Chicago – Three-time AVN Best Actor, current AVN & XBIZ Male Performer of the Year nominee, and Gamma exclusive contract performer Seth Gamble is making his official feature directing debut with the new eight-part Wicked Pictures series Deranged, produced by four-time AVN and XBIZ Director of the Year Axel Braun.
“Seth is at the top of his game as a performer and as an actor, but this project proves unequivocally that his true calling is being a director,” observes Braun, who has been at Wicked as an exclusive contract director since 2013 and is now Head of Production. “He wrote a phenomenal script, and had a very specific vision in mind for Deranged, from the shot compositions to the color palette, from the acting to the music. He literally obsessed over every single creative detail and saw the movie through with the same passion and dedication that he’s shown over the past 15 years in front of the camera. I am beyond proud of what he’s accomplished, and it’s quite obvious that we are looking at a very talented director who’s gonna leave a deep mark in the adult industry.”
Of Braun’s influence, Gamble says, “I want to once again thank Axel Braun for his continued support as Head of Production for Wicked and as my friend. The opportunity to direct is only possible because of him and my gratitude has no bounds. His mentorship and advice have really helped me bring my creative visions to life and I couldn’t have done it without him. Over the years, I’ve appreciated the way he has built a crew of trusted collaborators, many of whom have described themselves to me as a ‘family.’ That’s one of the most important things I have learned as I’ve watched him work: at the start of a project, most of his key collaborators are already on the same page because they understand his work, his style, and what he requires of them. And just like Axel, they are all in it for one reason only: to make the best possible movie, and that’s always going to be my goal as well.”
Crafted with the same wild imagination, gripping visual style, and meticulous attention to detail that earned his all-sex project The Red Room a current AVN’s Editor’s Choice review, Deranged is a moody psycho-sexual thriller series starring Gamble’s own wife Kenzie Taylor, the titular star of Wicked’s award-winning smash hit Captain Marvel XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, and AVN, XBIZ, and XRCO Best Actor Tommy Pistol as Dr. Joseph Curwen, a renowned, albeit controversial, psychologist. Taylor portrays Charlie, a fellow psychologist whose unrelenting desire to meet Dr. Curwen is soon revealed to be both ominous and obsessive.
As a director who encourages his performers to independently do their own character research, Gamble couldn’t have been happier with Taylor’s hands-on approach to prepping for the project. “I am grateful to my wonderful wife Kenzie for her unconditional support and incredible work ethic,” Gamble confided. “Her dedication and the amount of intelligence, cunning, and drive she brought to Charlie was inspiring – and literally chilling. Honestly, I was hesitant to cast my wife in my feature debut, but she did fit the role perfectly, and I knew she had the passion to deliver an outstanding performance – Axel cast her as Captain Marvel for a reason – but she went to a whole other level in fleshing out the secrets that make Charlie so fascinating.”
“Being asked to be the leading actress is always a huge compliment,” enthused Taylor. “Especially when it ends up being an eight-part series! I was so excited to work with everyone in this film, but I was mostly looking forward to acting alongside Tommy Pistol. In my opinion, Tommy is one of the best in our entire business, acting with him was truly an honor. I’ve worked with Tommy several times, but I’ve never gotten the chance to spar with him on material of this caliber. It was amazing portraying a character of such depth. This series is also the first feature production my husband, Seth Gamble, has directed, which makes it extra special. I am so proud of him, I knew he was going to be successful and will continue to be so. I’m grateful Seth asked me to play Charlie, and trusted in me to deliver everything to the best of my ability in hopes of truly capturing things the way he envisioned them when he was writing it. This project meant a lot to me because I was given the platform to showcase my true abilities as an actress. I absolutely love being challenged and this role was extremely challenging. It was a phenomenal experience and I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of all our hard work. I also have to say a huge thank you to everyone on the crew for staying for the long days and just being awesome…I appreciate each and every one of you.”
As Pistol’s multilayered performance reveals, Gamble’s methodology on the project was a mixture of precision and openness to other people’s ideas. While he prefers the wording of the screenplay remain intact, and his blocking is precise, he allows room for his actors to make their own choices. “I was extremely fortunate to have had Tommy,” Gamble enthused. “I’ve worked with him before of course, but always as a fellow actor. The rapport we’ve developed over time as performers held us in good stead during this shoot. He respected my process as a director. He was thoughtful, observant, and created a rich, multi-dimensional character.”
“Seth wrote a really exciting script,” Pistol added. “Playing a character like Joseph was a weirdly fun challenge. It’s not every day you get to do a psychopath’s monologue. Playing opposite Kenzie Taylor raised the bar even higher for me. She’s a great actress and I personally like seeing her in a role like this. She killed it. I’m really looking forward to seeing where it all goes.”
Gamble, whose own bona fides as a performer also include five-time XBIZ Best Actor, two-time XRCO & XCritic Best Actor, two-time XRCO & XCritic Male Performer of the Year, and XBIZ Male Performer of the Year, is quick to point out that the psychological underpinnings so crucial to the story also inform the project’s vivid, fantasy-driven sex scenes, which are marked by chemistry and vigor. Of the first episode, featuring Maddy May and Codey Steele, he observes, “I was fortunate to have these two in a pairing. First off I think Maddy May has an incredible future – from her acting to performing she is running on all cylinders. Codey Steele Is a great guy and a strong performer. Maddy and Codey’s chemistry comes off the screen! It was a pleasure to direct these two.”
The first episode of Deranged, starring Maddy May and Codey Steele, is now available on wicked.com.