Venus as a Boy (film)

{{Cast listing|

• Ty Hodges as Hunter
• Olivia Culpo as Ruby
• Trace Lysette as Hendrix
• Bai Ling as Cleo
• Estelle as Alo
• Gilles Marini as Pierre
• Daniel Bonjour as Johnny
• Stacy Barthe as The Black Madonna
• Lola Blanc as Margie
• Johnny Rivas as Francisco
• Cottrell Guidry as Ashley
• Eddie 'Mijo' Rodriguez as Mijo
• DJ Beat as himself
• Shavya Samala as Penelope
• Preston James Hiller as Officer Tanner
• Anthony C. Stafford as Office Lyman

}}

Ty Hodges, Gian Franco, Roya Rastegar and Sanjay M. Sharma served as producers on the film, with Lost Ones producing and distributing and with Hodges directing from a screenplay he wrote.{{Cite web|last=N'Duka|first=Amanda|date=2020-02-25|title=Olivia Culpo & Ty Hodges Topline 'Venus As A Boy' Indie|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/olivia-culpo-ty-hodges-venus-as-a-boy-movie-1202868317/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}

Ty Hodges told John Russell of Grazia that casting the role of Ruby in the film took seven months until Hodges and Franco landed on Olivia Culpo, whose “acting chops as well as her authenticity that sealed the deal”. Culpo stated that “playing a version of what I do in real life was very cathartic. And challenging too in some respects”.{{Cite web|title=Grace Personified: Olivia Culpo|url=https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/grace-personified-olivia-culpo/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Grazia USA|date=August 30, 2021 |language=en-US}}

Hodges told Brent Lang of Variety, “Completing this movie during a pandemic was such an unprecedented experience. It forced us to dig deep as a team and to figure out how to deliver a project that we believe is timely; and, now, do so in a way that reaches as many people as possible.”{{Cite web|last=Lang|first=Brent|date=2021-09-01|title=Lost Ones to Release 'Venus as a Boy' Under Newly Launched Distribution Arm (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/ty-hodges-venus-as-a-boy-1235053858/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

Principal photography began on August 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California with additional filming taking place in the Mojave Desert and New York City. Filming lasted 23 days.

The film takes its title from the 1993 Björk single, "Venus as a Boy". The song is featured on the film's official Spotify playlist.{{Cite web|title=Venus as a Boy: The Official Movie Playlist|url=https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2HRXmJImjYWefdesrCucH1|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Spotify|language=en}}

Hodges performing under the pseudonym BRITISH BROOKLYN performed much of the music found in the film. The music was created in conjunction with his brother Tero Golden who composed the film's original score.{{Citation|title=The Visionary Behind 'Venus As a Boy' Gets Meta {{!}} The Zoo|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE8Wc_EwkGw|language=en|access-date=2021-09-20}}

The film features Trace Lysette’s debut rap single “SMB”. Nolan Feeney of Billboard writes “writer-director Ty Hodges reached out about casting her as an aspiring rapper in his latest movie, Venus As a Boy, and asked if she had thought about recording music, too. Says Lysette: “I was like, ‘Let’s do this! This is what I’ve been manifesting!’”{{Cite magazine|title=Trace Lysette on Debut Rap Single 'SMB': 'I Needed Another Outlet for My Artistry'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/9528392/trace-lysette-smb-interview-hip-hop|access-date=2021-09-20|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}

The film also features music from Stacy Barthe, 3 Black Kids, Stone and Canadian R&B singer Noah Kinzo.

Hodges describes the essence of the film as a story about the journey to self love. Hodges stated he wished to make a film about "a man we rarely see on screen".{{Cite web|title=Ty Hodges / 'Venus As A Boy'|url=https://flaunt.com/content/ty-hodges-venus-as-a-boy|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Flaunt Magazine|language=en-US}}

Hodges stated that "when I'm seeing men that look like me on screen, it's dealt, in an arena of pain, oppression, violence." With Venus as a Boy he hoped to challenge the representation of Black men on screen.{{Cite web|title=Ty Hodges is creating better representation of Black men on screen|url=https://www.brut.media/us/entertainment/ty-hodges-is-creating-better-representation-of-black-men-on-screen-b851b244-df92-4435-9125-28c63b2f6a33|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Brut.|language=en}} In the film, Hunter's character displays

vulnerability that is very rarely seen on screen from Black men without it being considered weak.{{Citation|title=Ty Hodges Interview (2021) {{!}} Venus as a Boy|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWMXkAze7Dc|language=en|access-date=2021-09-20}}

Courtney Gardner writing for Independent Magazine describes how the film also explores racism, inequality and privilege, particularly outside "of the constricted box that white culture has defined".{{Cite web|date=2021-07-16|title=Venus Personified|url=https://independent-magazine.org/2021/07/16/venus-personified/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Independent Magazine|language=en-US}}

The film made its online world premiere at the 20th Tribeca Festival in June 2021. In September 2021 Lost Ones announced the launch of their distribution arm, with Venus as a Boy as their first release.{{Cite web|last=Lang|first=Brent|date=2021-09-01|title=Lost Ones to Release 'Venus as a Boy' Under Newly Launched Distribution Arm (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/ty-hodges-venus-as-a-boy-1235053858/|access-date=2021-09-28|website=Variety|language=en-US}} It was released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on demand on September 24, 2021, in the United States and United Kingdom.{{Cite web|title=Videos|url=https://www.foxla.com/video/982194|access-date=2021-09-28|website=FOX 11 Los Angeles|date=September 24, 2021 |language=en-US}} It was later released on Google Play and Vudu in the U.S.and on iTunes and Apple TV worldwide in February 2022 and on Hulu on February 15, 2022, as part of Hulu’s celebration of Black Stories for Black History Month.{{Cite web |title=Disney+, Hulu, And ESPN+ Honor Black History Month With New Content And Curated Collections Available Across The Disney Bundle |url=https://dmedmedia.disney.com/news/disney-plus-hulu-espn-plus-honor-black-history-month-with-new-content-and-collections |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=DMED Media |language=en |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308030946/https://dmedmedia.disney.com/news/disney-plus-hulu-espn-plus-honor-black-history-month-with-new-content-and-collections }}

• [http://www.vaabmovie.com Official website]
• {{IMDb title|8783130}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|m/venus_as_a_boy}}
• [https://www.metacritic.com/movie/venus-as-a-boy Venus as a Boy] at Metacritic

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venus as a Boy Film}}

Category:2020s fantasy drama films

Category:2021 romantic drama films

Category:2021 fantasy films

Category:2021 films

Category:2021 LGBTQ-related films

Category:Films about artists

Category:Films set in Los Angeles

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:American fantasy drama films

Category:American LGBTQ-related films

Category:LGBTQ-related fantasy films

Category:English-language romantic drama films

Category:English-language fantasy drama films