Michael Cunio: Once A Taboo, Then A Trend, Now Coming To A Multiplex - This Month's Wow Actor - The Fluffer examines gay pornography industry - Brief Article - Interview

Interview, Dec, 2001 by Susan Johnston

Porn slang defines a "fluffer" as one who stimulates a male actor before the cameras role. And it is in the November film The Flutter that Michael Cunio, 23, makes his feature debut. Co-directed by Richard Glatzer and award-winning gay porn director Wash West, The Flutter is a tale of a young man's obsession, and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the gay pornography industry. Cunio plays a naive film student turned porn cameraman and--later--fluffer, who takes the job in order to meet actor Johnny Rebel. Cunio's performance provides the dramatic energy that differentiates this risky independent from the subject matter it's meant to satirize.

SUSAN JOHNSTON: Is this a movie about personal redemption or obsession?

MICHAEL CUNIO: I'd say it's about obsession. When you're obsessively pursuing something, as my character Sean does, the lines between fact and fiction get blurred. You love it, you want it, you need it, it rules you.

SJ: When does Sean's crush move into an abusive, submissive relationship?

MC: When he starts negating his own needs, it becomes obsession.

He thinks it's love, because when you're in love, you put other people's needs before your own. But the difference is, when two people are in love, your partner will also sacrifice his or her needs for you. Sean never gets anything back from Johnny.

SJ: And in the process does he find or lose himself?

MC: Both. He gets lost in the romance--well, obsession, really-and the drama; but then he wakes up. It's a pretty abrupt turnaround, which is one of the reasons I liked it. The film doesn't tie anything up in neat little bows. People make bad choices. It's part of being human.

SJ: Have you ever been obsessed?

MC: As a sixth grader, I wanted to marry Debbie Gibson, but I think a kid's obsession is different from an adult's.

SJ: Has your mother seen The Fluffer?

MC: No. But it's not like she can't handle independent cinema. We just agreed that she doesn't really need to see it.

SJ: Will you show it to your grandkids?

MC: [laughs] Sure. Hopefully, by then it won't be such dangerous subject matter. Maybe people will get over it.

SJ: Does "it" mean porn?

MC: No, just sex in general.

SJ: Going in. did you have preconceived ideas about the porn industry?

MC: I thought porn served a seven-minute function, and it was an industry I never wanted to be associated with. But, for me, the way to alleviate fear and discomfort is to go right to the root. So I opened my mind and learned all that I could.

SJ: And what did you ultimately learn?

MC: That it's a job. It's boring and not terribly sexy, or even particularly skeevy. It's work.

Susan Johnston is a frequent Interview contributor.