qFLIX is also presenting the Philadelphia premiere of “Tiger Orange” (7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Prince), an earnest, heartfelt drama about two gay brothers getting on each other’s nerves. The film features a charismatic performance by adult-film star Frankie Valenti (aka Johnny Hazzard). Valenti plays Todd, a screw-up who returns to his rural home where his gay brother Chet (co-writer Mark Strano) is eking out a life of quiet desperation. Todd comes back to lick his wounds but ends up doing battle with his brother, who cared for their dying father.
Valenti, who makes Todd’s restlessness palpable, spoke to PGN about the parallels of his role to his life.
“It was kind of ironic. My brother stayed at home and cared for my dad, while I left. It wasn’t the same as Chet and Todd’s story, but it was coming from the same place,” he said.
The actor admits that, like his character, he is pretty outdoorsy and becoming “more of a country boy.” But unlike Todd, who takes target shots in the film, Valenti has never fired a gun. “What’s in the film is the closest I’ve ever come to that,” he noted.
Where the actor does have some experience that mirrors his bold character is that he speaks his mind.
“I tend to be a little reserved at first, but I do kind of speak from the heart and that’s often a double-edged sword,” Valenti said. “I think about what I’m going to say and the best time to present it. I’ve learned how to present rough words in a pretty package.”
In fact, he specifically told filmmaker Wade Gasque how much nudity he would do in the film.
“I was adamant about limiting how much I would show. I didn’t want it to be gratuitous or expected. They had grander ideas about the nudity, and I did what I was comfortable with.”
Valenti’s performance illustrates his ease in non-adult film roles well.