THEGAYUK WINTER 13 /14 Issue 1
FEATURE
With the release of his
brand new film 'I Do',
we hunker down with
the incredibly sexy Mr
David W. Ross to talk
Hollywood, Boybands
and Gay Marriage.
!
By Chris Jones
The entire film feels very
personal - How much is
based on fact and/or
personal experience?
I love that you thought that. I
really wanted to have a sense
of a fly-on-the-wall and a
personal feel to it. Well, I
became a photographer for
the film. So that's life
imitating art. Mano is based
on a guy I fell in love with in
America but couldn't get his
work permit so had to move
back to the UK. It's the reason
I wrote the film. And Sam,
played by my dear friend and
awesome actor Mickey
Cottrell, is based on a friend I
had living in LA. I lived with a
lady who was quite eccentric
and used to be Avedon's
assistant in the 60s in New
York. But overall I was so
outraged by the lack of
marriage and immigration
rights, and saw first hand
through shooting rallies in
California how families were
being effected, that I wanted
to tell a story that would
move people to some sort of
action.
!
The casting is superb Alicia Witt is ideal as
Mya, and Maurice
Compte is perfect as
Mano - How did you go
about casting this piece?
I was lucky enough to get my
script to Alicia Witt and
Jamie-Lynn Sigler who
signed on rather quickly.
Then our amazing casting
directors did the rest. We had
a couple of days of sessions
that I sat in on. I read with
everyone. And the casting
directors also sent us tapes.
One was from Maurice and I
knew right away that he was
Mano. I think the casting
directors knew that I DO is
not really a gay film and got
some amazing people. Casting
makes all the difference. Who
knew someone like Grant
Bowler would come on board!
!
Funding: How did you
fund the film?
I was in the normal
Hollywood holding pattern
for about two years. I had the
script but couldn't get money
before the star and the star
before the money. One day I
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