Porno Steve Cruz interview

Version intégrale d’une interview réduite publiée dans Têtu.

- Your rise in the biz has been quick, very quick. Do you think your look fits with the need for beautiful hairy guys now, like Alex Baressi or Roman Ragazzi ?

Yes, maybe so ! I am lucky.
My fans LOVE hairy men, they write and tell me all the time.
There was a time in porn when the men were only smooth or shaved. I wasn’t that type of man, so I am glad to be appreciated for the man that I am.
And personally I enjoy the same natural masculine aesthetic, like men in the 1970’s. Moustaches, beards, chest hair.
My type of fantasy man was also the muscled hairy guys of classic COLT. Pete Kuzak, Bruno, Carl Hardwick and Steve Kelso to name a few.
If you are smooth by nature, that can be very sexy too. I’m afraid I don’t think a man shaving his body hair is sexy at all. I like chin stubble, but not chest or leg stubble. And shaved pubic hair should be criminal ! (laughs)

- There’s nothing you seem to be afraid to do sexwise and, also, you wanna show that you’re having a good time. Elaborate.

(laughs) No, I am not afraid. I have never been inhibited or timid about sex. Maybe because I grew up near San Francisco. I like a little bit of kink in all I do. But I’m not hard core... piss, light bondage and foreskin are my favorite fetishes. So I’m in heaven over in Europe. With sex, it’s not what a man does sexually that makes him hot, its HOW he does it.
I am sure that even fisting gets boring if you do it the same way every time.
I never want to be bored or disconnected during sex. I want the guy I am fucking to be engaged and focused on me. Intimate sex is the hottest. Lights off and eyes closed ? That is sleeping, not fucking !The good news is there is a lot I have left to try... what’s my next adventure ? maybe sounding or fisting ?

- « Grunts » seems to be the biggest event to come in 2008. Can you tell us how it was for you to be part of such a big production ?

Yes it promises to be. I hope you guys will love it.
No one has produced a film of this size ! 22 men. 41 sex scenes. 3 films. Its insane ! Love Chris Ward for this ! In general, I think gay porn has gotten a little bit stale— formulaic. Perhaps the business side has taken from the creativity. Few studios attempt big movies ! Most everything on the market now is ’all sex’ with little creative risk. As a director, Chris Ward thinks outside the box and gives you hot sex AND an epic stage production. That is why I signed with Raging Stallion after working for 5 or 6 different studios. Its so much more fun to be a part of a big production. And I love the Hollywood aspect, I love the non sexual acting roles. I love to get into a character... role play. Location shoots are the best ! I filmed with Stallion in Hawaii for "Lords of the Jungle", and in the desert for "Mirage". And I did a shoot in the Canary Islands for AlphaMale Media right before I signed with Raging. Tropical Jungles, Catamarans, Sand Dunes, Airplanes, The Atlantic AND the Pacific as a backdrop. It blows my mind !

- How many weeks did the production take ? One has the feeling that the money spent on this project cannot compare to anything that’s been done before.

GRUNTS took 3 and half weeks to film in a remote area of California, on a ranch.
The money ? Yes ! Chris is a little crazy ! But he’s an artist and he won’t spare budget if he has a vision. This is why I am so glad he’s directing my movie in February. It all adds up fast, model fees, staging, props, costumes, a chef, army vehicles, guns, lube ! We built a real army base camp with real army surplus gear... Chris won’t spare a detail, he will break himself to make the scene look authentic ! And he succeeds...

- Was there some kind of jealousy and bitchiness on the set with so many porn stars, some of them behaving like prima donas ?

You’d think there would be much drama, 22 faggots trapped on a ranch...
I am sorry to disappoint the readers but everyone got along like a happy family. No prima donnas. And if someone did act up, Jake Deckard and Ricky Sinz would beat it out of them in basic training the next day ! (laughs) It was a lot like porn boot camp on and off camera. We saved all the drama for the cameras.

- How did you feel when it was over ? Can you still wear camouflage or are you sick with it ?

Relieved ! It was the most aggressive shooting schedule.
I don’t know what was more difficult, the isolation or just how physical it was to film... as a grunt I think we had the most difficult job. We had basic training all day, then sex all night. The Sergeants, all they had to do is stand there a yell ! (laughs). Anyway... It was nice to get back home in the city... go to the gym, see people... have high speed internet ! My camo pants ? I’ll never give them up ! They look great with my vintage Van Halen tshirt and Vans !

- Tell us about some of your projects like the Ink Blog ?

The Ink Blog is the 3rd incarnation of my Steve Cruz Fan Blog.
Originally my blog was just about my movies and appearances and trips. Typical porn star blog. But after GRUNTS a fan with a beard fetish wrote me and offered me cash to grow a full beard and send him photos everyday. This is how the ’Beard Blog’ was born. I had to keep it fresh and interesting because a slow beard growth is not very interesting. I came up with different photo ideas each day. The blog became more about the fans reactions and comments.
And they got to learn about ME, not just my latest movie or vacation.

The ’Ink Blog’ has evolved further. The point is to report on my latest tattoo, a sleeve which is taking 2 months. I added a reader’s poll, xxx galleries... each week I stage a jerk off session. I added ’Ask The Fans’ so I could get more feedback. Its a much more interactive blog because its as much about the guys that like me as it is about me.Now the guys are sending me weird shit to wear, like "do-rags" and animal print underwear. Send me crazy shit I love it ! AND I’ll wear it in the blog photos !

- What about your new website, howiroll.info ? What is it about ?

The ’How I Roll’ campaign is an interactive website of information about gay/bi men’s sexual health. The primary goal is to stop new HIV transmissions. The only way to do that is to influence how men fuck and give them the facts so they can decide for themselves what prevention methods work.
I partnered with the STOP AIDS project of San Francisco (stopaids.org) for the information and to produce a condom, a Steve Cruz condom. There is also a video commercial that will appear on Raging Stallion’s movies in 2008. I am so lucky to have the support of Unzipped Magazine as well who just joined as a partner.

- What are your views about the bareback pressure that is getting stronger and stronger on the industry ? It won’t be avoided so how the traditionnal studios are going to fight against it ?

Well I have always felt Bareback films were irresponsible. Until we have a cure or a vaccine we shouldn’t entertain the idea in art. If men are bare-backing in their private life it is their choice. To eroticize a risky behavior now is foolish and dangerous. My goal is to keep negative men negative. Eventually men want to explore their fantasies. HIV infection is on the rise in my city, and one in four men are positive... I wanted to do my part to remind men, especially young men, that safer sex is still sexy. That is why I have asked for endorsements from my friends in the industry who feel the same way, Chi Chi La Rue and Titan Media are two examples.

- You must be the only porn star who has a post on youtube playing bass. Tell us about it. Were you in a band ? I think Dick Wolf was in a band too in San Francisco ? And now Colton Ford finally managed to sign a record deal ? What’s happening with gay porn and music ???

(laughs) Yeah me on a bass guitar on YouTube was a silly joke for Francois, he’s one of the few porn stars that can be SO sexy and still not take himself too serious. I am the same way. I was shocked at how popular it was. I am writing some music for my next film actually, rock n roll tracks which will get mixed into the sound track. I wrote 3 songs so far, songs that will drive the story. In my life I have been an artist, a painter, a performer and now I get to share my music with the world. After porn I’d love to start a band... until then I keep practicing and writing.

- What’s next for you, moviewise ?

My next movies are scheduled in January and February. 2008 is a new phase of my porn career, my second year in porn. I was named Raging Stallion Man of The Year in 2008 and I don’t intend on slowing down.
My next big movie is a summer release called "Hotter Than Hell". I wrote the story, I’m adding music to the soundtrack and consulting with the set designer and Chris Ward, the director on how to make my vision work. I play a guy who has a romantic crush and sells his soul to the Devil for a chance to be with him.
I get the guy but in the end the Devil wins, I get captured.
Its a "Porn Noir"— which I don’t think anyone has done before. Shot in the style of the suspense thrillers of the 30s and 40s... a movie in shadow. The entire 2 DVD movie will be shot that way, no daylight.
I look forward to amazing performances by my co-star Ricky Sinz, who plays the Devil. I don’t think anyone else in porn could pull off such a huge role. When you see him in GRUNTS, you’ll see what I mean.