The hit Web Soap, 'Old Dogs and New Tricks is Out on DVD this week from Wolfe Video. To Promote it, I am re-posting my May interview with the Creator, Writer, Star, Leon Acord and I had a great chat as he told me what is in store for the show, Hopes of the future and How the LGBT Media really feels about Gay men over 50:
MK: Congrats on a great Season 2 of Old Dogs and New Tricks!
Leon: Thanks, MK! It was a long, hard road, but totally worth it. I'm really proud of how well it turned out!
MK: What is Happening for Season 3?
Leon: We're fundraising now. Shooting starts in the fall, and we hope to have our season premiere up in February 2014.
Season 3 is our last season, at least for a good, long while. So we're exploring the question Nathan asked at the beginning of the series, which is, 'do gay men ever grow up?' All four dogs face circumstances that force them grow a bit. We're still funny, I hope, but we'll deal with some serious things. Brad will have financial difficulties and make some bad choices. Ross and Neal find themselves in court, and later, Ross' career comeback will be threatened by an indiscretion. Muscles is going to have a few bad dating experiences that lead him to consider moving back home, and will also deal with some parental issues.
And poor Nathan. He has the hardest journey, and the toughest decision to make. He goes through a bit of torture. He'll find wonderful options for a great future, but his past bad decisions--and Damian's memory--will haunt him. He's going to hit a bit of a wall, which results in the four dogs having their first big argument. Everything will kind of break apart before coming back together for the series finale.
We really want to cram as much in as we can--oh, and it all takes place over the holidays, beginning on Halloween and ending on New Year's Eve.
MK: Who is Coming? Going?
Leon: Our main cast is back. And Ian Buchanan is returning as Christoph for several episodes. You'll learn a lot about Christoph and why he's so perfect for Nathan. He's great fun to write for, and I am so excited to work with him as an actor!
And Bruce Hart will get more screen time as Nelson Van Eddy, as he and Nathan are forced to make nice and share office space.
Alas, Greg Louganis is busy with Splash and unable to commit. And Thom Bierdz took a pass on another season. But the door is open to each of them if either changes his mind! Ryland Shelton is gone, but Damian is not forgotten; he continues to be involved in Nathan's life in ways I can't talk about without spoiling surprises!
MK: Do think Ageism still plagues the Gay Community?
Leon: If I never thought so before this show, I certainly do now. It's been a real eye opener, MK. I've really been shocked by how many bloggers have emailed me privately to congratulate me on the show--but absolutely refuse to post it on their blog. They don't want to be known as the "old gay guy's blog." And its so ingrained in our community. Its scary how many middle-aged gay men out there want to see a show about anything except middle-aged gay men. It's a scary mirror image that a lot of guys just don't want to see. Which, to me, just proves why shows like Old Dogs & New Tricks are necessary!
On a local level, I think it depends where you live. You rarely see gay men over, say, 60 in LA. They've all moved to Palm Springs, where older gay men rule. In San Francisco, the gay community seems to respect and revere their "ancestors." Though I was young when I lived in SF, so now that I'm not my perspective might be different!
MK: What be your Ultimate Dream?
Leon: Wow. That's a toughie. After working this hard for almost three years, right now my dream is a week of sleeping in, reading books, catching up on movies and TV and seeing friends perform. And never turning on my laptop.
My ultimate dream for the show? I would love for it to return in some incarnation at some point. We've had interest from on-line and dvd distributors, which we'll explore once the third season has come and gone. And if it proves to be self-sufficient that way, perhaps we could bring it back in some form. If not, Bruce Hart has expressed interest about helping produce a feature-film version at some point, which would be a blast.
As for me, I'm really looking forward to resuming my "solo career" again. The other actors in our show work all the time when we're not shooting, and rightly so because they are all incredible talents. But the show never stops for me. It's all day, every day. As much as I love playing Nathan and writing the show--and would be happy to do so for another three years--I can't keep wearing all the hats. And wearing them for free. I have to eat.
I'm really looking forward to being an "actor for hire" again, and saying what they give me, standing where they tell me, showing up and leaving without worrying about whether they are on schedule!
Before I sound too negative, let me say that these three years have been an incredibly journey. A very steep learning curve. I've met wonderful people, worked with talents that I never dreamed I'd ever meet, and learned how to be tough, when I need to, in a very tough business. It's been life-changing, and I wouldn't trade a minute.
Be sure to get OD&NT season 1 and 2 DVD available from Wolfe Now!
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