Inspired by Real Events in 1990s New York City "You Can't Stay Here" Film with Guillermo Diaz
Guillermo Díaz, an accomplished TV and film actor, has played a wide variety of characters in many genres. He first gained widespread notoriety after playing Huck in the hit TV Show “Scandal.” We get to know the actor and now producer in the following interview as we chat about his recent thriller film “You Can’t Stay Here” and the experience working both in front of, and behind the camera.
A quick look at your career shows a wide and illustrious list of acting credits, ranging from movies to TV shows. When you look back, what was your initial pull to acting?
My initial pull was wanting to escape real life. It was exciting and enticing to imagine having a job where I could become someone else. My first time on stage was in high school when I was about 17 years old, and I enjoyed it immensely the minute I hit that stage. I felt like it was home and that it was where I belonged.
You have played a wide range of characters, from comedy, to action, and as we see in “You Can’t Stay Here,” a horror film. What is the experience of playing in more thriller-like roles compared to other genres?
There's no difference really from genre to genre. Playing in a more horror thriller movie like with “You Can't Stay Here,” you're still acting, you're still using the same skills and trying to be as authentic and as organic and real as possible. So doing different genres doesn't really change what your work as an actor is like. But getting to be in a horror thriller was exciting because I'm a huge horror film fan and a huge thriller fan. I'd been wanting to do a horror thriller for a long time and what a pleasure it was to get to do that with Todd Verow.
Following “You Can’t Stay Here,” you can add the role of producer to your resume. Any major takeaways from working behind the scenes given your mostly acting past?
I loved being a producer on “You Can't Stay Here” and I want to do more of it. I love being in front of the camera, but also being behind the scenes and being part of the whole process of putting the movie together was satisfying. I enjoyed being involved with casting the movie. I loved thinking of actors I wanted to work with who I knew would be great in the roles, then reaching out to them and sending them the script and telling them that we’d like them to be part of the film. That was one of the most exciting things about working on the film. I got to bring on a bunch of actors whom I've admired, adored, and worked with before like Marlene Forte, Karina Arroyave, Vanessa Aspillaga, and Becca Blackwell.
You have been on many high-budget, large-crew sets in your career (“Bros,” “Scandal,” etc.). What is the comparison to working on more intimate and independent films like “You Can’t Stay Here?”
Working on a smaller budget independent film gives you more creative freedom to speak up and suggest ideas that you might have, you feel more comfortable doing that. Another great thing about working on a lower-budget independent film is that we don't have a lot of time or money, so you get things done a lot quicker. On some of the big-budget projects you'll film one scene for a few days and that can be exhausting sometimes. On an independent film, it's a case of needing to get it done within a certain amount of time. I think that also brings out these creative juices that come from adrenaline and adds to a more exciting performance. You don't have a lot of time to sit around and think about it too much and you have to jump into it. That can bring something unexpected and spontaneous to the scene and to the work.
What was the story of how “You Can’t Stay Here” came to be and working with director Todd Verow?
I think both of us were excited about doing something new. I'm a huge fan of Todd’s work and “You Can't Stay Here” came out of me wanting to work with this amazing director. I admire his work and I love his unapologetic, fuck you attitude to Hollywood and to the mainstream movies that everyone's used to. Todd is the complete opposite of that, and I really wanted to work with someone like that.
The film takes place in the 90s and is inspired by a real story of killings that took place and were under-reported. What’s it like playing your character, Rick, in a decade when gay rights looked very different?
It was exciting to do a movie set in the 90s, when gay rights looked a lot different than they do now. I'm a child of the 80s and I was in my 20s in the 90s, so I lived it and it was really exciting for me to put myself in this character's skin. I think that I brought authenticity to it because I had lived it. I know what it was like being in the closet during that time. I easily slipped into the essence of this character and it was interesting to play in that space. Looking back on it now, I'm glad that we've moved so far forward, even though sometimes we're taking a few steps backwards even now in 2024. It's nice to know that things have changed quite a bit though. Back then in the 90s, you couldn't hold your partner's hand in public. Men weren't holding hands on the streets or at least it would be received with a whole different attitude and reaction than it is nowadays, so changes like that are really nice.
Were there any particular challenges while filming or getting into character that left an impact on you?
When you're making a movie, there are always going to be challenges and, of course, there were challenges making the film, but nothing that was too overwhelming that we couldn't tackle and figure out. One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the weather. There was one day when we were shooting outside and it started raining and we had to deal with the elements. Sometimes when you're shooting interiors on location in someone's home that can be challenging, but fortunately there weren't too many of those sorts of big obstacles that we had to overcome on this movie, thank goodness.
For those who haven’t seen it, what can viewers look forward to or take away from the film?
Viewers can expect to go on a really trippy, exciting, sexy, weird, strange, otherworldly, mysterious ride with the film. You can't go wrong with a Todd Verow movie, so if you haven't seen one of his film before, this is the one to watch. I think audiences will come away wanting to discuss the film, because it's so complex in a really good way. A lot of people that have seen the film have said that they walk away from it and they can't stop thinking about it, which is a nice compliment.
Instagram: @GuillermoDiazReal
Todd Verow, an American filmmaker, is known for provocative and boundary-pushing work in independent films. Known for his heightened portrayals of queer experiences and themes in his films, he is uncompromising with his vision and strays away from the norms of the industry. We chatted with him about the filmmaking process, and gain insight into his latest feature “You Can’t Stay Here.”
Take us back to what sparked your initial interest in filmmaking?
As a child, I was incredibly shy and at a young age I discovered acting was a way to break out of my shell and be another person. It helped me to overcome my shyness. I dived into that world and loved being an actor from first grade onwards. When I was in high school, I started directing and writing. Then I went to art school at RISD where I studied film and video. Part of that was performance art and acting, but I discovered that I was much more interested in being behind the camera and all aspects of filmmaking; writing, directing, shooting, and editing. I loved all those different aspects and I still do. That's why I got into it and I think it’s what I was meant to do.
Many of your films tackle unconventional themes. How do you find the balance of artistic expression and the audience’s reception?
I've always felt that as a filmmaker or as an artist, the most important thing is to stay true to yourself and to your vision and to create work that means something to you. If you do that, if you're true to yourself and true to who your characters are, then an audience will embrace that. But if you try to make something that caters to a certain audience or compromises your vision based on who you think the audience might be, that's when they’ll see that and detect that there's an insincerity to it, that the characters aren't real or that the story isn't a true vision of the filmmaker. So that’s always been my philosophy. Of course, you're going to have to make some compromises, but if you keep that clear intention of what you want to say and do with your film, then the audience will be there with you and be a part of it.
Tell us about your approach to storytelling and what your films look like before the cameras, while they are still on paper.
I’ll usually come up with an idea and then it will evolve into a script. I'll often work with somebody else on the screenplay because I think it's important to have two different voices for the characters. With “You Can't Stay Here,” I worked with James Derek Dwyer who has collaborated with me on several scripts over the years. Once the script is done, I’ll spend time with it and envision the entire film in my head. At that stage, I’ll figure out which scenes aren’t working or aren’t necessary and edit the script like I'm editing the finished film. I think that's important to do, because then you don't end up having to cut scenes later on after you've shot or rethink scenes as you're shooting them.
I like to do a detailed storyboard and shot list, where I'm doing little pictures of every single shot that I'm going to have in the film. With this film, it was great because I could go to the Ramble in Central Park and do that work at the actual locations where we were going to shoot. After that, I like to rehearse as much as I possibly can, either with or without the actors, as far as the camera moves go. I think it's really important, as a filmmaker, to be as prepared as you possibly can be, but not rigid, because thins are going to change and things are going to happen on set. You need to have a clear vision of what you want, so that you can make changes on the fly. As an editor, you need to picture the final film, so that you're not overshooting it and only getting what you need for each shot. That way, you don't have to shoot more than you actually need. It's just really important to be organized.
How did your latest feature, You Can’t Stay Here, come to be? What inspired your version of a queer 90s slasher film?
The Ramble is a gay cruising area in Central Park, it's been a cruising area for a long time, in fact it’s probably been a cruising area since the Park first opened. I heard that it was very busy again during the pandemic lockdowns in New York. I thought that was interesting because for a long time guys were just going on their apps to hook up and that traditional, physical cruising in a public space had become this passé thing. But I think during the pandemic, everyone as human beings needed a physical connection with somebody else. We spent so much time looking at screens. So, I think that's what prompted people to seek out someplace like the Ramble.
I went there and I saw that it was indeed very busy. There were 50 or more guys there wearing masks and engaging in different activities. It was all about the eye contact and the physicality of being with another person, but not necessarily about the sex. That got me really interested in cruising and the history of cruising. Around that same time, Guillermo Díaz got in touch with me and said that he wanted to make a film together. I've been a huge fan of his since the beginning of his career, so I said, ‘Yes, I’d love to make a film with you, let's get together and talk’. I told him that I wanted to make something about cruising and he said that he was interested and that he’d always wanted to do a horror thriller. I was really interested in that too. So I thought, let's make a movie that's about cruising and make it a horror thriller.
I wanted to set it in the early 90s because it's very loosely based on a serial killer from that time and it was pre-social media and also the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York. I wanted the lead character to be this conflicted, complicated person who had a lot of internalized homophobia and things going on in his life. He’s divorced, but he was married to a woman and he has a kid, and has a very complicated relationship with his own mother. So I wrote the script with Guillermo in mind as the lead character in just a couple of months and then worked on the script with James Derek Dwyer and with Guillermo. We found his character together and we took it from there.
I’ve always been a horror fan since I was a little kid. I grew up in Bangor, Maine and I knew Stephen King and his kids. The first movie that inspired me to want to make films myself was “The Shining,” which I snuck into to see when it first came out in Maine. It's always been a genre that I've found compelling.
Collaboration is a huge part in many mediums of art. What was it like collaborating with Guillermo Díaz, who is also credited as a producer for the film?
It was an incredible experience collaborating with Guillermo Díaz. When we first met up, we talked for about three hours over lunch one day during a hurricane in New York and found that we had a lot in common, we clicked right away. It was amazing to collaborate with him because he's an actor who really does the work. He works instinctively too and that's the kind of actor who I really like to work with, who gets into character without thinking too much about what motivates that character, but just becomes that character and is motivated by whatever situation you put that character in. It was kind of a symbiotic relationship where I could just look at him and he would understand what I wanted without me actually saying anything and vice versa. That's a really special kind of relationship with an actor and I can't wait to work with him again on another project. As far as him being a producer goes, he helped with casting and so many other aspects of getting this film made because it was a very low-budget project with a crew of just four people. He understood what we were trying to do and was there 150% for everything, so it was great.
Working on this film, were there any specific moments or challenges faced that furthered your growth as a director?
We filmed the majority of it on location in the Ramble in Central Park, which I was nervous about because I wasn't sure how the actual cruisers who go to the park were going to react to us. I didn’t know if they’d think that we were encroaching on their turf or that we were going to be misrepresenting them in some way. But it was a good kind of nervous energy which lent itself to making a film about cruising. There's a certain nervous energy that's involved with cruising too. It turned out to be an amazing experience. Everyone there was so welcoming and excited that we were making a film. Every day we’d show up and they'd say, 'Hey, those guys are back making the movie’. They were very welcoming and the people working in the park were all very accommodating and very nice. But it was a challenge because we were filming in the park nine out of our 14 days, so it was physically exhausting for me because I was the camera operator and directing. I had a complicated rig that I used with the camera which was quite heavy. I've never been so physically exhausted in my life by the end of each day. So it was quite grueling, but also exhilarating at the same time. The biggest thing that I learned as a director from this film is to be prepared for anything and to really know what you want going into it and to be able to be in the moment with the actors. It's not just about getting the shots and getting things done, but it’s about being in the moment with the actors so that each scene feels authentic.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, what can fans of your work expect from You Can’t Stay Here?
I've always been interested in really complicated characters and Guillermo Diaz's character Rick in this film is probably the most complicated character I've ever written or directed. The entire film is from his point of view, and he's an unreliable narrator, to say the least. You can expect tension that is sustained through the entire film, and you can expect ambiguity, because like I said, Guillermo's character is an unreliable narrator. It's the kind of film that the more times you see it, the more you're going to get out of it. There's an amazing score by Greg Sabo that adds a lot to it. It's kind of an immersive experience that draws you in and takes you on a journey. Then once it's over, it's a movie that you can think about for a while, and maybe see again. Each time you watch it, you'll get something else out of it. I hope people enjoy it.
Instagram: @ToddVerow
James Kleinmann is a New York City-based British producer, actor, and entrepreneur, with a impactful focus and passion for highlighting queer experiences and art. Known for working in film, as well as founding the popular multi-platform brand The Queer Review, James produced and appeared in the recent horror slasher You Can’t Stay Here. We chat with Kleinmann in the following interview, to get some further insight into the process of making this film, and the importance of independent queer filmmaking in 2024.
From producing, to acting, to even your own website, you’ve had a hand in many aspects of filmmaking. How did you first get interested in this artform and industry?
It was as a viewer. When I was a little kid, I’d get up at 6am so that I could watch an entire movie before I had to go to school. I was limited to what we had on VHS, so it was usually the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, the first Star Wars film, or “The Wizard of Oz”. Then when I was a bit older my dad used to take me to the cinema almost every weekend. I was initially drawn in by the magic of the storytelling, but I was also really fascinated when I started to understand how these films had been crafted. I was especially interested in the acting side of things, which eventually led me to do a post-grad acting course at Drama Studio London.”
Before that, in the 90s I moved from my small hometown in the Midlands to study English at University College London. As part of the course, we covered some classic films, so I learned how to analyze them in the same way that I was analyzing books. I also wrote about film for the University of London newspaper. One of my first assignments was covering the British Film Institute’s London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival - what’s now known as BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival - and attending it has been one of the highlights of my year ever since. It was, and still is, so moving and empowering to see stories about queer characters on the big screen in such a prestigious venue in the company of so many fellow queer people. So that was the convergence of my burgeoning queer life and my passion for films. I loved the social aspect of the festival as much as the films themselves. It’s been special to have had so many films that I’ve been involved in play at that festival in recent years and it was also where I first met Todd Verow in 2013.
Your most recent work on the film You Can’t Stay Here, was with director and long-time colleague Todd Verow. What is the experience of working and collaborating with Verow for so long?
Todd has a really clear vision about every aspect of the filmmaking process. He storyboards every shot so he knows exactly what he wants to achieve at the start of each day, but he’s also open to making changes if he’s inspired in the moment and finds a better way to shoot things. He’s a control freak but also really collaborative at the same time and brings his actors into the creative process. On several films, it’s just been the two of us on the crew, so it is a very intimate and generally very calm set where everyone feels at ease to do their best work. He’s really focused but doesn’t forget that filmmaking should be fun. We are also married, so we have an almost telepathic shorthand most of the time, and we know how to navigate each other’s moods!
With You Can’t Stay Here, you not only produced but also acted in it. What’s it like having more than one role on the same production?
When it comes to the acting part, you have to switch gears pretty fast going from worrying about everything else that’s going on to getting into character and focusing on the scene. In some ways, it’s easier to act in a film that I’m producing because I already know everyone, so it’s a comfortable environment to be in, rather than walking onto a set where everything is unfamiliar. I find being involved in lots of different aspects of the process really satisfying. My main role as a producer is supporting the director’s vision and with such a tiny crew that could mean me doing pretty much anything, so I have to be flexible!
Similarly, Guillermo Díaz also served as a producer and actor in the film. What was it like working on roles closely with Diaz?
I actually hadn’t met Guillermo before we started talking about doing this film together, but he feels like family now. He’s a really warm, caring, and down-to-earth human. He’s got a great sense of humour so he’s a lot of fun to be around. One of my favorite things about making the film was getting to see him work as an actor up close. He’s so prepared and committed to what he’s doing and really creative. I was mesmerized by his eyes and what he was bringing to the character and I think all of that comes across in his compelling performance in the film. He’s all about the craft rather than the acclaim or fame aspect which I admire and it’s impressive how he’s managed to sustain his career over three decades from indies with Parker Posey and Gregg Araki, to major TV shows and movies with the likes of Bruce Willis and Steven Spielberg, and music videos for Britney and Beyoncé. I also respect that he’s always been out and it was nice to see that recognized when he was cast in Bros. He brings so much to every role he takes on and I hope we get to work together again soon. As a producer, he was incredibly supportive and made some really valuable contributions throughout the entire process.
You Can’t Stay Here is mainly filmed in Central Park, what was it like putting on a production in such a famous and busy location?
We were a tiny crew, so that definitely made things more manageable. The film is set in the early 90s, so we didn’t want anyone walking into a shot wearing today’s fashion or looking at their iPhones, but people were really understanding if we had to ask them to wait for a moment. Everyone who works in the park was really friendly and would wave at us when they drove past in their buggies. We mainly shot in the Ramble which is a lot less busy than other more touristy parts of the park. Some gay men go to that spot to cruise and the regulars got to know that we were shooting a movie about the Ramble, but they were excited about it rather than seeing us as disturbing them or being intrusive. One of those guys came to see the film in New York and thought we’d captured the spirit of the place well, so that meant a lot. We were so lucky with the weather. It only rained once in the nine days we shot there and it was in a moody scene so it worked. It was a pretty magical place to go to every day and even though we were working it was relaxing being around all those trees and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s such an iconic location and it is another character in the film.
You are the founder and editor of The Queer Review, which highlights independent and important film news in the LGBTQ+ space. What was your motivation for starting this platform?
After more than twenty years of interviewing actors and filmmakers for other media outlets and talking about movies on radio, including the UK’s biggest national station BBC Radio 2, when I moved to New York I decided to bring all of that experience to my own platform focused on LGBTQ+ culture. The landscape is a little different right now, but at the time that I launched The Queer Review - Pride month 2019 - there was a notable and concerning lack of queer media outlets, so that was a major factor in wanting to devote my time to building it.
I love mixing mainstream theatre, movies, music, TV, and books, with work by more edgy, arty, or less well-known and emerging artists. As a community we are at our strongest when we come together, so I love cultivating a place that celebrates the entire LGBTQ+ family with all of our intersections and a platform for those voices to be amplified. It’s a privilege to get to speak to so many leading lights doing important and creative work. 2024 marks our fifth anniversary and the year got off to a great start with the news that The Queer Review has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. That acknowledgment from an organization that does such vital work is incredibly meaningful.
In 2024, LGBTQ+ stories in film are much more mainstream, and common than they once were. How has this impacted independent queer films?
I think it’s made indie queer films even more necessary. Without the pressure of needing to make back a lot of money or appeal to a mass audience, truly independent films can push the envelope and be experimental and create new forms in the spirit of New Queer Cinema. D. Smith’s documentary about Black trans sex workers, Kokomo City, and Vera Drew’s trans coming-of-age comic book movie, “The People’s Joker,” are two recent examples of thrillingly exciting and transgressive films. I can’t imagine either of those films, or “You Can’t Stay Here,” being made by a studio or streamer. Having less money often forces filmmakers to do something less conventional which can lead to some interesting results and not having a big corporation involved allows for more creative freedom.
What do you hope audiences take away from You Can’t Stay Here following its release?
It’s one of those films that everyone will take something different away from. There’s an intentional ambiguity to some aspects of it, so it’s open to interpretation and there are no right or wrong answers. So hopefully it’ll give people something to talk about afterwards. It touches on the impact of growing up in a homophobic household and internalized homophobia. It’s also creepy and unsettling and a lot of fun.
Instagram: @JamesKleinmann
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/youcantstayhere
Instagram: @YouCantStayHereFilm
CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Talent: Guillermo Díaz, Todd Verow, James Kleinmann
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Ethan Engh, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
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