Nico Tortorella on filming BDSM scenes for ReelShort’s Salt Kiss trilogy: chemistry, consent and vertical drama

The useful part

You can update your email subscriptions at any time in the My profile section of your account. The latest chapter, Bitter Burn, is set to debut this Thursday on ReelShort. The trilogy adapts Sierra Simone's novels Salt Kiss, Honey Cut and Bitter Burn.

How it works

• Speaking to Out, Lively said he and Tortorella "immediately clicked" during their chemistry read, something he felt was essential for scenes built around power dynamics and trust.
• I got manhandled in the harness." Dec 01 2023 16 TV stars you grew up watching who later came out as LGBTQ+ Tortorella said the series signals its intentions early.
• The series is about Mark and Tristan's dom-sub relationship and how that works.
• Earlier this year, a gay movie Blue Film, centred on taboo themes, also sparked conversation about how explicit queer stories are handled on screen.
• Vertical dramas, also known as micro-dramas, are mobile-first, serialised shows made for smartphone viewing, because everyone is glued to their phones nowadays.

What to take from it

Tortorella plays billionaire Mark Trevena, while Jake Lively plays Tristan, Mark's bodyguard. The story involves everything a viewer could ask for – seduction, jealousy, betrayal and a dramatic love triangle. View this post on Instagram "It's nice to be able to stretch my legs a little bit as an actor and do things I haven't done on or off camera before.

Example or evidence

• "Hollywood loves to minimise the actual relationship part of the dom-sub relationship.
• He came out as non-binary in 2018, though after the birth of his children in 2023 and 2024 he stopped using they/them pronouns, as he "feels like a man more than ever".
• Nico Tortorella stopped using they/them pronouns (Getty Images) Tortorella, who also appeared in The Walking Dead spin-off World Beyond, is bisexual, and has previously spoken of his sexual appetite.
• Episodes are often a few minutes long, with seasons typically running to 50 to 90 episodes to create a highly bingeable, cliffhanger-heavy experience.

Details worth keeping

The LGBTQ+ stories you don't want to miss, delivered to your inbox daily. This is how these two learn to express their love for each other. "We open in the hottest, largest, BDSM kink club.

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