Adult film superstar James Deen spoke to BuzzFeed at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo about his career in porn.
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1. He knew porn was his calling early on. "I don't specifically remember my conscious thoughts, but it was in kindergarten," he said.
2. And the inspiration for his porn career? A magazine. "So I would walk home on this trail in kindergarten, and there was, like, a porno magazine opened up and I saw it, and that was pretty much, that would be the defining moment."
3. Unsurprisingly, Deen says he loves his job. "My job is something I've always aspired to do and wanted to do, and I get to make cool stuff, and kind of do whatever I want."
4. Deen says he loves being his own boss. "I have it set up in a way where I can produce movies I want to produce, and I can perform the way I want to perform, and do all these things that I want to do. Which is pretty awesome," he said.
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5. Deen says he thinks the biggest problem facing the adult industry is perception. "I mean, the stigma, the social stigma in adult films is tough," he said. "You end up with a lot of people that have their minds already made up before they happen."
6. Two stereotypes stand out, he said: "People think that everyone is mentally damaged, or depraved."
7. But that can change, according to Deen. "It would be nice to educate people in a better way to reduce some of those stereotypes about people in the industry," he said.
8. And adult entertainers don't receive the respect they deserve, Deen says. "The fact that people treat performers like children when we're actually not is a negative thing," he said.
9. And Deen stressed the autonomy of people in his industry. "We are adults; you need to be an adult to get into the adult film industry. You can't just show up when you're not making your own decisions."
