"Eat the rich" has long served as a rallying cry against economic inequality. In NakedSword's new political thriller, it also becomes a plan of action.
Led by Jayden Marcos, a trio of escorts targets conservative power players portrayed by Paul Wagner, Derek Kage and Johnny Donovan. After catching the men in compromising positions, the group blackmails them into making sizable donations to LGBTQ charities.
"The title works on different levels," says NakedSword co-chief content officer Ben Rush. “It's playful and provocative, but it's also about power structures and the imbalance between those who make the rules and those forced to live within them."
The film's mission also extends beyond the screen. NakedSword has partnered with New York underwear brand Skull & Bones on a limited-edition release featuring underwear used in the movie, with proceeds benefiting The Trevor Project.
"The film shines a spotlight on hypocrisy and the misuse of power, so it felt right to channel something connected to the movie toward an organization doing important work for people who need it," Rush says.
Arriving amid ongoing political battles over LGBTQ rights, sexual expression, and adult content, the film explores the uneasy relationship between public condemnation and private consumption.
"We're in a strange time where sex is everywhere, but it is becoming more restricted," Rush observes. "Adult performers and creators are at the center of debates about morality and free expression, while their work is consumed more than ever. That contradiction fascinates me: people pointing fingers with one hand and jerking off with the other."
Rather than setting out to make an explicitly political film, Rush says the story naturally demanded that backdrop.
"Politics shapes nearly every aspect of our lives, and pretending otherwise would have felt dishonest," he explains. “I wanted to explore what people will compromise, what they will fight to protect and how they navigate a world where political decisions have deeply personal consequences."
Conservative Confessions
No target escapes the film's scathing satire, from hypocritical politicians and corrupt billionaires to religious leaders and an A-list celebrity. Though some may seem suspiciously familiar, Rush insists the characters are not modeled on any one person.
"If a senator watches the movie and feels the need to call his lawyer, his pastor and his publicist, in that order, I can't be responsible for that," he jokes.
For Kage, playing a closeted religious conservative meant drawing on his upbringing in Alabama and his own experiences with shame.
"I thought about the conservative men I hooked up with and how cold I could become afterward when I was still in the closet," Kage recalls. "My character treats an escort like an object for his pleasure, then barely acknowledges him once it's over."
Kage says religious hypocrisy, more than politics itself, drove his portrayal.
"The mental gymnastics religious figures perform can turn someone into a truly awful human being," he says. "To stand at the pulpit decrying homosexuality while hiring male sex workers in the rectory says everything about my character."
Wagner plays a family-first conservative senator whose public values do not stop him from indulging in plenty of private encounters with escorts. While politics did not directly shape his performance, Wagner says it heightened the story's urgency.
"At its core, the film shows that intense opposition often stems from inner fear and self-loathing," he explains. "On a broader level, it recognizes that sometimes, if you want justice, you have to serve it yourself instead of waiting for a corrupt system to fix things."
Sex and the Resistance
The project marks Marcos' first time headlining a NakedSword release. After appearing as the third top in the now-infamous triple penetration scene in "Wild Game," he returns as the leader and strategic mastermind of the film's escort resistance. This time, his sizable endowment shares the spotlight with his acting.
"Being the brains behind the operation made me feel responsible for everyone before myself," Marcos says. "It was a lot of pressure, but I took it on happily. Stepping into the mind of someone willing to give his body and time for an entire community was tricky but so much fun."
The role also presented Marcos with a new mix of political conviction and psychological maneuvering.
"There were so many mind games and strategies woven into the seriousness of the story," he explains. "People have strong opinions about politics, so I had to play my character as someone who truly stands firm in his beliefs."
While the film’s resistance carries serious stakes, sexual restraint is nowhere on the agenda. During Kage's confession-booth encounter with escort Luca Zae, the performer pulls a rosary from his posterior before adding anal beads to the sacrilegious spectacle.
"The rosary moment is probably the most scandalous thing I've ever done for a studio, but I knew it would add something no one else could or would do," Kage says. "Getting all the beads inside me was quite a task, but once they were in, I was ready to put on a wild performance. I channeled the humiliation and degradation that religious shame can bring, and I think it was perfect."
Wagner also explores his versatile side, finally getting the opportunity to bottom for Marcos after admiring his assets on the set of "Wild Game."
"I enjoy being vers, and Jayden has a great dick you'd want to bottom for," Wagner says. "Ever since I met him, I wanted to experience it."
Marcos is not the only thing Wagner takes. In one of the film's more outrageous visual gags, the senator's "Family First" award ends up inside him, continuing Rush's habit of transforming unexpected objects into unconventional sex toys.
"I've always liked the unexpected," Rush says. "Whether it's a visual gag or a shocking moment, surprises keep viewers engaged. Sometimes that means throwing something outrageous into a scene because it fits the film's sense of humor. It's a way of never letting the audience get too comfortable."
Family First, for Real
While Rush delights in keeping viewers uncomfortable, he wants the atmosphere behind the camera to feel exactly the opposite.
"When people feel respected, heard and safe, they're willing to take creative risks," Rush says. "You can explore provocative ideas onscreen while maintaining professionalism and kindness offscreen. That's what keeps everyone doing their best work."
That support begins with preparation. Kage received an extensive character history, cinematic references and guidance on the mood of each scene. Because he had little firsthand experience with Catholicism, he also turned to his best friend, Sophia Locke, for insight.
"She was raised Catholic and gave me lots of information and possible scene ideas, including the rosary moment," Kage reveals.
A more emotional moment, and perhaps the production’s most honest expression of “Family First,” came when the cast and crew surprised Kage with a birthday cake while gathered to shoot promotional material.
"It was such a special moment that really warmed my heart," Kage says. "It reminded me that I am loved and that my porn family is my real family."
For all its political provocation, Rush stresses that "Eat the Rich" was never intended to be a heavy-handed lecture.
"My goal was to make a compelling dramatic thriller that keeps people emotionally invested while asking bigger questions about power, class, exploitation and survival," he says. "If viewers think about the themes as much as they do the sex and the plot, then we've accomplished something powerful. The idea was never to tell people what to think, but to encourage them to think."
