Stephen Guarino Will Eat You Alive

You just finished shooting Bear City 2. Can you give us a spoiler?

More high jinks, a lot of new characters, a major cameo by Kathy Najimy
as my mother, and just a really thoughtful, interesting twist at the end. The
movie has been just a huge success. It’s the first gay independent film I’ve
done. I had been asked to do a couple and waited, but I thought this one really
worked. It’s such a niche subject that they hit on the head. It’ll hit the
festivals in Outfest in summer of 2012.  

Have you gotten a lot more offers now from the bear community?

Absolutely. I have about 4,000 Facebook
requests from bears.  

Then I’ll be sure to mention that we did this interview
shirtless.

Perfect.  

What’s next for you?

I’m currently assistant-directing the new CBS
Diversity Showcase. They take 14 of the hottest black, Latino, Asian, and gay
comics and put them in front of the industry. I don’t know if you know this,
but gay is now considered a color. They just added that to their diversity
package: white, gay people. I did the showcase in January and won the prize of
getting a six-month deal with CBS to develop my own show. They are trying to
diversify and get more gay characters on the air. I didn’t get the show, but it
started a good relationship with them, and I am directing the new showcase. I
also directed a stage production of the movie Showgirls in L.A., but in drag. You can go to ShowgirlsInDrag.com to find out when to
see it.