For starters, how does it feel to be at the center of a show that revolves around your member and its impact on people’s lives?
It’s crazy. My cock is more famous than I am!
What was your initial reaction when the project was pitched to you? We’d love to know how that conversation went down.
Well, the writers actually had me in mind when they wrote the show. Alexander Payne signed on to do the pilot and he asked them who they had in mind. They said, “Well, we kind of wrote this for Thomas Jane, so we’re looking for that kind of type—a Thomas Jane type of guy." Alexander said, “I know Thomas. How about we just start with the real thing?”
He gave me a call and I actually still have the message on my answering machine. I saved it. It was a real interesting call, saying, “Hi, Thomas. This is Alexander Payne. We’re doing this show for HBO and it’s about a man with a large penis. Your name came up. Why don’t you give me a call?”
How does one go about “studying up” for a role like this? Are there any surprising ways you get into character?
A lot of push-ups. I asked the crew for a fluffer, but they haven’t made that happen yet.
There tends to be a presumption that someone who enters into this line of work has to have something off about them. Ray and Tanya (Jane Adams), however, despite certain lapses of judgment, seem to have pretty decent heads on their shoulders and bring a surprising sensibility to their escort work that almost makes it feel…practical. Can you speak a bit about that?
Ray and Tanya are a very unlikely pair of heroes. They’re the last people you’d think would be in the pimp-ho business, you know, a poetry teacher and a former professional baseball player-turned-history teacher. The whole show kind of revolves around the idea that these people are normal, but honestly, I think it’s really about the politics of the male-female relationship. Ray’s relationships with different women in his life become the focus of the show, whereas Season One plays a lot on the fact that the American economy has gone into the shitter. By Season Three, the economy’s still in the shitter, so I think people just want to have some fun!
So what can you tell us about the new season?
This year, we decided to present a funnier, faster, sexier show and have some fun with the characters. They’re really well written, very well designed characters and we wanted to take the audience for a ride where we can kind of forget about our troubles for a minute. “By Season Three, I don’t wanna hear anything about the fucking economy anymore!” We’ve got Ray, who's quit his teaching job and hoing full time; he’s got some money coming in. Ray and Tanya’s business has been booming.
I’ve got a nice, fancy sports car and we’re working at a little store front where Tanya’s teaching a sex class above a muffin shop, and life is good. Ray’s done a lot more living. When Lenore moves in on his territory with a gigolo she’s trained, this waiter, it really throws a wrench into his plans. She’s always there to fuck shit up! The fact that she’s threatening him with this new young kid is pretty genius. I go through all kinds of crazy shit this season. It’s been really fun, really sexy, and a great year. My favorite season by far.
What do you think it is about the show that’s resonated so much with audiences?
It’s human. People love the show because it deals with human beings in a real way. We play on the hopes and fears of men and women, attacking serious questions about the male-female relationship, and we do it in a way that’s funny, yet provocative. The title and the fact that the guy’s got a big dick are the Trojan horse that gets us into your living room. People like escapism, and we also want to watch entertainment where we can see people in situations we wonder how we’d deal with.
Do you think the show’s given you any new insight when it comes to women?
Women are just as mysterious to me as ever, but I do think the show is kind of a journey through the female psyche. The show has a lot of female fans because it really is a male point of view through the mind of a female. It’s like taking a tour of a woman’s mind and that’s what I find fascinating about it.
We can't help but assume your response from lady fans must have been pretty strong. Have you ever had any particularly crazy encounters?
People ask if they can hire me all the time. The most frequent question isn’t “How big?”; it’s “Hey, baby, how much?”
How did your family first respond to the show?
My mother asked me for Ray’s phone number. Only kidding!
A lot of guys out there are consumed with penis size. Do you think an individual’s outlook on life truly is different from others when they’re fortunate enough to be blessed downstairs?
I think most people get over comparing penis sizes in high school, but there are people who continue to do that in the real world. America is immature as a nation and part of the reason why Hung is a hit show is because it deals with that immature side of the male brain where we are kind of comparing ourselves to the rest of the world.
But there’s a lot more to life than how big your dick is! Let me tell you something I’ve learned: No matter how big your cock is, there’s somebody out there whose dick is smaller than yours, who’s doing more with it. In other words, somebody’s fucking better than you, doing more with less. So learn how to use what you got!
We think it’s safe to say you have more sex scenes than the average leading man. Are about half of your sets closed sets?
I spend more time naked in front of a hundred people than I do by myself at home! I get used to it. One of the things the show’s given me personally is it’s taught me how to be comfortable with my own body, and that’s a gift. The less time I spend worrying about myself, the more time I can spend making the girl I’m with feel good.
We imagine you've got to be pretty desensitized to sex scenes, with it being such a large part of your character's everyday life. Have there ever been any that were challenging to shoot?
Blowjob scenes are always tough to shoot. I have to instruct the actress on how far to bob her head up and down. Too much and it looks too silly…too little and it looks, er, little. Just like real life, most girls need a little coaching to hit that sweet spot that’s just right.
When we're introduced to Ray back in Season One, he's a school teacher who begins moonlighting as a male escort. Have you ever had any surprising day jobs or side hustles before you began acting full-time?
I was a hustler on Santa Monica Blvd as a young man. I gave away balloons for an Italian Restaurant and became known as "the Balloon Boy." Insert obvious entendre here.
Television Series: Hung (S03E02- Don't Give Up on Detroit or Hung Like a Horse)
Release Date: October 2011
Actress: Kelly Ryan & Georgia Hatzis
Video Clip Credit: DeepAtSea
Kelly Ryan
Rapid
Mega
Mediafire
Sendspace
Filsonic
Georgia Hatzis
Rapid
Mega
Mediafire
Sendspace
Filesonic
No comments:
Post a Comment