I'm already on
record as a sucker for porn superstar Tera Patrick -- what more
need be said?
There are a few things, however, that I should add about this drop-dead gorgeous, impossibly exotic but disarmingly straightforward Thai-Jewish-American dame, if only because my drooling on her isn't going to satisfy anyone looking for an intelligent, thoughtful biography of one of the world's most beautiful women.
So let's mention that Patrick entered the business in the waning days of the '90s; that she was born in Montana and grew up in San Francisco, but hit NYC at thirteen to become a high-fashion model. At eighteen she left the modeling industry and attended school in Idaho, getting an associate's in Nursing and a BS in Microbiology. How ironic, then, that she would find herself marrying the bassist and lead singer of a metalcore band named Biohazard -- that would be Evan Seinfeld, her hubby since January '04 and her co-star in a number of recent features. Oh -- and somewhere therein she became one of the most popular porn stars of all time, with around 50 features to her credit and a whole host of media appearances, including the covers of more men's magazines than you or I could shake a stick at.
After utilizing my scheduled interview with Patrick as an excuse to
check out
nude pictures of her on company time, I caught up with Tera at
her Southern California home to chat her up about her new Hustler
movie inTERActive
and her hot new clothing line, Mistress
Couture, not to mention her upcoming appearances at Erotica-LA.
Eros Zine: Tell us a little bit about your appearances at Erotica-LA
this year.
Tera Patrick: This is actually my sixth time doing Erotica-LA.
I have a Teravision booth, and I'm going to be putting on a fashion
show Saturday at 6:30pm, previewing my new clothing line Mistress
Couture.
Eros Zine: You're also hosting the second annual FAME awards, and you're nominated for Favorite Female Starlet, Favorite Breasts, Hottest Body, and -- of course! -- Favorite Performer of All Time.
Tera Patrick: [laughs] Yes! I'm hosting with my very good friend Evan Stone. Evan and I got into the business around the same time together so we've known each other for years and he's a really funny guy, I like him a lot; we'll have a lot to say together.
Eros Zine: What's it like meeting the fans? Do you enjoy that part of it?
Tera Patrick: Well, I've been traveling ever since I was a little kid, and I enjoy going to exotic places, but I enjoy staying home as well. That's the best part about Erotica-LA; I get to meet my fans and have a good time and then go back and spend the night in my own bed. [laughs]
But I do really enjoy meeting my fans; my fans are really nice. I have to tell you, I've never had a bad experience -- no stalkers, nothing crazy! The cool thing for me is getting on a plane and flying halfway around the world, like Australia or New Zealand or Germany or Switzerland, and I get off the plane and everybody knows who I am. That's exciting for me.
It's nice to meet people who tell you things like "My wife and I named our daughter after you," or "Oh, Tera, you helped me get through Iraq," or just "I love you so much." It's really cool. I feel like my job is very validating, and what I do helps a lot of people, and what I do makes a lot of people happy.
That's the great thing about porn; it crosses all boundaries. It doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, what race you are, it doesn't matter what you look like -- everybody loves porn. Everybody watches porn, and now these days, in 2007, everybody's talking about porn. Porn's crossed over into the mainstream. I don't know about you, but among my friends, it's not like we have Tera Patrick movie night, but my friends will just say things like "Oh, yeah, I got the new Stormy Daniels flick, and she's really hot in it." People talk about it now.
Eros Zine: But there's still a large group of people who are horrified by porn, or think it objectifies women...
Tera Patrick: That's sort of the old argument, yeah.
Eros Zine: Do you see those people losing ground in society? Is that struggle heating up, or will it go away as more people try porn and realize it doesn't hurt them?
Tera Patrick: Well, I'm a registered Democrat and I vote, and I do feel like there are these staunch Republicans who are trying to shut down the adult business. But there are certain points I agree with: One, I don't think porn should ever be in the hands of children; the adult business is what it says, it's for adults only. But as long as you're eighteen, I think you should be able to enjoy porn. Absolutely. Even so, there are some facets of the adult industry that I agree with, some parts of the industry that are too hardcore for me; there are the Max Hardcores and certain people that I do think degrade women -- and that, I don't agree with.
I think porn should glorify women, and I think that's what my porn does. I think my movies are beautiful and erotic, and I think that we portray women in a positive light.
Eros Zine: And the argument about objectification?
Tera Patrick: I hear that argument from people: "Don't you think you're being objectified?" And, really, I think every woman is objectified. A beautiful woman walking down the street -- men are going to jerk off to her, too. It's not just me. I make my own money; I call my own shots; I run my own business. Just like any other woman who runs a business, but I use my body. God gave me my looks, and I'm making money off of them. And if that's being objectified.... then, well, I guess I'm being objectified. But I sleep well at night, and I really enjoy what I do. And I make a lot of people happy.
Eros Zine: One of my friends who got into porn commented that she felt much more objectified as a secretary.
Tera Patrick: Yeah! I feel like any woman walking down the street wearing a low-cut shirt -- men are going to have fantasies about her, too. Men have fantasies about all kinds of women, not just women in porn. Any woman can feel objectified.
It takes a certain person, yes, to take off their clothes, have sex on camera, and do it in front of a room full of people. Not everybody can do that. And I can see why people may think, "Whoa, that person's really strange -- I would never do that!" But, then, I'm very comfortable in my own skin.
Eros Zine: You and Evan Seinfeld have been married for five years; for quite some time you didn't perform with other male performers. But in November of last year, you were in Tera Patrick's Fashion Underground with Jean Val Jean and Tommy Gunn. How did you come to the decision to perform with other actors?
Tera Patrick: Well, we never decided I wasn't going to do it. Evan had never performed before on camera, and we decided it would be easiest to perform together. I did about five movies with him, and then I decided to do a couple movies without Evan because we thought it would be good.
My career spans about five or six years, and I've done about fifty movies, and that's how people fell in love with me, you know? So Evan said, "You're a porn star," and he didn't want to hold me back. Guys want to see a variety; that's the thing that makes a woman attractive in porn, to be with different partners, different people.
Eros Zine: How did your new movie inTERActive
come about?
Tera Patrick: Well, Evan had the idea about doing an interactive movie that was much more interactive. Usually the interactive movies that you see, they tend to be shot on a black background and it's got a girl in a few positions, and it's kind of boring. And he wanted to make it where the viewer has more choices and it's like watching a movie. So Hustler came to us, wanted to do an interactive DVD, and we ended up doing it with Hustler. We shot it over the course of a couple months -- it was very involved.
Eros Zine: It's the only interactive porn movie I've ever seen that actually has a story. It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure porn movie.
Tera Patrick: Yup, exactly. We're actually going to be shooting the sequel very soon. We did the nice girl, now we're going to do the naughty girl.
Eros Zine: [laughs] In inTERActive, your character cheats on her gangster husband, makes love with Jessica Jaymes, and smears strawberries all over a barely-legal Hillary Scott. [laughs] What's the naughty Tera going to do?
Tera Patrick: I'm going to wield a whip [laughs]. I'm going to wear all black latex, and be like, "Okay, you want it? You got it. SMACK! [laughs]
Eros Zine: [laughs] Sounds like a winner! Thanks, Tera! Readers can keep up with Tera Patrick at Club Tera and at her free movie-trailer site at TeraTrailers.com, where they can see all her movie trailers for free. You can also check out our reviews of Teradise Island and inTERActive.
While you're at it, don't forget to vote for Tera in the F.A.M.E. awards, where she's nominated for Favorite Female Starlet, Favorite Breasts, Hottest Body, and -- of course! -- Favorite Performer of All Time.
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• EROTICA / ZINE
