By Will Seagers
This was the most momentous and professional endeavor in my porn career. And, it literally fell out of the sky!
A friend in San Francisco by the name of Lewis was connected with the Gage brothers from his own film performances. He knew me and of the upcoming third part of their Working Man Trilogy, L.A. Tool & Die, and passed on a positive recommendation. A very casual but professional interview followed. Soon, I was on my way to L.A. to play the part of Wiley.
I was flown down and given pleasant hotel and dining accommodations. Upon arrival, I was taken to the various sets and given a copy of the script. There was a lot of "activity" on these sets already. Just as in other major studio productions, segments were not always in chronological sequence. I also found out right away that most of the film technicians were from the major studios in town. Cameramen, lighting techs, gaffers and the like were "moonlighting” on this film. It explains the high quality of the finished product.
I basically started in the middle of the story line and proceeded to the "well-gushing" finale. They needed me to do a flashback military scene without a mustache. That was done after most filming was completed. I didn't know that they were going to call upon me to "act" in the film. In the flashback scene in the military, I had to lament the loss of a close buddy who died in my arms. That was a stretch... but, I loved the challenge.
Will Seagers as Wylie in the flashback to the Vientam War sequence from L.A. Tool & Die
Mr. Locke and I "met" before the shooting. So, we knew and liked each other already. Both of us had a professional attitude about this genre of film making. That helped us out with some of the retakes and set adjustments that happened during some sex scenes. With my background in lighting, I even got involved in setting the tone for the love scene in the van. It was sort of comical. There I was stark naked and at half mast repositioning lighting gear aimed into that van. I didn't think any viewer would have been the wiser after I viewed the dailies for that scene!
Will Seagers and Richard Locke in an L.A. Tool & Die promotional photo
One astonishing bit of spontaneity was the gas station bathroom stall scene. I don't know what came over both of us. But, for me it was one of the hottest and unscripted events in the flick! I think that was the only time in the filming I heard the word "cut!" lol
Will Seagers and Richard Youngblood in the gas station glory hole sequence
All in all, I was very proud to be a part of the film. It received great press among the gay mags and papers. Another thing that was quite different was being stopped on the streets of San Francisco and being told... "I didn't know you could act!" IMHO, if there was a Gay Academy Award, this picture should have gotten it.
(This Oscar does have genitals.)
Bio of Will Seagers:
Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted career and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model and film performer. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.
Will Seagers, present day image
You can read Will Seagers' previous blogs for Bijou here:
Welcome Matt/Will
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