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Alton's
Street TALK
Interview: Tera Patrick
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If you donêt know Tera Patrick, you might think she copied that very concept right out of Sprinkleês playbook. However, minutes into my interview with the 5ê9" exotic beauty, I realized there was a lot more to Tera Patrick than what meets the eyes. Annie Sprinkle might have been the first porn actress to proclaim that pleasure and ecstasy could begin with her, but Tera Patrick will be the first to tell you how sheês going to go about it. And boys, look out. Thereês a new sheriff in porn valley.
Girlphoria: You began your modeling career as a teen with the Ford Agency then later made the move to nude modeling. Do you feel that people see you differently since making that transition?
Tera Patrick: I donêt think so. I was recently on the cover of British FHM and in a photo feature in the American issue. I was ranked 57th in FHMês Hottest 100. So I donêt feel that nude modeling has hurt my mainstream modeling career at all.
Girlphoria: Since making your debut in porn, you have made the cover of magazines such as Front, Bizarre and Fridge magazine. You have appeared in or been written about in Glamour and VIBE magazine. You hosted a fashion benefit for VIAAC (Video Industry AIDS Action Committee), which raised tens of thousands of dollars for various
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Tera Patrick: I donêt know. I guess because I am sexy, I am friendly and I am accessible. Iêve been modeling for 16 years. And I truly love what I do. Five years ago when I got into the adult industry it was really kind of a fluke. I never thought I was going to be a porn star. But I give 100% in everything I do and my fans see that. And this gives me a lot of exposure to different markets.
Girlphoria: Which do you feel is more demanding of you, a career in modeling or making adult videos?
Tera Patrick: Definitely making videos, because it can be very demanding physically and exhausting. We work long days, typically beginning at eight in the morning and sometimes not wrapping up until ten at night. Itês not that you are having sex all the time. You might do one scene for three to four hours; between the stills [photographing], the dialogue and all that encompasses making a movie. A production day like totally wipes you out. I find that photo days tend to be shorter. Modeling is my first love. If I could do FHM everyday, that would be great. Girlphoria: In five years you have really made a name for yourself. In May of 2000 you walked away with the "Best New Starlet" award at Cannes Film Festival. In 2001 you received the Hot DêOr award for "Best American Actress" and named "Best New Starlet" at the AVN Awards. In 2002, Adult Stars Magazine selected the "Tera Show" as the "Best Interactive Web site." Your "Virtual Sex with Tera Patrick" was also named "Best Interactive DVD" by AVN and Empire. What did those awards mean to you when you received them and what do they mean to you now?
Tera Patrick: Itês great. It is an accomplishment to win an award. You feel that all your hard work has paid off. I feel the same now as I did then. I am very appreciative and grateful to all my fans as well as to the critics who continue to give me good reviews. There are times while filming a scene I think to myself "okay, this pose better win an award" [laughing].
Girlphoria: Really?
Tera Patrick: Oh yeah. That thought is sometimes my motivation for getting through a scene.
Girlphoria: Letês face it, porn has to be the topic of some jokes around the water cooler; porn videos arenêt like real movies, they donêt have a plot, itês just sex and so forth. Is perfection or quality in the work something you really think about?
Tera Patrick: Yes, because for me itês forever. This is something I tell girls just coming into the industry; to realize what they are doing this is
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foreverÄ their image will be out there forever. Each time I do a movie I concern myself with everything; the styling, the script, the sexual positions, the location and even the production crew. I know that this is my product so everything better be the best. Girlphoria: Some people say that pornography degrades women. What are your thoughts on that?
Tera Patrick: There are many facets of porn such as Playboy magazine which I love and then you have Max Hardcore which I donêt. So someone who has only seen a Max Hardcore video and says that porn is degrading, I would have to agree with them. I donêt have anything against Max Hardcore, but I do think his videos are degrading. I donêt think I have ever done anything that would be considered degrading to women or myself. I think that women were put on this earth to be shown off, to be worshiped and to be flaunted; not to be exploited. God gave me a wonderful gift. If men see that and appreciate that, even if they masturbate to it, then that is empowering for women. Sex is power.
Girlphoria: Have you noticed any changes in the adult entertainment industry?
Tera Patrick: I am not sure, because I consider myself to be such an isolated part of the industry. I am a niche market within myself. I think more girls are becoming career minded. I see girls becoming directors for other companies. I believe that the market is becoming a little more receptive to the adult products out there, but itês hard. You have to create the brand for yourself. Jenna Jameson created a brand for herself. I created a brand for myself. I would say that the industry has become star driven.
Girlphoria: Youêve struck out on your own and created Teravision. Can you tell us about the company and why did you decide to strike out on your own?
Tera Patrick: Well, when I decided to start the company three years ago I saw the value in myself and how much money I was making everyone else. I felt that this was my body, my product and wanted to make the money for myself.
Girlphoria: You are still under contract with Vivid and for the record, Vivid does put out good product. How does your product at Teravision differ from the rest of the industries?
Tera Patrick: This industry has been around for many years. Itês run by the good ole boys and I compare it to the Wild West. Well, itês time that the girls who do the work, who make the business what it is, make the money. I sat in a meeting the other day and was told that at one time five hundred dollars bought a girlês image for life. That is not okay. I am here to change that and that is part of my vision. My company is like a family and I donêt exploit my girls.
Girlphoria: You have signed on notable actresses such as Nikki Benz, Julia Bond, Lucy Lee and Nyomi Marcela. What does Teravision offer them that other companies cannot or will not?
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Tera Patrick: I take very good care of my contract girls. They have a very nice salary. They get offered a lot of mainstream and adult exposure. I give them the opportunity to not only make a great product, but a good career for themselves.
Tera Patrick: We absolutely give the girls all the freedom they want. My girls actually come to me with ideas. Nikki Benz is going to begin directing and producing her own line of videos for Teravision. Girlphoria: With you and Nikki Benz at the helm, will you be making videos that are more geared to the female market?
Tera Patrick: Definitely, my female fan base has increased 60%. I do girl-girl scenes and girl-girl videos now. Nikki is known for her girl-girl scenes. We want to make videos that are friendly to women, but also nasty enough for the men. [laughing]
Girlphoria: What would you like your legacy to be?
Tera Patrick: It used to be so simple. I wanted to be known as the smart pin-up girl. But now I just want people to remember me for doing a good job. I want to be remembered for bringing them pleasure.
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