2019 January Performer Spotlight: Kenzie Reeves

January 22, 2019
DEMARKO

Part two of our sit-down interview with Kenzie Reeves is one that is truly a piece of writing history in the adult world. I know that is a very bold statement but Kenzie, she is a very bold woman. She is a spark in this business of heat and passion. She seems to grow a more massive following with fans every day and earns an even bigger admiration with her peers in the industry. To be a porn star, it is not all of what you might think it to be. If you are a critic of this industry, then this article is for you. This interview is something I will never forget because Kenzie showed me a side of her that I had been trying to coin as the catchphrase of this industry and the amazing people within it for a very long time. Part one of this interview talked about her beginnings and her path in the industry. Today, we learn where it all started, how Kenzie became the person she is. This is a tale about the beauty of sexuality, told by an empowered young woman who is not brought down by an industry of sex but raised up. Well, let me let Kenzie show you what I mean. So, without further ado…..

Don Juan DeMarko: So, I think the last thing I asked was what kind of nerd are you? I have heard so many people say that you and I would geek out when we get to hang out. So, I am dying to know, are you a comic book geek, a video game nerd or a book worm perhaps?

Kenzie Reeves: I would say that I am a little of all! So, can my answer be everything? My uncle, he really got me into the comic book thing, and I was hooked since that day he showed me my very first one. I love books but I am huge movie buff too. There are very few movies that when they are a comic book or a novel that I do not go out and see in a theatre. Movies are good but now that you have put me on the spot Don I have to say that perhaps I am a book person when I analyze things.

Don Juan DeMarko: Damn! No shit? Damn, so I take it when I sent you that Kevin Conroy interview that you were going ga-ga?

Kenzie Reeves: Dude, oh my God, send me more interviews! I love those first ones you sent me. The day that you sent them, I said to myself, “what is he sending me?” Then I was like, “Oh shit! OK!” (We both share a laugh.)

Don Juan DeMarko: That is awesome. So you are a big comic book person. That is awesome. A looooong time ago I did some work with a very popular former Image comic book artist. Those were the good old days. The one thing I will say about working in both industries is that there are far nicer people working in ours.

Kenzie Reeves: I have heard that before too. I have had so many people tell me that have been in both worlds that there is just no comparison. When I attended my first awards show, that is when I really saw firsthand. All the people in the industry were so friendly, especially all these people that I looked up to. Everyone I ran into was so talkative and open.

Don Juan DeMarko: So, here is the next question along the lines of the things that I have been dying to ask you. I had someone tell me that you were a video game nerd, I do not know how true that is…..

Kenzie Reeves: Oh, well, I like watching video games there are a few games where I just know those maps like the back of my hand. I am not one to play video games, but I am that person who is watching, like an armchair quarterback, “watch your two o’clock!” I have done that for hours!

Don Juan DeMarko: (I laugh with this snarliest type depth to my voice.) That is awesome dude!

Kenzie Reeves: There are a lot of games that people play in mass like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, stuff like that. I am very good at being the spotter and watching maps. I will be that person making sure you are checking everything, that you are ready to roll! I can do that for hours.

Don Juan DeMarko: That is fucking gangster dude! I could see some type of reader within you. Know, what I would love for you to tell the XCritic faithful, is, who are your fictional heroes? I am guessing you have more than a couple. See, since I set this thing up with your publicist, I have been chomping at the bit to ask you that because you are talking to a guy whose hero is Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid. Which, I actually got to meet David Hayter who is the voice of Solid Snake. That was, uh, something we will say.

Kenzie Reeves: Um, I would have to say that my favorite fictional hero would be, hmmmmmm? Have you ever heard of the Warriors books?

Don Juan DeMarko: Yes, yes, I have!

Kenzie Reeves: OK, (She laughs the cutest laugh) When I was in the third grade, I began reading those books and to this day, I actually still hold them very dear to my heart. I still have a few of them as a matter of fact. I like Firestar, he is one of my favorites. I hope that does not sound weird because there are a few characters within those books that are just my absolute favorite.

Don Juan DeMarko: Oh, fuck yeah! We are talking the Warriors, the one that Erin Hunter wrote, correct?

Kenzie Reeves: Yes, Yeah! Oh, my God, I feel so embarrassed….

Don Juan DeMarko: Darlin’ you are talking to a guy whose hero is a video game character, I should be the embarrassed one. At least you got literature. (We both share a massive laugh.) Also, I have met her a few times through my day job.

Kenzie Reeves: Oh my God! Tell her I am a huge fan! I have loved those books since I was so young. They mean so much to me. I was going through the airport the other day, which is a performer's normal routine and I simply had one of those books by my side to keep me company throughout the layovers and the time in the air. That is how much I really love her work. The story that comes to mind was that I was waiting in an airport the other day and I was reading one of the books. I think it was the first book that I was reading, and I was sitting next to this little girl. As I was sitting and reading, I would look up from time to time and I noticed that she was smiling at me. So, when I look up the second time and smile back at her she says, “I like that book too!” I tell her, “me too.” (We both gently laugh at such a heartwarming story. My mind was simply blown beyond words after this, as if it was not before with Kenzie.)

Don Juan DeMarko: I love it!

Kenzie Reeves: That was such a trip. Seeing that kid react the way she did, it made me remember reading it the first time. I was on the bus and I would read that book every day.

Don Juan DeMarko: Dude, I love it. Now the reason that I asked you this, you are such a damn good actor, that I had to find out who it was that inspired you. Most great actors are always inspired by fictional characters and after seeing you really crank out some amazing characters on screen, I had to find out whose yours was, your favorite one anyway.

Kenzie Reeves: I think I know where you are going with this. When I act, I usually draw my inspiration from the times that I have watched movies. I do not usually have a specific person in mind. If you are ever on set with me, you will see me with my script in hand going over everything. It is hard to explain how I visualize the character and see myself playing a part. I will literally be saying these words out loud trying to find myself and how I can become what the director or writer wants me to be with what they have put in this script. It is always interesting to find out how that character speaks, and I mean with more than just words. I try to find their body language. That is why I always take my time with the lines. So, for anyone who has ever done a scene with me, now you know where I am coming from, what my process is. Getting to become that character and think of what I would say and what I would do in that situation, I grow more and more fond of it with every scene I do. I really get into it. I will go as far as to talk like my character whenever I get onto a set. I have had a few times where I have been on set and I am playing this part that requires me to get emotional. I had a crew member tell me hello and I spoke back to them in this deep, baritone voice, “hi.” (We share another laugh) It may sound funny but that is what I do love about becoming a character.

Don Juan DeMarko: I think that is cool as hell Kenzie. That is the mark of a true actor. That is what method acting is. You become that part, you fully take on the persona of what you are playing. Only the most gifted artists can do that. My goodness woman, whatever you are doing, do not stop. You are knocking them dead with each and every role.

Kenzie Reeves: That is something I really like that the industry is going back to. We are making films that have these amazing characters, stories and so much more in them. I have gotten to talk to a few veteran performers, and I love the stories about how films were done back in the day. They took their acting very seriously and they put a lot of themselves into each film. I hope that we continue this trend of getting back to that. One of the coolest things I see everyday Don is that there are people putting their own twists on things, they are making something original. I think that there is nothing better than seeing the way that someone interprets things. I think that the things we have been seeing in porn these last couple of years are leaps and bounds over anything that I ever expected to be a part of when I first got into this industry.

Don Juan DeMarko: I think so too. You know, not to change the subject on you totally but when you wrote me this, I had to ask you about it and it has been on my mind since day one and we first said hello to each other. When you were telling me that this business speaks to you and that this is the place that you want to be, I have wondered, what does sexuality mean to you? You have been on my mind since you wrote to me that this business allows you to be yourself. I think there is nothing more beautiful on earth than getting to know one’s self. I would just love for you to talk more about that. I feel the same way that you do, that this business is me in every way.

Kenzie Reeves: Um, I grew up Mormon. So, I was very, very repressed. We were not even allowed to have soda in the house. (I interrupt her with a DAMN!) Yeah, curfew was five o’clock. It is a very strict standard of life and living. I did not even lose my vaginal virginity until I was seventeen. You have no idea how much is different. Let’s just say this Don, most girls who come into the world from how I grew up, they do not even know what a tampon is. Because it is a sin to use them. I mean this is some very “serious” standards of living. That is the best way that I can put it. I started rebelling when I was about fourteen. I can remember it so vividly, one of the biggest moments where I started to discover who I am. I was at church camp. This was something that we did every summer. There was a girl there that I met from this different ministry, parish or denomination. I forget what the exact terminology is for it. She was from a different part of the state as well and like me, she was forced to be there. We started to become friends. We had the basics in common. There was one night where the whole camp was gathered, and we snuck off and she had told me that she had some weed. Here I am, never done anything like this in my life, so I said, “OK, I am down.” We started to really trust one another with who we are Don. She began to tell me that she had just broken up with her girlfriend and me, being the sheltered kid I was, who did not even have internet access. When we were in elementary school, we actually learned everything from books, there was no internet, no studying with Google, we were so sheltered. So, when this girl is telling me things like, “I just broke up with my girlfriend.” My first reaction is “whaaaaaaaaat?” I was fourteen and that was massive. I had gotten curious and I asked her, “what was it like to be with another girl?” Things went down the way that you think that they would. One thing led to another and the next thing you know we're in mid-kiss and her camp counselor walks in. There was literally almost twenty minutes of silence. Needless to say, that I never went back to that camp. My family took it very hard. My grandmother, who is still very close to me to this day, she took it very hard. I do not think that she could understand everything that was happening. My family was not used to this “new age style of life that was being thrust upon them.

My Grandmother, she is as old school as it gets and she took me aside and she told me that “this will be the biggest sin of all if you get married to a woman and if you do, I am not coming to the wedding.” It was right then and there I had this epiphany. Why couldn’t I like both? So, the day that I turned eighteen, I quit my job and the next night I became a stripper. Then from there, my family began to be a little more OK with my sexuality but just growing up in a household where you stayed married to one person and when you had sex for pleasure that was a sin. That is very hard to swallow when you discover other things, especially if they are things that tell you who you are as a person. My grandmother, she had seventeen children.

Don Juan DeMarko: Damn that is a trip, we come from such similar ways of being brought up. My grandmother, she had fifteen children.

Kenzie Reeves: Oh, so you know all about the big family and what that comes with. Are you Mormon too?

Don Juan DeMarko: No sweetheart I am very close, I am Roman Catholic. My Grandparents were the World War Two, greatest generation crowd. Well, the problem with that crowd is that the men, they were not the greatest of people, especially mixed with the Catholic religion. I think my Grandmother spent twenty-two years pregnant. I could not imagine. The Catholicism, the only time that a man and woman can enjoy themselves during sex is if they were having children.

Kenzie Reeves: Yeah, that is how I feel with my Grandmother. I think that they went through the same thing. That is so crazy!

Don Juan DeMarko: I did know that you were a Mormon, I loved researching you as we were getting this project rolling. You have led a very wonderful life. You have seen many things at an early age that few get to. I do not think people know what it is like to grow up in households like ours. Especially with you. I mean not having soda, that is a trip! You know I was going to save this question for last, but I am a man who has studied theology. I have studied the Mormon religion with a lot of passion. Being that I was born Catholic, I still am Catholic I see so much spirituality in you as a human being. I saw that from second one. When I was writing this question, I could feel your aura within the words. I think that is who you are as a person dude and that why I am dying to ask you this. I felt this beautiful, loving human being within the things you wrote to me and that is where this question formed. I would love to know, what is it about our industry that the religious zealots or bible thumpers miss about our industry when they only look on the surface?

Kenzie Reeves: You know, I think that everyone is different. You know, me coming from the family that I do, I have made it out pretty plain and simple for them. My grandmother, she is my best friend, she is like my Mother. I will sing You are My Sunshine to her. (Awwww that is so beautiful.) It does not matter where I am. If I am with a bunch of friends, or I am on a date, or I am getting ready to go to bed. I will stop everything that I am doing, I do not care, she is my number one.

I did lay it out to them when everything started to take shape in the business. I said to them. “You guys are my family. You said that you love me, and love is unconditional.” I think many people miss that about life, not just in the industry. When you love someone, you love them unconditionally, that is what love is.

You accept them for who they are and everything that they do. One of the best choices I made was that I live my life for no one else but myself. That is something that I told my family from the first day of pursuing my dreams in this industry and they can either accept it or not. That is something that is hard for every performer to face.

My family, they can choose to take whichever side they wish to at some point. It takes the right amount of compromise. I have decided that when I am with my family, that I will respect their ways and methods and I tone down my wardrobe with them.

I choose to dress a certain way and it is not something that I have to think about either. That is just what you do for people that you love. I respect that there are boundaries in the world and my family is no different than any other. They also give up certain things and ways and that has shown me that anyone can accept what we do for a living. It always depends on how open-minded you are willing to be and maybe that is what keeps those people who don’t understand this industry from seeing the people within it.

Don Juan DeMarko: I so agree. Damn Kenzie, that is the most beautiful statement that I have ever heard. That is the truth of what and who we are in this business. If you open your mind to sexuality the possibilities are endless as to where a person’s life can go. I have always been like and forgive me, I can only imagine you are thinking, “who is interviewing who mother fucker.” (She laughs the sweetest laugh. She has this happiness behind her laugh. It is not innocence, although some people would call it that who did not know better.) Sexuality has always been who I am, from day one. The first time I ever came across that beautiful creature known as a woman, I was just in awe! I have never been able to take my mind off of her majesty, her beauty, her thoughts, her being and everything else. Then, when you are older and you discover that you are hypersexual, it is something that becomes so confusing, especially when a person is young. You must embrace it, you must talk about, you can never bury it. That creates scares and cancer within the body in many, many ways I believe.

Kenzie Reeves: Oh, my God, I know. I have had times when I am with someone and we are just going at it and every other instant and I am telling them to give me more.

Don Juan DeMarko: I think you will agree with this. The world would be a far better place if people took time to unlock their own sexuality and discover who they truly are. The most natural instinct in life is sexuality. It is just as natural as eating, sleeping, etc.

Kenzie Reeves: Exactly, exactly. See, I am one of those people who says that I would make the greatest sugar daddy ever! I give the greatest presents ever! I love giving things to people. I love making people happy. One of the things I love most in life is giving someone something and seeing their reactions of happiness. There is something that just really hits me hard emotionally when I see someone react with happiness. I think maybe that is what makes me such a sexual person. Because naturally, not just with sex but with anything that can potentially feel good, no matter if it is with a male or a female. Someone that I am dating, a person that is just a friend or even a family member. It brings me so much happiness to bring them happiness. Maybe that is the secret behind sex and life, who knows?

Don Juan DeMarko: Oh, my God, so here is the best part of Christmas for me! It has never been about getting anything. I never want anything for Christmas. Whenever people ask me, I always tell them, “I am just not a gift-receiving kind of guy anymore.” I can not say that I have always been this way but know that I have become a man it is something that is truly one of the biggest parts of my character. I guess I just like people smiling more than anything. I had my family ask me a silly question when I dated a gal in the industry for the first time. They asked, “how can you enjoy or even tolerate seeing your girl with other people.” My answer is and always will be, I love seeing her smile and seeing her be happy no matter what that is, a trip to the movies, or a passionate evening at home with me or someone else. They think that I am watching other parts of her body. Little do they know, I am watching her smile.

Kenzie Reeves: Awwwwwww that is the most inspiring thing that I have ever heard. That is so sweet. Being a young adult, I see kids nowadays and I think about things like my family at Christmas. It was awful. There were kids who were giving my grandmother a hard time and she was doing the best that she can.

Don Juan DeMarko: I fucking love that you said you give presents to make people smile. You gave my sweet, charming side validity there. In all my thirty plus years, that is one of the coolest tales I have ever heard. Giving gifts to bring out the warmth in others. To show them warmth. You are a gem sweetheart. I think that you get the just of helping people because it is the right thing to do and that giving gifts is to spread happiness. Never heard anyone express it the way that you did just now.

Kenzie Reeves: I feel you. I have a hard time with this at times because kids in today's world seem to focus so much on what is on their Christmas list and less about what events and holidays like that are about. There are so many holidays that seem to have become so materialistic because we are leaving out what the true essence of any holiday is. Remembrance, togetherness, love. That is why we do those things to share happiness with those you love. Christmas just passing I think a lot of people did forget that Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones and not about how many gifts you got off that wish list. I think that is why I gravitate more to holidays like Thanksgiving. That is my favorite holiday because it is the least materialistic. Eating food, sitting down with those you love and being thankful for everything you have. That is what I look forward to.

With that folks, we end part two as this beauty prepares for AVN 2019 where she is nominated for Best New Starlet and Best Actress in a Feature Film. I think after you have read this part of Kenzie’s story you will see that the women of this industry, especially the next generation of stars, has something that critics of sex work, porn stars and adult entertainers simply never thought possible. A sight for what matters most in life and courage to follow their own hearts even when others do not give them the support that so many takes for granted. This is not a pity story because the best aspect of this interview is that Kenzie has done this all on her own. She has built up a brand within herself that will be celebrated for years to come as she grows as a woman, a business person, and an actor. Hard work like this should be celebrated not shunned and Kenzie showed something that everyone within this industry knows. The women in this business, are some of the strongest in the world. Stay tuned for Part Three….