Daniel Dercksen shared a few thoughts with New Yorker Jay Brannan, who is currently in South Africa to promote the charming independent film Holding Trevor as part of the Out in Africa South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

As a singer/songwriter living in New York City, Brannan recently appeared in John Cameron Mitchell's controversial Shortbus. As a musician, he performs regularly at a variety of New York City venues and also wrote songs which are featured in Shortbus and Holding Trevor, and is also performing his one man show at the Labia in Cape Town on Nov 11 before heading back to the States.

Following the screening of Holding Trevor, Brannan delightfully and energetically entertained the audience with an insightful question and answer session. From the outset it was clear that this outspoken and passionate young performer has a promising career ahead of him as actor and musician.

I spoke to him after the screening of Holding Trevor, when everyone left the theatre and I could spend a few quite moments with this dynamic actor. 

Looking at Shortbus and now Holding Trevor, you seem to be holding a flag up high for independent films and filmmaking, and individual expression?
It is important to me. I think that we live ... at least where I come from, the world is so ... people are so afraid of being honest and talking about things that are very human and natural and very common. It is important to me that I think if we sort of brought down these filters that are stemmed from religion and politics and that kind of thing, I feel it would make life a little bit easier for people on an individual basis, its like a cultural, natural level of self. Personally, I don't know why I have had this curse, I have this obsession with honesty, but I have always had - I guess it's because of my background - maybe it is some rebellious reaction in a sense. I think it is in a healthy way. I don't like filtering myself or censoring myself as long as it is not hurting other people. I try to carry that through my work.

Both Shortbus and Holding Trevor deal with male sexuality; is this an important part of your creative expression?
My way of dealing with the sexuality issue is that don't filter or censor it but I don't want to particularly stay on that topic. I don't have a lot to say about being gay, I don't like to talk about the barriers between gay and straight, I like to sort of just jump over them and walk past them and let everyone just catch up. I don't censor of filter myself. There's other things going on for me, and my interest is in is like having gay people and any minority just stay on the same plain. I don't see why we need to be obsessed with these differences. I want to be juts honest about my experiences, and rather that singing about being gay, I just sing about arsehole guys or relationships without filtering it.  For me, and I am not saying that either way is right or wrong, I feel my calling, where I come from is to jump over that and keep running past it and let anyone else keep up.

What I find interesting is that somehow in South Africa there is the notion that it is so difficult to get films made over here, but so easy to get films made in the States?
That's definitely, definitely not true. Most of what you see has tons of money behind it. When you think of all the stuff that gets made versus all the stuff that doesn't get made, you are looking at less that 1% of what actually happens and it is all because of people who have money, or people who know people, or you have a celebrity attached who is going to sell a ticket. It's all about money, and that's complete illusion. Films like Holding Trevor does get made, it's sometimes impossible.  For a college student like Brent Gorski - who wrote the screenplay with Brannan's input and plays the title role in Holding Trevor -  even coming up with $50 thousand is like enormous, and that's nothing, that's enough for a really bad short music video in terms of the Industry. It's hard work, you've got to pull favours, you can't do it by yourself as it takes so many people and it's not easy. All the stuff that happens is such a small fraction of what could be happening, or what people are trying to make happen. There's a lot of illusions associated with Hollywood. For example, if you in movies, people think you automatically have a career and that you are rich or something, and like I've said, I can't even really get an agent, I have no money, and I have a day job (proofreading legal documents).

Do you have any advice for those who want to step into the industry as actors, writers or filmmakers?
To me, from my experience, I have tried to quit the industry several times, so if there is anything else that you can be happy doing, it is my recommendation to go for that, but if it is something that you feel like just don't what else to do with yourself, of you fell it's where you belong, you should totally go for it. The most important thing is to follow your instincts and not listen to other people. Other people always like to tell you what you can and can't do, and how you can and can't do it, but they don't know what they are talking about. It is the people that do things originally, that do things differently, that break down walls, that everyone ends up calling a genius. People show back on your doorstep. All the people that told you know, tell you how great you are later on once you've proved them wrong.

What excites you about being in the Industry, as actor, singer or performer?
There's nothing about the Industry that excites me, what could possibly excite me is just the idea of being able to make a living doing something that I actually enjoy. I've mentioned I've tried quitting the industry a couple of time and coming up with something I'd be happy doing, but I just keep ending back in it, so I guess it's what I am suppose to be doing, and I can't come up with anything else. I enjoy writing songs - his last show in New York attracted a crowd of 400 fans - I guess the sense of fulfillment from doing it and playing shows, I'd like to make a living doing that, than spending all my time doing something I hate. The Industry itself is very, very difficult; it's a tough world. I don't like the Industry itself at all!

What inspires you?
Primarily, feelings of anger, sadness, pain and frustration. Anything that I really feel like I need to express or get out, like my art is kind of therapeutic for me, at this stage. That may develop later on. When I feel happy, I don't generally feel the need to vent back creatively, but I do with other emotions.

Read more about Holding Trevor and other films showing at the Out in Africa Festival

Read more about Shortbus

Copyright © 2007 The Writing Studio/ Daniel Dercksen