Interview With a Filmmaker: Jeremy Leroux

{WARNING: Interview contains Dominant Chord spoilers}

Trevor Wells: Hello Jeremy! Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to talk with me about Dominant Chord.

Jeremy Leroux: Thanks a lot for this, Trevor. It was nice to revisit the short.

Trevor Wells: No problem! So, let's start with the basics: what first sparked your interest in going into your fields? (filmmaking, acting, songwriting, and design)

Jeremy Leroux: From a young age, I remember singing and performing I loved the feeling of that. In high school, my grad year was the first time I performed a song I wrote. That was when I really thought I could do that professionally. I got serious and joined the BC Songwriters Association. I wrote a whole demo album and recorded it. When I look back, I realized I wrote close to a hundred songs in that time. The music I was drawn to was country music because of the storytelling aspect. 90's Country is my jam. Can I say "jam" or does that age me? (Interviewer's Note: No, Jeremy, it does not)

But while I was part of the BC songwriters--especially after I watched Ty Herndon's career be destroyed when he was outed (though he never publicly came out until 2014)--I felt there was no place for me in country music and a career wasn't possible without leading a double life. So I tried writing more rock/pop, but it just wasn't the same. The shift to acting came when I started taking vocal lessons and was encouraged to audition for musicals. I found the same performance feeling from acting as I did from singing. Acting on stage has brought some of the most memorable roles I have had: Father Flynn in Doubt and Howie in Rabbit Hole. I love a good drama, but prefer it on the stage or screen.

The writing has always been there and has been steady from songs to short stories and then to film. As far as design, I'm a self-professed computer nerd and I started building personal websites since the late 90's. It was another way to express myself and tell my story. I realized that many performers were actually not the best at marketing themselves, so that was and still is my mission to help creative people make a place for themselves online and give them the confidence to maintain and update things themselves. My most recent project for countryqueer.com, which caught the attention of Billboard. It's a directory for LGBTQ+ country and Americana artists, including both well known and lesser-known artists, as country music is a genre that has kept LGBTQ+ artists invisible from the mainstream. The project was the perfect melding of two parts of my world.

Trevor Wells: Beautiful work you've done to forge your own path into a less-than-welcoming industry and help make it a better place for LGBTQ+ voices. Keep it up, man! Of all the fields you're working in, which would be the one you're most passionate about-- if you could quantify them?

Jeremy Leroux: Through the years, I figured out I am a storyteller. What that looks like morphs depending on where the pull is. I've currently taken an acting hiatus (maybe permanently) to focus on filmmaking. After my first short film, I definitely got the directing bug and am enjoying writing and that is where things are flowing right now. Not to say that after stepping back into the country music sphere, I wouldn't want to maybe record an album and give that another go. My problem is that I have too many ideas sometimes and deciding which direction to go is the challenge.

Trevor Wells: I can understand that feeling. Whichever direction you go, I wish you nothing but the best. I found out from your IMDb that there was another field you dipped your toes into. A trivia bit says there was a time when you wanted to be a priest and spent two years of high school at the Seminary. What's the story behind that?

Jeremy Leroux: From a young age, I wanted to be a priest. I have no idea where it came from. I grew up Catholic and I guess there is theatricality and storytelling in what a priest does: saying Mass and also serving and helping people. I have a teacher thing in me too; that was the practical job that I started going to university for. So I guess some mix in there.

The Catholic church and I had a falling-out on account of the whole "me being gay" thing. Besides walking away from country music, leaving the church was the hardest thing. I remember I was teaching catechism at the time to kindergarteners. I was looking at the catechism book and reading what it actually says and thought, "I can't teach these kids to hate others that are different or think things are sinful that aren't." I'm sure part of the struggle was my own, figuring out my own with my own sexuality at the time. I never identified as gay until I was in my early 20's. How could I, when I was taught my entire childhood that being gay was sinful and if you are, you're going to Hell? I get really angry thinking about that now.

It has served me in the strangest ways though. I have played a lot of priests on stage and on screen. The first television gig I booked was Supernatural. I was cast as a man in a confessional booth before getting possessed. If you want to check it out. I'm in the opening teaser of the season 10 episode, "Paint it Black." Just recently, the Latin I learned was put to use as a dialect coach for several seasons of Netflix's Sabrina [The Chilling Tales of Sabrina]. All of that spell casting is in Latin. I helped the actors with that.

Trevor Wells: Fascinating. And I can certainly relate to having problems with the way so many Christians view the LGBTQ+ community; I'm so sorry you had to go through all that with the church. If you're comfortable going into it, how has it been breaking into the entertainment world as an LGBT+ writer?

Jeremy Leroux: I don't know that I have broken in yet. I'm currently searching for representation and just now finding my true voice with two solid feature film scripts. It's a new world for me and the early days, which feels strange to say at 42, but I kind of feel like things are starting to take off. I wish I was less fearful in my twenties. But I have to forgive myself because it was always in the back of my mind that I couldn't be successful being OUT and (insert job description here). The thing I think many people forget to realize is a lot of opportunities are just starting to open up to LGBTQ+ people. It has been legal to discriminate against us. Even now, in most recent studies, only just over 50% of LGBTQ people are OUT at work because they fear how it will impact their livelihoods and opportunities. Ironically, I jumped from country music to acting where, at the time, there were no out leading men actors. Because I was not comfortable being open and honest about who I was (fearing the same outcome), my acting work in film and TV was very guarded and I'm sure it came across on-screen. It's hard to act behind a wall.

Trevor Wells: Well, I'm glad you're in a better place now than you were then. But yeah, despite all the progress we've made, it's still a hard world out there for the LGBTQ community. Over the course of your career of ups and downs, what would be the most influential moment? Most influential/memorable costar/work associate?

Jeremy Leroux: I think I have to say the whole process of my short Dominant Chord coming to life has been the most memorable to me. It was a true labor of love that I couldn't quit, despite all the times I thought it was never going to come together. The film for people who don't know is about a closeted country music artist who on the verge of being outed forced to choose between his relationship and his career. It's my "what if" story. What if I had continued down the path of leading two lives and built a career, but never could be accepted in the genre because of who I was? I met my husband of now 20 years when I was starting in country music, so the film draws heavily on my own experience. When I sent the film to Ty Herndon, he said that it was like looking into a mirror--which shouldn't be surprising because that is the case of a lot of LGBTQ+ people still in the closet.

Despite all the hurdles, the thing that kept me going was this thought that maybe this film could draw attention and be a push for change in an unmovable genre so young people growing up would never feel like I did. It was also my first project as a writer/director. Thankfully I knew enough to surround myself with the smartest people I could find to bring what you see on screen to life. It helps to have very talented friends.

Trevor Wells: Beautiful story. Glad you never gave up on this passion project and were able to bring it to fruition. What else can you tell me about the making of Dominant Chord?

Jeremy Leroux: Like I said, it was a film I couldn't just quit. I tried to get funding through numerous local and Canadian grants and ultimately ended up doing a crowdfunding campaign and then self funding the rest. The response has been pretty overwhelming. With close to 200,000 views on YouTube for our little film and overwhelmingly positive response, I'm very proud of this film. The film went through many iterations, with one of the drafts had a much more Hallmark-type happy buttoned-up ending. But I couldn't film that because it didn't and still doesn't reflect the reality of the genre.

Trevor Wells: Awesome! And agreed, I don't think tying a story like Dominant Chord up in a squeaky clean bow would've felt authentic. As you might remember from my review, while I felt it was an overall good movie, I had one major complaint: that the story felt felt too sympathetic towards Brian and not sympathetic enough towards Adam. While Brian's frustration is understandable, his attitude and actions--notably his outing Adam to his record label and expressing a wish that he'd gone all the way and outed him to the entire public--are inexcusable. What's your stance on Brian?

Jeremy Leroux: Let me say that you are not the only one that thinks that. Of all of the comments, that is the most common. What was hard to convey in such a short time was the duration of Brian and Adam's relationship: the years Brian spent with Adam while he struggled to make it and the promises made that, after a certain level of success, he would come out on his own. It was important to note because it was one of the things that has stood out in many biographies I have read how: the goal posts of coming out kept moving. The betrayal was also added in later drafts and I don't regret it for the short because it gets people talking. Originally, I placed a lot of the blame squarely on the industry and record label, but the more that I sat with it, I felt there was plenty of blame to go around.

Yes, country music as a genre has proven itself to be homophobic, misogynistic and racist. But the invisibility of LGBTQ+ artists makes that possible and prevents things from changing because no one is willing to risk anything. Meanwhile, there are out LGBTQ+ artists who are prevented from opportunities because of the fact they are out. Maybe I'm harsh on Adam because I feel shame that I didn't push harder to be visible until now. That I let fear prevent me from even trying. I firmly believe that what has moved the needle forward for LGBTQ+ rights is the courage of people to be visible to stand up, and in country music, those role models are desperately needed. Rural LGBTQ youth have some of the highest rates of homelessness and suicide. The feature script has more time to address a lot more of the injustices in the genre. but it is no accident that the closeted artist is a White male because that is what the genre prizes and protects more than anything else. If you want to see an example of that right now, look at Morgan Wallen.

So yes, what Brian did was horrible. Was it inexcusable? I guess it depends on perspective. And that is what I wanted to achieve with this film. To get people talking about the closet. Why it still exists even though LGBTQ+ rights have come so far. And yes, it really pushes the question for all people in the public eye especially: do they have a responsibility to make things better for those that come after? This was what Brian is pleading with Adam about in the line, "You could do so much good right now." The good that those with platforms can use to help bring about the change by their visibility in their communities. Is it easy? No. But vitally necessary.

My hope was that, with TJ Osborne of Brother's Osborne coming out at the beginning of this year, more people would have followed him out of the closet, but they didn't. It still remains to be seen what change (if any) it will bring about. But it can only be helpful to move the needle in the right direction. I think the key for real change in the genre is for those who have been excluded from it (Black, LGBTQ+, and female artists) to band together and demand the change. There are signs that cracks in the dam are starting to appear, but I have thought that before. The difference this time (for me at least) is I am not sitting idly by and waiting for it to happen.

Trevor Wells: Wow...LOVE the insight! While I'm still personally wary of Brian's actions, you definitely put them in a new perspective. I'll be sure to look out for the feature film so I can see how it expands on what the short had. Anything else in my review you'd like to address or comment on?

Jeremy Leroux: No, I really appreciate you taking the time to give such a fair and balanced review. And yes, the feature film script addresses a lot of the criticisms people have. It's Brokeback Mountain meets A Star is Born with a little Bombshell thrown in.

Trevor Wells: Ooh, interesting combo. Definitely count me in! Outside of Dominant Chord, I see you've been involved in quite a few short films. As someone who loves short films, have any works available to watch online that you could recommend I check out?

Jeremy Leroux: Joel McCarthy's Why Does God Hate Me. I acted in two of Joel's other films: Fathers and Son and a controversial feature film that unfortunately never got released by the distributors. I still think it's a brilliant mockumentary. Two other recommendations are Mayumi Yoshida's Akashi and Jason Karman's Lions in Waiting. Jason's also currently going into post production for his first feature length film as well. Special mention to my friend Michelle Muldoon for writing/directing and producing what has to be one of the most ambitious independent locally produced shorts called Last Stand to Nowhere-available May 25th on YouTube. It is all-female reimagining of the gunfight at the OK Corral.

Trevor Wells: Those are all going on my IMDB Watchlist--especially the ones with familiar faces in them like Akashi and Last Stand to Nowhere. Regarding your acting roles, I couldn't help but notice you dipped your toe into the world of Hallmark with an unnamed role in Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Travelled. Being a frequent Hallmark viewer, I'm curious to hear the story behind that.

Jeremy Leroux: I wish the story was more exciting, but I got the role through the auditioning process. The role, however, was fun. The scene is a flashback to an 80's reunion, so they teased my hair a-la a flock of seagulls. I think my character was called "The Man" and I said one line to Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

Trevor Wells: Cool! But going off that, I have a more serious Hallmark-related inquiry: your take on the 2019 controversy the channel created with the whole Zola debacle. What did you think when that happened and could you see yourself working for Hallmark again now that they've begun efforts to become a more LGBT+ friendly brand?

Jeremy Leroux: It's funny you mention that because shortly after that happened, I publicly posted a pretty harsh rebuke of them. But I've been pretty critical of their practices for a long time. Their representation across the board has been to--put it nicely--lacking. There are numerous articles about how whitewashed the channel has been. A lot of Hallmark is filmed in Vancouver and the surrounding area, and unlike CW, which has brought diversity and inclusion to casting, Hallmark has fought it in the past every step of the way. At the time of Zola [the scandal], I told my agent I didn't want to work for them anymore. Now with the changes they have made and are continuing to make, I would. But I'm also watching to see if they will just revert back. I find a lot of parallels between country music and Hallmark and what they believe their audience wants. Fortunately for us, I think the dam is breaking. It is becoming less acceptable and economically viable to be exclusionary.

Trevor Wells: Couldn't have said it better myself! As much as I like Hallmark, they were definitely in need of the change they're implementing now--one that will hopefully continue into the future. Speaking of the future, I see that you have an upcoming feature film in the works entitled The Hurley. It sounds like an interesting premise. What (if anything) can you tell me about it?

Jeremy Leroux: The Hurley is a thriller feature script--completely different from Dominant Chord. It is a sexy thriller about a young med student who goes on a weekend getaway with his new boyfriend and, while exploring the boundaries of that relationship, gets caught in the crosshairs of a serial killer who has been killing young gay men in the area. We had a readthrough of the script back in March and is available to watch or listen to via my website jeremyleroux.com. Now that the script is finished, we are looking for investor or production companies to make it with. It's a unique take on the cabin-in-the-woods genre that aims to subvert quite a few stereotypes.

Trevor Wells: Another great-sounding movie for me to watch out for! Last question before we wrap up: what advice do you have for other aspiring entertainers? Or any LGBT+ creators that might end up reading this interview?

Jeremy Leroux: It's so weird getting this question, as I feel I am in no position to give anyone advice, but I'd say don't give into the fear or let it stop you from pursuing the things you love. Also, stepping into a place where you have influence and a platform is more than just about individual success. It is our responsibility to help keep pushing that needle forward for the youth that come after us. Normalize LGBTQ+ existence in all communities. Representation matters, visibility matters. Your voice matters and, as I have recently discovered, is a lot more powerful than you think when you choose to use it.

Trevor Wells: Awesome advice that you've certainly put to good use in recent years. You've done quite a lot to help push the cultural needle forward in these trying times, and I look forward to seeing you continue that inspiring work. Thanks again so much for taking the time to speak with me and best wishes in regards to all your future endeavors!