Filmmaker Todd Verow & Actor Guillermo Diaz: "It Was Like Summer Camp...With Poppers"

Show Notes

For his final episode of 2023, Dennis is joined by filmmaker Todd Verow and actor Guillermo Diaz from the new gay thriller You Can't Stay Here, which is about a repressed photographer who becomes obsessed with visiting the gay cruising area the Ramble in New York's Central Park. The producing team recall how they first connected over Instagram, with Guillermo sending Todd a message that said "I like your work. Let's do something together." The pair also talk about what it was like to shoot in the Ramble and sometimes having to wait for strangers to finish having sex so they could get their shot. Todd also talks about how he's managed to stay so prolific as a filmmaker, how his feelings about depicting sex have evolved over the years and what his favorite part of the filmmaking process is. Guillermo talks about his decision to be out and take chances in his career, what it was like to be on Scandal and the thrill of recently directing his own movie, Dear Luke, Love Me, which is due out in 2024. Other topics include: how the film got its title and theme song, the manager who told Guillermo he needed to up his on-screen murdering to counteract his gayness, the real-life Raccoon Man who appears in the film...with his raccoons...and as a tribute to the year's end, Dennis, Todd and Guillermo share their own personal highlights of 2023.