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Day 1
Derek’s house is located just outside of Beacon Hills, California and is surrounded by a forest. This is his childhood home. The same one that was almost in ruins when he decided to give back its old glory.
“I did it almost by myself.” he sounds proud about it but then again, who knows, Mr. Hale is not a very expressive man.
The house is not ready yet, there are a few things that need to be added and it seems way too large for just one person.
“Do you live all by yourself?” Derek’s answer is negative.
“Most of the time I’m not even here.”
Derek Hale also owns a luxury apartment in L.A, the same city where SilverBoys headquarters are located, that’s the studio that gave him his first real chance in gay porn. And the place where he met his better half, Stiles Stilinsky.
“Your boyfriend is gay porn actor too, right?” stoic as he is even we can see the difference in Derek’s demeanor at the mention of his boyfriend, there’s a change in his eyes, one that makes you realize that there’s something really strong between them.
“Yes, we meet at the same studio. We live together in L.A and he also works as a DJ.”
“Is it better to date someone in the same environment where you work?”
Derek stops what he’s doing, “They are more understanding.”
Hale is currently packing for his trip to England; he’s recording a movie over there and a few photo shoots sessions for his own website and for SilverBoys’ studio.
We’re proud to say that we’re going as well.
“You’re not exclusive for SilverBoys’ anymore, how does that makes you feel?” Derek shrugs while he packs his socks, and adds at least two bottles of lube, one plain and one flavored, chocolate, not his favourite but his boyfriend’s.
“I’m still doing movies with them, but I also have my own thing... is not bad.”
With this, Derek, not only refers to his own website where he’s still making porn but also to his prolific business of buying houses at low prices that he resales at a better one after going into the process of restoration. “My house was only the beginning. That one it’s taking longer because it’s just me and sometimes my in-law.”
Once we’re ready we go back to L.A and straight to the airport. The flight leaves in three hours and Derek doesn’t like to be late. “I had a bad experience in France once, the plane left and I couldn’t make it for a shooting.”
“Is Stiles coming to bid you farewell?”
“He’s in New York right now,” when we ask if it’s because of a movie, he wrinkles his nose. “A gig.” He says just in time for our flight to be announced and off we go.
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Day 2
“Did you sleep well?” His hair is complete tousled and his eyes seem bloodshot. No, is his only answer as he eats a plate with a hill made of scrambled eggs, three pancakes with strawberry jam, bacon, some slices of fresh tomatoes and a glass of orange juice. According to him, this is just because of his current lack of appetite.
“I eat whatever I want, I jus do more exercise.” Something that we won’t see him doing during this trip and even thought everyone in our crew follows the same diet we have to exercise like possessed if we want to look like him. Or be born again.
We decide to just keep on sulking and eating crispy bacon.
The night has come and London seems like a good place to go out but believe it or not, Derek is not much of a party person. Still, he needs to go out to promote his new movie.
We all get into our best outfits, the night is young.
It seems like the news that Derek is in town has spread, fans gather around him, asking for an autograph and a picture with him looking dashing as always. Derek smiles in all of them, and writes his name in more butts that we have seen before.
He doesn’t seem too excited about it.
“I do appreciate it, I really do. I’m here because of them.” We ask him if he’s missing something back home and there’s a slight smile while he looks at the camera and then turns around to look at the crowd from the balcony inside the club and keeps on drinking. “Beer, that’s what I like.” no fancy drinks for him.
We go from club to club that night, there’s a bar in between but who knows.
Young as the night was, it grows old by 7 am. The sun is coming out and we’re walking back to the apartment, Derek doing it a bit faster while talking on his cellphone, when we try to walk side by side he looks at us and we get the message right away and decide to give him a little bit of advantage.
“What time is it back in New York?”
“Los Angeles.” he corrects as he puts his cell phone back into his pocket. “Very late.”
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Day 3
We wake up at eleven o’clock, so that means that no one has had enough time to sleep but we’re here on a mission and we won’t fail: We’re going to see Derek Hale in action.
The location for the movie is in a house at the posh side of London. The place is quite nice but the only thing that is going to be seen in the movie is the bedroom. What a shame.
We forget about the whole thing at the sight of flesh.
Derek’s partner is none other than Jackson Whittemore, a fellow American. “I don’t even know why we’re making the movie in London,” he snorts. We agree with him, though, porn industry can be, as most of the time, a little bit ridiculous. “But I’ve learned to let this kind of things just... pass.”
Jackson’s case in working at doing gay porn is different than Derek’s; he’s what we refer as gay-for-pay. Actors that identify themselves as straight, but perform as “homosexual”.
“Some people think that gay-for-pay is bullshit and that every actor in this job is gay. What do you think about that?” He rolls his eyes.
It seems that Whittemore has heard this question before. “This is just my job and I don’t think that it truly defines who I am. At first I did it because of the money, you do get a better income while doing gay porn,” That is true, since heterosexual porn actually focus on the girl and the male actor performance is just secondary. “and I like to fuck and getting fucked but having sex with someone it’s not the same as falling in love.”
“What happens if you fall in love with a guy?”
“I would just go with it but it hasn’t been the case.” he shrugs.
“So, would that mean that you’re bisexual?”
He seems slightly exasperated at this. “Why the labels, man?” and then he’s off to do his job..
There’s kissing, sucking, rimming, everything in between and of course, fucking. With Derek on top, and unfortunately we won’t be adding anything of that in this documentary. You’ll need to buy the movie!
“Do you always top?” we’re porn experts and we used this project as an excuse to watch every single one of Derek’s videos as a preparation, from beginning to the latest.
He doesn’t bottom in any of them.
He looks thoughtful for a moment, as if he’s trying to decide if we deserve to be trusted with a secret and apparently we are! “I’m a top by profession.” I don’t know about anyone else in the crew but, internally, I’m flailing. “I’m versatile in private.” Kill-me-now.
We go back to the apartment and after a shower Derek sets the light and his computer, he’s going to make a live broadcast for his website.
“Do you get nervous before you do this.”
“Yes.” just like that, there’s no beating around the bushes for The Hale. “There are times when it seems bizarre or... I don’t know it just seems out of this world.” he’s on the website now, typing his username and password which he covers with his left hand so we can’t see it.
“You mean that in a good way?”
“Sometimes.” The webcam is on and is time for us to move into a second plane.
The show lasts at least two hours and has Derek doing some things that his fans ask him to, show your butt, pinch your nipples, spank yourself...
“Do you have a list of “don'ts”?” every porn actor has its limits and Hale, being one of the most well paid has the option to reject a script or anything he doesn’t like or feels comfortable in doing.
That is a privilege that not everyone in this industry has and more often than not actors, male and female alike, find themselves doing things that they would had never imagine doing and just for the sake of a career that usually doesn’t last for too long and that is based in how you look and how far you’re willing to go.
“Yes, my fans know that.”
And if someone requests something from the blacklist he just ignores them, get their membership money back and fuck off to another place where they can find what they’re looking for.
Derek takes another shower after the live show; he puts on jeans, black shirt and his trademark leather jacket. There’s no rest for tonight.
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Day 4
When you hang out with a famous person something is bound to happen, good or bad.
Last night it was bad.
There was this guy, kind of drunk who wanted to take a picture with Derek, big fan and all, he said. He tried to touch him in a sexual way. The guy ended up with a black eye and the police had to come and end the fight. There were no formal charges.
“Has this ever happened to you before?” Derek is coming out of his bedroom, he has news from L.A.
“Sure, it has.” He doesn’t seem angry anymore, his expression is more like defeated while talking about the subject, as if he’s giving up his faith in humanity. “Several times, I don’t always react like that.”
It’s not like we’re trying to make him look good or that for us, violence is the answer, but we kind of feel that way after we saw him trying to get the other man’s hands out of him and asking in a polite way (or as polite as anyone can be in this situation) to back the fuck off.
That guy should have seen it coming.
“Sometimes people forget that I’m not just a piece of meat.” The ‘I’m human’ part goes unsaid.
We decide to change the subject.
“You said that you have news from L.A?” His face lights up, like every time his boyfriend or something related to him is mentioned.
“He’s coming to London and he’s going to stay with me for the rest of the trip.” He’s excited and so we are.
Stiles arrival is scheduled for the next day and before that Derek has a photo shoot to make, in the woods.
When we get there everything is ready and we meet Derek’s old agent and owner of SilverBoys Production Studio, the man known as Mr. Argent, in the flesh ladies and gentlemen.
The first thing we notice is that he’s a very handsome man.
“How was Derek when you meet him?”
“A man of few words.” He answers right away and everyone laughs. “But you already knew that.”
“He didn’t give me an interview,” Derek’s butting in out of nowhere. “He just showed me around the place and gave me a contract. That’s it.” And then he leaves to do his job, ass in the air and proudly showing the family jewels. Nice pair, by the way.
“That’s true, I just gave him the contract.” says Argent. “He already had experience in the porn industry; he used to make straight porn...” Oh, we totally know about Derek’s beginnings, like I said, we saw all of his videos. All of them. “I saw a single movie and I was sold.”
We know that feeling Mr. Argent.
The photoshoot ends when the sun is setting and there are enough frames so we all can go home.
Tonight is Derek’s night out, he doesn’t have to go to any clubs if he doesn’t want to and since Argent is here and so is Jackson Whittemore they decide to go out and have dinner.
“I don’t even like sushi,” from our first day we discovered that even while he’s not working Derek doesn’t mind to be naked around other people and we don’t mind having him in the bare. Those are the things that we have to endure, for you guys. “But Jackson said that it was a really nice place, very VIP.” He rolls his eyes at that, it seems like he’s quoting his co worker.
It’s a nice dinner, or at least they seem to be having fun and we try not to be very intrusive stay away from them, butting in just once in a while.
When they finish they ask for desserts, “I’m not a fan of sweets, but I indulge myself from time to time”
“You leave that to Stiles.” Says Jackson, while taking a bite of his cheesecake with blueberries on top.
Since they’re talking about Stiles they decide to call him and put him on speaker.
“Oh my god, you bastards!” he sounds kind of sleepy. “I hope you gain a ton of weight Jackson!” Derek laughs at that and we realize that this is the first time that we see him doing that during the trip.
The rest of the night is filled with inner jokes and accusations from Derek’s boyfriend and then Derek turns off the speaker and there’s nothing but I miss yous.
Back at the apartment everyone goes straight to bed even though it’s not as late compared at the previous nights.
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Day 5
The day before Derek asked us not to go with him to the airport, and we decided to respect that request.
Because of this our first meeting with his boyfriend is at the apartment. He’s the first one to go in, a little bit shy but all smiles and with Derek carrying his suitcase behind him.
Stiles Stilinski is what you would describe as a twink in the industry, he’s all pale skin with beauty marks all over it that only make him look even prettier, handsome, cute and if I keep going I’ll run out of adjectives to describe his beautiful light brown eyes, or more like dark brown that shine with a light that comes from who knows where.
Just watch one of his movies and you’ll see, especially those where he’s starring with Derek. That’s not porn, that’s love making and something that everyone should have in their lives!
The boy is also very talkative once he gets familiar with you and something is telling me that no party can start until he gets there.
“So, Derek said that you’re also a DJ?” Stiles beams at his boyfriend and Derek is looking at him like thinking ‘I’m so proud of you.’
“Yes, I couldn’t come with him because I had a few parties at New York and one in L.A.” they’re all over each other, sitting really close together, Derek leaning into Stiles, head resting in the younger man’s shoulder, Stiles leg over Derek’s thigh and holding his hand.
“We haven’t seen you in any new movies since the last one you made with him,” I said pointing at Derek, “back in 2010, why is that?” I can see a smile on Derek’s lips.
“I decided to leave that to Derek for the time being, but we do have this project with SilverBoys.” Ohh! That sounds interesting. “I don’t want to spoil it but it’s something related to our first movie together?”
“Oh my god, my inner fanboy just went bouncing on the walls!” everyone laughs at me; I don’t even care because I just got an exclusive and apparently Teen Wolf is going to have a second movie! “I’m sorry, big fan here, be nice with my heart please.”
Stiles just keep laughing, hiding his face in Derek’s shoulder. “That’s ok dude, I appreciate it.”
And so we resume our interview with Stiles and let him and Derek have some time alone while we’re going out, “I need to sleep, jet lag.”
Sure, darling, we know jet lag...
When the night comes everyone is ready to go out, Derek is going to have a fan meeting at a new club in London.
We certainly weren’t ready for that.
Going out with a porn star is one thing, going out with two is another, include the fact that they’re a couple and that they have made the most famous gay porn movies together, you’re in for a blast.
People is all around us, they scream, get excited, we even saw a couple of girls cry. Stiles is very popular with the females, “It's funny because when I was having my identity crisis they didn’t even looked at me. All I wanted was a girlfriend to... kinda prove myself.” One of them even tried to kiss Stiles, Derek pulled him in just in time.
Bottom line: People are crazy for these two.
Another thing that we learned is that Stiles is a damn good DJ, somehow he ended up in the booth and rocked the place like no other, everyone else can just go home.
We go back to the apartment at eight; needless to say we were knackered.
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Day 6
Still, there’s no rest for the young and famous and we get up at eleven, just in time to get ready and go with Derek to his last photoshoot in London, this time is not in the wild, but in a studio.
We leave Stiles at the apartment, “I want him to sleep a little bit more or he gets cranky.” it’s Derek’s explanation.
The photoshoot is for a new brand of lube that Derek is sponsoring, it comes in different flavours but Derek’s choice is always unflavored. “These do taste good, though.” If that’s the contract talking or his own words, we will never know.
We meet another one of Derek’s friends, the photographer and her name is Lydia Martin. Look at this, London seems the place to be right now.
They also have some famous friends in common. “Scott and Allison wanted to come.” Derek nods. “On what business?” Lydia gives him a knowing smile. Is this another inside joke?
“He’s crazy and I don’t even know why Stiles keeps him.” That’s the first thing that she says to us. We like her. “Just kidding.” Derek gives her a light shove. “No, he’s a nice person, can’t say more or I’ll end up saying something that I might regret.”
She intrigues us.
“How did you become a photographer?”
“I used to work as a receptionist at SilverBoys,” she smiles at the memories, “and before you ask, yes, all of us meet at that studio.” and she keeps amazing us, reading minds and all. “It’s a great place to work.”
Well, giving the fact that everyone who works there keep having a good relationship with their old employer and being friends with each others, either they’re saying the truth or that place gives the most amazing Prozac on earth, we shall go with the former.
Two hours later she calls it a wrap and goes back with us to a restaurant close to the apartment were Stiles’ waiting for us. Jackson is with him.
There seems to be something going on with Lydia and Jackson. “Are you guys together?”
“We have a history.” is the only thing that she answers. “We might have a future.” Jackson’s reply makes Stiles gasp and that’s all we need to know.
Is getting late and the people of the night is going out. Since there’s nothing else to do they decide to hit the clubs. Us, simples pawns in their game and subjects to their will go along for another night out.
Someone please end our misery.
We don’t really need to tell you how that went. Actually this is us begging for mercy because we don’t even remember that night, just watch the extra footage that has been uploaded on our website, it's been said that our cameraman it’s an expert in the proper use of the stripper pole.
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Day 7
it’s the last day of our week with Derek and we find ourselves at a loss: like a good orgasm we don’t want this to end.
But it has to and so we get ready to fly back to L.A. Everything is set and at the last moment Stiles is out of the room guided by Derek, “He’s still asleep.”
We stop at a Starbucks on our way to the airport and discover that Derek-I-don’t-like-sweet-stuff is a hot chocolate type of man while Stiles favourite drink is strawberry frappuccino with soy milk that Derek knows this by heart.
When we get back to the car Stiles is playing with his cell phone, “My dad called, he wants us to go and have dinner with him tomorrow.” he says as Derek takes a seat next to him and handed him his drink.
“At his house?”
“Nope, at ours, and he’s making your favourite.” Stiles pulls out the jealous card while he turns to look at us and explains, “My dad, my own father cooks him his favourite dishes!” his attention goes back to Derek to accuse him of being with him just to steal his father away. Derek smiles and places a kiss at the tip of his boyfriend's nose, that makes him crack a smile in return.
We feel like we’re interrupting something really intimate between them that goes beyond the sex in front of a camera.
At the mention of Stiles father and his remark about trying to steal him reminds us about the fact that for Derek, the family subject is a delicate topic.
His older sister Laura, an uncle from his father side and him are the only survivors of the fire that took the lives of their parents and other relatives that were in the same house that Derek is now working to restore.
“It was a terrible incident and he doesn’t like to talk about it, none of us do.” Is what Laura, Derek’s new agent and the person who helped us to get this exclusive said to us as to what matters should not be mentioned to him.
Once we’re back in Los Angeles and before we say goodbye we ask Derek the most obvious question for someone who practices this profession, “Why did you decided to work in the porn industry?” his boyfriend laughs at us for asking such a basic question until the end of a whole week with Mr. Hale. “Seriously?” he says.
Derek shrugs and it’s something that we’re already used to since it seems to be his answers for almost anything. “I like sex, that’s all. Don’t try to look for any other reasons,” he’s looking straight to us, holding Stiles hand, the other one keeping his black backpack still on his shoulder, “difficult childhood, problems at home, things like that are not the grounds to get into it and is not my case.”
And that’s it.
We go in different ways, after having the most bizarre week in our lives, with more knowledge about the gay porn industry and what it’s like to be part of it. Then again we also know that even though we were with Derek 24/7 during this trip what we saw was just a glimpse of a bigger life.
The porn industry is, after all a profession that takes time to build and not an easy one. If you’re looking for money this is not the place, “Young people think that this is easy cash and that having sex in front of a camera is an easy task.” says Stiles. “Delusional, all of them.” is Derek’s response.
Mr. Argent described him as a man of a few words and this is something that we agree on. He says what he wants and just what is needed and the rest is done through his actions.
Derek Hale is a gay porn actor that has build an empire under his name and doing all this while drawing a red line between his job and his personal life. We realized that behind all the looks there’s a brain for good business and a man that does what he likes and doesn’t shame about it, that under that cover of bravado there’s a soft heart and a sensitive soul that only a few have really seen.
London was great, we saw a lot of things, meet new people and party, not like a rock star but like a porn star, then again being back home feels nice and by the time we say goodbye we have the confidence that we have gained two new friends.
Thank you Derek and Stiles for taking us in such an amazing ride.
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This documentary was produced and directed by Danny, made possible by Ulrich as our cameraman, Unger as sound director. Music soundtrack by Tyhurst and DJ Genim. Thanks to the party people of London. Special thanks, to Silverboys Production Studio, Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin, Jackson Whittemore, Mr. Argent and thanks to you guys for watching.