LOS ANGELES, CA — Wicked has unveiled the fourth episode of Seth Gamble's feature-directing debut “Deranged.”
The eight-part series’ latest installment spotlights "a torrid threeway" starring Lily Larimar and Jane Wilde with reigning XBIZ "Male Performer of the Year" Mick Blue.
"Dr. Charlie Hayes (Kenzie Taylor) is a brilliant psychologist navigating her dark past as she pursues her nemesis, the deranged Dr. Joseph Curwen (Tommy Pistol). After a hard day at the office, her ruminations lead back to an incident that occurred when she was 18 and out on the streets, the fateful day her teenage self (Larimar) received a mysterious invitation from Lisette (Wilde) and her lover (Blue)."
Gamble described the dual-timeline casting as "a unique challenge."
"As a filmmaker, your goal is to capture performances across timelines that feel like they are from the same playbook. It was critical that both my wonderful wife Kenzie and Lily be on the same page about Charlie," he explained. "Fortunately, they both hit it out of the park. They saw Charlie as ambitiously stubborn and ruinously strong, and they manifested that personality assessment into their spoken performances and into a shared physicality during their sex scenes."
"Kenzie and Lily were completely in step with each other, as if they’d been practicing together their whole lives," Gamble continued. "Lily is an incredible performer with great screen presence and casting her as a young Charlie was a no-brainer for me. She was excited to be there and brought the role to life. I think Lily is a great actress and this is just an early example of what she can bring to the table."
The director noted he performed opposite Wilde in her first scene in January 2018.
"We’ve worked together close to a dozen times since then, and we have a shorthand in how we communicate that brings efficiency to our relationship as a performer and a director," he noted. "She knew instinctively what I was looking for in the character of Lisette. James Avalon and Shaun Rivera lit the scene in a very moody, artistic way and Jane gave a powerhouse performance."
Gamble added that Blue is the XBIZ "Male Performer of the Year" for "a very simple reason. He's top-tier in every way."
"To my mind, even when I was playing supporting roles, I thought I was the lead because I cared about the work so much. They don’t teach you in acting class to be a lead or supporting character. You maintain the same professionalism regardless, and Mick is cut from the same cloth in the way he approaches the business," Gamble said. "As a performer, he knows it boils down to essence. You listen and break down a scene. He really focuses on his work and steers clear of distractions."
Find the latest episode of “Deranged” on Wicked.com and follow the studio on Twitter.
