Before introducing us to the four men who are the
documentary’s focus, I’m A Porn Star presents a brief history of gay
porn, including mention of a 1920 gay French film which depicted hardcore gay
and bisexual sex. There is information about how the porn industry got lazy in
the 1980s and ditched plot lines for simple and repetitive scenes of sex, and
how in the 1990s bigger budgets and niche markets emerged. The narrator tells
us: “This specialization and larger budgets paved the way for performers to
consider acting in pornography as a career. And the porn star was born.”
The movie does rely quite a bit on narration, but it has a light, playful tone
which I appreciate. And yes, there is plenty of male nudity.
The film introduces us to four men who are to be its main
subjects: Brent Everett, Johnny Rapid, Rocco Reed and Colby Jansen. All of
these men will surprise you, for different reasons. For example, as of the time
of the interview, Colby Jansen was in school, getting his MBA. His
undergraduate degree is in physics. He was in the Marine Corps, and plays
rugby. His wife is Gia Darling, a transsexual porn star, and he talks
about how they met. He is immediately an incredibly likeable guy, and
everything he has to say is all very positive, until Colby reveals that his
mother found out about Gia Darling and about his own porn career, and now she
and he no longer speak. It’s that sort of detail that most people probably
expect when hearing of porn actors.
Johnny Rapid has a very different personality. He tells
us: “I’m a very sexual person. I’m really dominant over females. I fuck the
shit out of them, dominate them, I choke them, I slap ‘em, spit on ‘em…”
Then he says, “With a guy, I like to be done almost that way.” He’s a
wrestler, which might not be surprising. But what is surprising is that he has
a girlfriend and children. And we meet his agent, which was also surprising, as
I honestly didn’t know porn actors had agents. Johnny Rapid gives very specific
details about sexual acts on camera and about getting ready for a scene.
Rocco Reed has a different approach. He has a theatre
degree, and approaches porn from an actor’s perspective, saying “It’s
minimal dialogue, but it’s still some dialogue.” He’s done porn parodies,
including playing Han Solo in a Star Wars film and Riker in a Star Trek film
(and yes, we see a bit of footage from these). He started with straight porn. “As
far as me being straight or gay, I would say I fall somewhere in the middle.”
He says: “I think the reason that there’s so many straight guys doing gay
porn is because everyone’s a little bit gay.” He also adds: “The money
is better, it’s way easier to be successful.” He does have a fiancée, who
is happier now that he’s doing gay sex instead of straight. He has plans to
open a gym back east with his fiancée when his contract is up.
Brent Everett is very enthusiastic about the whole
lifestyle. He likes to have fans on Facebook and Twitter. And he dispels the
idea that all porn stars have poor or no relationships with their families. His
parents are quite supportive, he says. He talks about how he got into porn, and
about designing his own web site.
There are snippets from other interviews throughout the
film as well, with people like Dr. Laurie Betito, a sexy therapist and radio
personality, who talks about what motivates someone to get into porn. And there
are interviews with porn crew members. There are also some of the weird aspects
that you might expect. For example, Colby Jansen talks about messages people
have sent him online, with requests for nail clippings and dirty underwear. And
the documentary does discuss the effects of the internet. For example, with
internet porn, it’s so easy for people to find images to suit whatever tastes
they have. The film raises the question of what effect this easy access has on
our own views of sex and selves, but doesn’t delve into this issue or offer
answers. However, it is a very enjoyable film.
I’m A Porn Star was directed by Charlie David. It
was released on DVD on September 9, 2014 through Canteen Outlaws and TLA
Releasing. The DVD includes the film’s trailer.
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