GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

AUGUST 29, 1997

Evenings Out

'What does GWM stand for?'

A straight pizza cook and a gay actor may be each other's roommate from hell or heaven

by Tim Nasson

Move over, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. You guys have just been replaced by the new angelic face in Hollywood—Nick Scotti.

Scotti is not new to the spotlight. He has been modeling for a number of years, and for the last eight months, has played the role of Tony Viscardi on the CBS soap The Young and the Restless. Aside from modeling and acting, he has even recorded a dance album. Quite an impressive résumé.

It is now though, at thirty-one, that Scotti will finally be seen by millions of people around the world in the format that suits him best-the big screen.

As one of the leads in the new film Kiss Me, Guido, Scotti portrays Frankie Zito, a stereotypical, naive, hunky, straight Italian pizza maker from the Bronx who misinterprets an ad while hunting for a roommate to share his apartment. Frankie answers an ad placed by Warren (Anthony Barrile), a gay actor and choreographer, because he has no clue that GWM means “gay white male."

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The cast of Kiss Me, Guido, with roommates Frankie (Nick Scotti) and Warren (Anthony Barrile) at center.

himself explaining it to a young actor from the Bronx.

Scotti began his career modeling for top names such as Versace and Dolce & Gabana. His contracts sent him to some exciting places around the world, including Tokyo and Paris, where he lived for a while. Scotti eventually decided to settle down in the United States. "I figured New York would be a good place to settle in and continue my work, and it certainly was a great city to further my acting and singing endeavors."

Director Tony Vitale goes over a scene with Nick Scotti.

Frankie thinks it means "guy with money."

"I laughed my ass off when I read the script," Scotti said. “The story, with the help of a cleverly written script, definitely shows that people of different backgrounds can look beyond their differences and become great friends."

Writer and first-time director Tony Vitale completed the screenplay for Kiss Me, Guido in the winter of 1994. He then joined the Village Playwrights of the New York Lesbian-Gay Center to do a first reading and get feedback. As he shared his screenplay, some wondered if there really could be anybody in New York City who did not know the meaning of GWM, but that question was answered during one of the auditions when Vitale found

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When Scotti decided that he needed to do something in addition to modeling, he started writing music and created a demo tape. The tape somehow made its way into the right hands.

It was while he was attending a party at the Los Angeles home of photographer Herb Ritts that Scotti met the material girl herself-Madonna.

"We started talking, and I told her that I had just recorded a demo tape," Scotti said. "She told me to send it to her office. I never thought that she would be interested in it, but a few weeks later she called me and said she wanted to help me on the album. She even did some background singing on one song."

His debut album Wake Up Everybody was

recorded in March of 1993, and the single of the same name rose to No. 3 on the Billboard charts.

Scotti maintains that he has never carried on a romance with Madonna, let alone slept with her. The two have, however, maintained a close friendship.

While the music part of Scotti's career may have gotten off to a lucky start, the acting part took a little more work.

"I was sent out on many casting calls," he says. "Some turned out to be pretty rewarding."

One of the more rewarding jobs was a stint on the Montel Williams sitcom Educating Matt Waters, which Scotti says was "fun while it lasted." But Scotti really lights up when he speaks of the role he snagged on The Young and the Restless.

He thinks that perhaps it was his work on the soap opera that helped him land the Guido role.

"When I went to read for Kiss Me, Guido the first time, I didn't think I even had a chance. I thought that the director and producers were going to go for at least an actor people have heard of before. I really am glad that I did get the opportunity to do the film because the story is so good."

Vitale said he was looking for someone with an authentic accent, and a “kind of oblivious charm" to play Frankie.

"It was important that Frankie be played by a hot guy, but one who does not necessarilly register the effect he has on people," Vitale said. "As soon as Nick Scotti walked into the room [during an open casting call], everyone-gay, straight, men and women-wanted to jump up and kiss him! As soon as he opened his mouth, we knew he was our Frankie."

Scotti makes it clear that he feels Kiss Me Guido is not a 'gay movie' and puts his two cents in about those who feel that it demeans gays or Italians.

"A person's sexuality or private life, [are] not issues that I am comfortable talking about. Some people are fine with it. Some people may even let you know that they are into S & M, but what is the use talking to someone about your personal sex life if it is never going to concern them?"

As for the movie relying on some familiar stereotypes, Scotti says, “Sure there are gay

characters, and some are stereotyped in the film, but there are just as many, if not more Italians in the film who are equally as stereotyped. But it certainly would not be classified as an Italian film. It is a comedy."

"The way that stereotypes are used in Kiss Me, Guido, works because it's clear that the movie is making fun of the whole notion of stereotypes," said producer Ira Deutchman.

As Deutchman and Vitale got closer to financing Kiss Me, Guido, they called in producer Christine Vachon, who has made her mark on the independent film scene with such films as Go Fish and I Shot Andy Warhol.

"Christine is a genius at making films with very little money," Deutchman said. “She was a natural person to turn to with this material and the kind of New York shoot we were looking for."

In spite of his recent successes and good reviews coming in for Kiss Me, Guido, Scotti sometimes questions if he is really “cut out to be an actor."

"I am reading a few movie scripts and will decide which direction I want to go in when I finish them, but for now, I am very happy with where my career has gone so far."

Was Scotti heartthrob material in high school? "To be honest, I was an all right looking kid growing up, but nothing that anyone would look at and say 'Oh, he's hot.' I was not in the best physical shape. There just came a time in my late teens that I decided to do something about myself and I got into shape."

The rest is history. To illustrate how far has Scotti come from the so-so looks in high school, he was recently featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine as an example of the perfect biological male face and body. Surely, many will agree with that assessment after seeing Scotti in Kiss Me, Guido.

Kiss Me, Guido opens August 29 at the Cedar-Lee in Cleveland, the Mariemont in Cincinnati, and the New Neon in Dayton. It opens September 5 at the Drexel East in Columbus.

Tim Nasson is a Boston syndicated writer who can be reached at tnasson@aol.com