumped in my chair! Braxton was great in DARE, and he'd be wonderful as Siggy. I sent him the script and he was set. I didn't hear back from MR. X until several days AFTER the shoot was over.


Braxton Bond

That night, I picked up Cole Ryan at LAX. Matt's flight was around the same time, but since he was staying with friends in a different direction, I had him take a shuttle, while I took Cole to his hotel and checked him in.

Call time was 9:00am at the home of SEAN STEELE and his roommate, model CUTLER WEST. We'd be there both days.

The script was only 3 pages shorter than the DARE script, and the shooting schedule was 4 days less. We'd only shot about 2 pages from the previous day of production. Over the next 2 days, we had to do 3 layouts (with a different still photographer as ANTHONY DURAN wasn't available), 2 sex scenes and 23 pages of dialogue in 2 different locations. Would we make it?

I was going to have fun trying.

To be continued...

JBK