4PLAY: TAMPA - Jose Villarreal Int Pt 1

Happy 4th of July, America! We're celebrating our freedom to be freaky by counting down the days to the North American premiere of FOURPLAY: TAMPA at Outfest in Los Angeles this Fri, July 7th @ 9:30PM, with an interview with the film's star, Jose Villarreal. Jose was game for pretty much anything thrown his way and always went 200% above and beyond what was required to break our hearts while making us hysterically laugh. What's not to love about that pouty Charlie Brown expression thrown your way in the photo above? - Kyle

1) What were your first feelings when approached to play your role in TAMPA? First thoughts after reading the script?

When my agent first sent me the script, she warned me it might be out of my comfort zone and pretty much left it at that. I started to read it and began to feel a bit awkward at the first "encounter". I honestly thought to myself that my agent had submitted me for gay porn, but out of sheer curiosity I kept reading; even before deciding to audition, I already felt connected to Louis after a few scenes. Once the farce antics began to roll, I knew this was going to be an experience I wanted to be part of. After reading the script, I couldn't wait to audition.

2) What, if anything, helped you prepare to play your role?

I've performed gay characters before, but only my interpretation of them. This was the first time I had a role that was originally written as a gay character. I could see how it would feel strange, but it wasn't just that a gay man was being turned down for gay sex, it was someone just looking for someone to accept him as a lover, that was part of how I felt so strongly connected to him. It wasn't his sexual orientation, but his quest failures and success and situations that I focused on, I guess. The audition was a little awkward at first, but I guess I was too nervous about the audition process itself than it's material. Again, like the filming, it was the fact that it was comedy that loosened me up. I ended up having a blast; it was probably one of the most fun auditions I have ever been too. I really enjoy that, to this day, I can embarrass my friends (hopefully in the middle of a family friendly restaurant) by getting up to squat and air hump and say, "I did this for about a half hour straight for the audition. My glutes got a good workout."

I guess what was most difficult after the audition was accepting (THINKING) I didn't get the part. I was telling someone at the Alamo Drafthouse fundraiser we had about that. After my singles audition with you, I was sure I didn't get the part. With each take you kept asking me to be more subtle. I thought I wasn't giving you what you wanted and you were basically repeating/rewording yourself to get subtlety out of me, it wasn't till a conversation we had after filming that you told me about how you were seeing how subtle I could get; I was subtle, but still connected and comedic.