Erin BroadleyDespite seminars like “Expanding Your Orgasm: Backdoor Basics and Beyond With Amy Sung,” and shopping for naughty gifts like RealTouch's laptop compatible interactive media massager, according to Erotica LA there is only one reason to attend the convention this year: Belladonna. Credited with breathing new life into the exhausted genre of girl on girl porn, the 28-year-old adult film star — and owner of her own adult entertainment company, Belladonna Entertainment — will be signing and hanging out with fans at the Evil Angel booth for the duration of Erotica LA's three-day run, June 12-14, at the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown.
“When I'm working conventions, my main focus is making sure the people that have come there to see me get treated equally and really just have an enjoyable time,” Belladonna says. “I'm not there to see other porn performers, I'm not there to make business deals, and I'm not there to party. I think that's another thing that sets me apart from a lot of the performers in this industry. I truly am the people's porn star.”
Belladonna took some time to answer a few of our questions about sex-ed, misconceptions about the adult entertainment industry, and how it must have sucked back when women weren't allowed to wear pants. Check back Monday, June 15 for photos from Erotica LA.
How do you think public perception of the adult industry has changed from, say, your parents generation to yours? Do you think California has a unique take on sexuality and performance compared to other places you've lived or traveled to? If so, why do you think California sees the industry differently?
Belladonna
Well, I really don't know what it was like for my parents generation, other than a few things I've discussed with my mom, but we never talked the adult entertainment industry. I'm assuming it was very frowned upon, considering that my grandparents wouldn't even let my mom wear pants. She had to hide them and put them on after she left the house. When I was first exposed to “true” sexuality, I was living in Utah. You can imagine what it was like. So yes, California has a very different approach; its more liberal and open-minded and I think it sees adult entertainment as revenue and how it employs a lot of people. Although California is very open, it's not as open or liberal as, let's say, Spain. On the other hand, it's definitely better than China or Australia — both have many rules and laws against sexuality and freedom of speech.
You've said that you “started off as a performer who knew nothing about my sexuality.” Do you think its important for young women and men to grow up understanding their sexuality? How did your career choice at a young age affect how you learned about yours?
Not only is it important for young men and women to learn about their sexuality, it's important for everyone to learn about it. If people were more open about their sexuality at an earlier stage in life, it would prevent a lot of frustration, embarrassment and fear toward sex. My early career in adult entertainment really taught me everything I know now about sex. It made me more comfortable with who I am and my sexual experiences. Being able to talk about it openly to people allowed for the possibility of helping others with similar situations to be able to better deal with them. I learned a lot about sexually transmitted diseases; I learned warning signs and what to look out for with my partners. Keep in mind that I dropped out of high school my freshman year so I was never exposed to a sex education class. My husband said he learned about STDs in school, yet I still know more about them from my work in the adult entertainment and being required to test for STDs every month.
Any particularly funny anecdotes you can share from any recent performances?
Hmmm, I don't have any particular funny moments in mind, but there is always something funny happening on set and it's always captured in the behind the scenes footage on my DVDs and Web site. Since the addition of behind the scenes to my DVDs back in 2003, I now have fans who tell me they buy my movies specifically for the BTS — sex is just an added bonus!
Tell us about your company Belladonna Entertainment and how it stands out from others in the adult industry. What makes it unique?
Something that I feel is very unique is that my company is a very small company. My husband, Aiden, and I are it. We do everything from hiring the talent, shooting the movie, editing, mastering, artwork and promotion. We don't have big fancy firms that manage my career or a PR team. I feel that the less cooks you have in the kitchen, the better the cake is going to taste. We also feel that asking the talent what they do and don't like doing really makes for a better overall product in the end. I mean, who wants to watch a girl get fucked in the ass by two cocks when she really doesn't want to be doing it? Wait… don't answer that (laughs).
Tell us about your involvement in this year's Erotica LA convention and what attendees can expect?
Belladonna
I will be signing at the Evil Angel booth pretty much the entire time the convention is open. When I'm working conventions, my main focus is making sure the people that have come there to see me get treated equally and really just have an enjoyable time. I'm not there to see other porn performers, I'm not there to make business deals, and I'm not there to party. I think that's another thing that sets me apart from a lot of the performers in this industry. I truly am the people's porn star.
What do you think the biggest misconceptions still are about your industry, particularly from the perspective of a businesswoman?
The biggest misconception is that porn stars are all on drugs, stupid, have sex all day and don't care about getting diseases. Sure, those people do exist in adult, but they also exist in Hollywood and other industries. The adult entertainment industry is a major force in the economy and it's real. We don't work out of seedy basements in the valley. We have studios, insurance policies, employees, payroll and most of all, a lot of fun!
Do you have an essential music playlist you listen to before shooting a film?
Not necessarily, but sometimes when we're shooting stills I like to turn on my iPod which currently includes Terra Naomi, Carina Round, Portishead and many other great bands. And speaking of bands, I have to give a shameless plug here… every Monday at 12pm (PST) you can listen to my live radio show on radio.enterbelladonna.com. Some of my upcoming guests include, Carina Round, Phil LaMarr, Q-Tip and Seka, along with a lot of the adult performers that I shoot.
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