With a return engagement of director and co-writer Q. Allan Brocka’s “Boy Culture” April 6 and 16, this may be viewers’ last chance to see this film on the big screen in Philly. Darryl Stephens, one of the hot stars of this hot film, spoke with PGN about this engaging story of a hustler known as X (yummy Derek Magyar), who has an on-again/off-again crush on his hunky roommate Andrew (Stephens), while their other roommate Joey (Jonathan Trent) harbors a crush on X.

PGN: The character of Andrew in Matthew Rettenmund’s novel “Boy Culture” was a strapping white guy from Minnesota. How did you get the role?

DS: It wasn’t colorblind casting. When Allan wrote the script, he made the character black. He was friendly with Patrik-Ian Polk and Patrik [suggested] me and I auditioned. Allan made a specific choice to change the character of Andrew from a corn-fed white guy to a black guy.

DS: I’m at a stage where it’s rare that I’ll pass a role up. I’ve been fairly deliberate choosing roles that are different, even if the sexuality is the same, just to keep the spectrum of the characters that I play as broad as possible.

PGN: Your character in “Boy Culture” is the moral center of the piece. Do you prefer playing that role? Or would you rather act slutty on screen like your co-stars? Where do you see your career heading?

DS: It’s interesting, because I don’t necessarily pick those [moral-conscience] roles, but I do end up playing them. I’m looking to play something more unsavory in the future, not a nice guy. In “Another Gay Movie,” my character was sexual, but he still had a heart. I do play nice guys and I don’t have a problem with that, but I’d like to vary it up a bit. I’m looking to do things that are darker. “Noah’s Arc” is so light and over-the-top rainbow bright. I want to do something more grounded, more solid. In the second season of “Noah’s Arc,” we got more emotional and deeper. I like to fill out the darker side of my personality. I can be edgier than I come off in the projects I’ve worked on so far.

DS: I thrive on sexual tension, so I know how to manufacture it. It’s all about creating the tension, rather than making it happen. The fact that nothing [sexual] actually happens helps play up the tension. [Derek and I] didn’t have a sex scene. When we kissed, we just kissed. With Derek, it was comfortable. We were both fairly confident that we could communicate [passion], so we just went for it.

DS: Halfway into shooting, Derek caught a cold and then I caught it much worse. I had trouble speaking at one point. In the scene in my [character’s] parents’ house, I have a cough drop in my mouth!

PGN: You are objectified quite a bit in “Boy Culture” — X spies on your character in the shower and jerks off thinking of you. Do you feel embarrassed or flattered about being a sex object?

DS: [Laughs] That’s interesting ... I did theater in San Francisco for years with the troupe SASSYMOUTH and I often played the sex object in musicals. I was always in some state of undress and I started to take issue with that. And it hit me — you can fight it and not work, or you can acknowledge how people view you and work that to your advantage. If all I was doing was playing a sex object in this film, it would be different. But I did get the opportunity to do more. I don’t see that as a bad thing at all. I won’t have this body forever. If it helps now, I’ll use it.

DS: I was a little less shy about it in “Boy Culture.” After “Another Gay Movie,” I crossed the line about it. “Another Gay Movie” takes nudity to a whole new level! In the context of that film, my nudity doesn’t stand out, but I need to focus on how I proceed with my career. Like Ryan Phillippe, the ass shots will stop. I’m done showing my body. If [nudity] works for the character or piece [fine] but I’m over with gratuitous nudity.

PGN: I think the most poignant scene in “Boy Culture” is your character’s coming out to your mother. Can you discuss how this scene affected you?

DS: Andrew is a departure for me because he was quiet. I tend to be vocal in my real life. He was more introspective. It gave me the opportunity to act more with the eyes than words.

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