As one of the most lauded storytellers in the adult industry, director Jacky St. James hardly needs an introduction. She has a real understanding of how and why people connect and hook up, so that what might be an ordinary porno becomes relatable and familiar when Jacky St. James is behind the camera. After several years of creating new classics like The Submission Of Emma Marx for New Sensations, St. James moved on to direct for Sweet Sinner. Now, she’s helming the once-controversial Bellesa Films. St. James was kind to sit down with us for a new in-depth interview about her latest movie No Going Back, featuring what she calls “the greatest sex scene of [her] career.” Get the scoop on one of adult’s most beloved writer/directors, her creative process, and what’s next for Jacky St. James!
The last time we interviewed you was back in September for the release of Paparazzi. What’s new since then?
Has it really been that long? Wow!!! I’ve been working more closely with Mile High and Bellesa on some great new content. I’m back to directing some GG scenes for Bellesa, which is always a huge thrill for me (I’ve missed it) and I’m just continuing to direct story-driven content and writing a lot of things both in and outside of adult.
Bellesa is one of the newer studios to hit the scene; what made you want to work with them, and what do you hope for its future?
Bellesa and I didn’t get off to a good start initially. Before they really came onto the adult scene, people got wind that they were using content by several female directors on their site and not crediting them (basically what most tube sites do). I was outraged. As a studio that touted themselves as being feminist and “for women,” how could they not credit the directors and writers that had actually created the content they were streaming? I took to Twitter and spoke to reporters about my frustration – and I wasn’t alone. Other directors in the biz spoke out as well. I expected us to be ignored. That’s typically what happens when people outside the business are criticized by those of us inside of it – they say nothing. They do nothing. But Bellesa? They did something. A big, fucking something. They immediately issued a public apology on their site and then they pulled down ALL of the scenes that had been uploaded. I was stunned. In fact, I was so impressed by their integrity that when Michelle Shnaidman reached out to me on the phone to personally apologize, I immediately felt a kinship to her. The thing was, Michelle and Bellesa were trying to accomplish what I had been trying to accomplish – producing content for women that focuses on passion and story and REAL SEX. Their intentions for posting the content for free on their website was never about undermining the directors, but rather to make quality content accessible to people more easily.
I was so impressed by Michelle and Bellesa that when the opportunity arose to direct for them, how could I possibly say no? We shared the same goal.
Bellesa bills itself as “Porn By Women.” Do you think there’s any notable difference between porn made by different genders?
Absolutely! Porn BY Women is definitely different than “porn by men.” First of all, as a woman, I know what women like. I know what a fake orgasm looks like. I know when women are performing and when they’re really experiencing pleasure, because I know the female body. Bellesa printed out a bunch of shirts for us that said “NO FAKE ORGASMS,” and I wear it on set nearly every time I shoot for them. It’s a little reminder that these scenes aren’t about performing for men, they’re about experiencing real pleasure and enjoyment with their scene partner. And encouraging people to enjoy the sex, not perform the sex, translates beautifully on film – albeit very differently than what you’ll see in anything directed by a man.
I’ll give you an example. While shooting a realistic sex scene several months ago, I had one male camera operator complain to me that he couldn’t see one of the women’s breasts within the first two minutes of the scene. I think a lot of male directors direct for the male gaze. Men typically enjoy the visual of body parts: Breasts. Vagina. Asshole.
Whereas, women enjoy the chemistry of the sex, whether you can see all of the above or not. This is the reason that porn BY women is critical. For women, it’s not about making sure you see just tits and ass and vagina. It’s about making sure you see that the woman is having an incredible time – it’s about more than body parts. It’s about emotion and feeling and pleasure.
What do you think women are looking for as consumers of adult entertainment in 2019, and do you see any trends on the horizon?
Fauxcest still seems to be popular, but good, story-driven content still reigns supreme. More and more, people are shooting story-driven porn and that excites me. After all, what is sex without a good story?
You direct several movies per year. What are the special ingredients that make you stand out to both fans and critics?
I write interesting stories. When you’re churning out so much content, keeping the stories fresh and original is key, and I think that’s always been my greatest strength as a director. I am a great storyteller, and there is no limit to the amount of stories I could tell. I’m also a a very relatable woman. I’m not unattainable. I’m your average Jane. People respond to that.
How do you approach character development during the script process? How important is character development for your films?
Character development is the most important thing above all else to me. I trained as an actor for over 30 years, so character development is always important – even if I only have a few pages to tell a story. When I arrive on set, I know each character’s intention, end goal, and subtext. When you create characters that have depth, people can relate to them more easily. And if you’re somebody that’s into story porn, that’s absolutely critical. Flimsy storylines are more gonzo by nature, and are usually for people who could care less about the buildup and tension. But for me, the build up is everything…and I want to believe the scenarios I’m directing – no matter how far fetched they might seem.
Congratulations on your recent XRCO award for Best Comedy for Love In The Digital Age! How do you work comedy into your scripts without getting too corny or killing the mood?
By nature, I’m a pretty snarky, funny person – so comedy is a big part of who I am. I don’t think sex has to always be dark or serious (I mean, it helps sometimes), but sometimes it’s about creating characters that you’re rooting for! Rom-coms do a great job of creating protagonists (and sometimes even antagonists) that you hope will get their happy ending. So for me, comedies aren’t about slapstick or being too silly, it’s more about funny PEOPLE making bad decisions and how they end up finding their way towards the best possible outcome – for them. As they say, the best comedy isn’t in the jokes – it’s about playing the seriousness of a funny situation.
Have you ever been interested in doing more mainstream writing/directing?
I already did some “sort of” mainstream writing for Showtime on a late-night series called Submission. I learned so much about the writing process from working with the execs over there. It was where I learned the most about writing. I am also currently working on two pilots and a novel (that has been in the works since 2013… and the first draft of that will be completed this year).
What should the fans know about No Going Back?
That the greatest sex scene of my career is on the box cover. No. Seriously. In eight years, the scene between AJ Applegate and Damon Dice will be a hard one to ever outdo. It really captures the essence of real sex, pleasure, and connection. It made me cry – not because it was sad or even because I’m a sap – but because for the first time in my career I watched two people have sex without worrying or thinking about the camera, or the routine, or the checklist of sex acts most directors have required of them. They just – had sex. Beautiful, connected, interesting, dynamic, organic sex. That is the core of what Bellesa is – and the two of them captured that. Now that’s not to say that the other scenes weren’t incredible too. They were! Avi Love and Ricky Johnson’s sex was so intense and passionate and real… as was Kendra Spade and Tyler Nixon’s, and Alina Lopez and Mike Mancini’s. Four insanely powerful, sexy scenes all in one release. It’s pretty epic!
I love that No Going Back has a scene where Tyler Nixon turns down sex with Kendra Spade until she’s sober. Do you make a conscious effort to work affirmative consent into your scripts, or does it happen naturally?
I think it is ALWAYS important that scenes occur between consenting and willing adults. While I do not think it’s my job to educate the public, I do think that glorifying consensual sex is important in whatever the framework. That doesn’t mean that the sex can’t be forbidden or wrong, but it is a huge disservice to consumers to depict lack of consent as something sexy.
This is another reason why I love working for Bellesa and Mile High. They are both about building tension and, oftentimes, exploring “the forbidden,” but – all participants are consenting to the sex. Tyler not taking advantage of the situation in his scene with Kendra was a deliberate choice. It’s about telling a story in which a man can still be completely turned on and into a girl, but make the right choice in the end. And what made that so important in the framework of the scene was that when the time was finally right for him and Kendra to have sex – it was all the more powerful BECAUSE he waited.
What classic movie or series would you kill to either reboot or make a sequel to?
To be completely honest – I cannot stand reboots. I am of the small group of people that feel like we should honor the originals. It seems like Hollywood is ONLY putting our remakes of previously done movies. I mean seriously? How many times are we going to remake Charlie’s Angels?
However, if I’m forced to pick a movie – I’d say ANYTHING by John Hughes. I loved his use of comedy and emotion to tell a story effectively. I wish there was more of that in general – both in porn and in mainstream.
If you could go back and re-direct any of your movies, what would it be and why?
Oh, wow!!! I love this question and a very difficult one. I would probably say, Paparazzi. I felt so rushed and while I planned so many elements of it – I had to cut corners a lot, and there was so much I wanted to do visually, but didn’t get done, and that was likely due to lack of time. I’d be even more prepared going into it if given another chance.
What can we expect next from Jacky St. James?
I’ll continue directing for Bellesa, Sweet Sinner, and Family Sinner. In 2020, you will likely hear more buzz about my book as we work with the publisher and editors to fine-tune it. Best place for info on me is usually Instagram or Twitter.
Thank you guys so much for asking such thought-provoking questions. I appreciate it.
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