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Luke Gilford on His Queer Rodeo Film and Riding With Little Minx
National Anthem hits theaters nationwide
In National Anthem, director Luke Gilford spins a tender coming-of-age story set in rural New Mexico and the world of queer rodeo.
“I wanted to make a Western for our new world,” says Gilford, who marks his feature filmmaking debut with this production, which premiered at SXSW last year and just opened in theaters nationwide.
Gilford, also a well-known photographer, first documented America’s queer rodeo scene in a 2020 book also called National Anthem. His images chronicle events in the Southwest over the course of four years.
The experience inspired Gilford to create a fictionalized film story set in that world.
Co-written with Kevin Best and David Largman Murray, the film centers on a 21-year-old day laborer named Dylan (Charlie Plummer), who finds love and community at the House of Splendor, a ranch that’s home to a group of LGBTQ+ rodeo performers.
This is not the typical cowboy movie served up by Hollywood.
“The cowboy archetype has always symbolized dominance through violence—a kind of masculinity that is finally being questioned,” Gilford says. “I wanted to create a cowboy character who is brave enough to get on a bull and brave enough to try drag.”
Which is exactly what Dylan does in the film, beautifully lensed by cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi.
Here, Gilford discusses the making of National Anthem. The director/photographer—who has developed ad campaigns for Apple, Maybelline and Mercedes-Benz—also talks about signing with Little Minx for commercial representation.
MUSE: As a gay person, I tend to find myself waiting for something awful to happen to LGBTQ+ characters in films and TV shows because that’s what I am so used to seeing. This is what happened when I was watching National Anthem until I eventually realized I could relax.
Luke Gilford: So much of the tension in the film exists within Dylan’s own mind and our own mind as the viewer—a fear of what might happen, which we are all conditioned to expect because of the stories we’ve been told about rural queerness and tragedy. I wanted to peel back those clichés to reveal other possibilities.
To some people that might feel like a fantasy. But from my own lived experiences within rural queer communities, it’s an authentic truth. Survival doesn’t always have to be through violence.
Yes, queer and trans bodies are threatened, preyed upon and inflicted with brutal, de-humanizing violence every single day. This film does not take away from that fact, but represents a beacon of hope and a reminder of the beauty and importance of creating safe spaces.
How challenging was it for you to get this film made?
The biggest challenge was that it was my debut. It was the first feature-length script I had written, and I had only directed music videos, commercials and a couple short films. It’s a huge jump to go to features. And I had to prove that I could successfully steer such a big ship.
This film is so patriotic. We see the American flag, and there is a beautiful performance of the national anthem. It really struck me as almost a reclamation of our place in this country.
When I discovered the subculture of the International Gay Rodeo Association, I was inspired by these people who are so often excluded from the American Dream–queer and trans people as well as people of color–taking back the flag and saying no, “This is my country, too.”
Were there certain influences that you had? Films, music, paintings? I found myself relating the House of Splendor ranch to NYC ballroom culture and the houses where LGBTQ+ people find support from their chosen families.
I looked at a lot of Westerns. I’m so inspired by nature and landscapes and their relationship to the emotions of characters. Westerns are so often about tragedies, and I wanted to focus on very human and personal stories. I decided to juxtapose these grand landscapes with very tight closeup and intimate shots of our characters.
Ballroom is a beautiful and vibrant culture with a lot of influence in popular culture, but it was never an influence for this project. It has nothing to do with this real and authentic community, other than both being queer.
Charlie Plummer does such a beautiful job of depicting Dylan. Can you share Charlie’s casting story?
I first met Charlie in 2018 on the set of a photo shoot I was doing for VMAN. His calm, soulful energy inspired me—he seemed wise beyond his 18 years. We bonded over a mutual love for cinema. The [commercial] stylist put Charlie into a silk cowboy shirt as the final look of the shoot. As his shaggy hair barely revealed his piercing eyes, I thought to myself, “There he is—that’s Dylan.” I kept him in mind while writing. I’m so grateful that he responded to the script and we were able to go on this journey together.
And Eve Lindley is incredible as Eve, Charlie’s love interest. How did you cast her?
Our producer Zackary Drucker suggested that we audition Eve. And as soon as we did, it was so clear that she was our Sky. We unfortunately didn’t have time for chemistry tests. But I felt deep down that I could get the performances I needed from both of them.
Dylan does a drag performance to Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One.” Why did you choose it for that scene?
I wanted Dylan’s song to be something unexpected, since it’s his first time [in drag]. I thought he would have grown up with his mom listening to that song. We were lucky to get a lot of the music in the film, from Melissa to Elvis to Brenda Lee, Perfume Genius to Shania Twain.
Why did you sign with Little Minx, and what kind of commercials do you want to shoot going forward?
Little Minx is a warmer and more creative environment than I’m used to. It feels like such an organic fit. I think we’re aligned with the kind of work I want to make and the type of people we like to work with. It feels like [Little Minx founder and president] Rhea [Scott] really sees and understands what I’m doing in a deeper, more meaningful way. So, that feels good.
I want to be making commercials that shift and move culture. That’s what I do with my photography work, and it’s what is happening right now with National Anthem. So, of course, it’s what I want to do with commercials, too. It’s about finding those projects that inspire u
