The porn actor’s crossover film The Canyons had many wondering if he’d be leaving the adult film world behind. But for one of the hardest-working men in the industry, porn is more than just a lifelong career — it’s a passion.
On the red carpet at the Venice International Film Festival.
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty
Contrary to what you might have heard, James Deen is not an actor.
It's an understandable mistake. Deen, who has made a name for himself in the adult film industry and recently starred in the non-pornographic movie The Canyons, has cultivated the kind of youth appeal and celebrity status usually reserved for Hollywood stars. But when it comes to being an actor, Deen is as insistent as ever, greeting the designation with an emphatic, "Hell no."
He's just a guy who does porn. And yes, sometimes he acts.
There's no denying The Canyons has raised Deen's profile: As an independently financed film written by literary Brat Pack member Bret Easton Ellis, directed by Hollywood legend Paul Schrader, and starring Lindsay Lohan in the midst of yet another comeback attempt, the movie was bound to raise some eyebrows.
But even with more name recognition than before, Deen isn't trying to rebrand himself as a serious actor. From an outsider's perspective, the mainstream film world might look like an attractive option, but Deen is happy where he is.
"I do adult films," he says. "This is what I want to do. This is what I've wanted to do my entire life. I have no desire to leave. If more mainstream things come up and they're good, I will happily be involved with them. I don't think I'm gonna get a lot of offers. I don't think people are going to beat down my door to be the next Hollywood leading man."
Deen finds the stereotype that he's a porn star trying to break into legitimate acting baffling.
"If I want to sing and dance, I'm not gonna start doing movies," he reflects. "I'm gonna start a music career … I don't think [mainstream] is the ultimate goal for a lot of people."
