Paul Dawson

Paul Dawson

History

Paul Dawson is an actor and DJ perhaps best known for playing the secretly suicidal former prostitute James, one of the principal characters in Shortbus, a 2006 American comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

Profile

Paul Dawson

Movies

Gifted and Challenged: The Making of 'Shortbus'
James / Himself
A look at the unusual process used in the making of the film Shortbus (2006) featuring interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from the feature film. Director John Cameron Mitchell starts with the concept of using real sex in a film with a positive message. The cast of unknowns is selected from homemade audition tapes and then a callback audition workshop. More acting workshops are used to develop the characters and script. The project overcomes a number of obstacles and the rest of the film's development is followed up until its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Shortbus
James
A group of New Yorkers caught up in their romantic/sexual milieu converge at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality, and loosely inspired by various underground NYC gatherings that took place in the early 2000s. Here, gay couple Jamie and James meet Ceth, a young ex-model and aspiring singer.
Boys to Men
Hustler
A four-part anthology film dealing with homosexuality from the young to the old. Crush, detailing the budding friendship of a 12-year old girl and a 16-year old boy, who bond over their favorite TV program and musical tastes. The Mountain King, details a young street hustler who makes a play for a straight man on a deserted beach one afternoon. . Lost is a look at a day in the life of a young man who is first seen engaging in unsafe sex with a random partner,. The Confession, a dying Catholic asks his partner of 35 years to send for a priest, even though the partner is greatly opposed to such a request. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
The Mountain King
Hustler
A reserved young man meets an impulsive stranger on a secluded beach. Their brief friendship leaves each subtly changed.
Urbania
The Bloodied Man
A series of urban legends take place around the life of a troubled man who is searching New York City for a mysterious stranger.
The Big Kahuna
Bellboy
Three salesmen working for a firm that makes industrial lubricants are waiting in the company's "hospitality suite" at a manufacturers' convention for a "big kahuna" named Dick Fuller to show up, in hopes they can persuade him to place an order that could salvage the company's flagging sales.