The XCritic Interview: Maitland Ward

April 2, 2020
DEMARKO

Once upon a time in Hollywood there was such a thing as writers coming over to both sides of where the pendulum swings in entertainment. Fantasy, erotica, drama, everything. In the eighties and the nineties, there were some of the biggest names and brightest eyes working within the confines of the adult film industry. It was a common thing for someone to write a script for a Vivid feature, then turn around and have a table reading for a soap opera the next day. That was Hollywood as we knew it. Somewhere along the line, everything changed. Now, I have heard some people say that it is all due to the writers' strike that hit the film world like a massive earthquake and shook the foundations of every form of cinema. The most affected? The adult world if you ask me. The new millennium has brought so much into the world of adult entertainment. Some of it good, some of it bad. I know no one enjoys having their content stolen before it even seems to get published and that is in every form of entertainment as well not just ours. That is a sample of the bad but let's talk about the good. One of the best of things has been this recent cast of heroes who are the superstars of the adult industry. Angela White, Riley Reid. Kayden Kross to name a few. These women have created a culture of sex-positive views that have been eye-opening for both men and women across the globe. Add that into the social fabric that has seen the rise of “Me Too” and the playing field being evened for women in terms of pay and so much more. What I think was forgotten within this rise has been the empowered women of the adult world who have shown that a woman beauty, her sexiness are something to be celebrated not held back. Enter Maitland Ward. Now, we are not going to go into “mainstream” or even “adult” in this article and interview. This is a tale about an actor. A woman whose sexuality has been something that is just as powerful as her comedy styling and dramatic ambiance within the world of film and television. Maitland Ward looks to show the world, that moving her powers over to the adult side of things was more than just a career move it was an evolution of her art, character and thoughts. This was something that had always been apart of her, as we have seen in many nationally printed publications covering her new career path in acting. What it has created, is something that she shows the entire world that she is an ambassador for two views of women, wonder, beauty and sex appeal within various forms of entertainment but not as a porn star, or even a comedian or a Cosplayer or writer but simply as an actor. That is the title that fits. That is who she truly is is and as this interview will show, she is looking to show the planet not only the beauty of woman but the freedom that comes from the most natural of things…...sex, sexuality and a woman's path to true equality and empowerment.

Don Juan: Madam, I love the sex positivity that you have brought to the table with your arrival within this industry. I am a person who firmly believes in it. You and I share this within the entire progression of our lives and careers. As I began the research of my subject for this interview, I loved discovering how you spoke of the transition into adult as being something positive and powerful for your career. I firmly believe the same thing. As a writer and a human being. I think so many do not understand the power of sexuality.

Maitland Ward: Yes, right, exactly! I totally believe that, totally!

Don Juan: It is nice to see a woman like you in the limelight. To see another shade of beauty that is you within this industry is wonderful. My peers at the day job as a writer I see it every day. Everyone talks about the business and I like that you are one of the people that is inspiring that kind ofconversation with so many different types of people not just fans of the adult world. You being in that spotlight is quite lovely I must say.

Maitland Ward: Oh thank you, I appreciate that, I really do. I try to be positive about anything but being sex-positive is very important to me. I know exactly what you are saying because people outside the adult film industry or people who don’t engage in their own sexuality try to twist that sometimes. You have to always keep doing your thing and staying positive, not going down in the gutter with people who want to take you down with them. You know, ruin what is and can be for you.

Don Juan: You said it. There is so much wonder and beauty within this business. I think you, Angela and Kayden are just going to start something so wonderful with just the empowerment of women and sexuality is the key.

Maitland Ward: I think it is amazing that so many women are in charge in porn opposed to mainstream, which is just a fantastic thing. I think there should be more stories in the mainstream press about that factor, about how liberating the industry is for women and how empowering it is. I think that this is a story that must be viewed by a broader audience.

Don Juan: A truth beyond words. First things first, I love that you are a career actress, an actor. You know years ago, getting out of college, I moved to the City of Angels and I simply fell in love with Hollywood, the industry and the people. I mean this, in every business that I have been in I have met the most wonderful people, the most wonderful men and women. They are empowered, like you just said. That is what describes them the best. The women get to show off not just the beauty of their body but the beauty of their minds and beings.

Maitland Ward: Yes, that is what is really amazing. That it has transformed into something so artistic and empowering. It is something so different then people expect. Now, if a person has preconceived notions, then you have to try and slap them in the face with that and say, “no, this is how it really is.”

Don Juan: My goodness, I could talk to you for four and a half hours, I kid you not. We see eye to eye on so many things. Now, to get things rolling, can you tell all the XCritic readers who do not know, how did you find your way over to this side of entertainment?

Maitland Ward: I have to say the way that I got into this side of entertainment is a little unique. This has always been a personal journey of mine that I was taking in with the public. Years ago, I had gotten out of the business for a while.

I moved to New York for a while, I studied, I started screenwriting, I did theater. I did a lot of different things with my time there. I developed a renewed interest in my persona. It started again when the show Girl Meets World was starting up.

It was a spin off from Boy Meets World and the press was really beginning to get excited about it. I began talking with the cast and everything was cool. It was then that I started to go to a lot of these events like Comic-Con and events along that nature. Then all of a sudden, there started this interest in seeing photos of me in all these costumes from fans.

I had this whole kind of Cosplay evolution too because that was such a big part of my personality. About five years ago, I had a photographer say to me, “you should dress up like slave Leia and sexy version of Robin from Batman. I loved Star Wars and I said, “I am going to do this.” I really did not know that it would go everywhere and create this buzz all over the world.

When I was doing all this Cosplay, something spoke to the exhibitionist at heart. It spoke to me in ways that that made the costumes just tap into my sexuality and the power of sexuality. From then on, that was always something that was a part of my costumes. From there it evolved once again. I started doing things like body paint for my fans and I was getting kicked off of Snap-chat because there was a shadow of my nipple. There was always something. Then, two years ago my fans told me that I should start selling content. Which was just nudes at the beginning and my progression was slow and I did not know if anybody was going to be interested. I was having fun and I had accumulated a nice fan base from everything that I was doing. It was from there that I started a Patreon account and I did not really mention it to my fans at all and overnight, I had twenty-five people on board without even saying a word. Then, as I began to mention it to my fans, I literally had twenty-five hundred fans sign up. I was the number one adult oriented artist on Patreon, of course, they were only a bit more than just nudes. So, Along the way, this enabled me to put more money into productions that I wanted to do. I had always wanted to do a sexually empowered Cosplay as a comic book character and I was staying busy with making that thought come to life.

There were a lot of different things that I was trying for the first time. It was then that I said to myself, "why not do some girl/girl stuff?" It is something that's fun and I had always wanted to do it. So I decided to explore that element of things. I was making videos of that and then it evolved into doing stuff with guys. It was all my authentic journey all the way. I was really fortunate to do it with professionals who were very experienced. I really had a great time. I was very lucky and this was right around the same time that I met Elle Alexandra. She and I did, well I was looking for someone to do just a cute little photo-shoot for International Kiss a Ginger Day. A friend of mine knew her and she was interested. We literally did the cutest “Kiss a Ginger.” It wasn’t super sexual, we were just nude all over each other. It wasn’t like porn. It was so much fun. She was telling me after we finished the shoot, “you are going to do something someday.” I told her “really?” She said, “yes, you are too comfortable doing stuff." I wasn’t really thinking about it at that time but she then introduced me to some people and that was the way that I got to know different performers. So, I was lucky when I started to do boy/girl so much so that I was able to start with people like Isiah Maxwell and Danny Mountain. I did a ton of stuff with that and it was their professionalism that I really learned from and grew with. That led to working with a lot of great girls who were so amazing They too were such professionals. Then, over types professional people in the industry started to approach me. It was during this time that Vixen approached me to do Blacked and my interest really peaked. I really wanted to work with them because I had seen their work before and it was such high quality. Everything they did was so beautiful to me. I loved their photos, I loved the way that they filmed their scenes. It was my vision of having really high-end art mixed with hot sex and that has always been my thing.

I had always thought that would be the best way to incorporate a story and really hot sex. A story that is so good, that it would rival things that you would see on television or in the movies. I wanted to make something that no matter what, you wanted to finish watching the story and see how it unfolds. I wanted to create sex that is super hot and a story that fans would like as well and would tune in to watch both. That was a vision of mine and I did the scene for Blacked called Unprofessional and it blew up. On Saturday, all of these are dates, I can so easily remember. On the Saturday that my scene was released, it started to begin breaking records and more. It was just really wonderful and I was really excited about that. I guess at that time Kayden had begun filming on Drive and they had to replace the co-star of Angela White’s. I knew nothing about this but that Monday morning, the one right after my scenes release, Kayden came to me and said that she needed somebody who can act and somebody who was good. They had told Kayden to “meet with Maitland.” She literally said, “who is Maitland?" Because she did not know me. She did later on tell me that she did watch Boy Meets World but she just did not put it together. She said that she used to watch it after school.

Don Juan: I love it!

Maitland Ward: I know, I know right! So we met at a coffee shop. We literally went to a Starbucks. She got in touch with me and I got the script and I remember reading it and the first thought that went off in my head was that this is not porn, this is an actual film. This is an actual film script. I said to myself, "this is exactly what I wanted." This is exactly what I was looking for and it just literally fell right into my lap. So we had the meet-up, we talked at Starbucks about everything there was to the role and by the end of the day, we had this wonderful script that led us to agree that we were going to start filming and there we had it. Eight days later we started on it and then, when everything was finished, when Drive was released, it all hit me then. I mean I was trending number one over everything, all day in America. Even over Britney’s heart attack. It was insane. It had a hundred and eighty outlets around the world covering just that film, so it just exploded and I am so happy that it did. It is just such a good film. Then, shortly after that, Kayden and I were thinking about making more stuff like this. We both want to take things mainstream, we both want to take things to the highest level that porn has ever been. We want to make others have that same passion for hot art like we have. So, that was when they drew up a contract for me to be the exclusive contract girl at Deeper and to be the face of Deeper and of course, that included the wonders of the Vixen brand as well. It really has been an exciting, whirlwind of a time.

Then on top of all this, the award season was just so exciting. It was such an honor to be recognized like that. It was just a really incredible time.

Don Juan: Oh, I have to tell you, I loved your dress at AVN woman, wow! (Insert wolf whistle.)

Maitland Ward: Oh why thank you. It was actually between two dresses that I was running all over the place with at the awards show. I put that one on in the suite. It was me, Kayden, the make-up artists and everything going on in a crazy fashion. They were lucky that we made it down when we did. During all this, they turn and look at me and say, “no, you are wearing that one.” The other one was so cute it was like blue velvet. I promise, I will wear that at some point this summer.

Don Juan: Yes, please do! My crew and I were tied up getting things going with Emma Hix and Evil Angel during AVN, we were doing this wonderful documentary profile with her for the weekend and I saw you from afar but I did not have time to come up and say hello myself in person. Oh my goodness, you were ravishing! I love AVN weekend. There is so much beauty. I love getting to see all you ladies get to look so glamorous. I love fashion and you performers have such an amazing sense of it. Especially in this industry.

Maitland Ward: Yes, it was my first one so I was just so overwhelmed by everything. It was so exciting and it was just so much fun. It was great. I look forward to doing it again next year.

Don Juan: Yes, this time I will battle through the sea of humanity so I can walk up to you and say hello in person and give a great big hug.

Maitland Ward: YES! Please do! That will be cool!

Don Juan: I love that you told the story of Drive. That was such an epic film. I love that you are showcasing the wonderful acting and storytelling that exists in this industry. I think a lot of the actors in this business and I say this as a man who began promo and creation as a career in professional wrestling years ago. I am used to the fans only ever seeing the performer. I think that is true to a certain extent in all forms of entertainment but in porn and wrestling, the fans believe that you are only the characters you play, all the time. You are changing that perception. I would see men in bars when we were on the road and these big, burly men would try to beat the shit out of them because of what they saw on TV. I think you guys get a form of the same narrow view by fans. That can not be easy to deal with all the time.

Maitland Ward: Yes, you know what? I have actually had something very touching happen at AVN. I had some of the younger actresses come up to me and they would say, “thank you so much, I really feel like I can perhaos have a chance to cross over and do other things and show my acting ability.” They were telling me how they were now able to put more into their scenes and I think that is so wonderful. It really touched my heart. It also was so interesting getting to see how it opened up the depth of what I was doing and what I believed in. I was simply expressing myself and showing authentically what I thought and felt with what I wanted from the industry. I think that there are a lot of other people out there who want the same thing from the industry and I want everybody to be walking down the same avenues of creation. I want to see people writing, directing, creating and showing what they are truly capable of. It is really an exciting time. I see everyone upping their game. I think that we are right there on the cusp of hitting mainstream with a full-on adult film that is going to be a success. I am talking about success that is both inside and outside of porn.

Don Juan: Oh yes! The importance of that statement is massive. I love how you are walking into each question here, you are making it so easy.

Maitland Ward: We are on the same wavelength. (She makes me laugh a laugh I have not bellowed in a while. It is amazing to speak with a performer who flows with the speed like I do. Without sounding like a cocky bastard, that is something that very few people can do. You see a depth and intelligence in every word, joke, coincidence and action. That is the only way I can describe the might of Mrs. Baxter. There is vigor in what she speaks of. She is a woman who has looked at what this industry is and is setting an example for others and that power is in her ever word.)

Don Juan: The progression into mainstream, I have always loved the idea. It is a passion that is not just about things like Playboy, Cinemax, Showtime and AVN. No, it is something much bigger that I think we are capable of. I think of films like Basic Instinct, like Paul Verhoeven used to make. Films that showed woman in her beauty and might and her power mixed so much more. Then, seeing sex and sexuality used to create drama, thrills, and suspense. That is what we can do in this business and I firmly believe that. Sexuality is so powerful and natural. It transitions into something more if we allow it to.

Maitland Ward: Yes, I agree. There is so much shame and there is so much stigma and that is what is hurting people in the industry, not the content they are making. I see that so, so much. It is the outside public that needs to be educated and shown. I don’t know, maybe because it is that they trust me more because they quote, unquote see me coming from “mainstream” They seem to be able to ask me more questions and perhaps they feel more comfortable than opposed to a porn star who has only done porn. It is an interesting phenomenon. Because I have journalists who are interested and they feel like they can talk to me through the public because I think they feel that the public already knows me now. I don’t know, it is a cool thing though. That is why I try to be so positive and be a light in the industry like that. Because it is important for people to see porn in that positive light and I think that a lot of people in the past that have gotten attention from sex tapes in porn, most of them, those actors who have gotten attention from sex tapes and I am offended by them because those films are usually so bad and they are not good sexual performers. They are just using it to get attention and I really hate that. I do not like being compared to an actress who did a sex tape. I am not doing a sex tape I am making actual productions and films. I mean yes, I do make sexual creations for my OnlyFans and things like that but that is different. Those are actually professionally produced creations. Along the way, on my journey, I did not realize that I would enjoy sexual performance as much as I do. I really love it. It was something inside of me that I just needed to get out. That is why I have just been exploring everything and anything and I think that is why this journey took me to where I am today. I just let the things go that were holding me back from experiencing the things that I wanted to.

Don Juan: No, it is just the truth. I have said this to Jenna Sativa, a woman who is a commanding actor and a performer whose art was beautiful and still is in every take. I would always tell her about theater and I love theater. I grew up in New York.

Maitland Ward: Me too, I love theater.

Don Juan: Oh, I know, I can not wait to chat about it with you.

Maitland Ward: I grew up out here in California but I lived in New York and I love theater Oh my God!

Don Juan: I tell so many of the actors in the business, “you are doing theater, you're doing the same thing you would be doing on a sound-stage, the only difference is you can not put your hands in your pockets when you are not feeling the dialogue.”

Maitland Ward: That is funny. It is so true.

Don Juan: Oh, I know and darlin’ I really have to say, bless you in following up with who you are and showing these amazing actors that they have the passion, the art within them already. They don’t have enough people to say that to them. You truly are a link that sends the wonder of this industry to new corners of society's mind and thoughts. I also see you as that person who is open to the “vanilla” civilians of the world. So they have an outlet to confess who they are and what they feel about sexuality.That is so amazing.

Maitland Ward: Yes, I love that I have that vibe with them where they feel they can ask me a question. It is so hard to describe, it is such a funny thing. It is just something that is really cool if I can help out in any way with that.

Don Juan: I agree. I am the same way. When I was working in Nashville a few years back, my career has always been split between publishing and the industry. Every time I would have people in the publishing world come up and whisper into my ear if the coast was clear, “Is it OK, that I do this, or this.” My answer was always, “yes, it makes you as normal as can be.”

Maitland Ward: Yes, I do the same thing and have experienced that very conversation. I have had friends that I used to go to school with and the first thing they say to me, “is it OK that we talk about this?” My reaction always is, “Yes! Don’t whisper, this is not a shameful thing. I am proud of it.” I tell them not to act like that, do not act like it is a stigma. I have to tell you, I am seeing such a generational shift because I see girls, especially women, guys have always enjoyed porn. Women, these younger women are so open to it and they are proud of it. They are so supportive. The older women, they take a step back when dealing with porn and it should not be this way. Back in the ’70s, there was sex trafficking and all these seedy men watching orgies and drugging people up. I am like NO! It is a really weird thing to explain to somebody. An older woman compared to a woman in her twenties, she is like, “this is awesome, you are empowering everybody.” That is what we need so desperately in the world right now and I really see that shift occurring. I didn’t expect that. I did not expect to see that kind of positivity that I also got from the press in general. I mean of course they have big headlines to get readers. "Maitland Does Porn" and all this other stuff but in general, everything was very positive. They were not speaking down, they were not coming at me with a horrible attitude of shame saying, “this is filthy, oh my God can you believe it!” I have seen some people really write some very positive articles. It has been amazing to open so many minds to that.

Don Juan: It is and once again you walk into the next question. Bless you. I honestly learned the power of this business before I got into it. I don’t think that most people in general, know a woman’s beauty in very many forms. To be able to exemplify it, it is so powerful. This is the big question in this interview. I had to ask you, due to not just your career as an actor but as a positive woman who has seen more than many of us combined. Why do you think that sex has been something that has been used to tell women across the world that they can not be sexy, that they can not be adventurous. Do you think that is the way that the world has hindered women's growth throughout history? I would love to hear your opinion.

Maitland Ward: You know, this is something we were talking about at AVN. It is something I do believe that was designed to put a woman in her place. Especially within so many places and times in our society. If you empower a woman’s sexuality, she (woman) is not owned by one man. There is this big emphasis put on virginity and a man owning his woman and what is so crazy, a man’s sexuality is always celebrated. They never get on male porn stars for being whores. Do they berate them? Do they rape them? Do they mistreat them? The male’s sexuality is much more celebrated. The man will be the one to get a nod and be told, “hey look, he is getting all the girls.” Women very much want to control their sexuality and if you do not give them that they do not have power over you. I think throughout time they have done anything and everything that they can to keep that down and it is a weird thing because it is the “in” thing to do. You have very liberal people and very conservative people in different places that are both fighting against porn. It is a weird thing that they connect on something like that. It is just like some of the ultra-conservative feminist groups who are anti-sex worker. How can you be an anti-sex worker if you are trying to empower women? Having such a belief is giving men the power, it is not doing anything for women. It takes so much away from women. It is such a bizarre thing.

Then of course, you have the fundamentalists. I think America is always going to have this puritanical kind of oppression. It is a view where sex is very shameful and very detrimental to women. Then, when you question that reasoning and ask “why are you ashamed of it?” Their answer is always that they don’t know, they just don’t really know. I think that conversation, the more and more that we engage in conversation, the more that can come into the broader public. It is then that I think the stigmas that exist will begin to be lifted and I think that it has already begun when I see these young people being who they are and doing what they are doing. I think that is because they have grown up with it on the internet. They see people on social media. I think that the world in ten years will have these people grown up even more and I see that stigma disappearing. I do not even see it at all within these young women and that means that right now, we are on the cusp of having it become mainstream entertainment. Look at these productions. All the powerful women are a big part of these massive creations. We are right there and I am so excited to be here and to be able to see the tipping point of it. It is exciting and I hope that everywhere, these young girls coming into porn say to themselves “I can be sexually a performer and an actress and it does not have to be just either-or. You are an actress and I want to tell people who get told, “do you want to be a porn star or an entertainer?” I want them to be able to say, “I am not a porn star or a mainstream person. I am an actress," plain and simple, that is it. I think that can be a movement, are you a performer? No, you are an actor!

With that, we go to intermission. If there is one thing I could say about getting to know the amazing Maitland Ward as a writer who gets to finally meet his subject that he has sought after for many moons, it is that she is everything that they say she is and quadruple of what her fans rave about in mass. In our next chapter of conversation, we get to see an in depth look at Deeper.com and her latest releases. In the production Secretary we see her paired up with industry icon Riley Reid. What I find so fascinating is that what Maitland is bringing to the table is far greater than anything we may have ever seen and I am not just talking in adult films. I am talking within all the world of entertainment. In the beginning of her television career, Maitland was known as this beauty who put on this booty shaking performance in an episode of Boy Meets World where people were introduced, in the most candid and sexy way to the wonders of seduction, sexiness and the allure that is woman. It is something that speaks to a generation of people much how Phoebe Cates did in everyone's pool fantasy in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What we are now discovering, is that what Mrs. Ward has also created in that unforgettable scene was not something false, or phony like some may have thought it to be only the ways of a great actress. In fact I think we now know it was a woman who was discovering the power of her own beauty and turning it into an art form. Discovering it was a way to release her inner strength. The same applies to her roles in the adult world. What Mrs. Ward is doing, is showing us that the things that create joy, that create happiness and most of all equality within human culture are things that can not be contained or bottled up any longer, especially within women. The beauty of woman can not be held back or accommodated by suppressing means any longer. If you are to watch any of her films after this and I suggest you do, you will see she brings a reality to everything she does sexually, artistically and more. Her look, her warmth, her passion and her want is something that I believe many people will be able to relate to noth men and women. As we prepare for a new future ahead of us, the one thing that is the silver lining to a pandemic that is spreading across planet is a new look at what the true essence of beauty and sexuality is within the the females across the earth and acceptance that I see within Maitland Ward and those she works with creating substance and knowledge in the hearts and minds of every human being brave enough to see it in themselves and discover the power of industry. The power of erotica and sexuality which truly is a power already within them.