Twenty Questions with Porn Star Ela Darling

Ela Darling is just so fucking cool. She's a former librarian, she is all about Dungeons and Dragons, and she serves as the elected secretary of the Adult Performers Association Committee, an advocacy group for porn performers. She is also one of Fleshbot's Top Ten Crush Objects of 2014. Her scenes are most definitely wonderful and I dig her DVD/VOD work and her website immensely. Here are her answers to twenty questions.

1.) What kind of girl were you back in high school? Who did you hang out with/date?

I asked my high school acquaintances on Facebook to help me answer this. A lot of people mentioned that I was goth and carried a lunch box for a purse (you guys, I was SO FUCKING GOTH I even smoked black cigarettes). I was perceived as kind, smart, quiet, mysterious, intimidating, bookish, warm and friendly, intriguing, and confident (that one boggles my mind). I used to campaign for women’s rights through Amnesty International while wearing inappropriate t-shirts, which sounds about on par with my work with APAC these days.

I dated a sweet boy who was kind of hardcore with tattoos at 16. I also dated a boy who became super-goth after he started fucking me. I also dated a girl for several years who eventually joined the military and had a family. She said, “ You really didn’t care what others thought about something if you liked it, lol. That is why I loved you and still do.” So yeah, straight from the horses’ mouths.

2.) Were you a porn fan before you got into the industry? Who were your favorite porn stars/favorite porn movies?

I was such a little slut-shamey judgemental douchefuck before I got into the industry actually. I didn’t understand porn so I felt uncomfortable with it. Once I decided to remedy my ignorance (which so often leads to intolerance) I liked it a lot more but by then I was beyond fandom. I appreciate the opportunity to enter the industry without placing my peers on a pedestal though.

3.) What do you think shaped you into the performer that you are known for being?

I asked my fans on Twitter what kind of performer I’m known for being (I’m totally crowdsourcing this interview) and the key words I’m seeing are: deep, sensual, passionate, kinky, erotic, versatile, multidimensional, enthusiastic, and nerdy.

I would say that the sensuality, passion, eroticism, and enthusiasm all stem from a genuine love for sex tag-teamed with my narcissistic dedication to trying to look as attractive as possible in the process. Most of my oeuvre is girl/girl still, and my passion for pussy must certainly shine through in my work. Those “deep, multidimensional, and nerdy” traits were shaped by being a total fucking nerd and collecting degrees at a young age. It’s hard to keep the nerdiness at bay even when I’m fucking I guess.

4.) What/Who do you want to do on-camera that you haven’t done yet?

I’m hoping to start doing anal in 2015. 2015 is the year of my butt and exciting things plunging into it.

I want to do a b/g/g with my roommate Annie Cruz if she will consider taking a break from her break for me. (She just told me “FUCK YES!” so hey, if you’re the kind of person who is in charge of that kind of thing, maybe let us fuck together?) I want to be fisted on camera, which actually Annie could do because she’s the first person who ever fisted me. Aww, we’re such a romantic pair.

I want to have an artfully constructed gangbang also. Something pretty with lots of pretty dicks. Maybe I’ll do it in my wedding dress when my divorce is final.

5.) Who is your favorite male performer/female performer to work with and why?

This is such a fucking unfair question and I know you guys know it. (I'm not a guy.--HK) I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the sky than choose a favorite star who’s been in my pussy. Sinn Sage ranks up there for the ladies. She’s one of my best friends and one of my favorite performers. Violet Monroe is one of my favorite ladies to hang out with and work with now so we have great fucks. I adore Sovereign Syre. I think my favorite performers are the ones I’m friends with outside of porn, so when we shoot together we connect on a deeper, more playful and permissive level than we would with a new person.

The same goes with male performers. The most fun I’ve had thus far has been with male performers that I met in my 4.5 year girl/girl stint. I love fucking Marcus London because he makes me feel like a squirting princess. Richie Calhoun, Wolf Hudson, and Anthony Rosano stand out because they were my friends who gave me great fuckings. Friendship makes fucking so spectacular. Five stars for friendship.

6.) You seem to really love your fans and you talk to them a lot on Twitter. Tell me how having this fan base has changed your life.

The people who gravitate towards me tend to be very nerdy, quirky, and kind. 2014 was one of the most difficult years of my life and the support of my fans really made a huge difference. People went out of their way to lend me their support and love and really make me remember to stay positive. One of my fans bought me a bed because I didn’t have one when I moved in with my roommate. Another fan/friend bought me a new MacBook to help me move forward with the VR porn company I’m starting up with some friends. He also gave me a small library of LSAT prep books because he knows I want to go to law school in a few years. Another fan sends me Harry Potter memes for days when I’m sick or sad. I really have amazing people in my life as a result of porn and I’m so grateful.

7.) What’s your favorite position to get fucked in and why does it get you off?

I love doggy because it allows for hair pulling, ass slapping, and choking all at the same time. It makes me scream like a feral animal and I love it. The older I get, the more I thrill in being dirty and kinky and viscerally sexual. Teenage me would be so embarrassed of me. I guess that’s how I know I’m doing it right.

8.) How did you get into porn?

I was a librarian with way too much free time on my hands. I was doing the work I wanted to do for the rest of my life but I didn't want the rest of my life to start when I was 22. I earned my master’s degree when I was 21. I took a ridiculously heavy course load while working multiple jobs, I quickly became the Associate Director of a small library in Massachusetts but I had so much more free time with only one job and no classes. So I started checking out gigs on Craigslist and found a girl-next-door fully clothed bondage and I gave it a shot on a whim. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. The people I worked with were kind and professional and I made more in an hour than I made in a day at the library. After that I was excited to explore further and about three months later I moved to LA to do porn full time.

9.) What does your average working day look like?

Wake up to my alarm. Smoke a little weed and jerk off while reading or browsing Facebook and reddit for half an hour. Shower, walk my dog, do my makeup and hair (if it isn’t provided on set), review the shoot info from my agent to make sure I’ve packed any specifically requested shoes or wardrobe, then head to set. I try to give myself enough time to go to Starbucks near set so even if I’m running late, I’m still on time (if undercaffeinated) for my shoot.

I show up on set with two suitcases and bags of shoes and shoot the shit with whomever I know on set, if it’s a good day or try to make friends if it’s a day with a lot of new people. At this point I usually know at least one person on set. I read or browse Facebook and Twitter while waiting to get my make-up done or waiting to shoot my stills or waiting to shoot my scene or waiting for the goddamned second coming of Christ, is what it feels like sometimes. So much waiting. I also tend to have a charmed moment where I remind myself that a lot of people are in cubicles right now and I’m in a beautiful place with beautiful, liberated people, and things are pretty fucking grand. If I’m really bored, I’ll smoke a cigarette about it.

I sometimes jerk off in my car on the way home from set, depending on how miserable traffic is. I walk my dog again when I get home, then grab my computer and head to my favorite bar nearby to do work, answer emails, and have a beer and tacos.

10.) What are your interests and passions outside of porn?

I’m the secretary of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, which is something I’m very passionate about. That’s kind of porn-related but it feels more political than pornographic.

My friend Sovereign Syre and I are preparing to launch a new history show on YouTube soon called Boss Bitches of History which we created, wrote, and hosted.

I love to read. If I spend too much time between books, I feel like there’s a chaotic anxiety erupting in my chest. There are a few comic series that I read religiously like Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky.

I like to play Dungeons and Dragons with some other porn friends (Zak Smith, Mandy Morbid, Charlotte Stokely, and a few other friends) in my neighborhood.

I love going to nerd conventions like San Diego Comic Con, E3, LeakyCon (GeekyCon now I guess), and Comikaze. I actually spoke on a panel at AVN about cosplay. I cosplay as Batgirl, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soon I will be cross-playing at Link from Zelda.

I like to shoot guns also. I call the LA Gun Club my therapist’s office. That’s probably the Texas girl deep in my heart.

11.) What titles of yours are “must-owns” for your fans?

Anything by Juicy Pink Box is a must-own. I’m one of their main stars and I’m Jincey’s (the company founder) muse. She is my fairy porn mother.

Cosplay Queens and Tied Up Teens directed by Tanya Tate is a huge hit with my fans. Between the Headlines, Infidelity, and The Muse directed by Lily Cade are pretty rad too. Sovereign Syre’s Lesbian Surrender was my first anal scene and also a scene I did with Sovereign which might be of interest to people because of our aforementioned Boss Bitches of History show. All of those titles are available through Filly Films.

12.) Who are your role models in porn and how/why do they inspire you?

Nina Hartley is my porn Patronus (Harry Potter geek joke alert). I love her. She is a brilliant woman, an activist, an incredible performer, a caring soul, a loving and considerate partner, and an all around fantastic human being.

Jincey Lumpkin, my Fairy Porn Mother, is a lawyer, a porn producer, a published writer, and now working on writing books. She inspires me deeply.

I find the writing of Conner Habib, the VP of APAC very motivating and inspirational.

13.) How long do you plan on working in porn and what would you like to do afterwards?

I'm a lifer at this point. Once I retire from performing I hope to continue working in porn production, hopefully with my virtual reality porn company called VRtube.xxx, and once our VR baby is off the ground I would like to take the LSAT. I think I would like to collect another degree or two, either a law degree or continue on to a doctoral degree in Psychology. Ultimately, I want to continue to work with the sex worker and porn population no matter what I do.

14.) How has making the leap to boy/girl scenes been?

It’s been a dream and a fucking half, man. I’d say that about 60% of the men I’ve worked with on camera have been men I was already friends or acquainted with. I love it, I have a great time, I have a lot of orgasms, I have a much wider breadth of work opportunity, and I am so much more self-sufficient and capable than I ever dreamed I would be when I first made the choice to venture over to the penis side of porn.

15.) What is the best mainstream movie you have seen recently?

I guess it’s a cross between Titanic and Star Wars: Episode 1. Lol, jk, I mostly read. I suck at seeing new movies. I saw The Interview at the Alamo Draft House in Austin, TX and it was fun because it was a big event and there were American flags at every table. It had its issues but it was a fun flick, especially with all the hubbub surrounding it.

16.) How about the best porno movie? Is there someone whose movies you like to watch who is working now?

It’s really hard for me to watch porn recreationally. I get into game mode and I think in terms of what the girls must have been thinking/experiencing, or I get too excited about my friends whom I see on camera and it’s just not sexy. I’m just not a big porn watcher in my free time, I guess.

17.) Are you into toys to get yourself off alone or are you a low-tech woman?

I am a HUGE fan of Njoy butt plugs. HUGE. I love them. I love the company, I love the creator, I love their staff, and more than anything I love their products. They don’t pay me to say that, they’re just goddamned wonderful. Other than that I’m mostly a finger-driven lady.

18.) If you could fuck any celebrity, who would it be? Give us your male and female choices.

Men: Russell Brand, Charlie Hunnam, James Franco, Nicola Tesla (a girl can dream), Joe Jonas.

Women: Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Krysten Ritter, Laverne Cox, Rose McGowan,

19.) What is coming up for you?

I am launching a new VR Porn website in the next few months. You can check out some older demos on previous tech at our site VRtube.xxx. I’m also launching Boss Bitches of History on YouTube through a channel called Wisecrack hopefully around Valentine’s day.

20.) Is there anything you want to say to your fans here at Fleshbot?

Thank you and I love you. Let's watch nerdy fucking porn together and geek-out in public. Please love my Virtual Reality porn company forever. And please support your local library. If you show me your library card at AVN, I’ll show you my tits. That’s a long standing offer and it holds for 2015 and any other year I attend.

All of the images here appear courtesy of Starr Erotica/Evil Angel.  This clip is from her scene in 2014's "Pussy Whipped" with Phoenix Askani directed by Aiden Starr.  The movie was nominated by AVN for Best BDSM Release.  Here's a clip from the scene.  Go watch the whole scene by clicking Here!