Toni Ribas is practicing his swing.
“I always thought golf was for old people, but I guess I’m there,” jokes the veteran performer, who recently turned 50.
Of course, it’s Ribas’ other stroke game that has earned him countless fans around the world. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, he shot his first adult scene more than 30 years ago.
“When I started in this business at 18, I was just studying, hustling and doing random jobs in construction,” recalls Ribas. “One day, I saw an ad looking for girls to do porn, and I showed up. They told me they didn’t need any guys, but on the morning of the shoot, they called me because the guys they had got scared.
“It was 1994, so there was no Viagra or anything like that,” Ribas laughs. “I showed up with a hangover, but before I knew it, someone was sucking my dick. I was like, ‘Okay, that’s awesome.’ And after you do it once, you gain confidence, and you get better. I fucked three times that day, and I could’ve fucked five times.”
After shooting a few movies, however, Ribas decided to quit.
“In Spain, there weren’t that many productions — maybe two movies a year — so I wasn’t making much money,” he explains.
With few opportunities for his star to shine, Ribas decided to enlist in the military.
“After the military, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m getting my shit together. Let me finish my studies, go back to work and get my life together,’” Ribas remembers. “But I was asked to do one more movie, and I needed the money, so I did it.”
It soon became clear to Ribas that he had found his calling. After honing his craft while working at a live sex show for $30 per performance, he eventually blossomed into the first major Spanish adult performer.
‘You’ve got to be a perv’
Despite his success, Ribas says, he often struggled with self-doubt.
“For the first 20 years in this business, I was afraid that I wasn’t good enough, because I have an average-size dick,” he says. “But with time, I realized I had some good qualities as a performer. I may have only been an ‘OK’ actor due to my shaky English, but I bring passion and energy, which helped me get big roles in Europe, like the lead in the ‘Gladiator’ trilogy.”
Ribas was professional, showed up on time and did what he was asked — but that’s not what he views as the real “secret” to his success.
“I genuinely enjoyed the work,” he shares. “I’m a perv, and you’ve got to be a perv to succeed in this business. You’ve just got to be a respectful one.”
Another key ingredient for Ribas: his ability to find something attractive and alluring about every co-star.
“That’s the mindset you have to have,” he affirms. “You have to be able to find things that turn you on easily and get you going. I’ve always been blessed to be able to lock in. No matter the girl, I was always able to find something about them to get me there.”
Striking a Balance
Though he’s maintained his boyish good looks and still enjoys performing, these days Ribas prefers being on the other side of the camera. He says he gets a different kind of pleasure out of it.
“Of course, I like fucking,” he says. “That’s why I never formally retired. But I never wanted to be the old guy who made the girls say, ‘Shit, I’ve got to fuck that guy?’ Girls still ask me to shoot, and now and then I’ll say yes, but I’ve stepped back from performing, on my own terms.”
Ribas’ journey as a director started with Elegant Angel around the year 2000, he recalls, during his early trips to the States. He then worked for Red Light District and Private before the financial crisis of 2008, after which he came to the U.S. and began directing for Elegant Angel again. For the past 10 years, he’s been directing for Brazzers.
Even after 32 years in the trenches, Ribas says, capturing the right performances can still be “magical.”
“When two people are lost in human connection, it’s something that transcends porn,” he says. “Time just kind of stops, and it’s really amazing to watch.”
The important thing, Ribas says, is that the sex feels real.
“If I believe the girl is turned on and she can sell it, I’ll buy it,” he says. “Some people have the right look and they’re super hot, but if it’s too fake, then you’ve lost me already.”
That’s one reason why Ribas’ approach as a director includes trying to put people in a good mood and help them have a good time.
“When they’re enjoying themselves, it makes for a better scene,” he explains. “The performers need to enjoy it because that’s the only way the audience will enjoy it. So my job is to inspire them, fan the flames of that connection and push them to be a little bit crazier or do something fun and exciting.”
It also helps that Ribas spent so many years as talent.
“They know I’ve been a performer, so if they’re being lazy, they know I can tell,” he laughs. “But I understand what the performer is going through. I know what’s going through their minds because I understand the rhythms of the job, so I’m not just thinking about what I need as the director. I want to do a good job and push the performers to deliver the best-quality product, but I know there’s a point where people are just going to do what they’re going to do because they just want to go home. So I’m focused on finding the balance.
“And that balance always changes,” Ribas adds. “Maybe the girl isn’t feeling well, or maybe the guy and girl want to fuck each other so bad, but I have to stop them for a minute. Sometimes, they aren’t really into each other, so I have to find a way to help them sell it. You can’t be a perfectionist. You have got to be able to adapt. Sometimes the talent is giving you one thing, and you want something else, but you’ve got to let them do their thing because that’s where the hotness is.”
Whether it’s the star or the lighting guy, Ribas says, everyone wants to do it a certain way.
“My job is to accommodate everyone and find a balance so we can get the most out of the day,” he explains. “It’s all about making people feel confident and comfortable, and I think I’m good at that.”
The Chef
Ribas usually shoots one scene a day for Brazzers, typically on a 9-to-5 schedule — though if he’s shooting a party scene with a bunch of extras, he’ll likely shoot a few hours longer.
“You don’t want to do two scenes a day because then you have to push it,” he says. “At Brazzers, we don’t like to put that kind of pressure on talent or the crew.
“When I was coming up in this business, it was different,” Ribas recalls. “People would do two or three scenes a day, and we’d just jam it all in. As a performer, the attitude was, ‘It is what it is.’ I’ve shown up to set in the morning and been forced to wait until the middle of the night to shoot my scene. What are you going to do, leave?”
Ribas likens directing to being a chef.
“You try to put the ingredients in the right place at the right time, and hope it will flourish,” he explains. “I have a very good crew that has been with me for many years now, so I’m making sure everything is running on time via our WhatsApp group, and controlling everything from my phone.”
Ribas normally arrives on set by 10 a.m. and gets straight to work.
“I’m an energetic person, so I need to be doing things,” he says. “Otherwise, I get crazy. Once everyone’s makeup is done, I check everyone’s IDs and their PASS certifications to make sure everyone’s safe, and then we do pictures.”
After that, it all depends on the project.
“If it’s a big feature with a real script, we may have to dress a set or help a bunch of extras with wardrobe,” says Ribas. “Sometimes it’ll be more of a gonzo-type scene, where I get to decide what we do for the day. Brazzers has all kinds of shoots, so it changes — which is nice, because it keeps you on your toes. When every day is challenging in different ways, it never becomes static or routine.”
When Ribas first began directing, he used to write his own scenes, as well as edit them. He began practicing on Final Cut Pro in the early 2000s as he prepared for life after performing. These days, however, he leaves the writing and often tedious editing to the team at Brazzers, which he says mostly comes as a relief.
“Editing takes a lot of time, but it’s good to edit your own stuff when you’re starting out as a director because it helps you learn from your mistakes,” says Ribas. “As far as writing goes, Brazzers allows me to adjust the scripts they send and tailor them to wherever we’re shooting, because the writers can’t always visualize the place or the resources that we have at some of these locations.”
Keeping Fit, Keeping Busy
After wrapping a shoot, Ribas heads straight home to download the footage and then upload everything to one of Brazzers’ servers, along with all the paperwork and spreadsheets outlining the cost of production for the day.
“Only after that stuff is finished can I relax,” he sighs. “And because I’m old and boring now, I’m done for the day at that point. I can’t even go to the gym after that. I mean, if I’m seeing a girl, well, you always find energy for that. But if not, I try to eat dinner before 7 p.m. and then go for a walk before heading to bed around 10.”
Ribas says he spends more time and energy these days focused on his health and nutrition. His routine, which he jokingly calls “very boring,” includes waking up around 6 a.m. each morning and starting his day with a 10-to-15-minute walk, just to get sunlight on his face. Often he will listen to health podcasts such as “Huberman Lab” or check out “The Joe Rogan Experience” if there’s an interesting guest. After his morning walk, Ribas will try to either go to the gym or practice jiu-jitsu.
All that vim and vigor comes in handy for someone with a lot on his plate. While Brazzers keeps Ribas busy enough that he doesn’t have to look for work elsewhere, he does plan to give his website Squirted.com a renewed push this year, especially now that he’s single again. Ribas launched Squirted in 2020, when he first moved to Las Vegas, and he’s able to release the scenes he shoots for the website on DVD via his deal with Evil Angel.
Ribas has already booked five Squirted shoots for April, and anticipates that it will be a fun side project for him this summer. The self-described workaholic says he’s also excited to rediscover his social life, having been busy raising a child in recent years.
Overall, Ribas says, he just feels lucky to have forged a career and reputation in an industry that he finds fulfilling.
“People say they love working with me, but maybe they’re lying to me,” laughs Ribas. “I consider myself blessed to be in this business, as I truly love what I do.”