Behind the Scenes, on the Making of “Bound”

“I Was Sex Consultant to the Stars” — but so much more

I’ve given a lot of tips to people about their love life over the years— but I can’t say I’ve ever had the chance to watch and see if they actually followed my instructions to the letter.

That’s what I found so satisfying about getting a job as a sex consultant on a big fancy movie- for once I got to ensure that all those techniques I raved about, my emphasis on the perfect caress- were played out to my most exacting standards. Yeah, it was sweet alright- I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied with handing out free, (not to mention unverified), bedroom advice ever again.

Susie on the set of Bound, before my wee moment as a “bar girl”

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This story is from Susie Sexpert’s Lesbian Sex World.

Note: Much has changed since the late 90s, but I’m running this story as originally written.

Some of the folks mentioned are no longer with us, like my lover Honey Lee Cottrell.

The film became a classic. Everyone involved with it, their careers went in wild new directions.

The Wachowski siblings came out, individually, as transgender women, in the early 00s, Lana, and Lilly Wachowski. They’ve inspired so many.

I hope you follow all of us; it was a special crew!

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I was the “technical consultant” to the only movie last year to pass the critics’ wet test: BOUND, starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. It is first-time feature from the writer/director Wachowski siblings, a film noir thriller about a pair of lesbian lovers who try to double cross the mob.

What was so technical about this movie? There’s a lot of fingernail-hanging suspense and violence— and I’m the kind of girl who can’t even handle the build-up of a surprise birthday cake. No, my expertise is on how our butch/femme heroines, Corky (a James Dean look-alike recently paroled) and luscious Violet (a curvy mobster mistress) become lovers in the first place.

It all started about two years ago with a modest little fan letter. I got a package from Larry and Andy, attached to a script, saying that they loved my writing, like my early bible on dyke fun and frolic, “Susie Sexpert’s Lesbian Sex World”. They said they would be honored if I would consider making a cameo appearance in their new film.

“That’s nice,” I thought, and not to sound like a spoiled brat, but this invitation didn’t electrify me. It seems everybody is making their own movie today-including myself, who has made my own no-production-value porn videos with similarly untrained girlfriends.

I get asked all the time to pull my dress up over my head on camera, write dialog for some experimental video poem, lend out my thigh-high leather boots for a colleague’s dominatrix documentary. I applaud all my friends’ virtuosity and gung-ho spirit, but making a movie, is hard work and I was becoming more discriminating all the time.

Here’s what was intriguing: the letterhead didn’t sport the Wachowskis’ name , it was embossed: “Dino De Laurentis Studios,” and that was quite a calling card. DeLaurentis is a major producer— the man behind the original “Dune.” I decided to postpone loading the dishwasher and sat down with the script.

I didn’t budge for the next hour except to scream between pages when I thought I was going to lose it from this roller coaster of a story. At every moment you were sure our gals were going to be caught in the most grisly wringer, something unpredictable would happen to land them in yet another diabolical set-up. The action was razor tight, the characters were whispering in my ears. This was fantastic writing. There was only one thing missing.

I wrote back to the sibs:

“Your script is outstanding. I ‘d be delighted to play your bar girl cameo. But if you don’t think I’m too presumptuous, could I be your lesbian-sex consultant? I notice that whenever the two lovers fall into an embrace, it doesn’t say exactly what happens next. On behalf of every movie-goer who can’t live through another syr- upy, cornball lesbian love scene, could I please, please ,please give you my words of advice on what two women like this would do in bed together?”