# How do they select the men for hetero, mainstream porn?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 20, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100 "2008-07-20T00:00:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/21 "2008-07-20T13:50:54Z")
Well let’s see…
– First, you find the most toolish looking guy in the world.
– Then you make sure at least 50% of his body is covered in weird tattoos.
– If not, you tattoo that bastard.
– Then you shave him bald.
– Then you teach him how to grunt so loud it rattles the speakers.
– Finally, you stick him in a room with (possibly several) naked women and tell them to have sex. You then proceed to exclusively film closeups of the guy’s (possibly) giant cock.
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### Author:  [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/22 "2008-07-20T19:48:35Z")
Judging from the job descriptions in the “adult” section of the local Craigslist page (San Diego being a hotspot for Internet porn production), it looks like you have to be willing to do male-male to do male-female. Meaning that the men in mainstream hetero porn are either gay, flexible about their sexuality, or in serious debt.
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### Author:  [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/23 "2008-07-20T23:39:12Z")
[QUOTE=bathsheba]
I asked around. Porn stars get free bagels on Fridays too.
[/QUOTE]
Are you sure they didn’t say _kegels_? 😃
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/24 "2008-07-21T02:03:06Z")
Well, [Brandon Iron](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_iron) emailed me back and said he would “see what he could do” and would be glad to help, so hopefully he will post in this thread and offer some expert opinions.
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/25 "2008-07-21T02:09:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect]
Judging from the job descriptions in the “adult” section of the local Craigslist page (San Diego being a hotspot for Internet porn production), it looks like you have to be willing to do male-male to do male-female. Meaning that the men in mainstream hetero porn are either gay, flexible about their sexuality, or in serious debt.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t think any of the assumptions are necessarily right. The gay porn market is huge, and quite frankly, there are not enough gay men willing to do to porn to fill demand (if certain website owners are to be believed and that sounds logical enough so I believe them). A lot of men in gay porn are straight (not bi, or questioning their sexuality, just straight and show up in straight porn). The paycheck is bigger and at the end of the day, a blowjob is a blowjob. I’m sure there are exceptions, but I very, very seriously doubt that a gay man would do straight porn when there’s more fun and money to be had on the gay side of the industry.
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### Author:  [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/26 "2008-07-26T22:08:51Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#):
>
> A lot of men in gay porn are straight (not bi, or questioning their sexuality, just straight and show up in straight porn). The paycheck is bigger and at the end of the day, a blowjob is a blowjob. I’m sure there are exceptions, but I very, very seriously doubt that a gay man would do straight porn when there’s more fun and money to be had on the gay side of the industry.
I didn’t say that the guys in straight porn are necessarily gay. I said:
> [@pepperlandgirl](#):
>
> Meaning that the men in mainstream hetero porn are either gay, flexible about their sexuality, or in serious debt.
I would consider the willingness to peg a dude or get a blowjob from a dude to fall under the umbrella of “flexible about their sexuality, or in serious debt”. Actually, that’s exactly what I meant when I wrote “flexible about their sexuality, or in serious debt”. By the way, haven’t you ever heard of bisexuality?
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/27 "2008-07-26T22:41:31Z")
Yeah, I’ve heard of bisexuality. I still don’t think that changes the basic fact that there are a lot of straight dudes in gay porn. And actually, I read your comment as “or in serious doubt” as in “serious doubt of their heterosexuality” which changed the meaning of what you said (to me). I have no idea why this is the first time I actually saw “debt.” I probably would have responded differently if I had, you know, comprehended what you actually said. My bad.
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/28 "2008-07-26T22:47:33Z")
I heard this description about male performers in U.S. produced gonzo porn:
_Tatooed bodybuilder, hung like a rhino, bandana and sunglasses._
I prefer gonzo porn, mostly because the non gonzo kind is sooo contrived and the acting (in the sex scenes) always seems really fake. Now, gonzo is as fake most of the time, but I don’t have to use ffwd as often. Also, scripted porn tend to feature women with implants, bleached assholes and not showing any sense of _having fun_. in gonzo, there are the rare occasions where the girl will giggle or laugh or actually having fun _doing porn_, ie. not faking enjoying sex, but on a meta level expressing “Hey, this is me doing porn. I don’t get off by having sex on camera, I get off knowing I’m doing porn.” [cough]Penny Flame two years ago[/cough}
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/29 "2008-07-26T23:06:44Z")
[QUOTE=pepperlandgirl]
Yeah, I’ve heard of bisexuality. I still don’t think that changes the basic fact that there are a lot of straight dudes in gay porn. And actually, I read your comment as “or in serious doubt” as in “serious doubt of their heterosexuality” which changed the meaning of what you said (to me). I have no idea why this is the first time I actually saw “debt.” I probably would have responded differently if I had, you know, comprehended what you actually said. My bad.
[/QUOTE]
If they’re doing dudes, they’re bisexual, by definition.
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### Author:  [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/30 "2008-07-26T23:08:36Z")
Here in Vegas there are actual[_billboards_](http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8303653) along I-15 advertising for men and women for porn films. They say things like “DROP YOUR SHORTS FOR $500” and “EARN $500 TO STAY IN VEGAS LONGER”. The company is called “Bait and Tackle” and they share building space with a store that sells titty-dancer costumes.
God, sometimes I _love_ this town!
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/31 "2008-07-26T23:42:06Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
If they’re doing dudes, they’re bisexual, by definition.
[/QUOTE]
Not necessarily. If they’re not attracted to both guys and girls, they’re not bisexual.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/32 "2008-07-26T23:58:06Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit]
Not necessarily. If they’re not attracted to both guys and girls, they’re not bisexual.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t see how they could get it up if they weren’t attracted, but whatever. I’m not going to argue the point.
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### Author:  [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/33 "2008-07-27T00:47:07Z")
There’s a male performer (Christian) that keeps a kind of “day-in-the-life” blog. Obviously, it’s not safe for work, do a search for “christiansingstheblues”. It can be interesting and gives seems to give pretty good detail about the business. The guy previously did gay porn, and talks about how he runs into problems with people not wanting to work with him because of his past.
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### Author:  [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/34 "2008-07-27T00:57:49Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic]
I don’t see how they could get it up if they weren’t attracted, but whatever. I’m not going to argue the point.
[/QUOTE]
Based on one of those “pornocopia” documentaries on HBO, gay for pay relies on a combination of Viagra and, sometimes, a girl off-camera for the guy to focus on.
I suspect that there is some serious self-loathing, as well, but that wasn’t documented.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/35 "2008-07-28T18:28:56Z")
I actually feel like I could do a good job in porn movies. But my question is, do these guys have to perform several times a day, every day, or just once or twice a week?
What I’d really like to do is direct. 😃
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### Author:  [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/36 "2008-07-28T21:39:12Z")
There was that “Family Business” show on Showtime. It was a reality series of a family making porn (Seymore Butts). The bored patriarch was sitting at one end of a long conference table and a guy auditioning was at the other end. Pretty decent-looking guy, biggish flaccid penis, looked like a promising candidate. Except he couldn’t get it up. He sat there and played with it…nothing. The boss brought in an attractive woman who stripped…nothing. The woman started doing stuff…nothing. The guy was a total dud. He had a look on his face like he couldn’t believe what was happening and he was going to write his penis a strongly worded letter when they got home.
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### Author:  [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/37 "2008-07-29T00:29:28Z")
It isn’t Shakespeare, but some acting talent should be a requirement.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-select-the-men-for-hetero-mainstream-porn/457100/38 "2008-07-29T00:32:20Z")
The problem is if you’re an okay actor, there are other avenues to go than porn. It’s a rare instance where someone with saleable talent will end up in the adult industry.
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