Tattoos, piercings, and sex scenes from our wildest fantasies are all nice on their own, but when together, make for a sinfully good combination perfect for the rebellious at heart. And no one knows this better than Joanna Angel! Founder of a successful alt porn company, and winner of several awards for her acting and directing, she is building her own empire within the adult industry.
We chatted with Joanna angel about her journey into the industry, most outrageous sex scene, advice, and more!
What inspired you to pursue a career in the adult industry?
My original inspiration for wanting to work in adult was to explore my own sexuality, and create an environment for other weirdos like me to do the same. I also had a fear of graduating from college and becoming a boring adult, and while this is technically a job in “adult” I’m able to live my life not feeling like a real adult and I enjoy that. If that makes any sense!
What does a typical work day look like for you?
There is nothing typical about my work day and it truly varies from day to day. Sometimes I am doing media/ interviews (like this one right now!) Sometimes I am traveling to do appearances, and those appearances range from sex education speaking engagements to spreading my butthole open at a strip club at 4 am. Sometimes I am planning out future productions, sometimes I am directing on set, sometimes I am making matzoh balls with my mother on the east coast, and sometimes I am having sex on camera.
How has Alt Porn changed the landscape of erotic films?
I am not entirely sure what “alt-porn” is anymore but I think the essence of the movement is not tattoos and piercing like a lot of people think. To me, “alt-porn” means an alternative route to porn, and the genre enabled girls to build their own brands through their own channels and create a world for themselves instead of sitting by the phone and waiting for a large studio/agency to sweep them off their feet and guide them through the naked jungle. It’s like, the DIY mentality in porn. It’s like, we all snuck in through the back door of porn and paved our own way and found our own paths.
What is the most outrageous scene you’ve ever done?
Hmm. Well, in my latest gangbang I had the “Ascension Suspension” crew breathing fire, and hanging from hooks on a stage behind me while I did double-anal. But in all honesty it didn’t feel so outrageous, It felt rather beautiful, but I would imagine most viewers would find that to be outrageous. However several years ago in the parody of Evil Dead (called “Evil Head”) that I produced, I did a scene with three other “dead” girls in a graveyard, along with Tommy Pistol who played Ash in the movie. Since it was a graveyard scene it had to be shot late at night, so the sex took place around 3 am. The scene also began with all of us coming out of the graves, so we had to be buried in dirt for multiple takes, not to mention we were covered in zombie makeup and all wearing white contacts that none of us could see out of. On top of it all, if you remember, Ash had a stump for an arm (you know, it was cut off by a chainsaw) so, to stay true to the character Tommy’s arm was all taped up inside of his shirt. So between the hours of 2 and about 5 am, myself along with 3 other girls covered in fake blood, dirt, and full body zombie paint all fucked a guy who could only use one of his arms. I’d have to say that was the most challenging, and most outrageous scene I ever did!
You’re not just a performer, but also run, produce, and direct films for a very popular site, BurningAngel.com. What do you enjoy most about being on the other side of the camera?
I enjoy creating, I enjoy coming up with ideas and watching them come to life, I enjoy writing scripts, and I enjoy pairing people up and seeing what type of magical sex will happen before my very eyes. And most importantly, I enjoy the product coming out and giving boners to people around the world. I enjoy the whole process of being on all sides of the camera!
What advice do you have for girls interested in getting into the porn industry?
I think porn should be looked at like any other fact of entertainment. It’s competitive, it’s not easy, it’s not always fair, and some people make it and some people don’t. I would also take into account that the images of you made on one shoot will last forever, and the paycheck you will get that day won’t hahahaha. It’s important to know that this is a big decision, and there are no promises of guaranteed riches or fame- so that’s important to think about before delving into adult!
Earlier this year you released your book “Night Shift: A Choose-Your-Own-Erotic Fantasy.” How did the idea for this come about?
I have always wanted to write a book- I did after all go to school for writing once upon a time. Cleiss Press approached me to write an novel after I contributed a chapter to an erotic anthology put together by Asa Akira (called Asarotica), and my gears in my head started turning thinking of a way I could write about people I’d met and things I experienced in adult without writing a memoir…. and well… Night Shift came to mind. All the characters were inspired by a mix of friends and fans I’d med over the years, but put into a fictional world I created. It was such a wonderful opportunity and I have truly enjoyed all the feedback I’d been getting.
Do you have any other projects we can look forward to?
I am always working on new projects! In the very near future I will be releasing a movie called “Metal Massage” – a romantic tale about metal heads who own a massage parlor. And then shortly after that, this coming Halloween I will be releasing “I know who you Fucked Last Halloween”, a porno horror thriller with boobs and blood and a whole lot more.