Queer Forty Interviews: Gerald McCullouch on career, strippers and his journey to over forty

Our cover star this month is the amazing Gerald McCullouch, who you might recognize from CSI or the BearCity Trilogy.

He has been working on his own projects, having starred in and directed the critically acclaimed feature film Daddy and directed a second feature film – All Male, All Nude. a documentary on a male strip club in Atlanta, GA.

I recently caught up with him in New York to talk about his career and his new projects.

Gerald, it’s amazing to see you, it’s been too long! What have you been up to recently?

Nice seeing you as well. Last time we saw each other was in Atlanta for the All Male, All Nude premiere. What a crazy weekend that was!

Things have been good. Life’s been busy. I had two feature films released top of the year (a horror flick titled Blood Bound and a comedy titled The Divorce Party) and crazy enough, I guest starred on the mid-season premiere of the new CBS show FBI which aired on the same day Blood Bound was released.

I also shot a role last year for a cool new Netflix show called Messiah that will be coming out in a few months.

You’re making a sequel to your documentary All Male, All Nude (AllMaleAllNude.com), what can we expect from the second one?

This second film dives into the world of a gay strip club located in Wilton Manors, Florida -the second gayest city in the US – which is owned and managed by the DJ and Manager of Swinging Richards who appeared in the first film. It’ll have a very similar feel to the first film, and I’ve been having a blast with it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BudD1CwAR_z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What have been some of the surprises and highlights of your career so far?

Well, I gotta’ say CSI was pretty phenomenal. When that show first started, no one had any idea it would become the entity it did. The first BearCity film was also an awesome surprise. That first film, as well as the two follow up films, brought some pretty unforgettable experiences into my life. Both of those gigs have been like the freakin’ energizer bunny, which I don’t mind whatsoever.

As this is Queer Forty tell us what you think is good about being over forty?

Over 40? Um, I’d say WAY over 40! Ha! Getting older ain’t for pussies, I’ll tell you that! But it’s part of life and I’m certainly glad I’m still in the game.

It’s been a fun ride. I’m probably most appreciative of being a bit wiser than I was in my earlier years. I lived life pretty hard and it still has its ups and downs but I’m glad I’m at a place where I respect the journey more than I did in my younger years and can take it all with a grain of salt. Which now matches my hair!

Has life gone the way you expected when you were in your 20’s?

On one hand I could say – no fuckin’ way, and on the other hand I could say – yeah, I guess for the most part.

My 20’s feel like lifetimes ago. I guess they kinda are. I was foolish and cocky and less aware of the world around me, of politics, of my community and my community’s history.

I’m glad I’ve moved beyond that stage of life and thankful I’m still around to do a better job of living it more respectfully. Or at least trying to.

What’s the biggest myth about getting older, if there is any?

I guess the biggest myth for me is that I’ll actually feel like an adult. I still feel like I’m looking at life through the same eyes I did when I was a kid. My vision just ain’t as sharp as it was back then. But I guess that’s what reading glasses are for, right?