Performer Andy San Dimas, who like Starr is represented by agent Mark Spiegler, also secured a speaking part in the movie that is due out in theaters in 2011.
"Drive" stars Carey Mulligan ("Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"), Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men"), Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl" ) and Albert Brooks ("Broadcast News") in a film about a Hollywood stuntman who discovers that a contract has been put on his life after a heist gone wrong.
The Danish director Refn previously helmed movies such as "Bronson," "Valhalla Rising" and the "Pusher" trilogy.
Starr, the reigning back-to-back winner of the XRCO Award for Superslut, is well established as one of adult's bankable hardcore performers with more than 250 movie credits in her four-year career. She recently appeared in "Bat FXXX" and "Bonny & Clide" for Bluebird Films and "Tori, Tarra and Bobbi Love Rocco" earlier this year for Evil Angel.
Starr, who was a professional oboe player before beginning her adult film career, talked to XBIZ about her experience on the set of "Drive."
What was your impression of the audition? Where did you have to go for it and who did you read for?
I went through two different auditions. One out in Santa Monica and the other in Beechwood Canyon.
The first was with a casting director. She and I laughed about how she had no experience with the adult industry and the previous day she got a 'crash course' and is pleasantly surprised by the outcome. That was pretty much all of the industry talk' we had. The rest of the time we talked about my past as a professional musician and what my future hopes were. She was incredibly approachable and a joy to talk to. Probably the most comfortable audition I’ve ever been on.
The second time around I met with the director himself, Nicolas Refn. I was a bit nervous, I’m a huge fan of his movie "Bronson," it’s brilliant. But little to my knowledge it was also a soul-warming experience. We sat down with a woman named Rachel, who was incredibly sweet and adorable and, again, just talked. Eventually I asked him, 'Why porn? Why are you looking for a porn girl?'
From what I gathered I found it to be a funny story. One of the lead characters, Blanch (who I originally read for) gets a kick by being around criminals. Refn was disappointed in the casting call of American mainstream actors. He felt they just didn't have 'it.' So, in turn he gave instructions that he only wanted to see strippers, porn stars and gangsters to read for parts.
However what drew both Refn and the casting director to me was that I don’t look like a porn star. When I’m off the clock, I dress casually — you might even say I'm conservative when it comes to clothes. When I came in to read, I didn't wear anything different. I assumed that I didn't get it, but they called me back.
Refn said he noticed that I was part of the adult industry but that I didn't look it. The first thing the casting director noticed was that my shirt was buttoned up to my collar bone. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover now makes complete sense to me.
What is the role of 'Shonda?'
Shonda is in a bad place in her life and in an even worse marriage. She's abused but stays around because she has battered wife syndrome. The fights they get into gets the attention of one of the leads, Bernie Rose (played by Albert Brooks), who lives in a neighboring apartment, becomes fed up with the conflict and comes upstairs to check on Shonda, and then threatens to kill the husband.
The role is against grain — I'm pretty outspoken about my feminist leanings and there's no way I'd be in a relationship like that, let alone allow it to continue. But I think that's why it works as a role. I had a great experience playing this role and working with Refn, Albert Brooks and the other cast and crew. Such an amazing group of people to be around. I was in a new ocean. Asking all sorts of questions and listening to everyone's past experiences. I had a beautiful time on the set of 'Drive.'
What other mainstream stuff have you done?
I've been involved with the Nerdcore calendar and participated in a handful of comedy shows but as for large, Hollywood projects like this, I've never really thrown my hat in the ring. But I'm very pleased and impressed that this was my first real foray into the mainstream movie business.
What’s the next adult movie we can see you in?
I’m still banging out those parodies, just like everyone else. I’m in Zero Tolerance's 'Official Wife Swap Parody,' Vivid’s 'Beautiful Strangers' directed by the incredibly talented Kimberly Kane, as well as New Sensations 'Sex & The City: The Original XXX Parody.' Of course, there are some other projects I’m just dying to tell you but I have to wait until the official press releases come out so stay tuned.
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