It’s rare to find a gay movie as touching, realistic and – most importantly – funny as Ash Christian’s debut, Fat Girls. In celebration of the movie’s official New York release this Friday, our vacationing editor sat down with the twenty-two year old Texas-born filmmaker for a homo heart-to-heart.
Read what Christian has to say about his first flick, growing up “fat” and why his father thinks he’s going to hell. After the jump, of course…
Andrew Belonsky: This is your directorial debut – is it scary for you?
Ash Christian: Yes. It’s frightening. You’re very vulnerable, but it’s all been pretty good so far. I’ve been traveling with the movie for about a year, so I’ve gotten used to it, but a release is a lot different than a film festival. It’s a lot scarier.
AB: You must feel good about this, right? It’s a good movie.
AC: Yeah, I feel great. The reviews have been really positive for the most part. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I was twenty years old when I made the movie. Things change as you get older. Would I have done things differently? Probably. But it’s caught on film forever, so I’ve got to love it – and I do.
AB: How old are you now?
AC: Twenty-two.
AB: You grew up in Paris, Texas. Fat Girls also takes place in Texas. How much of this is based on your high school experience?
AC: You know, I’d say maybe half of the movie is true to life. I was a gay theater boy and I had a 300-pound best girlfriend and I was raised in a very religious household. But, it’s not all true – the movie had to be entertaining.
AB: Was this movie a cathartic experience for you?
AC: Yes, absolutely. I feel way better now than I did when I was making the movie. It’s also – it basically was my calling card and now I’m not so much of a fat girl.
AB: At the end of the movie you say being a fat girl is all about being comfortable with who you are…
AC: Yeah, but I don’t feel like I’m the person I was when I made that movie, because I have been accepted by the community that I wanted to be accepted by.
AB: What community was that?
AC: The gay community, the film community. I’m not that loner boy I used to be. And the film helped me get out of that, which is awesome.
AB: How often do you go back to Paris?
AC: As little as I can get away with, but I do really love my family and want to go back and visit. It’s tough to go back to such a small town where minds are so closed – and especially, I mean, I basically came out on the front page of the Dallas Morning News with “Fat and Gay” with my face under it.
AB: No!
AC: It’s a bit odd going back. I didn’t know that story was going to happen. They interviewed me during Tribeca and that popped up – I was like, “Oh, wow.”
AB: Oh gosh. So, your father did not die when you were in high school? He’s still alive.
AC: Yeah.
AB: What did your parents say when they saw this movie?
AC: They haven’t seen it.
AB: Are you going to show it to them, Ash?
AC: If they see it, they see it, but I’m not going to send them a copy.
AB: Really? You should be so proud!
AC: I’m proud of it. I don’t know if they would be. They’re proud of me and they know what’s going on, but I don’t know if they want their story told.
AB: So, this is as much their story as it is your story?
AC: Yeah. I mean, my mom is nothing like the mom in the movie, but it’s sort of based on my stepmother and father. They’re evangelical Christians and really hardcore Republican. They have a picture of George Bush on their wall – not really my cup of tea. Would they like the movie? I don’t think so. My mom, I think, would be cool with it.
AB: So, you’re closer with your mother than you are with your father?
AC: Oh, yeah.
AC: When I was one. My mom basically raised me by herself. She was a great single mother and was successful in the 80s when it was hard to be as a woman.
AB: What about your relationship with your father?
AC: It’s getting better. The father in the movie dies away, which is kind of how I felt like my relationship with my father did in real life. I just wrote him out as quickly as possible. It is getting better as I get older. I think I’m maturing and learning not to – just to try to make peace. You know, when they’re so hardcore in their beliefs and so am I, it’s better just not to talk about them.
AB: Do you think your father thinks you’re going to hell?
AC: Probably. If he’s true in his beliefs, yes. I had a conversation with my father when I was in Texas a few weeks ago, saying, “The Bible also says not to eat shrimp and wear wool, so are you going to hell?” These are things that Christians believe and if everything’s equal, then I guess I’ll see everyone in hell.
AB: So you believe in hell?
AC: I believe in hell.
AB: You believe in God?
AC: I believe in God, yeah.
AB: It’s probably best to believe in God, because if you believe in God, you’re safe. If there is a God, it’s like, “Okay, I believe in you.” If there isn’t, you haven’t really lost anything.
AC: Exactly. That’s kind of how I feel, but I believe there’s something. I believe in energy and positive thinking.
AB: Is your mom religious? Did you have to go to church when you were a kid?
AC: Um, yeah. I was forced to go to church as a kid. My mom isn’t particularly religious. She believes in God and she’s Christian, but everyone is in Texas. If you’re not, you’re totally a social outcast.
AB: Do you think that making a gay movie is a political statement?
AC: I’d like to think it is – I mean, I didn’t make this movie for political reasons. Looking at the gay community in a positive light is a political statement. I think Fat Girls has a crossover appeal that some gay movies don’t have, because there are not a lot of hot boys fucking in bathhouses, so it doesn’t scare straight people away. We have a pretty big straight fan base. I think that’s great – I think it advances people’s views of gay people in cinema.
AB: Let’s talk about your next flick.
AC: It’s called Mangus! It’s another small town Texas comedy. It’s kind of like Waiting for Guffman about a small town production of Jesus Christ Spectacular. The movie’s produced by Holly Wiersma who produced Factory Girl, Bobby and Happy Endings. We’re shooting in February and March. It’s a much bigger budget. It’s the gayest ungay movie ever.
AB: What makes it so gay?
AC: The community theater aspect and a lot of the supporting characters are gay and lesbian, but the lead character happens to be straight, but really ambiguous. It’s funny, because everyone’s comment was “Well, you need to do a straight movie next”.
AB: Because they’re afraid you’re going to get pigeonholed.
AC: Yeah, so here I am doing the gayest straight movie ever made.
AB: You also have another movie that you’re writing, correct?
AC: Yeah, and I just got the financing. It’s called Petunia and it’s kind of like Annie Hall, but with two guys. I’m trying to make gay movies that aren’t all about – I mean, I love sex, I think it’s awesome, and I love hot guys, but I think there’s an audience for actual gay movies without all that. I hope there is.
AB: When you were younger, you always wanted to be a performer?
AC: Yeah. It was always my dream to be on Broadway from age six or something.
AB: You’ve done stage…
AC: Not Broadway stage, but growing up until I was 18 I was doing professional theater. It was cool. I enjoyed it, but I really fell in love with film – it’s around forever. It’s a moment captured in time. Nobody can do anything about it. When I’m dead, I’ll still be around – at least my stories will be.
AB: With theater, you go and if you mess up you just keep going and you have that two and half hour window that you’re doing it and it’s exhilarating. I imagine doing a movie can be a little frustrating because you have to stop and go –
AC: There are so many battles. I like to fight for what I want to do, so it’s the perfect match for me. But it’s a fight the whole way.
Ash
Great interview. I’m seeing the NYU premiere of “Fat Girls” tomorrow night and this just made me even more excited.
Brian
The last line of that clip is priceless.
Phil
Hey does anyone know if the movie will be released in Canada, I would love to see it.
rock
thanks for sharing the movie clip with us for all the fat girls in each us…it was awesome..I hope Logo puts it on their movie list and shows it with their other movies:)
Dilys
I’m straight and really looking forward to seeing Fat Girls – it looks like a really lovely indie and the trailer made me laugh like a coffee maker. Awesome.
Matt
FAT GIRLS is being released by here! films and so it will play on heretv. (if you live in LA or NY, you can subscribe on Time Warner Cable)
rachel
check out http://www.fatgirls-themovie.com for showtimes 😉
Ash
Dilys, why do coffee makers crack you up so much?
gideon13
Haven’t seen this yet but I plan to. I’m also a gay white male but I am still living in Paris, Texas. Someone related to Ash Christian was my lover (Jeffrey Copeland, who died in April 2005). Would be glad to meet and talk to Ash on MSN Messenger, email, or in person when he visits Paris. Wish him continued success with his film career.
Bjorn
Awesome achievement by such a young director. I hope it makes teh festival circuit abroad as I’d love to see it in South Africa where I live.