It's Easter Sunday, and there's a rainbow shining at the Tranquility Canyon Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita, California. Only this one isn't in the sky. It's on the ground, made up of four powerhouse performers — Angel Youngs, Octavia Red, Rissa May and Vanna Bardot — dressed in vivid, artfully styled colors on the set of Seth Gamble's new Wicked Pictures feature, "Sweet Juggz of Justice."
Draped in green, Bardot sparkles like an emerald. Red shines in vibrant blue, May stuns in a daring orange top and Youngs turns heads in striking red. No matter the color, each woman's shorts are tailored to accentuate her figure.
"Your form is absolutely ridiculous," Red tells Youngs, clearly impressed by her co-star’s curvacious figure.
Soon, the group piles into a vintage 1970 Cadillac convertible, with Youngs behind the wheel. She keeps driving past her mark — a bright blue pay phone standing out against the yellow-green canyon backdrop.
"She's freaking out about having to back up," Gamble says with a laugh.
The director is in good spirits, especially given that this scene was originally slated to wrap months earlier. After nearly completing "Sweet Juggz of Justice" in February, mid-month rain showers forced Gamble to postpone the final day of production.
Now, on Easter Sunday, he's finally getting the ending he envisioned. He watches as Red flirts with Dick Chibbles, who plays Sheriff Johnson, distracting him long enough for her friends to swipe his gun and keys.
Some productions might avoid filming on a holiday centered around family gatherings, but Gamble takes a more practical view.
"There aren't a lot of God-fearing, religious, churchgoing people in the adult industry," he says with a shrug.
The Plot Thickens
"Sweet Juggz of Justice" follows a group of busty bounty hunters in pursuit of Myron, played by Victor Ray, who has been framed for the murder of his girlfriend and the mother of Youngs' character, portrayed by Elizabeth Skylar.
The story is entirely Gamble's creation.
"The idea came from a conversation I had about '70s exploitation films and the work of Russ Meyer," he explains. "In porn, people have done exploitation movies, but I'd never really seen a Russ Meyer- or John Waters-style film. I was watching 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' and a bunch of similar movies and thought, 'I want to make my own version.'"
That inspiration shaped the film's aesthetic and playful tone.
"This movie is funny. There's a lot of slapstick humor," Gamble says. "I knew I wanted to make a boob movie. The challenge was figuring out how to turn that boob movie into something creative and comedic."
Though Gamble has tackled a wide range of genres throughout his career, comedy is new territory for him. Judging by the atmosphere on set, though, he's enjoying every minute of it.
"The hours just fly by differently when you're doing something comedic," he says. "Whatever you're making, the energy on set is going to match the energy of the film because energy is palpable. When you're making a comedy, it's a lot more fun and less stressful. You can make a drama and everything can go smoothly, but you don't leave the set with that same air of lightness."
'Very Bubbly, and Kind of a Whore'
Youngs arrives on set at 10 a.m., grateful for the chance to sleep in on a Sunday morning. She's playing Sweet Charity, the group's leader, a character she describes as "calm, confident and in charge."
Because of the two-month production delay, however, Youngs says she needed a quick refresher before stepping back into character.
"I had to watch a little bit of what I'd done before," she says, referring to the Southern accent she adopted for the role. "But once I got back into it, I was really in my element."
Bardot faced a similar challenge. She plays Sweet Melissa, the group's black sheep and comic relief, and admits she was nervous about returning to her accent after the break.
"I'm not great at accents, but the Southern drawl came back real quick," she says with a laugh. "By the end of the day, I couldn't snap out of it."
May, who plays Sweet Pie, sums up her character with characteristic bluntness: "She's very bubbly and kind of a whore."
Red, meanwhile, plays Sweet Sue, a loyal friend helping Youngs' character track down Myron.
"I don't think any of us have the same Southern accent," Red observes. "But it's been really fun seeing everyone play off one another."
That chemistry extends to the film's leading man as well, with Ray describing his character, Myron, as an unlikely anti-hero with more going on beneath the surface.
"He's the local klutz," Ray explains. "He's a nice kid, but everyone's getting laid except him. Then he gets framed for murder and has to go on the run. Things aren't all bad, though. At the end, he gets his moment to shine."
The Rainbow Connection
Every director relies on the right cast to bring a vision to life, and for "Sweet Juggz of Justice," Gamble says the chemistry came together naturally.
"All of these girls sell well and have that 'It' factor I'm looking for," he says. "But they're also just great people to have on set."
That admiration becomes even more apparent as he talks about the cast individually.
"Angel is perfection from head to toe, and Octavia is a Renaissance actress who can do it all," he says. "She's got this old-school pizazz that's almost a throwback to actresses from the '40s."
May, meanwhile, has become one of his most reliable collaborators.
"I work with her a lot, both as a performer and as a director, and we have great energy together," he says. "She has the cutest little face in the world, so when the character was named Sweet Pie, it was easy to picture her in the role."
Even as an in-demand director with no shortage of talent eager to work with him, Gamble admits there are still moments that surprise him.
"I still can't believe I got Vanna to be in this movie," he marvels. "She plays the girl with smaller boobs compared to the others, and everybody messes with her because of it. But she's not the butt of the joke. She's Vanna Bardot. She plays it so well, and I think people are going to be surprised by how amazing she is."
The Machine Behind the Mayhem
Behind Gamble's colorful vision is a trusted crew that has worked alongside him for years.
"I have Claudia Ross on most projects, and she's been with me for six years," Gamble says. "Ezra is set in stone as my set designer and PA, and my lighting guys, Sly and Joel, round out the crew. It feels like we're a big family by now."
That family atmosphere extends across departments.
"Seth is collaborative with everyone on set, which is really nice," says Siren Obscura, who shares DP duties on the film. "We love to bounce ideas off each other. We're always laughing and having a great time."
Controlled Chaos
Gamble stays busy these days, spending six to eight days a month directing and another 10 to 12 performing. That dual perspective shapes the way he runs the set, balancing humor, pacing and performer comfort.
"The idea is that every time there's sex in this movie, it's happening because someone has slipped away from something important," Gamble says. "They're in the middle of a high-stakes situation, and somebody sneaks off to go fuck."
That playful energy carries through every scene. When performer Small Hands' character, Biker Bob, repeatedly crashes a bicycle he believes is a motorcycle into a ditch, Gamble adjusts the timing between takes without sacrificing the joke.
"Be faster, but don't take the comedy out of it," he tells him.
Small Hands, who has known Gamble for more than a decade, says the director's experience as a performer makes all the difference.
"Because he's such a seasoned performer, he knows how to work with talent and execute scenes that are sexy and hot while keeping everyone as comfortable as possible," he says. "His sets are fun and casual. It feels like hanging out at summer camp with my friends."
That performer-first approach is something the cast notices immediately.
"I just started working with Seth this year, and I love his energy and the way he directs," Youngs says. "He's really into it."
Red agrees.
"He has a very visual concept of what he wants to do," she says. "That helps us bring it to life on screen."
Even after the unexpected production delay, Gamble says staying connected to the project was never a challenge.
"I think being a director is less about creativity and the product itself, and more about finding solutions when problems happen," he says. "Staying engaged with a project has never been a problem for me."
Though he has appeared in his own films such as "Clout" and "Reckless," Gamble says he increasingly enjoys focusing solely on directing.
"For certain studios I do both, but it's nice sometimes not to have the extra pressure of performing and just sit there with one hat on," he says.
That doesn't mean he's slowing down. In fact, he's already preparing for his next feature.
"It's a post-apocalyptic movie for Pure Taboo, and we're casting it right now," Gamble reveals. "It's basically about four brothers who promise their dying father they'll find women and repopulate the world following an apocalyptic event."
But before the apocalypse arrives, Gamble still has one colorful adventure left to share.
He grins when asked what audiences can expect from "Sweet Juggz of Justice."
"I can't wait for everyone to taste the rainbow," he concludes.
