BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A premiere screening last night for the upcoming release "After Porn Ends 2" brought out its legendary cast and scores of well-known industry folk to the Writer’s Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
"After Porn Ends 2" is the follow-up of the 2012 documentary with the same name that takes a look at the success stories and hardcore realities former porn stars encountered as their careers — as well as their filmmaking industry as they knew it — faded.
Documentary filmmaker Bryce Wagoner shot the documentary mostly in parts of Los Angeles such as in the Hollywood Hills and downtown as well as in the former stars’ homes, asking the porn legends of their time the question, “What came next?”
Thursday evening at the Writer’s Guild, the film’s cast mixed and mingled at the open bar before and after the screening of "After Porn Ends 2."
Roll call at the Beverly Hills screening was near-perfect for those who participated in the documentary.
Lisa Ann, Ginger Lynn, Brittany Andrews, Janine Lindemulder, Chasey Lain, Venus Lux, Darren James, Johnnie Keyes and Herschel Savage, among others in the all-star cast, came out. So did scores of other legendary names, like Rob Spallone, Melissa Hill and Mary Carey, among so many more.
The executive producer of "After Porn Ends 2," Chris Mallick, along with the entire WeBros Entertainment production team, also attended the screening.
Wagoner, at the film’s after party, gave a toast to one of those who starred in the original “After Porn Ends” and helped greatly on “After Porn Ends 2” — Bill Margold, the iconic adult filmmaker, talent agent and porn historian who passed away in mid-January.
Wagoner said he wanted to dedicate the evening to Margold. “He was a wonderful man, and for ‘After Porn Ends 2,’ he was a great influence and helped with the storytelling of the movie. I’m going to miss you, man,” Wagoner said.
Wagoner went on to thank the cast individually, including Keyes, who was the first black “porn star.” “He was a true trailblazer in the world of porn,” he said. The director also pointed out James’ openness and honesty about his plight. James was at the center of an HIV outbreak in the porn industry in 2004 and now works for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has taken an adversarial stance over the lack of condom use in adult filmmaking.
In the film, Wagoner profiles the former film legends, extracting from them answers over whether if they had regrets entering the biz. For the most part, most didn’t. But several admitted that a porn career for them was a conduit to despair.
The documentary starts off with a look at Ann, who first became a stripper but got the opportunity of a porn lifetime to play in a parody of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Ann, who said she calculated what she had to do to make the cash to keep up her lifestyle, exploited her media appearances and later hosted her own sports radio show on Sirius XM, which has bolstered her mainstream appeal.
The film moves on to 1970s-era star Georgina Spelvin, who reminisced about how the classic adult film "The Devil in Miss Jones" catapulted her into porn stardom. Spelvin went back and forth from porn and an office job, and now she is retired and living in Hollywood.
Keyes, who starred in the iconic 1972 adult film "Behind the Green Door,” certainly wasn't the first black adult performer, but he exclaims in the documentary that he was the first black performer to be labeled a porn star. After the porn gig, Keyes moved to Washington to be with his son and focus on music.
The documentary takes a sharp turn with a segment on James, whose career as a male performer came to a screeching halt in 2004 after the Navy vet left his hometown of Detroit. After flying out to Brazil for some shoots, he wound up infected with HIV. He is now a public speaker with the AHF.
In the film, Lynn, whose girl-next-door" look made her the ambassador of porn in the 1980s and early 1990s, told about her fortunes she made filming adult content. She played by her rules and commanded the largest salary in porn, later landing roles in mainstream movies. Lynn said she loved the ride in porn and is regret-free with her past work.
Andrews, who morphed into various niches while in porn, made her own line of videos and distributed them herself. She learned to be a DJ and now plays all over the world.
Tabitha Stevens, who still holds the record for most adult star appearances on "The Howard Stern Show," now runs a fine-art photography gallery in Utah with her husband.
Lain became one of the highest-paid performers in adult entertainment; she later left the biz and went to work at the Bunny Ranch in the Reno, Nev. But going back into porn isn’t in the cards now, she said. The dynamics of being a porn star with the changing economics and structure of the adult business wouldn’t work for her today.
Lindemulder’s porn career led to a successful career as an exotic dancer. She retired from the biz to marry and have a daughter with Jesse James, but that relationship turned into a custody battle that she couldn’t win. Lindemulder faced the big money that James’ wife, mainstream star Sandra Bullock, could wage. Later, she went to prison for tax evasion. Today, she’s moving forward with her life.
Other film interviews included those of Bud Lee, Shyla Ryder, Aubrey Gold, Donny Sins, Danny D, Ariana Marie, Jenevieve Zaya and Jewel Jonlyn Jeter, along with Dr. Nicole Prause.
"After Porn Ends 2" will be available to view on Tuesday on Amazon, Netflix DVD and iTunes, as well as video-on-demand.
