Gatekeeper, sentry, rope ringer, god—doormen have endured many a label throughout their brief history on the planet. But it’s their paradoxical purpose that intrigues us. After all, in a world where we meticulously filter our words and actions for any traces of sexism, racism—face it, any –ism under the sun—nightclub doormen make their living in an anomalous loophole, and with a nod of the head and click of a rope, they rule unchallenged as the ultimate arbiters of cool, beauty and worth.
One film, The Doorman, sets out to unravel the mystery of these gatekeepers, for once not focusing on the crotch shots, illicit drugs and club shootings that tend to clog the nightlife radar. The star: Trevor W., a full-lipped, caramel-colored veteran of the door, with a creamy Latin accent as thick as his ego. Clubplanet had the chance to quiz Trevor on his new movie, meeting the pope, and keeping Michael Jackson and Amy Sacco out of the club.
Clubplanet: You have an interesting accent. Where are you from originally?
Trevor W.: I can't tell you, it's a secret. The producer wouldn't allow me--can you believe that? He said it makes me more interesting, more intriguing if I'm a citizen of the world.
CP: Can you tell us what the “W” stands for then?
Trevor W.: That's also a good question that I will never answer. The “W” can stand for many many different things.
CP: In your words, what’s the purpose of a doorman? Why do we need them?
Trevor W.: Because you don't want to go to a club and be surrounded by a crowd that you don't desire. It depends on the club, but the clubs that hire me do so because if I'm not at the door, then they wouldn't have the crowd that they have. That's my responsibility. And what people sometimes don't realize is that when you have 200 beautiful women and very good-looking guys, it's because of me.
CP: Good looking? You mean rich guys.
Trevor W.: Well, you need the rich guys because the club owners need to make money and pretty girls don't pay for drinks. You have to have the balance of a couple of Wall Street guys spending money.
CP: So you must get a lot of tips?
Trevor W.: Never. I'm not that kind of doorman. Sometimes people give me gifts—that’s fine. But no tips.
CP: What kind of gifts?
Trevor W.: Ehhhh. I never ask for gifts. You know, they're very grateful. Even if I don't ask, they'll show up with something very particular. Or they treat me very well. I have to say, I never have to worry about staying anywhere in the world because I have friends everywhere.
CP: So what keeps you going?
Trevor W.: What keeps me going? Just me. Sometimes I get out of myself—it’s an exercise that I learned in India. I get out of myself and I look at myself. I look at what I’ve seen, what I’ve done. It’s kinda like the journey of my life. I look at that and I say, “Wow” to myself. Once I say “Wow” it’s a revelation.
CP: Um, ok. Who are some of the biggest celebrities you’ve met?
Trevor W.: I wouldn't call them celebrities like the president or the pope or Dalai Lama, whom I've all met.
CP: You met the pope?
Trevor W.: The pope is a cool guy. He seems a little freaky, yes?
CP: Anyone else?
Trevor W.: No big deal. Just name them and I’ve met them.
CP: Well, who are some of your celebrity friends then?
Trevor W.: I’m not a namedropper, but anyone from Brad and Angelina to Matt Damon to Jude Law. Please don’t quote me. I don’t want to sound like a namedropper.
CP: How about Amy Sacco, who was also in your film—what’s your relationship like with her?
Trevor W.: A dear, dear friend. I never worked with her, but I do go to her places as a guest. She’ll sometimes call me and ask me where I am.
CP: Interesting. In the film, she spoke about a time when you didn’t let her into a club.
Trevor W.: That was a misunderstanding. The thing is, she came that night with a big group of people and I didn’t have a table so I couldn’t let them in. I didn’t know they were coming and I couldn’t go out of my way to help her.
CP: What clubs do you work for now?
Trevor W.: (long pause) Uhh. Right now I'm not working in any clubs. The economy in New York is not very well, as you might know. People are not spending as much money. The glamour is not what it was. And with this movie coming out now, I'm getting a lot of requests to be in other movies. And I need to promote my movie—I mean, it's about me.
CP: Then what clubs have you worked for in the past?
Trevor W.: You know, I mainly do smaller VIP lounges, not large clubs. More exclusive places with celebrities and VIPs.
CP: Like?
Trevor W.: Pshhh. I’ve worked everywhere from Studio 54 to Crobar.
CP: What?! That’s hardly small.
Trevor W.: Well, that’s why I left.
CP: And I saw that you shared the door with the legendary Gilbert while at Crobar.
Trevor W.: Gilbert? Oh he was just hanging out, he wasn’t working. When I do the door, I do the door.
CP: And what do you look for when someone walks up to you?
Trevor W.: I look for style and a smile. I look for passion, for willingness to have fun, new emotions—for beauty basically.
CP: How about in terms of fashion?
Trevor W.: Wear something that shows what you have. If you know you have a beautiful body with beautiful boobs and a beautiful butt, what’s the purpose of wearing a dress that doesn’t show off those attributes? Be proud of what you bought and what you were born with. Put style on it. I appreciate that.
CP: And where do you get your own style inspiration from?
Trevor W.: I have a personal shopper who takes care of me. He dresses all the celebrities, so I don’t have to worry about what I have to wear. Although I do have a good sense of fashion myself.
CP: Any style icons?
Trevor W.: I do think that Bono is really cool. And I think that Ghandi is really cool. There’s not too many more.
CP: How do you take care of yourself?
Trevor W.: I do boxing, I swim, I do jumprope, I run, I do elliptical, I do roller hockey, ice hockey, I do body jumping, I do volleyball, I do soccer—I do everything.
CP: And when you’re not at the door, where can we find Trevor W?
Trevor W.: Ah, that’s the million-dollar question. If I answer that, can you imagine how many people would be standing out at my door?
CP: Now I’m going to say a few names. Tell me whether you’d let them into the club and why or why not. First, Michael Jackson.
Trevor W.: No because he’d scare many people.
CP: Oprah.
Trevor W.: Oprah is always welcome. She’s very powerful and a lot of fun.
CP: Tom Cruise.
Trevor W.: Ehhhh. That’s a borderline case with the Scientology thing. It’s delicate. But he’s someone I couldn’t leave out of the club.
CP: The Olsen Twins.
Trevor W.: Are they old enough to be in the club? If they’re 21, I might let them.
CP: Paris Hilton.
Trevor W.: It depends on the week. If she’s having a high week, that’s fine. If it’s a low week, no.
CP: Hulk Hogan.
Trevor W.: Hulk Hogan! I like his moustache. He’s cool.
CP: What does it take to be a good doorman?
Trevor W.: You know it’s funny because I’ve been offered several times to start a doorman school. It’s something I might consider one day. To be a good doorman, you have to have an incredible sense of reality, an understanding of the industry—not only nightlife, but entertainment and financial industries. The doorman is more important than the owner in a way, because the doorman is the one who selects the crowd.
Think of it like a canvas. You want all yellow, so every little black, blue, or orange you let in will ruin the yellow. But if you manage to keep the whole yellow, you’re a great doorman.
The Doorman premieres July 18th. For more info, check out www.thedoormanmovie.com.