# Where do all these porn actors come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135 "2010-08-04T12:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/21 "2010-08-04T17:05:07Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Viagra brought us vicious creeps like “Max Hardcore”. Are you saying he is forcing these women to do things against their will? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/22 "2010-08-04T17:13:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > But how do the guys break into the business? Surely there must be a waiting list somewhere? 😃 I don’t know from experience but if you’re interested I’ve heard a tip: Get a reasonably attractive girl (she doesn’t even have to be _that_ attractive) who wants to do porn. Have her go to a producer and tell them she will only work with you. Voila. You’re now a male porn star. At least, you’ve broken in and can try to network for gigs with other actresses if you’re good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/23 "2010-08-04T17:17:49Z")
Reading the thread title I expected the answer to be some wording like “from their private parts.” ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/24 "2010-08-04T17:20:11Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Get a reasonably attractive girl (she doesn’t even have to be _that_ attractive) who wants to do porn. Do you know anyone I can borrow? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/25 "2010-08-04T17:26:12Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > …Let’s take it out 20 years, since women of 38 are still prevalent in porn. > … My research proves that prevalence lasts much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/26 "2010-08-04T17:31:02Z")
And can someone explain to me how this all works? I mean, I keep getting older, but these girls all seem to stay the same age. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/27 "2010-08-04T18:13:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Do men who email porn sites have to have loose morals or just big dicks (that is a strange sentence). > > Men who go into porn need morals just as loose as the women, but it’s not a sufficient condition. From what I’ve heard, the other requirement isn’t so much having a big dick, but having a reliable one: It’s supposedly pretty difficult to keep it up and performing on cue when you’re on a set under hot stage lights with a woman wearing too much makeup and who doesn’t actually look that great up close, while a bunch of guys with cameras and other equipment are watching. Really, is it any secret that women have a lot easier time getting into porn than men do? As I understand it, for the vast majority of males looking to do porn, the willingness to do and be done by other guys is as important as anything. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/28 "2010-08-04T18:42:05Z")
Read Linda Lovelace’s books Ordeal and Out of Bondage for some insights into the porn industry way back when. I don’t know how much it has changed today. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/29 "2010-08-04T19:39:31Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Viagra brought us vicious creeps like “Max Hardcore”. [Who is currently in jail.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hardcore) ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/30 "2010-08-04T20:14:09Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > > [@gaffa](#): > > > > Viagra brought us vicious creeps like “Max Hardcore”. > > [Who is currently in jail.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hardcore) I found it funny that his real last name is “Little.” ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/31 "2010-08-04T20:44:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Read Linda Lovelace’s books Ordeal and Out of Bondage for some insights into the porn industry way back when. I don’t know how much it has changed today. Or see the film [Inside Deep Throat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418753/) where none of her co-stars thought her books were accurate. They agreed that she was in an abusive relationship with Chuck Traynor, and that they would conspire to send him off on errands to get him off the set so they could get a good shoot, and that when he was not around she enjoyed the experience. > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > > [@gaffa](#): > > > > Viagra brought us vicious creeps like “Max Hardcore”. > > Are you saying he is forcing these women to do things against their will? I’m saying there were excellent reasons why he rarely worked with the same woman twice. > [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > > [@gaffa](#): > > > > Various documentaries about the porn industry make it perfectly clear that the women applying to the talent agencies know exactly what the are doing. They do have to be very familiar with the industry and know what type of video each producer makes, so they don’t wind up in a situation they can’t handle. > > What about the newbies getting screwed figuratively? As in, not getting a good contract? Are the agencies legitimately working for the actors’ behalf or simply acting as the studios procurers of new talent? The situation is probably closer to the latter. From what I understand, there are pretty standard rates per scene depending on the sex acts. Female-only pays the least, anal pays more than vaginal, etc. Beyond that, an exceptionally beautiful girl who has never done porn before could negotiate a much better rate. Some of the most attractive women either only work with other women, or only work with one particular male actor (as **Rigamarole** correctly pointed out). Personally, I prefer the “Golden Age” films that were shot in New York. The pool of talent was drawn from aspiring actors who could often do a handful of porn films and still be able to have a legitimate career. Back then, a film would play in a theater and then disappear. Home video changed all that. The talent pool is now women who do porn to be able to make money feature dancing at strip clubs. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/32 "2010-08-04T21:58:55Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Isn’t the general progression like this? > > 1. Move to CA to become a famous actress > 2. Work a waitress job while trying to get acting roles > 3. Start working porn because you can’t get conventional acting roles > 4a. Keep your self-esteem and come out relatively ok > OR > 4b. Get addicted to drugs and die an early death. I think it’s more like this: 1. Move to CA to become a famous actress 2. Work a waitress job while trying to get acting roles 3. Start working porn because you can’t get conventional acting roles 4. ??? 5. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/33 "2010-08-04T22:19:23Z")
> [@robert\_andrews](#): > > I think it’s more like this: > > 1. Move to CA to become a famous actress > 2. Work a waitress job while trying to get acting roles > 3. Start working porn because you can’t get conventional acting roles > 4. ??? > 5. Profit! Step 4, obviously, is “Learn to take it on the chin.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/34 "2010-08-04T22:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I think it’s more like this: > > 1. Move to CA to become a famous actress > 2. Work a waitress job while trying to get acting roles > 3. Start working porn because you can’t get conventional acting roles > 4. ??? > 5. Profit! At what step is “befriend nerdy neighbors in the apartment next door”? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/35 "2010-08-04T23:35:36Z")
From research done by a friend of a friend of a guy I knew once, it seems that a lot of the actresses get started by either modeling or as strippers, kinda stepping up from one type of performing to the next more revealing one. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/36 "2010-08-04T23:56:03Z")
I don’t have solid facts about this, but I understand that porn producers prefer women who are financially motivated. Sexual desire seems to be unpredictable and if your paying for crew, set and equipment by the hour, you don’t want to wait around for the woman to be in the mood. Emotional instability, drug use, and other life problems are undesireable, but often a major cause of financial need. For the straight men, being a porn star doesn’t pay at the same level as women get. Rapid recovery and repeat performance is the only way men make much on camera, but it beats working. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/37 "2010-08-05T00:05:45Z")
Hell, here in Vegas we have billboards up on I-15 and I-215 advertising for people who want to be in porn. Some company called Bait & Tackle, and the first batch of them used the same colors and type fonts as the Bass Pro Shop stores. It was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/38 "2010-08-05T00:07:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > At what step is “befriend nerdy neighbors in the apartment next door”? Having researched these matters via the power of Google, I reckon you just need to have a plumbing emergency. Water squirting everywhere, making all your clothes clingy and wet. Some dude with a giant wrench will inevitably turn up and plug all your leaky holes. _This may or may not work, depending on preference_ ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/39 "2010-08-05T00:39:24Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > At what step is “befriend nerdy neighbors in the apartment next door”? > > Having researched these matters via the power of Google, I reckon you just need to have a plumbing emergency. Water squirting everywhere, making all your clothes clingy and wet. Some dude with a giant wrench will inevitably turn up and plug all your leaky holes. > > _This may or may not work, depending on preference_ And for the guys hoping to meet a girl in these circumstances, obviously you should go to vocational school. Plumbers and cable repair technicians seem to be common, but depending on the climate where you live, a career as an HVAC technician would probably be handy (winter in Kansas is _cold_. Cold enough that the porn documentary camera crews presumably just don’t hang around here for the HVAC Guy to come fix the sorority cheerleaders’ central heating so they can get some rest before working another busy shift as pizza girls or RNs. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135/40 "2010-08-05T00:48:42Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > > [@robert\_andrews](#): > > > > I think it’s more like this: > > > > 1. Move to CA to become a famous actress > > 2. Work a waitress job while trying to get acting roles > > 3. Start working porn because you can’t get conventional acting roles > > 4. ??? > > 5. Profit! > > Step 4, obviously, is “Learn to take it on the chin.” Clearly, porn is a pain in the … oh, never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135.md?page=3)