LOS ANGELES — B. Skow told XBIZ the unusual premise of his latest movie is intended to allow viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Sure, the central character of “In the Flesh” is a Jesus-like figure played by veteran porn actor Alec Knight, but the director Skow never actually identifies him as such.
“When people watch it they get the idea it’s not a critical movie and I’m not trying to use Jesus to make a porn,” Skow said. “I never say in the movie that it’s Jesus. I wanted people to form their opinion of what it was. I wanted to leave it to imagination.
“There’s a whole bunch of things in the movie that could go either way, that could go toward him being Jesus or just a hippie coming from Burning Man.”
Written by long-time Skow collaborator David Stanley, “In the Flesh” tells the story of Aman, a spiritual figure who is trying to save humanity from itself. Spoiler alert: it also happens to be his second attempt at such a feat after a 2015-year hiatus. But instead of taking a message of forgiveness to the streets, this time Aman just wants to tell people “to go fuck themselves.”
But in a good way, because Aman believes that shame is the root of all evil. Thus, his message is simple: “Don’t be ashamed of touching yourself or being naked.”
In addition to Knight, the cast includes Mercedes Carrera, Kassondra Raine, Raven Bay, Daisy Haze, Kasey Warner, Dick Chibbles, Seth Gamble, Michael Vegas, Karlo Karrera, and Steven St. Croix.
In short, what Skow set out to create was a porn movie that is also a social commentary.
“I had the idea and it kind of came together pretty easy,” said Skow, the first director to shoot boy/girl sex for Girlfriends Films who is in his third year directing exclusively for his Skow for Girlfriends label.
“It kind of follows the same idea of ‘The Bible.’ Jesus comes, he spreads his word, he gets crucified, and then he becomes Jesus. His message gets taken on for 2015 years and he comes back and spreads his new word, gets shot and his message continues on.”
Skow said he was extra sensitive to the religious themes. He is no stranger to the teachings of “The Bible,” attending Catholic school for nine years while growing up in New Jersey.
“I haven’t been practicing but I know how they make you feel about everything,” Skow admitted. “We didn’t want to be sacrilegious and we made sure it wasn’t that. It’s more about a good message. I wanted to make a movie with a story that I think is positive.
“If you watch it it’s not blasphemous.”
It’s also not the first time he has cast the versatile Knight in a big role. One of porn’s most underrated actors, Knight in 2014 appeared in Skow’s critically acclaimed movie “The Gardener.”
“I like Alec. He works with me on my box covers and he’s in a lot of my movies,” said Skow, noting Knight’s off-camera talents as a graphic artist. “I’m just comfortable with Alec. He understands direction really well and he’s a good actor who’s willing to do anything, any part. He’s played some sick, sick parts for me.”
Skow added, “He’s also does really good sex scenes and the girls like him. He has that rare combination.”
But the director revealed that Knight’s character does not engage in any kind of sex for “In the Flesh.”
“I would never have done that. I’m too superstitious,” Skow joked. “I make you think it’s going to happen, but I don’t do it.”
His cast included some of his regulars such as Michael Vegas and Seth Gamble, who play redneck cops who cross paths with Aman, in addition to some emerging stars that are on their way to becoming go-to performers for Skow.
“I use Michael and Seth a lot, especially Michael,” Skow said. “He loves to play characters and he does everything you ask of him. You can get Michael to a different place. He’s just committed and he does great scenes. He’s also a nice person who’s always on time. These are A-list guys in my book.
“I likes guys that do real-looking sex scenes — Michael Vegas is one of the those guys. He’s really into what he does and it shows. He’s not a machine or robotic. Every scene is always different. Tommy Pistol is the same, always different. It depends on what their mood is. I think that’s more realistic.”
Meanwhile, Kasey Warner’s character is the one who becomes closest to Aman in the movie.
“She’s a phenomenal actress,” Skow said. “I first used her in a small role and I’ve used her in three features since then and I’m about to use her again. And she does amazing sex scenes.”
“In the Flesh” also marked the first time he cast Mercedes Carrera.
“[Girlfriends Films founder and director] Dan [O’Connell] shot Mercedes and he raved about her. Plus my cameraman Miguel was a fan,” Skow continued. “What a good actress she is. That was the first time I shot her and I loved her. She has a pretty face and a big ass and she’s good in the movie.”
Skow said despite the unconventional material no one involved had issues during the filming.
“The entire process, from working on the script to editing it, no one thought anything bad,” he added. “Everyone liked it because it’s a story. I think it’s a positive story. We make the devil bad. ... Everything ‘The Bible’ does this kind of did.”
"In the Flesh" is available now through Girlfriends Films.
