2021 was a year that Gianna Dior won’t forget. As the 2020 AVN Best New Starlet, the dark-haired beauty was one of the most in-demand performers in porn. In March 2021, her future in the business was suddenly in peril as Gianna found herself in the hospital, paralyzed from the neck down and being spoon-fed due to a vitamin B12 deficiency. After extensive rehab, the starlet was back on her way to the top, releasing her Vixen Media Group showcase feature, Psychosexual under the direction of award-winning director Kayden Kross. Gianna’s tenacious work ethic paid off when she received the industry’s top honor on January 22nd, becoming the 2022 AVN Female Performer Of The Year. Gianna sat down with us to discuss her wins, losses, and what’s next for the princess of porn.
JH: Congratulations! How does it feel?
GD: I just processed it yesterday, I… I wasn’t completely comprehending that I won. It was very unexpected.
Did you do anything to celebrate?
Yeah, I went out with a couple of my friends and we just drank champagne. Yeah, that was about it. Hung out with my dog, chilled.
What was Spiegler’s reaction to you winning?
My phone was on Do Not Disturb because I was there at the award show, so I went back to my phone and I had 30 texts from people, and Spiegler’s text just said, “Call me.” So I was like, “Oh my gosh, shit okay.” So I called him, and he was just, “Congratulations, that’s amazing, so proud of you.” He was very supportive about it, and it made me feel so good.
I really liked the dress that you wore to the show. What went into getting ready for the big night?
It was kind of like an all-day thing. I didn’t get to pick up my dress until three days before the show because it had to be altered; I changed a couple of things to it. Then the day of, I spent hours doing hair and makeup. Finally, I got to the show and put my full look together, and I hadn’t even seen the whole thing yet, so I was just winging it, but I didn’t even really like it when I was there. Later I looked at pictures, I was like, “Okay, wait, this is a cool look.” I liked it!
2022 AVN Awards time 🙂 watch live tonight at https://t.co/kWKNHgYmqF ?? pic.twitter.com/EiHru58PRc
— Gianna Dior ? (@Gianna_DiorXXX) January 23, 2022
You entered the industry on a total whim, to winning pretty much one of the most coveted awards a female performer can get—all about in three or four years.
Yeah.
Who do you attribute to your meteoric success?
I think curiosity. I just like doing new things that I haven’t done before, and the porn industry honestly is just very entertaining, so you never get the same day twice and that keeps me going. It’s not boring at all, and I get bored very quickly, but in porn, I’m intrigued and interested every single day. I always wanna know what happens next, so it’s fun to explore new things for me.
What’s the most surprising or interesting thing that you’ve discovered in the past couple of years?
When I first found the industry, I didn’t even know that I liked girls. I just thought I was super straight. Now, I’m super into girls. So I kind of discovered that I was bisexual during these four years.
Is there a girl that you have the biggest crush on?
Oh my god, I have a lot. [laughs] I would say Jill Kassidy is my number one girl crush.
What do you want to accomplish during your reign as Performer of the Year?
That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since Saturday night. I don’t know, I think I wanna do a big project this year. I’m trying to figure it out. I love Psychosexual, so I wanna do a spin on that, something related to that type of vibe.
Speaking of Psychosexual, it won a ton of awards, and it was a very personal movie for you, so how does it feel to have that project get so much love and be so well-received?
It’s insane. It makes me even more appreciative of it because it was so personal to me. People loved it, so I think it taught me a lesson to not hold anything back and it’s okay to show personal parts of my life because apparently, the viewers loved it. It was a really good feeling to know that people loved something that was based on my life.
What was it like seeing yourself on the Psychosexual billboard when it went up?
That was crazy, that was just… It looked so good and it was in the middle of Hollywood… I don’t know, I felt like a movie star…
Girl, you are a movie star!
[laughs] I always forget that though, that I’m a known person.Yeah. Is that weird?
Yeah, it’s actually super weird sometimes. Honestly, most of the time I forget that I’m even on the internet. I just walk around like a normal person, and it’s the weirdest thing when someone recognizes me. I forget I live two completely different lives, which I like doing… I like being someone on set and someone outside of work.
What are you like outside of work?
Do you know how porn stars have this image of partying and living up their best life and everything? I’m the biggest homebody. I just go hang out at the beach, or I’m home watching movies or playing games. I’m just a normal person outside of porn and I’m not into the whole party scene.
You’ve talked before about having a lot of admiration for Angela White. What have you learned from her?
Oh my god, yes. She is probably my biggest role model. Her hard work and determination have inspired me to work harder, and she’s accomplished so much in her career that that’s what I strive to be. And I guess I did it [laughs] because for her to win Performer of the Year three years in a row is insane. Just sharing part of that milestone is such an honor.
Do you think you can get a second or third one like Angela?
It really depends on what I do this year. It’s not my biggest goal. It would be really nice, but I’m so happy with what I won. I like giving chances to other people. [laughs] I don’t wanna steal someone else’s spotlight, but I also don’t know if I have it in me to do everything I did last year again this year.
Speaking of last year, you had your health scare. How are you feeling now?
I am at 100% now. I am so healthy. I run. I’m starting to do cartwheels and shit now. So insane, it’s crazy, but that wasn’t even a year ago.
That’s awesome! Does the situation with your health mean anything different for your career moving forward?
I think it was just a big eye-opener that I’m not invincible. [laughs] I had never had health issues like this before. It was like I was pristine, and then all of a sudden I couldn’t walk. So it definitely makes me more appreciative for what I’m able to do now, and I thought I was never even gonna be able to walk in heels again, now I’m walking around my house in stripper heels and shit. So it’s a big eye-opener for just taking care of your health. I’m definitely very grateful.
You also won Best New Starlet back in 2020. I don’t know if you’ve talked to Blake Blossom, but what advice would you give her for the next stage of her career?
Definitely enjoy the moment of winning Best New Starlet. That was my goal coming into the industry. That’s the award I wanted to win. And when I won, that was when fucking COVID happened, so it was bullshit. But definitely just do whatever you wanna do. Do the scenes that you want to do instead of just taking any job, doing whatever, because it makes you want to work even more if you’re doing the jobs you are very interested in and stuff you really want to do. So if you’re getting, let’s say, boring scenes, or the same scene over and over, it will… I got a little bit burnt out because of that, so I had to kinda change what I was interested in and only take jobs that I really wanted to do.
What’s something that you think you don’t get enough recognition for?
Honestly, kind of nothing. I actually… [chuckle] I feel like I’m very recognized. I thought that I was going to win, or I wanted to win, Best Leading Actress this year for Psychosexual. That’s really what I wanted to win, but I thought the other people who were up for Female Performer Of The Year were way better than me and I had no chance. They announced it right before Performer of the Year, and the girls I was at the table with saw I had tears in my eyes because I was so sad that I didn’t win Best Actress. And then a few minutes later they announced, “Performer of The Year… Gianna Dior,” and I’m like, “Okay, I looked like a little bitch just now because I was acting like such a baby for not getting Best Actress, and then I got the one that I’ve dreamed of.”
I think it’s fair enough to feel a little bit disappointed.
Yeah. I just didn’t even consider winning Performer of the Year, so Best Actress was the one that I thought, “Okay, I kind of have a chance.”
What has being a porn star taught you about yourself?
It definitely made me get to know myself better. I know who I am now. Definitely makes me more open-minded, more confident. I don’t really give a fuck what other people think of me, which is a blessing and a curse.
What makes you feel sexy?
Being myself, like actually showing people my personality and doing porn at the same time. My fans love my personality, and they love getting to know me for me. I feel like that makes me feel the sexiest because there’s not many people who really show their personalities in porn, I’ve noticed because sometimes it’s frowned upon. [laughs] I don’t know. For me, that’s what makes me feel the most confident.
I’m gonna be a perv really quick and just say that you’ve really great boobs. I don’t really have a question for you, other than how do you feel about your boobs?
[laughter] I was just talking about this at the show the other night. A couple of people said, “Your boobs get bigger every time I see you,” and I’m like, “It’s not that, it’s just when I gain weight, it goes straight to my boobs.” Which is great, but I’m trying to gain weight for my whole body. So when I gain weight, it just goes right to my boobs, and then when I lose weight, it goes straight from my boobs.” [chuckles] So it’s kind of I have to maintain my weight or I have no tits.What’s next for Gianna Dior?
I’m still kind of in a whirlwind from winning, but now it’s planning time because I definitely want to do a lot of big things this year. If there’s the time, it’s now, and I might as well do it now.
Is there anything left on your porn star bucket list that you want to accomplish?
I mean, not really. I kind of did everything that I wanted to do. Like I said, I take scenes that I really love to do and that I wanna do, so I think just want to do more of that this year.
Any final words for your fans at HotMovies?
Thank you to all of my fans and to you guys for having me. I literally would not be here without my fans, so I’m so appreciative of their love and support and how much they support me, honestly, because I have some really die-hard fans and I love them!
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