Jake Shears is back in the spotlight—and not just on stage. The Scissor Sisters frontman is currently touring the globe with the reunited band for their first live shows in over a decade. But offstage, he’s making waves with his screen debut in Pillion, a wild and unexpectedly heartfelt gay biker romance that turned heads at the Cannes Film Festival.
Directed by first-time filmmaker Harry Lighton, Pillion stars Alexander Skarsgård as Ray, a leather-clad dom navigating new territory with a submissive partner, played by Harry Potter alum Harry Melling. Shears plays Kevin, one of Ray’s previous subs. One unforgettable scene features Shears encountering a very realistic prosthetic Prince Albert piercing.
Talking to Deadline, Shears said,
“I gotta say that prosthetic was really realistic..To me, in real life, it felt very real. Literally and figuratively… it was so realistic that in the moment, when it’s happening and being filmed, it was kind of shocking in a really great way.”
Even more surprising? That piercing wasn’t in the script, so Shears’ reaction on camera is 100% genuine. The casting director spotted Shears during his electric performance as the Emcee in Cabaret on London’s West End. From there, Shears dove deep into the dom/sub leather scene—researching, reading The Leatherman’s Handbook, and learning the rituals of kink. Pillion is expected to hit theaters later this year via A24.
