Travelin’ Thru: From Hollywood to Dollywood

You share intimate, sometimes painful, childhood memories about growing up gay in North Carolina. Did you intend to be so open about private family matters when you began the trip?
No. At first it was all about getting the script to Dolly. But after we met the friendly couple at a gas station that said a prayer over us, I felt I had misled them a bit. I didn’t tell them that Mike Bowen was my partner. We held back on the details of our lives. They were the first people we met on the road and after that we decided to be truthful about our lives. The film then took off in a whole new direction.

You speak very candidly about your mother’s inability to come to terms with your sexuality. Has she seen the film?
No. Our mom knows about it, but she does not want to see it at this time. It’s hard because our hometown in North Carolina will post everything we do on the front page. "Lane twins cast in Adam Sandler movie Jack and Jill" or "Lane twins win $50,000 on ABC's Wipeout.” But mom is not ready to see the headline "Lane twins gay," so she pulls away from it. Our dad has seen the film and has been very accepting. He even reached out to my partner, Mike. We were just home a few weeks ago. We have come to a common ground with our mom: “You pray for us and we will pray for you.” We say in the film, “We will never have a Thanksgiving at home with our boyfriends around the table.”  That’s true, [but] that is our reality, so we make the most of what we have.