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The Doorman Opens Up
Wayne Price straddles the line between fact and fiction
“What is a doorman without a door?” That is the question that director Wayne Price explores in his new movie, The Doorman, a film that balances the line between fact and fiction. The movie is a faux documentary that focuses on exclusive club doorman Trevor W. (Lucas Akoskin) who tries to maintain the façade of his elite lifestyle after the loss of his job. Largely improvised, The Doorman features both actors and non-actors in an interesting (and sometimes comedic) look at the club lifestyle and what happens when one man loses his position of power within that world.
Wayne Price, who has previously directed music videos for groups like Outkast and 311, spoke with MM about what inspired the film and why he wants people to wonder if it’s real.
Jessica Wall (MM): With America’s interest in the rich and famous, the tabloids are often filled with pictures of celebrities out at exclusive clubs, but we don’t often hear about those with the power to allow or deny access to that world, like Trevor W. What inspired you to tell this story?
Wayne Price (WP): The doorman, to me, is an intriguing, almost anthropological study of a character in society that has power over the most powerful (celebrities, businessmen, etc.), and as such, becomes powerful himself. Yet his power is tied specifically to him standing in front of a door. If the doorman were to lose his job in front of the door, what does he become? That’s the question at the heart of the film, and what inspired me to tell the story.
What is a doorman without a door? To me, it’s the word that remains when you take the door away. Just a man. The stories I aspire to tell are those of the people behind the persona—what exists when you strip away social status and other ego-building elements. Trevor W. knows the most people. And like he tells us from the start, more importantly, he knows people who know him. The question is, do these people want to know him because he’s Trevor W., or because he’s “the doorman?”
MM: Lucas Akoskin, who portrays Trevor, used his real-life connections from working as a freelance event producer in New York City to help produce the film. How much did your own experience with club world impact both the making and the message of the film?
WP: Personally, I don’t frequent the type of clubs that Trevor W. works at in the film. However, I have spent time in that scene over the course of many years, and I recognize the personality types involved; not just the doormen, but the clientele as well. It’s a world that many of us recognize from television, and the gossip columns—the places frequented by the starlets, the heirs to kingdoms and wealth. The places most of “us” can’t get into, and as such, they hold a special aura in our minds.
In actuality, there are only a few clubs/lounges that are incredibly exclusive, and all the rest aspire to be. That’s why a doorman will keep a line of people outside when it’s almost empty inside. Eventually, they’ll let you in, but they have to make it seem like an important place from the outside. Then, if you can get past the door at the more exclusive clubs, what will you find? Overpriced drinks. Loud, obnoxious music (mostly hip-hop that’s already outdated). And older men with more money than you holding court in booths with sexy young women for whom they are buying drinks, and maybe other things. Since we still live in a society that holds money above almost all else, many of us aspire to be like these guys in their booths with their bottle service and women and drugs and power.
To me, I see a place devoid of taste, where most people are posing as opposed to having an honest, good time. And to make a little fun of that world via the gatekeeper to it seemed both fun and appropriate in this day and age where people are obsessed with celebrity and the gossip attached to this world. Lucas is the ultimate networker, and a natural promoter. His connections to this world run deep, and the best part is that we share a common perception of it. He got us in, and then was able to portray the doorman character in a way that we both recognize and understand.
I’d like to note that my intention was never to make anybody feel like we’re taking the piss out of them for being a part of this world. All that emotion was directed toward Trevor. He was the one who should reflect what I see as the truth behind the scene, which includes posturing and a lot of shiny surfaces. I’m not trying to make anybody feel bad for enjoying the scene. While it’s not my thing personally, many people really love it. It’s a matter of what you like.
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