Callan shot him a look. “You want to keep your job?”
Rocco held up both hands. “Just saying the truth. She needs raw material for her essay if she wants it to be good.”
I hid a small smile behind my pen, and I decided in that moment that this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Their dynamic was light and fun, yet serious. I wasn’t surprised they were friends, even if they had that black cat and golden retriever dynamic. Callan was the serious perfectionist, while Rocco was the one who didn’t take anything seriously but knew exactly how far he could push.
“Anyway,” Rocco said, glancing at me with a smug grin, “you’ll probably want to note that down too. ‘Director exhibits god complex.’ Might win you extra credit.”
I chuckled and dropped my gaze to my notebook.
“You’re actually writing that down?” Callan asked.
I looked up at him with a shake of my head and smiled. “No, I’m not.”
“Then what did you write down?”
“Just that I’m impressed with how professional this set looks.”
His hard expression eased a little. “Thanks.”
I smiled again.
“You should write about his mood swings, too. Might take a whole separate chapter. though,” Rocco teased.
“Keep talking, and you’ll be cleaning the set all night,” Callan said.
Rocco smirked. “Case in point.”
I pursed my lips and held back a chuckle. “I’m not writing a character study. I’m focusing on the process.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “It would still be pretty funny to write abouttheBuster Ace. I’d read the shit out of an essay about him.”
Callan ignored him and turned to one of the lights to adjust it. “Process is all that matters,” he said without looking up. “If you get the process right, the rest follows. If you don’t, it’s chaos. Everything needs structure.”
I scribbled another note. “Do you think that applies to everything, or just your work?”
His eyes flicked up to mine. “To everything. Even your little essay.”
I nodded because he was right. I knew what it meant to have structure all too well. It’s what made things easier—at least for me. Holland, for example, had no structure at all. She didn’t even have a morning routine or followed her actual class schedule. She was a whirlwind, but it worked for her, which was something I admired.
Rocco sat down on the chair next to me and sipped his coffee. “He’s been like this since day one,” he said. “Back when we were shooting in shitty motels with one light stand and a cheap tripod.”
That caught me off guard. “You used to shoot porn in motels?”
“Sure did. You think we’ve always had this house?” Rocco asked, amused.
“I guess I didn’t think about that. I just figured you…were always successful.”
Callan shook his head. “No, we had a rough start, actually.”
And that was all he said. He wasn’t going into detail, and while I was intrigued in finding out more, I didn’t push. I wasn’there to invade his privacy. I was here to write about an adult film set.
So, I decided to change the subject. “All the equipment…did you buy it yourself?”
Callan looked at the camera in front of me before his eyes met mine again. “I didn’t pay for it, no. It’s sponsored by the studio I work with.”
“Studio?” I asked while writing down what he was saying.
“Yeah. I’m independent, but I work with a studio that handles castings and some distribution for me. After getting big in the industry, I needed some help handling minor things.”
