Gay Fantasia: If Queer Actors Were Represented in the ‘50s, We’d Get This

Inspired by old Hollywood and photographs from the 1950s, actor Brendan Scannell and photographer Julian Buchan set out to reimagine what “queer 1950s” would look like. "I wanted to create this fictional 1950s story where I was rewriting history, and Brendan, Jamee, and Toni were the Hollywood leads we never got to see," Julian said. "The color palettes were directly inspired by the old technicolor coloring process, where the film resembled painting more than photography, and offered a heightened reality and a sugary escapism."

Art director Liam Moore further added about the concept behind the shoot:

"Spearheaded by the likes of photographers James Bidgood and Pierre et Gilles, our aim was to create worlds that evoked pure kitschy melodrama. An expansive gay fantasia that allowed us to capture some hazy snapshots of our collective outlook. I'm consistently trying to push hyperreal settings in my work, and luckily with this group of people I was able to fulfill that desire to a degree that I'm too often denied. The result is a vision in glorious technicolor — a vivid and saturated world we manifested in order to inject our lives with some escapism. "

Scroll through to check out the portraits from this beautiful series, featuring queer actors Scannell (one of the leads in the Heathers reboot) and Antonio Marziale (the gay romantic interest in the new Netflix feature Alex Strangelove), as well as Jamee Jones, the stylist from the shoot and an organizer of LA’s queer nightlife scene.

Hair and Makeup by Jennifer Panelli

Brendan Scannell: "I operate much like a zombie in that I’ll often meet people and think 'I want their brains.' Collaboration is more humane than cannibalism, so I decided to gather together some brains I like for a photoshoot. Liam has this unique queer kitschy aesthetic I’m obsessed with. Julian has an amazing eye and a very gentle, supportive touch. Jamee has fab style and helps run my favorite queer parties in LA. And Antonio is beautiful and great for my mental health to be around. My goal was to get all these people into my garage to 'take some pictures' aka steal their cerebellums."

Jamee Jones: "To me, this project was about telling the narrative that we are here and thriving. We are family, we are collaborating, connecting, and creating queer magic. No one else is going to tell our story better than us. My fashion influences for the project were trend elements of the 18th century. I wanted opulence and drama — silks, rich patterns, embroidered jackets, velvets, ruffles, and anything else that felt luxe with also that hint of fantasy."

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