Vertical dramas are taking over the small screen. No, not your TV, but your smartphone.
Made specifically for mobile devices and shot in 9:16, these soapy series—also known as micro-dramas—usually consist of anywhere from 30-90 episodes a season, each around just one-minute to 90-seconds in length.
Two of the hottest names in the industry are Declan Clifford and Sky Kawai. While not a couple in real life, they’ve played love interests across several queer—or “boy love”—vertical dramas now, including the “Waterboy,” “Poolboy,” and “Stableboy.” The shows have all debuted on the leading short-form entertainment platform ReelShort.
Earlier this month, they collaborated again on one of the platform’s first wave of sequels, Waterboy: Second Down, following the OG series’ Vertical of the Year win at the Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards just a few months earlier.
While the first “Waterboy” ended with—spoiler alert!—Clifford and Kawai’s Kaden and Donovan overcoming high school homophobia to become a couple, the sequel finds them ripped apart, after Kaden breaks Donovan’s heart so the latter doesn’t sacrifice his NFL dreams for their relationship. Flash forwards, revenge plots and rekindled feelings follow, as their roller coaster romance hits a new string of low lows and euphoric highs.
We spoke with the pair after they shot a steamy photoshoot with Zachary Olewnicki for So.Gay, where they opened up about how their personal bond has evolved with each collab, inspiring others with their work—which has been viewed by millions—and just how unhinged their DMs are from fans as micro-dramas only increase in popularity.
So.Gay: How was your photoshoot with So.Gay, and what does it mean to be recognized by the queer community for your work in this way? The photos came out great!
Sky Kawai: The photoshoot was so fun! Zac was amazing and while the concept was very moody and sexy, we all just goofed off and had fun. I can’t wait to see how the pics come out! As one of, if not the only, out kids in my high school, I was just trying to survive. I used to try to disappear because of my queerness. Now my queer shows have a combined total of over 100 million views and I’m in a magazine called “So.Gay”. I don’t think my life could’ve taken more of a 180°.
It’s not easy being a gay kid in a small conservative town and I’m still pinching myself that not only did I make it out, but I’m able to inspire other young queer kids to do the same. I hate admitting when other people are right, but it indeed does get better.
Declan Clifford: I am but an innocent Australian, so to be able to come to New York to shoot for So.Gay was an absolute TREAT. It was a trip of firsts. First magazine shoot in the US and first time in Brooklyn. The photographer Zachary Olewnicki was so much fun; the hardest part was trying to look all sexy and smoldering instead of laughing the entire time.
I don’t think I can adequately put it into words how much the support from the queer community has meant. So many people have reached out to share their stories with us about how the shows have made them feel safe and how they see themselves in our characters. Some have even shared that the shows have encouraged them to come out to family. It’s messages like that that bring you back to the true value of storytelling. I wish I could go back in time and tell young me, who felt like the kind of love I wanted was wrong because I didn’t see it on screen, that one day I’d get to be part of shows like this. I’ll be forever grateful for all the love and support the community has given us. All of our shows have quite literally not been possible without you all.
So.Gay: Congratulations to you both on your success in the vertical drama landscape. You’ve appeared together in numerous projects, including “Waterboy,” its new sequel “Waterboy: Second Down,” “Poolboy,” and “Stableboy.” How has your personal bond grown between projects, and how does that help with the on-screen chemistry?
Sky Kawai: Declan and I both knew from the beginning there was chemistry. We did our chemistry read for “Poolboy” over Zoom, which is usually the most pointless waste of time. It’s almost impossible to have chemistry with someone you’re meeting for the first time in a group Zoom callback. I’ve done many chemistry reads on Zoom, before and since, and I think the only time I’ve ever felt good about how it went was with Declan. On set for “Poolboy” people kept asking us if we were a couple in real life when we’d only met three days ago. Having that much natural chemistry right out the gate, and now having fallen in love in 3 different universes, it’s hard to explain how comfortable we are around each other. It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind relationship.
Declan Clifford: I remember feeling really nervous the first day on the set of “Poolboy” when Sky and I met, which was actually perfect because “Poolboy” was a story about your first high school love with all those beautiful nerves and butterflies. It’s been over a year now working together and we’ve developed so much trust and safety with each other. There’s an ease I feel in scenes with Sky now and I feel we can go to deeper places with our characters. I’m so proud of what we created and will always cherish the memories.
So.Gay: I’d love to hear you both talk a bit about the fan reception for these projects. How unhinged have the comments and DMs been since these dramas have taken off? What are some of the wilder messages like, and do you respond?
Sky Kawai: Oh my god. When “Waterboy” dropped it was like my phone exploded. The social media response was so insane I had to hide my phone for hours on end just to get a break. Then my personal phone number got leaked, so I was getting calls and texts from hundreds of random people until I had to change my number. One guy kept texting me as if we were already married and he was just texting his husband stuff all day.
As far as responding goes, my best friends and family know not to expect a timely response from me, these randos sure aren’t getting one. The messages I see from fans expressing how much our shows have made them feel seen and comforted are a different story. While I’m still an inconsistent texter, it fills my heart with so much queer joy that I try to respond to those when I can.
Declan Clifford: I will say 99% have been SO beautiful, including people sending things they have made like artwork or a crochet dolphin (which was the mascot of “Poolboy”), but there is definitely 1% of messages that make me clutch my pearls. Let’s just say the messages can be anything from questions about the size of a particular body part to requesting a very specific long list of things from me. Those ones remain on Delivered.
When I was out at a Pride event a lovely fan came up to me a few times during the night and before they left they literally threw $40 at me as a thank you and were out of there before I had the chance to give it back. The bartender got that $40 as a tip from me, but thank you to whoever that was if you’re reading!
So.Gay: As we’ve all seen with “Heated Rivalry,” there’s clearly a big audience for gay romance—and a lot of it actually skews female. Have you noticed that as well for your series? And why do you think projects like this have broad appeal across sexualities and genders?
Sky Kawai: Oh it’s well known in the boy love world that housewives are our biggest demographic. I think it comes down to that question: who would you rather come across while alone in the woods, a bear or a man? It’s easier for women to connect with the story and fall in love with the characters because there’s no fear there. It’s the same reason women feel more comfortable in our bars.
Declan Clifford: 100% – A lot of the messages and reviews we get are from moms and young girls in college! I love that the ladies are loving the boy love. Ultimately these stories are like fairytales, all about falling in love and fighting for what you want, and that’s a story that can be enjoyed by anyone. Who doesn’t want the high school star quarterback to be secretly sensitive and in love with them?
So.Gay: Did you have any questions about jumping into the still-relatively-new vertical-drama space? And how do you feel they’ve been as a launching pad for your careers, as you both seem to have gotten your start on these productions?
Sky Kawai: I definitely had my hesitations. There was an even more obvious stigma around verticals when they first started and it made me avoid them for a long time. While the stigma still exists, I’ve spoken with casting directors on SAG projects who have advised me to do as many verticals as I can. It’s a way to get our reps in and work while the industry is falling apart around us.
That being said, the quality of scripts in the vertical world can be very difficult. I passed on a few verticals before I agreed to do “Poolboy.” It was the first queer story ReelShort had ever told, and I wanted to be a part of that. I’ve been very lucky to work with some incredible, talented, and passionate artists and built up the most insane and amazing fan base. I’ll never stop being grateful.
Declan Clifford: I did the first vertical in Australia back in mid 2023 and they weren’t even called verticals at this point (they were called ‘mobisodes!’). It’s been the ride of a lifetime over the past three years playing everything from a doctor to a vampire prince to the nerdy waterboy. Verticals have changed so much from this kind of underground operation to now a fully-fledged industry in Hollywood with huge fan bases.
I feel like verticals are a boot camp for young actors because you’re taking the lessons from your classes and applying it on a seven to nine day shoot with long days and 10+ pages of dialogue per day. I’m so grateful for the experience they’ve given me and all the incredibly talented actors and crew I’ve met along the way. I can’t wait to see what’s next for verticals and I hope they keep evolving and being enjoyed.
“Waterboy: Second Down” is streaming now on ReelShort.
