Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
After a decade in the adult industry, Casey Calvert has made a name for herself as a prolific Spiegler Girls performer with nearly 900 scenes under her belt, and as an award-winning director for Erika Lust studios’ Lust Cinema and XConfessions.
Being a performer has made me a stronger director, and being a director has made me a stronger performer.
A professional kinkster, Calvert has released numerous instructional videos via Extreme Restraints’ XR University, starred in heaps of content on the famed Kink.com — with whom she has become an advocate for sex workers and consent issues — as well as created a successful custom video business. Properties under her care have frequently served as popular shoot houses for studios, since she runs a tight ship and knows how to cultivate a safe environment.
With directing credits in the hundreds for the likes of Girlsway, Fantasy Massage, Mommy’s Girl, Viv Thomas and more studio brands, she has proven to be an in-demand shooter and lenswoman extraordinaire, bringing her well-rounded experience to bear on each scene, from casting decisions to set design and editing.
Today, with cinematic, story-rich movies like her “Primary” series, she continues to ascend ever higher in her directorial ambitions. The sequel to “Primary” screened to a packed-to-capacity room at the inaugural X3 Expo in January and won an award for Best Supporting Acting courtesy of Victoria Voxxx.
As WIA's Woman of the Month for April, she sheds light on hard-won insights, her creative approach to projects and her bright dreams, in this revealing interview.
XBIZ: How have you evolved as a performer and director in recent years?
CALVERT: I have evolved so much, it’s almost hard to answer this question. Here’s where I make some joke about getting really good at putting weird things in my butt during COVID for OnlyFans. But in all seriousness, as a director, I went from really not knowing what I was doing in 2019 to feeling so much more confident in all aspects of the job. Being a performer has made me a stronger director, and being a director has made me a stronger performer.
XBIZ: Discuss your working relationship with Lust Cinema and how you collaborate with the team on projects.
CALVERT: Working with Erika, Lust Cinema and the team has been wonderful from day one. They empower me with everything I need to make the films I want to make, I’m so lucky in that regard. In terms of storytelling, they will often come to me with one or two very loose requests, then I pitch a more concrete idea. If they are happy with it, I create a full pitch deck with a detailed treatment, and then assuming that’s approved, I write the script. In terms of production, I mostly handle all of that with my team here in L.A., with support from Spain as I need it.
XBIZ: What is your approach to casting for your movies?
CALVERT: I think casting is one of the most important parts of the process. I only hire people who are interested in putting in the extra work to make something special. I don’t want someone on set who isn’t interested in being part of the team, and dedication to the project is so much more important to me than technical acting ability. That being said, I do audition almost everyone. I want to see their strengths and weaknesses, so I can decide if they are right for a role and tailor the script to set them up for success.
XBIZ: How do you balance independent content, Lust Cinema projects and performing in other studio shoots?
CALVERT: This is a great question, and honestly, I’m still figuring out how best to manage my time. Right now, I’m just often incredibly busy, and sometimes very overwhelmed. I’m working on it.
XBIZ: Why do you believe your “Primary” series resonates so much with fans?
CALVERT: I think fans love “Primary” for a couple of reasons. I think so many people appreciate the representation of alternative relationship structures and polyamory. I often get feedback that “Primary” is one of the few pieces of media out there portraying success in polyamory. I also think that there are a lot of porn viewers out there looking for a return to the old-school days of feature length, real-world, story-driven movies, and that’s very much what we do at Lust Cinema, especially with “Primary.”
XBIZ: What was it like screening your films at X3 Expo and engaging with audience feedback firsthand?
CALVERT: X3 was so much fun! I was so nervous for my screening, more nervous than I thought I would be. But it went so well, and the feedback I received was incredible. I think a lot of fans had a certain expectation about what they were going to watch, and I brought them something different.
XBIZ: As a director, how do you bring out the best in stars such as Victoria Voxxx, who won Best Supporting Actor at the 2022 XBIZ Awards?
CALVERT: First of all, Victoria is such an incredible actor; I can’t take credit for how talented she is. But, I will say that I’ve found the most success having a relatively laissez faire approach to performance. I do most of my directing via very careful casting. During filming, I communicate to my actors what I’m looking for, but then let them take the wheel. It’s very collaborative. I trust them to know their characters and make interesting, engaging decisions.
XBIZ: Discuss your passion for kinky sex, especially when it comes to educating others about it.
CALVERT: Kinky sex is how I got my start in sex work, and it’s always been a very important part of my personal expression. If I can help educate people on how to tie someone up safely, or how to communicate with your partner in an open relationship, or how to prep for anal, it’s my pleasure. It’s all intertwined for me.
XBIZ: What other studios or brands do you work closely with throughout the year?
CALVERT: Besides XConfessions, the short-film branch of Erika Lust Films that I also direct for, I probably work closest as a performer with Kink.com and Gamma.
XBIZ: Give us a glimpse of your upcoming projects for 2022, as well as your overall ambitions.
CALVERT: Right now, I’m in post on my summer horror/thriller that we filmed in February, and in prep for my big feature of the year that’ll come out in August/September. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m feeling very inspired and excited. 2022 is the year of experimentation for me; I’ve been playing it a little safe from a cinematography and production design perspective, so this year we are gonna fuck shit up and have some fun. Moving forward, I just hope to continue to grow as a filmmaker and storyteller, and see where that path leads me.
