The dicks were posing a problem.
Inspired by a memorable montage of penises from the 2021 film Zola, editor Gabrielle Calise was trying to figure out how to re-create that feeling for indie studio A24’s first travel guide, focused on—what else?—the state of Florida, where some of its best-known films have been set. The spread in question would be spotlighting its sizable nudist population (Pasco County is considered the nudist capital of the world) and illustrating an anecdote about how, to enhance the film’s authenticity, Zola producers cast men from the nudist community instead of the young six-pack types at the local strip clubs.
“We kept going back to this page over and over again like, ‘How can we make it feel like the movie?’’ Calise recalls over Zoom from St. Petersburg, Florida. Finally, they resolved, “Let’s have a page of dicks.” In the end, unfortunately, only four made the final cut—“and they’re not the weirdest looking ones,” she says, with a tinge of disappointment.
Presidents Hall of Fame and Gatorland
“As Disney was rising, so many roadside attractions tried to hang on or tried to compete; people should try to check out at least one non-Disney thing if they’re ever in Central Florida. That could be the Presidents Hall of Fame. It has these wax statues of presidents, and Florida is not a good place to have a wax museum, so some of them are melted or tilted or a little weird. And there’s also this very intricate miniature model of the White House. Or go to Gatorland and watch a gator show and see the albino gators. Indulge in the kind of cheesier side of things. Just let yourself have fun and buy a tacky fridge magnet there.”