Ahead of the Irish streaming release of Blue Film, lead actor Kieron Moore sat down with GCN to discuss his role in the psychological thriller. The film follows fetish cam boy Aaron Eagle as he agrees to spend a night with an anonymous client, only to discover a disturbing link to his past. 

Written and directed by Elliot Tuttle, Blue Film marks Tuttle’s second feature film and stars Kieron Moore and Reed Birney. 

Tackling deeply controversial and uncomfortable subject matter, the film could understandably prove to be very daunting for any actor to be a part of. Moore, however, embraced the challenge and described the central material as something that “can cause tremendous discomfort.”

“A lot of people probably, when they first read the script, turned away from it and I get that. But I think not all art was meant to make us comfortable.” The complexity of Aaron’s character is what drew the actor into being a part of the film. “I was fascinated by the character. I guess I was fascinated by his choice to stay in that house.”

Whatever hesitation Moore had initially, he channelled into his decision-making, describing the fear as the ultimate reason he took the part. “I guess a massive part of my fear was, am I capable of doing it? And that’s kind of the realm I want to sit in as a performer. I love that fear. Can I do it?”

The duality of Aaron was a challenging aspect of the role, but Moore relished the ability to play a character that had varying degrees of both hypermasculinity and complete emotional vulnerability. He described Aaron as both messy and extremely human, adding, “I am extremely fascinated with all realms of masculinity and what that even means, and the emotional capacity that lurks beneath it all.”

Research also became an important part of Moore’s preparation, in particular the world of sex work, where this duality came up again as a real-world inspiration on how the actor portrayed the role: “I was just so fascinated; they had these accounts to promote the account… It was like an Instagram sort of, and it was like this persona of a persona.”

 

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A physical transformation was equally as important for the creation of Aaron Eagle. Moore had already been working out for his role on the series Boots, before changing his approach to his body, gaining more muscle, dyeing his hair blonde and incorporating his real-life tattoo sleeve into the look. He says, “I guess it’s like wearing a mask. I mean, I can be anything now.” 

This concept of a mask became a central theme of playing Aaron, as we watch his appearance get stripped away throughout the film. “I didn’t realise how much of an effect it would have on me; I’m very lucky that it’d do that because it allows me to sort of lead into the childlikeness a little bit more.” He adds, “You’re watching someone’s armour fold away, and see himself for the first time.”

The intimate story centres on the relationship between Aaron and Hank, his mysterious client, played by Reed Birney. Despite the sensitive material, Moore says there was very little rehearsal time for the actors before production began. “Honestly, no”, when asked if the two had time to prepare together. “Which I think is why the vulnerability plays so well is because we didn’t have time. We just sort of leapt in.”

The spontaneity between the actors helped create the awkward unfamiliarity between Aaron and Hank. Moore and Birney developed a close friendship over the course of production, with Moore describing his co-star as “a superstar in my eyes” and adding, “Reed’s got experience, he really held my hand.” 

In spite of their developing friendship, Moore believes that their relationship could have changed the film if it had existed beforehand: “If we knew each other like we know each other now, it wouldn’t work.”

Although it is an intense watch, Blue Film offers moments of lightness, which Moore believes adds to its complex nature, not painting a story in just black and white. “There are moments of laughter in it and lightness. And then you remember, and Elliot forces you to remember. And I guess that’s kind of the point.” 

Subject matter aside, the filming process was enjoyable, with the actor referring to it as a freeing and pleasurable experience. “It has no consequence. I hear cut, I go back to my accent, and that doesn’t exist for five minutes. So it’s a real freedom.”

Moore’s American accent became a personal victory for the British actor as he discovered that many viewers did not realise it wasn’t his real speaking voice: “As a British actor, you can give the performance of a lifetime, but if people compliment your accent, it’s like the biggest win ever because you just want to fool people.”

Blue Film will be released in Ireland on October 19.