LOS ANGELES—When they first met seven years ago, they had no idea that their “little” camming venture was about to explode. They started by dominating the U.K., then the United States. And now with their takeover of Spain in the new NakedSword Originals’ hit Heart On, it’s official: Callum and Cole have conquered the world.
“I was working at a nightclub, and Cole came in one night. I kind of fancied him so gave him a couple of free shots. A week later, he came back, and within three weeks we were dating and basically living together,” shares Callum Cox.
“We’ve been a couple for seven years now, and camming almost the same amount of time,” added Cole Connor. “The nightclub Callum mentioned closed a few months after we met, and we’d both been talking about cam work previously. So, we decided to take the plunge together. We didn’t really need to look for other jobs once we were up and running.”
The Scottish duo’s presence on Chaturbate quickly exploded, leading to multiple industry accolades—including for fan favorite cammers at the 2020 GayVN Awards.
“It’s been an insane journey in the best way possible. When the nightclub closed, I didn’t think I’d be creating a whole new career. But it’s given us so many opportunities and experiences that we never would’ve had without it. We’ve worked our asses off,” shared Callum, with Cole adding that “we’ve come to really understand the adult industry and have been able to go from content creators to actually being porn stars. The lifestyle we’ve created is more than we could’ve dreamed of.”
They’ve sold some of their own content to other studios, and entertained other feature offers. But until now, the right one never came along. “Through the years, we’ve been offered studio work by many companies. Most of them wanted us to work with other guys; they thought people would get bored of us just filming with each other,” said Cole.
“We’ve been holding out until we had an opportunity to make what we wanted to make, not just participate in something that was entirely someone else’s vision,” added Callum. “By waiting, we managed to get exactly what we wanted without even knowing if it would eventually come along.”
Enter the savvy businessmen at Falcon | NakedSword, who presented the project Heart On to the duo.
“The stars aligned! Callum and Cole have a lot of trust in Falcon | NakedSword and (President and CEO) Tim (Valenti), and they were presented with a script, cast and crew that they felt good about,” shares Ben Rush, who wrote the script and co-directed along with Alter Sin. “As always, we included them in the entire development process, allowing them to inject their personalities and opinions every step of the way. There’s definitely comfort in collaboration."
Rush notes that Valenti had a long-standing friendship with the duo, who caught up with the CEO at an industry event in Europe.
“Tim called me about the possibility of building a narrative around their romance,” says Rush. “What we came up with was a love story that doesn’t shy away from very real issues that many of us face when navigating coming out, dating, and evolving as people. Beautiful Thing (1996) and Love, Simon (2018) were definitely inspirations, but I think Alter Sin and I created something wholly unique with a mature, more grown-up storyline and characters.”
The result? Finally, the major studio Callum-and-Cole feature fans have been clamoring for is here, a heartfelt coming-of-age gay love story that doubles as a love letter to Spain, movies, and men. And the performers are just as thrilled as their fans.
“We enjoy watching those kinds of movies in our own personal time. And we knew even before we got to the set that it was going to be an amazing collaboration—not only because of our connection with Tim, but also because he paired us with the best cast and crew,” says Callum.
“Tim believed that we could pull off something big, and we’ve always felt comfortable with him,” added Cole. “We’ve seen the kinds of quality things Falcon | NakedSword has been doing of late, and we thought something like Heart On would be great for us and the studio.”
The project casts the duo as friends who celebrate graduation from Oxford with a trip to Barcelona and Torremolinos. Out and proud Callum lusts after the men they encounter, while Cole realizes he has some buried feelings he needs to deal with.
“From start to finish, it was a dream collaboration. We had many calls with Ben and Alter in the months leading up to the shoot, so it was easy and comfortable by the time we were on set. We worked hard on line readings and our performances long in advance,” says Callum. “The studio shoot was just mind-blowing. It actually felt like we were making a theatrical feature movie. The size of the crew and the talent among them were amazing. Also, the experience confirmed one particularly special thing: When we are away and focused on work, we are just as compatible as we are in our personal time. Professionally and personally, we just fit together.”
Rush was equally impressed by the duo.
”You’d never know this was Callum and Cole’s first studio film. They put so much time and work into learning the script and understanding the nuances of the characters and the storytelling, and they are naturals at taking direction. Heart On was a huge production, with many crew members, locations, schedules and travel itineraries, and Callum and Cole juggled it all admirably,” he says.
“I went into this as a work project and came out with two great friendships. Callum and Cole are bright young men with strong work ethics and good energies, and they’re funny and charming, as well. It was really hard to leave this particular production behind, but we’ll always have Spain!”
The film features an all-star cast headlined by Falcon | NakedSword exclusives Sir Peter and Beau Butler along with Derek Kage, Manuel Reyes, Damon Heart, Nik Fros, Allen King, Lobo Carreira, Drew Valentino and Dean Young.
“Bringing such a diverse, international cast together involved many planes, trains and automobiles—not to mention masterful scheduling from our production team,” says Rush. “The performers traveled from North America, Ireland, Belgium, England and various cities in Spain to make this production happen, and their continued to commitment to the success of Heart On has been amazing.
“You’ll also notice that the city and the culture are essentially characters in the film, as are the food, the sights, and the architecture. Add in some of the country’s hottest men and you’ve got a love letter to one of the most beautiful places in the world. Heart On is absolutely a testament to Spain’s enduring appeal—and the fiery guys who continue to turn us on.”
And while Rush is used to successful collaborations with fellow directors, this project presented him with a new partner in crime: the award-winning Sin, the man behind projects like A Tale of Two Cock Destroyers, Historias de Barcelona, Dis-Connecting and Monsieur Sagat.
“Alter Sin is a force of nature, and I would work with him at any opportunity. In fact, I’m heading back to Europe this fall so we can do a couple of additional films together. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema and the history of the medium, and he sees things through his camera lens with a uniquely creative perspective. We are both very detail-oriented—it’s often the small things that elevate material and its authenticity—and we are both committed to delivering content of the highest quality,” says Rush.
“Alter is the consummate professional and a visionary filmmaker. His skill and appreciation for the art form are evident in everything he touches, and his love of movies as a viewer shines in each frame he captures. On a personal level, Alter is a kind and gentle person who has creativity dripping out of his pores. He’s always willing to lend an ear when I’m frustrated by something and typically has just the right advice or problem-solving idea. I’m thankful to have him in my life.”
That love of cinema is especially apparent in the beautifully shot scene with Butler and Fros.
“That was a particularly fun memory, the day we shot the movie theater scene. Not only was it Cole’s birthday—which we celebrated with an unreasonable amount of cake—but we were in this magical historic cinema in the middle of Barcelona. Everyone was excited to be in such an interesting setting,” says Rush.
And the cake was a much better memory for the Scots than the fish: “A really funny moment was when Ben and Alter wanted to do a scene in which we’d eat seafood paella. I’m not a big fan of seafood, so what you see in the movie is some real acting!” laughs Callum.
But the couple came away from the experience with much more than just fun memories from Spain.
“The way they directed the film fit perfectly with the kind of studio project we wanted to be part of,” said Cole. “The production value that Ben and Alter brought to the project really captured the essence of Ben’s script so well. It looks like a major motion picture. We are so proud of it. And during the shoot, I learned that I’m much more confident than I thought I was. I felt so comfortable in that huge production environment.”
And the two aren’t the only ones beaming with pride: “It’s been interesting to see just how much our fans wanted this for us. There’s clearly an appetite to see us in different kinds of content, which really makes me happy. Plus, our fans are loving the Heartstopper vibes,” shares Callum, noting that the project has also earned them new followers.
The experience left the duo excited at the prospect of more studio projects, and they would be “honored” to keep the relationship with Falcon | NakedSword going. The couple already has ideas that they want to share with Valenti—and the feeling is mutual.
“When we shot Callum and Cole’s explosive finale, the chemistry between them was off the charts,” gushes Rush. “Alter Sin and I looked over at each other at one point, and without saying a word, agreed that we had something very special.”
