Shoulder Dance: Interviews with Actor Matt Dallas & Director Jay Arnold

By Berto Fernández

Matt Dallas, best known for the TV series Kyle XY, stars in Shoulder Dance, a movie by Jay Arnold exploring the theme of childhood friendships and how boundaries in love, sex, and relationships collide in time and space, and they start questioning where they are today, and where they would like to go. “They came to me with an offer to play the role of Ira, and I remember reading the script and really relating to Ira’s journey. The story that was there, and his experience as he reaches middle age and starts questioning all the choices that were part of his life”, expressed Dallas, who currently lives in California with his husband and kids. As the first lead cast in the feature, he was able to be part of the selection of his counterparts, as the four leads need to have a very deep connection, so the mix of actors had to be just right.

This sexy and fun movie, as Dallas describes it, explores very relatable relationships and dynamics as Gay people, and the “what ifs” when it comes to love and sex. He talked about looking for a sense of community at a young age, finding it in pieces as it comes to you.

When it comes to the LGBTQ film industry he said, “I think we’re seeing a lot more fully fleshed out characters. For me as an actor, I get excited when I see characters who are not fulfilling that stereotype or a comedic role that Hollywood has put into our heads of what it means to be Gay. Love seeing characters that are more dynamic or three dimensional, and I hope we continue going down that path.” He wants to see characters integrated in movies because of what they bring to the story, not just to check that “Gay box”.

“I hope that people come to see the movie at the festival, and on top of that, now, with all the strikes going on, more than ever is important to support independent films”, he added as a message to the community, who can enjoy Shoulder Dance as part of the festival lineup at 7:15pm on Saturday, September 9th.We also had a talk with Shoulder Dance director Jay Arnold, watch the full interview below.