Jerry Douglas Speaks: On “Brotherhood”, Life and Death

Aside from causing a lot of heartache all around, the recent death of Danny Roddick has also caused an increasingly nasty rift in the gay porn world over the last two weeks between those who believe that studios like COLT should be doing more to protect the welfare of their performers and other critics and fans who remind everyone of the fact that there's only so much studios can do where the well-being of their talent is concerned. And near the center of the debate is veteran director Jerry Douglas, whose "Brotherhood" was released the same week as news of Danny's death and who's the subject of a new interview by HX magazine's resident porn critic Ed Woody.

So what does Douglas think? While his affection and respect for Danny is evident ("Danny was a joy to work with in many ways. He was eager, he was enthusiastic, he tried his damnedest. He was not prepared for the acting demands of the role, but he got them"), he makes his opinion on personal responsibility pretty clear:

"With very very few exceptions, and those are extremely peripheral, nobody forces anyone into this industry. The kids come to it eagerly and willingly, in almost all cases ... My connection with a performer is from the moment he walks onto my set to the moment he leaves it. I am not his babysitter, I am not his keeper. I am not working with children, and if they are 31-year-old children, that is not my problem. That sounds awfully cold-hearted, because I do care about these kids, and I do spend time with them off the set, and I try to serve as a mentor and a role model and a shoulder to cry on. But ultimately it's their own responsibility to look after their own lives."

It's not likely to settle the debate anytime soon, and it'll be up to individual viewers to judge for themselves whether "Brotherhood" is a fitting tribute to Danny's memory or something that's too painful and/or inappropriate to watch given the circumstances. Want to guess what Douglas is hoping you'll decide?

· "Brothers in Arms: Porn, Love, Life and Death with Jerry Douglas" (woodyreviews.com)
· "Brotherhood" (DVD info @ store.coltstudio.com; see trailer here)