EDGE Interview: In Series Based on Cult Classic 'Boy Culture,' Former Escort Must Adjust to Digital World

"Let X = X"

When the Matthew Rettenmund novel "Boy Culture" was adapted into a feature film in 2006 by director and co-screenwriter Q. Allan Brocka, the film quickly became something of a cause célèbre – not so much, perhaps, for the basic plot (gay hustler becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle involving his roommate), but because of the humor, wit, and sensitivity with which Brocka, as Rettenmund had done in the novel, handled the material.

As well as because of the chemistry between the film's romantic leads. X – as the hustler calls himself – was played by Derek Magyar, a prolific television actor who has also appeared in several films and, behind the camera, directed several others, including the 2010 feature "Flying Lessons."

Andrew, played by Darryl Stephens, has also been prolific on television and film, appearing in "Another Gay Movie," "Beyond the Lights," "Pee-wee's Big Holiday," and the "Noah's Arc" franchise.

Both return for the new television series "Boy Culture: Generation X," which puns on its central character's moniker but also acknowledges the entry of a new character: Chayce, played by Jason Caceres. More than a decade has gone by for X and Andrew since the end of the movie, and their long-term romance is has come to an end. They still live together – X can't afford to move out – and that means they have to figure out what the boundaries are, and how to respect them... a fraught proposition, since X has decided to go back to his old profession with the notion that he'll easily be able to re-enter the escorting world. ("Boy Culture: Generation X" premieres on November 7 on digital streaming platforms.)

But the landscape has changed: Thanks to the internet and smart phones, sex work has gone digital, and X is an analogue sort of guy. Enter Chayce, a twenty-something escort who's wise to the ways of the online world and happy to impart his skills to X. Soon, Chayce is acting as X's pimp and sending him off on assignments that take him way out of his comfort zone. Caceres, like his co-stars, is a much-in-demand TV actor with a number of films to his credit, including the "Billy's Blowjob's" segment of "The American Boys," the gender-bending horror film "Deadly Screams of a Naked Siren," the popular gay webseries "Where the Bears Are," and the gay threesome comedy "Open to It."

EDGE caught up with Derek Magyar and Jason Caceres to ask about returning to and joining in on "Boy Culture" a decade and a half after the original film, their thoughts on the series' blend of comedy and commentary, and whether they would be up for a third installment even if it means waiting another decade or so.

EDGE: Derek, like X, you were coming back about 15 years after having been in this milieu. Did you feel as rusty as X seems to feel in the show?

Derek Magyar: I didn't, actually. I felt very naturally able to find the character again because it's just a piece of me that I was able to tap into from when we shot the movie.

EDGE: Jason, were you a fan of the film or the book before you were cast for this project?

Jason Caceres: I had seen the film. I believe I was in high school at the time, so it was one of the first LGBTQ-focused production is that I landed upon. I was definitely a fan of the original – and of Derek, of course.

EDGE: It must have been a thrill to be able to be part of this story.

Jason Caceres: Yeah, it was. Actually, it came to me in a very weird way. There was someone else cast for the role who unfortunately wasn't able to make the production work for him.

Derek Magyar: You mean, fortunately wasn't able.

[Laughter]

Jason Caceres: Well, two sides of the same coin.

EDGE: Derek, you've got kind of a deadpan thing that you do, while Jason, you're more of a live wire. You bounce off each other in a very amusing way.

Derek Magyar: Yeah, X is a pretty deadpan, dad jokes kind of guy, as Chayse refers to him several times. Jason and I, as people and as actors playing the parts, had a good time. He made it a lot of fun.

EDGE: The series takes on different themes – aging, LGTQ+ youth, race, HIV... It's still a comedy, but there's a plethora of serious subjects that come up.

Jason Caceres: Speaking as an LGBTQ+ individual myself, the older generations did such a great job of advocating for the community that [for] my generation all of those issues have been somewhat destigmatized. Chayse adds this new perspective of, "Oh, okay, that's not a big issue anymore, so why are you stressing?" But it's still important to honor the gravity of these situations because there are still people that are dealing with these issues.

EDGE: There was an episode, Derek, where X has a client who demands that he call him the N-word. Was that difficult to deal with?

Derek Magyar: That was definitely a challenging episode, for obvious reasons. I think what we did was we approached it with a sense of levity, acknowledging that it's a triggering word, and it's a complicated sort of situation. We all talked about it ahead of time and found our way to be okay with it within the structure of filmmaking. We made up a word, which was hilarious. It looked like you were saying the N-word, but it wasn't the N-word, [and the sound was bleeped out].

Everybody made things comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I think that's so important when you're shooting something that is sensitive. That happened in at least two episodes, where it was really kind of delicate stuff – even more so in the episode where X is at the hotel room... sorry, I don't want to start riffing and going down a rabbit hole of craziness.

EDGE: Since you bring it up, yes, that is also a sensitive episode because it involves an underaged, would-be client who tricks X into showing up for a date.

Derek Magyar: I think that X feels a lot of empathy for [that young man], because he was strong enough to come out, and then he was made to feel not accepted, and that's fucked up – he finally found courage, and that courage was shattered by not feeling support from his peers. I think that's so important when you're opening up about something that carries a lot of weight, and a lot of truth, and a lot of vulnerability.

EDGE: Jason, your character seems like a bit of a trickster.

Jason Caceres: We don't get to see much of Chayce's backstory, [but] it's very rare for someone to pursue a career in sex work without something being the catalyst. I do wish if we do go forward, we could explore a little bit more of his backstory, because there's a lot to say about what makes him that way.

But I also enjoy the confidence. I enjoy that he's a character that knows what he wants and goes for it. And it's kind of endearing that he attached himself to this older, kind of role model, and takes him under his wing, and tries to be his role model instead. It was a very fun character to play.

EDGE: Do you feel that your character really is a mentor for X, or is your character naively doing what he feels like doing and having fun with it?

Jason Caceres: A bit of both. There's definitely a little bit of, "I want to be this guy's mentor and show him that I actually do know what I'm talking about, even though I'm younger." But there's something to be said about attaching yourself to an older, almost kind of father figure.

Derek Magyar: Oh?

Jason Caceres: Daddy figure. You like that better?

Derek Magyar: Hey, that sounds good.

Jason Caceres: Okay, daddy figure, and Chayce putting himself in the role of the father or the teacher instead of having the older man do it. So, again, there's something happening in Chayce's psyche that we don't see. If he truly were just a self-indulgent, flippant, comical kind of character, he would absolutely not spend a single second trying to guide this older man through the world of social media. [He would] not take a second glance at X.

EDGE: Maybe he has literal daddy issues.

Jason Caceres: It could be, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a gay-related backstory issue. Because, I mean, how many stories do we see that are, like, Gay Trauma. It could be something completely different.

"Boy Culture: Generation X" will be available on streaming services Nov. 7.

Watch the trailer: