LOS ANGELES — Casey Calvert returned to Elysian Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday night for an intimate screening of her new Adult Time/Girlsway feature "Straight Girls," which just so happens to have been filmed on that very stage.
Written and directed by Calvert, the feature stars Ophelia Fae and Ameena Green, along with Alice White, Kimmy Kimm, Lilly Bell, Selena Ivy, Nicole Vaunt, Charlotte Sins, Siri Dahl, Anna Claire Clouds, and Little Puck.
"Bree Mills at Adult Time asked me if I wanted to do the big lesbian movie for Girlsway this year, and she pitched me 'Straight Girls,'" recalled Calvert. "Bree said it's about a girl (Fae) who is gay, and she has sex with straight girls to avoid falling in love, but then she falls in love with one (Green). I was like, 'I think I can take that and run with it.'
Calvert wrote the script based on that idea, and once it was done, she took the rare step of holding open auditions.
"It's definitely unusual for adults, but I've had a lot of luck in the past and found a bunch of really amazing actors," she explained.
Fae said that when she heard about the open audition, she jumped at the opportunity.
"I knew Casey because we have a lot of mutual friends, so we've been able to talk here and there, but this was my first time working with her on anything," said Fae. "She gave me some sides to work with, so I submitted a self-tape, and so did Ameena."
Calvert responded enthusiastically to both Fae and Green and made the bold decision to cast them based on their tapes while filling out the rest of the cast with more established performers she's worked with before.
"There was little to no rehearsal," said Green, who made sure she showed up to set knowing her lines, as she didn't want to disappoint Calvert.
Green plays Shannon, who is cast in a play (by theater director Little Puck in a standout supporting turn) alongside Ava (Fae), a lesbian who unexpectedly catches feelings for her co-star.
"This is a really unique story in that it's so grounded and authentically queer," said Fae. "As a lesbian when the cameras aren't rolling, I was able to relate to Ava, which doesn't always happen."
Fae stars in every scene in the film, including every sex scene, which is also unusual outside of a proper showcase. She has two sex scenes with Green, one with Sins, another with Nicole Vaunt, and finally, one with both Siri Dahl and Anna Claire Clouds.
Calvert admitted it was an unusual approach, but she felt strongly that Fae was up to the challenge.
"I remember texting Bree one day while I was developing this story, and I was like, 'Hey, so I know we normally mix it up for the sex scenes, but what if Ophelia is just in all of them?' Because one of my porn pet peeves is when you're watching a movie and getting really into the story, and the sex keeps interrupting the narrative," explained Calvert.
"I don't like making movies like that. I want the narrative to continue through the sex scene as much as possible. And for this narrative to continue all the way through, Ophelia had to be in all of the scenes. Bree signed off on that idea, so that's what we did, and it's definitely one of the big things about this movie that's different from a lot of others."
"Straight Girls" is also tonally different from Calvert's other work.
"I really tried to do some comedy here before it turns into more of a drama at the end, and I'm very pleased with how that worked out. I'm really glad that the jokes were hitting at the beginning," said Calvert, who shared credit with her crew.
The director specifically gave a shout-out to Bryn Pryor, aka Eli Cross, who shot and edited "Straight Girls" and generally serves as Calvert's jack-of-all-trades.
"I focus on the creative and the directing and working with the actors, and he focuses on the cinematography and all the technical stuff," said Calvert. "I've been working with him for my entire directing career, and we work really well together, so I trust him to execute my vision."
Green, in particular, appreciated that vision.
"Casey is super artistic, and I love the way she directs. I really appreciated how she guided me through this project and the vision she had for bringing this character to life," said Green.
Added Fae, "Casey puts so much intention into every single shot, and she really cares about the craft of everything that she does. She brings so much artistry and precision and love to her work, and it shows."
While Green confessed to being nervous on her way to the screening because it was her first time watching herself onscreen with an audience, she wound up relishing the experience by the time the lights came up and the applause began.
"I'm super happy I got to share that moment with everyone," she said. "Looking back on everything, I just feel so proud. We worked really hard on this film."
Few worked harder than Fae, who said she wants to shoot as much lesbian porn as possible.
"I love this industry with my whole heart. This is my dream job, and I'd love to work with Casey again on anything she'll have me in. This job brings me so much joy, and this industry is truly the place where I feel most welcome. As a lesbian, sometimes it can get a little lonely out there, but here I feel so embraced."
Fae was so proud of the final result, and of playing the lead for the first time in a large-scale feature production, she brought her mother to the screening.
Regarding the plot, Fae said she has never caught feelings for a straight girl off-camera, but she has been a lot of girls' first queer experience, largely due to how she entered the industry.
"I got my start on a new girl site, essentially, and they have a resident male talent for the girls' first on-camera scenes. When they found out that I'm a real lesbian, I became the resident lesbian talent for them. So I was the first girl for a lot of girls thanks to that, but I hooked up with a couple straight girls when I was in and freshly out of college as well, and those girls definitely knew that they were bi before they got to me."
As for her character, Ava, Fae said she learns to be more vulnerable by the end of the film.
"She learns that if sleeping with straight girls doesn't protect her heart, then there isn't any sense in trying to put those walls up to begin with."
"Straight Girls" is now streaming on Girlsway.com.
