Lily Cade interview

October 26, 2014
APACHE WARRIOR

One of the reasons why I like Lily Cade is that she is a true lesbian. That's a rarity in porn. It's her authenticity that makes Lily perform and shoot hot girl on girl porn. She knows how to make her partners completely satisfied and get them cumming for joy. But, for those fans who know her work the best, they know that she is amazing in the top position. Her strap-on skills are one of the best in the industry. It's those performances that sets her apart from other strap-on artists.

Hi Lily, your recent directing work for Filly Films is "Between the Headlines" which spoofs the political world. How did you come up with the storyline?

I was inspired by a fan suggestion sent into Filly Films. The initial request was for a girl/girl scene involving political figures, but I took it and ran with it. If I was going to do political porn, I was going to do it right. Between The Headlines makes fun of everybody – from Hillary Clinton to Fox News – and showcases some really hot lesbian pairings going at it.

As a director, I seek to make movies in which the sex advances both the plot and is motivated by it. It's not just “sex with story” but a story in which sex plays an integral role. This project is my best work to date.

It is fine casting having Nina Hartley be Hillary. What are your thoughts about this legendary performer?

I don't think anyone else could play Hillary Clinton. I love Nina. I met her on set (we weren't working together that day, but in the same movie “Elexis Unleashed”) right at the start of my porn career. She has all of these stories to tell. She's been in porn since the VHS era. She's seen everything.

I first worked with Nina after she and I won the Sweetheart division of “Mile High Madness” an annual fan voting contest for favorite pairings. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out – both Nina and I are pretty exclusively tops. We had always wanted to fuck a girl together (check out my film Lesbian Lock-Up to watch that) but weren't sure we had chemistry together. I was totally wrong. Nina knows how to make a girl feel desired, and she's an absolute sex pro. She bottomed for my strap-on (a rare thing...watch this scene on Tombois 2) and showed me an amazing time.

How was your experience directing a fine cast of ladies like Nina Hartley, Aaliyah Love, Aiden Starr, and Lotus Lain?

I loved this cast. They were all so dedicated to this project. They worked with me to develop characters and keep those characters alive during the sex scenes. Lotus studied Michelle's voice and mannerisms and really nailed it. Aaliyah Love watched Megyn's show and learned about her. With porn, we are dealing with much smaller budgets and much less time to shoot than mainstream films. We don't get rehearsals. So working with experienced talent who cares about what they are doing makes all the difference. I have nothing but props for every girl in this movie.

I have a particular style with the sex scenes too – I like to see women fuck, not mess around. I like the dynamics set up during the movie to remain during the sex. I like high energy and hard. I like in character banter that feels intimate and in the moment – not porno style dirty talk. The pairings in this movie are really good, and the sex scenes are my kind of hot. I loved how the sex scene between Ela and Vanessa has a different dynamic than Vanessa's scene with me and Aiden. My cast (as well as my crew) were so on point for this one.

What has been the biggest surprise for you about the adult industry since you have started?

My biggest shock was that there really aren't any lesbians in lesbian porn. In the time that I've been doing this, there have been a few other performers who consider themselves lesbians, many of whom have gone on to do boy/girl porn anyway. My initial tagline was “not the girl next door” but I changed it to “Porn Valley's Gold Star Lesbian” when I realized how rare of a quality that was. Of course, if I'd thought about it, I wouldn't have picked an L Word reference to describe myself. I don't think most people know what it means. Some people in queer porn also think I'm being elitist by bragging about not fucking men but as far as I'm concerned, those people need to just get over themselves. I came out at 12 years old during a game of “Truth or Dare.” I've always known who the fuck I am.

What is your favorite thing about being an adult performer?

I have sex with beautiful women for money. I am one of the lucky few people in this world who gets to do something for a living that I really, truly love. Sometimes, it's frustrating, but at the end of the day I've combined my love of sex with my love of movies...and I get paid for it.

How long have you been in the industry? How did you get started in it?

My “porniversary” is November 16 of 2008. I answered a craigslist ad and shot a scene with Capri Cavanni for her website (the scene, unfortunately, was lost...my first available porn scene is with Elexis Monroe in Elexis Unleashed). I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even own a bra and panty set. I owned maybe one lipgloss and one shitty eyeliner pencil. Capri came over to my place before the scene, to help me pick out wardrobe. I laid all my underwear out the bed, and she looked over it and shook her head. She ended up dressing me in her clothes and shoes. The scene was supposed to be that it was my first time with a woman, but the director took one look at me and changed it. I'm probably the only girl in porn who has never done an “it's my first time” scene.

What makes a woman sexy? What traits do you admire in a woman?

I like to say that my type is an energy thing. I'm drawn to intelligent people with good stories. I like intensity. I like athletic, toned bodies, but I'm pretty versatile. I like big tits and small tits. I like boyish girls and girly girls. I love women who know they are sexy and who can just let go and be real with me. I like connection, even if it's only for a moment in a bar, or on set, or whatever. I don't do bullshit.

How has it been getting work in the industry since you do not have the "stereotypical" look of a porn star?

I'm certainly not going to shoot for every company, but I've shot hundreds of scenes. I've traveled all over the US and even internationally to shoot porn. I have great fans, and I'm something of a unique presence. I know how to run a scene. I'm a pro with a strap-on. I'm kind of the go to player for certain types of roles (stereotypical dykes, basically) but I'm versatile enough to play femme roles too. I think of myself as being a porno “character actor” and it's great.

Porn has changed a lot. With the increasingly availability of affordable technology, making porn (or video content in general) is something way more people are able to do. There's no longer one way to “look like a porn star” and this is true in mainstream as well as alternative porn. Look at Bonnie Rotten or Siri. These are tremendously successful current porn stars who do not fit into a standard mold. I have had my own measure of success despite very much “looking like a lesbian,” despite being told when I entered porn that I had no chance with my look. Porn is actually rather diverse in what it represents, though the bulk of the porn that is made by big companies is still the sort of thing you get when you just google “porn” - disinterested pretty girls getting railed by big porno dicks. Assembly line product is always going to be assembly line product. Most of the crap on the radio is always going to be crap.

I also have my own site, LilyCade.com, and my own projects. So I definitely keep busy.

You have worked with CrashPadSeries.com many times. What are your thoughts on queer porn and how it and it's performers don't receive the proper exposure and recognition that they deserve?

I worked for Crash Pad twice, and I had a lovely time on set both times. Shine Louise Houston is great to work for. I've also shot with a fair number of queer porn performers – girls like Dylan Ryan and Maxine Holloway – both for my site and my movies. In my experience, the queer porn ladies are harder, dirtier fucks than your average girl/girl porn performer. They are more likely to date and fuck women off camera. Most of them are doing porn because they like it, or because they are trying to make a statement.

I've also had some tension with the world of queer porn. I do kind of have a queer porn look – but I've always felt much more at home with LA porn. I was recently involved in a rather stupid fight on the internet with a TS performer (with a penis) who feels discriminated against because she is not getting hired to be in lesbian porn. I'm glad that queer porn exists, but it's not really my passion. I want to tell stories. I want to film hot women fucking like they mean it. I'm a lesbian, but I'm really not “queer”. My politics aren't queer.

Many adult stars are animal lovers. Are you one of them? Are you a cat or dog person?

I'm a cat person, but I also like dogs. I have two Norwegian Forest Cats – Chunky Monkey and Walter Paisley. If I wasn't a porn star, my Instagram would be devoted to nothing but cat pictures.

Going back to you directing movies for Filly Films, I would like to know how did they offer you the directing opportunity years ago?

I went in to the Filly office for a go-see as a performer, and ended up getting hired to direct “Hard Working Girls.” I was shooting for Homegrown Video at the time, plus my website, and I'd directed a previous movie, Art School Dykes (nominated for Best All Girl movie at the AVNs) for Nightingale Pictures. So far I've directed 15 movies for Filly, including “Between The Headlines” and I just finished my 16^th – “Teen Lesbian Fantasies.”

How were you as a kid?

I was a weird kid. I was very in my own head and didn't have a lot of friends. I spent a lot of time riding horses and writing. I wrote profusely. I wish I could channel that now, actually. I got really good grades, but didn't try very hard. I was one of those kids who got along better with adults than other kids.

In High School, I came out of my shell a lot. I was still fucking weird, but I learned how to be social. I liked messing with people. I would play strange pranks on teachers and other students. I managed to convince my world religions teacher (I went to Catholic school) that Tolkien's Elvish (Quenya, specifically, if you're as a big of a nerd as I am) was my grandparent's native language. I told visiting eighth graders that the photography dark room was the site of dark magic, human sacrifice, and lesbian orgies. I was joking, but one of those kids believed me and told the principal. Interestingly, she was most upset by the “lesbian” part, rather than the using the developing tanks as blood drains part. I was one of the best students there, though, so I never got in too much trouble.

I went on to Cal Tech, but realized pretty early on that I didn't like lab work or academia, so transferred to USC and got my degree in “Cinematic Arts”.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I grew up around horses, and still ride. I have a Paso Fino named Baronessa that I've owned since we were both kids. I like watching movies, especially on the big screen. Let's face it though, my biggest hobby is sport fucking. There's a reason I went into this line of work.

What is your shoe size?

I'm a 9 ½ to 10. When I was a kid, I really wanted my feet to be big. I also wanted to be tall. I only got one of these things. It's ok. You know what they say about people with big feet.

Are there any web sites or future projects that you would like to promote? What are you currently working on film wise?

First of all, I want you all to check out my website, LilyCade.com It's up to 172 girl/girl scenes. I add a new one each week. I don't do solo or softcore, just lesbian sex. I've got over 100 different girls on there, including a lot of big name porn stars, as well as amateur girls and a few other real life lesbians.

I'm currently directing movies for Filly Films, and I've just started working with new company Girl Co. My first movie for them is going to be a “Fatal Attraction” type theme centered around an affair gone wrong.

Interview by Apache Warrior