Spoiler alert: This story contains important details about “Blue Film,” which is currently available on VOD.
Kieron Moore hopes people don’t know much about ‘Blue Film’ before seeing the film.
“I think it’s really good to go in as blind as possible,” the actor told me. “It’s getting harder and harder, but I think we’ve found a smart audience that keeps as much information at the gate as possible. Even when I saw it for the first time, I thought, ‘Wow!’ I forgot what it felt like. ”
So if you’re planning on seeing the movie, you might want to stop reading this article now and bookmark it for later.
Moore stars as Aaron Eagle, a gay camboy who learns that the man who hired him for a face-to-face session is Hank Grant (Reed Birney), the mentor of his childhood teacher who went to prison for sexual misconduct with an underage student.
What unfolds is an uncomfortable and sometimes downright disturbing two-handed game that looks at sexual kinks and taboos.
Moore, best known for his role as a homophobic newcomer in Netflix’s critically acclaimed Boots, was given the script for Blue Film by his manager. While many managers would discourage their clients from considering queer films about pedophilia, Moore thought he was perfect for the role. “I had no idea what it was about, but at the time the script was a real page turner for me. I was like, ‘Oh, oh, oh, oh,'” Moore says. “Then I read it three times in one go. I thought, ‘This can’t be real.’ I immediately fell in love with the idea of playing him.”
Next was a Zoom with Moore, Barney, and the film’s writer and director, Elliott Tuttle. “We had a really great read-aloud, and Reed and I were crying during one scene,” Moore recalls. “Reid sent me this beautiful text and two weeks later I was in LA making a movie.”
Although he didn’t have much time to prepare, Moore turned to some of his content creator friends to help answer some of his questions. “It kind of broke down my own walls of shame and taboo. Our own accomplishments and efforts are completely human and normal,” Moore says. “I think I learned that no pervert is normal. I’ve seen a lot of the term in the movies I’ve been through. I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by queer spaces and have friends who are super sex-positive, so it wasn’t really a shock to me.”
He continued, “One of my friends who saw the movie said, ‘If we could all be a little more honest about the little parts of ourselves, our kinks and our shame, how much better would the world be, because everyone would feel a little less weird and alienated. I think that was my biggest takeaway.’
Despite his very convincing acting, especially the film’s opening scene that shows his work as a camboy, Moore says it wasn’t something that came naturally. “I love wearing clothes. I’m a bit of a grandpa,” he says with a laugh. “So there was something quite liberating about that…and once I started moving, I thought, ‘If I could take that 5% of that confidence back with me, it would be so empowering.'” I felt really beautiful in my body. I hope I can carry that over into all my roles. ”
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t ask Moore about Netflix abruptly canceling “Boots” after just one season. Many have speculated that the show was not picked up due to political pressure from the Trump administration, but streamer chief Ted Sarandos told me in February that that is “absolutely” not true.
“That’s an answer above my pay grade, but it would be hard to defend that that wasn’t the idea when it came to decision-making,” Moore said. “The show was a huge success. That’s all we know.”
“Blue Film” is now available for rent and purchase on digital platforms.
