The XCritic Interview: Maitland Ward

April 20, 2020
DEMARKO

What is it that makes a person want to create change? Is it when a human being has faced adversity? Or perhaps it is when they wish to pay it forward to others who come after them as someone did for them? No matter what the reason, the singular strength or characteristic this hero must have in order to create change is heart. No matter if it is a “Swed” in Utah in the "year of our lord 1915," or if it is a beautiful woman who went on to become a piece of our country's monetary system. I mean literally, due to her passion for others and a love that could not be silenced in 1872. Heart is being able to take scrutiny, pain, false accusations and most of all then become a bridge for those too weak to cross on their own, to a better side of the river that has yet to be discovered. This, is Mrs. Maitland Ward. We touched a bit in part one of this interview on her desire to bring more recognition to the actors of the adult film world. Ending an age-long bias that has kept so many people, women especially, who are on the outside looking in, down and never allowed to explore their sexual instincts that are a part of the code in their DNA. No matter how powerful the urge is within them to let this powerful force out and evolve into what it needs to be. For Maitland Ward, her sexual evolution is one that includes art, freedom, expression, thought and intimacy. As a woman whose goal it is to break down that wall of blinding, “mainstream” beliefs, that the people of this industry are anything less than fine actors, models and performers she leads by example. Then her passion evolved and led her to a string of awards at AVN 2020. A powerful accomplishment for a woman who is just getting started exploring her sexual evolution in the form of film and art. Here in part two, we discover what she has applied that powerful heart to within the industry, beginning to create change the best way she knows how. By doing what she loves and showing others a power within.

Don Juan: Oh, ………... I love you woman! (Now, as we begin part two, Maitland has just spoken a quote that I will never forget for the rest of my days. "I am not mainstream, I am not a porn star. I am an actress." We were speaking of the stigma adult actors face and what it is that our critics and nonbelievers see. She said a truth that I think will be this movement's calling card for many years to come.)

Maitland Ward: I think that is what our movement can be. "Do not say you are a performer, YOU ARE AN ACTOR!"

Don Juan: Madam, you have your first loyal patriarch right here to begin to spread the word as best that I can. You know, personally, this is something very meaningful to me being a man who was taught what love is by women. That is how I was raised by. I had a father, a grandfather. Or, should I say grandfathers. They all were men who are a part of a system that created the "me too" movement, sexual rights, gender rights, so on and so forth. I have seen what women go through on a daily basis to just make sure that day to day life keeps on going, moving forward, evolving. You all do so much and never get the credit or fair shake and it is even worse how actors in this industry are treated. I have a lot of my male fans and colleagues who get on me a bit for being so hard on the men of the world, but I have seen women nurture, raise and create the world we know and finally, finally you all are just beginning to get the half of the pie you have always deserved from day one. I think in this industry, maybe even more so, for being more than just the beautiful women that you are but getting the harshest criticism for opening people's eyes and making relationships evolve with your fellow human beings with what you do. My thought is, that as we progress, and we fight for the things you speak of, we will need you to simply keep us together. That is the truth. That is the beauty and power of woman.

Maitland Ward: Oh, that is great. Yeah. That is so wonderful. That is very sweet. I love that.

Don Juan: I grew up in a family that had a lot of macho men within it's ranks and that was my family lineage among males. Then on the side of the women of my family, their strengths were within dealing with such idiotic and crude men and also making everyone’s world around them one they could survive in. I saw them do that and never get the credit they deserved, or complain that life was hard doing all those things. That is the wonder of woman, that has always been what inspired me. I see that so powerfully within this industry. Now, seeing society change and women being allowed to be themselves, it is something worth fighting for. I hope it continues.

Maitland Ward: Yes, I do too. We just have to keep pushing for that. I would love to seek out these places and companies that are charitable and have an accepting message and place for sex workers within their cause and fight. That is something I would love to take part in too.

Don Juan: Yes, like I said madam, you have your first volunteer right here. (She gently laughs as I speak with my horrible Cockney accent but a calm peace is within that laugh. Maitland has a true desire and belief in the things she speaks of. It is so powerful in various ways and as we speak of this cause, you can feel that heart felt love she has for such things within that gentle laugh of hers.) So, I have been dying to ask you this one since I first saw you act and my goodness, how many years ago was it that I first saw you on the TV screen showing off that beautiful sexuality within the characters you created. I must ask the actor and the woman, what does sexuality mean to Maitland Ward?

Maitland Ward: Sexuality to me and I this is something that everyone has within them, no matter what way it is that you choose to express it within yourself. When it comes to sexuality, it is my firm belief that you should have the right to express it any way that you wish to personally experience it, as long as you are doing it safe and consensual. I think that people have suppressed their sexuality so much over the years that it has created so many more problems, for so many more people that it should not. I think that a lot of this kind of suppression we see these days, creates a pattern of abuse. It creates a cycle of dependency that is just as destructive to society as substance abuse is. Anytime that you are suppressing who you really are and the true power that is inside you, it is going to have a very negative effect on you and upon the world in general. So, I think I have always had this vision within me and this is something that we have been working on at Deeper. A comic book character, because that is something that I have so much belief in and passion for. Picture a superhero whose power that she uses for good is her sexuality. It is going to be a story where this superhero uses something that helps people in ways that are a super power. A true power within all of us.

Sexuality to me is just finding something that is deep within you and it is not just something that is deep within your psyche. This is also something that is on the outside. It is something that you do express with sex. It is something that is apart of your physical persona. Perhaps it is your whole way of simply being. Your sexuality, it is that fire within you. Whatever that is inside you and this is the most important part, you should always be able to express who you are freely. So, I think that sexuality is expression and freedom. That is the one thing out of many that women have not been able to act on because most have had it suppressed their whole lives. Women have many things that I think have been suppressed but their sexuality is the biggest. I don’t know how many women are ever allowed or are aware to find themselves with their sexuality. It is my hope that more and more women can do that. Men have found freedom from sexuality for as long as I can think, forever! Women have not had that same fair shake. Showing off your body is not something horrendous. Unless you are being forced into something and that is never good. I think that when a person wants to do that themselves, it is empowering. I think that these ultra feminists, that always push shaming as “the way to life.” No, that is not. I think because of that movement, we have been confused into believing as a society, that sexual release as a discovery, falls in the same category as forced sexuality, sex trafficking and abuse, when it is the furthest thing from it. Society sees these predators doing things like putting pictures of someone online against their own will and saying that is the sexual freedom we seek, have discovered and want to make people aware of within themselves. It is the furthest thing. It is the complete opposite. You are putting up pictures of your body, following your heart, your desire that is something empowering. Those who do that in the industry, those are powerful women. That is a confidence and art that everybody has appreciation for and at one point of another in life interacts with.

Don Juan: Oh, we see the same in this beautiful thing called sexuality. It is something that unlocks the human spirit.

Maitland Ward: Yes, I believe so too. It builds confidence in people.

Don Juan: I was blessed to see so many people, with many different looks of beauty and sexuality within my own family. I think it is even something more powerful than confidence. Not to get all spiritual on you but I think it is a way to see into the depth of all things in this world and I mean everything. I wish it were something we fully understood, so I could explain what it truly is. The only thing I do know, it is just that exact thing you said right there. It is a power within.

Maitland Ward: Yes, it is also something that I think connects all of us. Sexuality is something that connects people no matter what. It does not matter what you look like, where you come from, it is an energy, it is a force. This energy that is inside you and if you do not express that along with the other parts of who you are as a person, that is denying so much. It is something that is a service for yourself and for humanity you know? We all just need to be free. I believe this is something that we need to learn to accept in society over things in this world like violence and hate. Violence is accepted at a level ten times larger than sex is. Isn’t that weird?

Don Juan: You know, when I was watching a lot of your interviews. Brushing up on who Maitland Ward is and were she has seen. You always spoke of empowerment when people were allowed to look beautiful, look sexy. It is something that is so true. Men who are allowed to be athletes, they go through torture to achieve these amazing bodies and powerful physiques. Basically the sexual equal of a woman who stays fit, loves to wear clothes that show off that beautiful body and hard work. Men are never given the third degree for their body and sexuality. Women on the other hand get it right in the neck. Line up the model and the pro athlete. Both train to become something powerful and the woman is called a whore, a slut and every other name in the book. The male athlete, he is celebrated. Refereed to with terms of dedication and flattery.

Maitland Ward: Exactly, exactly! I have met some people who take it even further than that. We have become a culture that believes that if you are a woman who shows off her body, enjoys sex, enjoys sexual performance, then you are either on drugs, or worse, that we are insane, or that we have family issues. (Now, not to interrupt Maitland as the flow of this article is just so moving and powerful. I think this a perfect time for readers and critics to look at what Maitland said in part one of this interview. Mainstream sees the same types of ups and downs in modeling as the adult side does. Except the adult industry does not get the credit that she speaks of right here. Why is that?) It is this stereotype that you must be one or all of those things because you want to sexually perform. I just think that these views and judgments are the most incorrect and ill placed in the world. It is something that you have to fight against all the time.

Don Juan: Oh my goodness, it is as if we have a mind meld here. We walk once again perfectly into the next question. How has your sexuality as a woman blossomed and evolved while you have been in the adult industry? Let me rephrase that. How have you grown as a woman in this grand business of ours?

Maitland Ward: It is amazing how much confidence I have in my body and within myself and how much it has grown. Years ago, I would never picture myself confident enough to be naked in front of everyone. The idea of having sex in front of people would also fall into that view. The more that I did it, the more confident that I became. It really made me feel more powerful. Again, within society for years, not even unbeknownst to me there was that stigma within my mind and thoughts that you do not want to show anything about your body. I came from a kind of “Disney” background. What I mean by that is that I had to have this “princess” or “queen” type of presentation to the public and my fans. When I was on Boy Meets World, I was grateful to be on that show but it was not something that I wanted to do my entire life or career as an actor. I needed to progress myself as a human being. This whole journey through my professional career, if anyone has followed me since the beginning and within these last five to six years, especially in the last two years as I have been building my content they have seen my growth first hand. Anyone who has been on this voyage of discovery with me has seen the progression of how I have changed and grown. I love that they have seen me develop, adjust and just grow in ways that have become a part of my art, my being and honestly, porn has made me so much better as an actress. The truth is that in mainstream, I would never have been given the opportunities to read these meaty, wonderful pages of script and story that are serious monologues that are witty, charming, sexy, disturbing and the highest acting is required to be able to make Kayden’s characters come to life. It is such an honor to be able to play those kinds of characters and yes, those roles have all made me grow as an actor. To be able to explore sex, the human mind and the many forms of sexuality that is out there in the world, that has simply made me become a powerhouse of acting. It really has elevated my game on all levels and that is including production.

Don Juan: Once again, iron sharpens iron and what I think your statement does is show the world that we are performing with powerful blades of excellence when it comes to the actors of the business. Not some dull, worn knife that only looks good from a distance. I think it is a progression of our love for art and I would love to talk about that next. I have been looking at everything that has been coming out from Kayden and Deeper.com with you. Oh my stars, just the marketing is something beautiful! You guys are literally walking pieces of art.

Maitland Ward: Oh, thank you so much.

Don Juan: (As we share a wonderful laugh.) You are also speaking to a man who went to school to be a museum curator.

Maitland Ward: OK, now this explains a lot. (I can not describe the vibe of two like-minded spirits but it is funny how much each discussion is rich and plentiful. I do not know if most know this. But a lie detector, if you are ever put on one, measures the pause, the elevation of voice, the body temperature and blood pressure when a person is fibbing. A person who passes has no hitch to their statements as they are truth and require little to no thought. That is Maitland Ward. She has this flow because it is a truth that goes to the bone with her.)

Don Juan: So yes, you were being judged and yes, you passed the test! (We share another chuckle.)

Maitland Ward: I can not wait for you to see the feature that we have planned.

Don Juan: Oh my goodness, I am excited. I love films in general and cinema in the adult world is something that is beyond the lust, or like you said, this type of twisted view that you never see coming. I think it is the ultimate ride when it comes to entertainment. Like all other forms of film, especially when it is done well. When do you ever have that experience where you feel love, you feel passion. Then there is some humor mixed in, sometimes dark. Then the taboo thought of, should I be watching this beauty and allure and embracing that feeling that you get when you indulge? It is like nothing on earth. This is just truth not an exaggeration. It is exactly how and why the genre of horror was created in the film. It was that love people had for a ride of emotions of all sorts. Something that would take you places few things can in life.

Maitland Ward: Oh wow, you are so right. You feel those endorphins and it is a feeling that I will say is very cool. No, I mean this, it is really cool.

Don Juan: I would love for you to tell us about the project that is out. I would love to hear about Secretary. It looks like you all put so much into this.

Maitland Ward: Secretary it was so intense. It is all a part of the Mistress Maitland series. Everything started all the way back in my beginning with the company. Marcus Dupree and I play this crazy married couple, and we are, …well, we are not crazy, we are wild. We are a couple that have very specific tastes. This is something that started to grow more right when I first signed my contract. Mistress Maitland began as a couple playing these games, much like in the movie Cruel Intentions, where Marcus and I basically place bets in order to do sexual things to the other. So I get to drive around in this Rolls-Royce and pick up all these girls off the streets and take them back to a part of these games. I ended up losing the Rolls-Royce because that was one of the wagers in the series. The plots are amazing. Our Christmas shoot had my character tormenting this guy who was going to sex-aholics anonymous. My wager is if he loses he has to have sex with me in the meeting room after the meeting. So, there are some great ideas and vignettes we are making. I thought that it was great to make such a twisted scene for Christmas. That was my anti-Hallmark Christmas movie. We loved it. There was everything in this movie. There was snow, we had rain. It really is anti-Hallmark.

Now, Secretary, this is a conclusion to this little series. This vignette has Riley Reid in it and my character actually interviews Riley. I really love Riley Reid, we have become friends. She and I began talking about doing this at AVN. It was so cool that we were able to start getting this thing together right after that. Even from the start of our discussions My thought was that she would be the perfect one to have my character dominate, because she is such a powerhouse herself. I wanted someone who was going to be as explosive and powerful as these characters Marcus and I portrayed. I really wanted there to be a lot of sparks on screen. This is something I wanted to be perfect. This vignette is basically me interviewing her for this “secretary” position and of course she gets the job. The role is intense because it is Marcus and I dominating her. I get to use a strap-on and it is the hottest sex, the hottest scene. It turned out superb. There was such a high energy between all of us. I am telling you, this scene is hot. Everyone on set afterwards, people said that you could feel the energy everywhere. It was just amazing. This was also the first time that Markus and I got to have a sex scene together. Up until that scene every sexual encounter Markus had, it had been with others. Our characters had always been betting the other so that we were having sex with everyone but the other person. This was a great sex scene with the three of us. It was super hot and I think all the fans are really going to enjoy it. We were working on so many things and I seriously got a page and a half monologue, there were so many pages of dialogue for this scene. The night before I had to learn all of it. We are talking at midnight the night before. (We both share a very subtle laugh. You have no idea how impossible this is. Most people can not remember a paragraph quote. A page and a half, amazing beyond words.) I repeat, I had to learn all of it! It was very specific dialogue too. She writes so beautifully poetic and is very rich in her dialogue and description. You just never see such great writing all the time that is so specific. Even when I was working on a soap opera, that is how the days and the nights went and the mornings of trying to be prepared. Getting the lines in late and memorizing them as fast as you could. It was basically the same kind of routine and method here.

Don Juan: Wow, that is so awesome. I would have never thought it to be that way. That is such amazing insight.

Maitland Ward: It was almost exactly the same. Of course, there are moments where you would talk it out when you are picturing the script in your head because it was so specific. Let’s just say, I worked my butt off to get those lines down all night long. I believe that everything turned out perfect with such intensity. It was excellent and the monologue turned out beautifully.

Don Juan: The stills show so much beauty in that production. The first thing that I was going to tell you was about this still, that has you and Markus in it and there is a toy. What emanates from that picture is pure power and dominance. That was the first thing that I was going to say. That character had to be fun to play.

Maitland Ward: She was so much fun to play. It was funny, as I was on set, and I was joking around and one of the production people was like, “stay away from me, you are going to kill me. You will just turn that wrong way too fast and that will be the end of me.” My response was, “I do not kill, I sexually dominate. There is no killing involved. Trust me, whatever happens, you will enjoy it.”

Don Juan: (As we both try to stop laughing, I add with a Spanish accent.) ” Yes, you must trust me, you will like it, I promise.” That is freaking hilarious darling.

Maitland Ward: Oh, you should have seen it. Markus, he has this powerful dynamic to him as well. I really loved that part of the series and especially with this scene that we both could be so powerful, controlling and sexual.

Don Juan: That is amazing. That is the true cinema of this industry. I love it. Honestly, you all keep doing what you are doing. These are some of the most beautiful creations within the industry that I have ever seen. Keep doing what you do. I know what you are going to say and you are so very welcome. I am going to continue this nice little psychic link as we go into the last two questions.

Maitland Ward: No, I mean this. Thank you very much.

Don Juan: The last two questions, I have to talk about the precision of people who are all on the same page. I have to ask the new beauty on the block in this industry, because that is what you are. Being a man who takes reporting very seriously in this business, the casting has been epic with everything you have been in. Riley Reid, Manuel, Ivy. I would love to know at this moment, you being a writer, you being a creator. What is your dream project within this industry? Do you have something that has been on the cusp that you are looking to create? What is Maitland’s dream?

Maitland Ward: There is so much that reminds me, there is something that very question touches on. Kayden has been writing something and I have been writing as well. What is coming up, is that we are writing a four part series and the subject is something that I am very interested in. I can not really talk about it yet. Kayden has been really awesome as we tackled this project. She said she wants me to put everything that I have been doing into my writing. “Do what you do,” she told me. I plan on doing that as I may even be writing about scenes that I am not even in. I am really looking forward to being able to apply my creativity into my scenes as well, if I can. There is so much that is going to be a new experience for me, and I am very excited. I am also really looking forward to this Cosplay thing that we are going to be filming. That has been a dream for a very long time. To be able to shape and make this character that is my own and to also have a brand that is behind me and this dream of mine is something I can not thank Kayden enough for. The quality of the film, the direction to make this dream come true. Everything about this project, the script, there is so much going on. The phase we are at right now is just putting all of our thoughts together on this script. I am so excited to be able to get something like this off the ground. She has never done a Cosplay film either so this is going to be a new frontier for the both of us. It is going to be a new frontier but it is going to be a dark and twisted one. This character is an anti-hero. The character who is not looking to do good but does along her journey. It is all about trying to get revenge. This is a dream of mine and it is going to be something that I think a lot of people will enjoy, especially as things get more and more twisted as they watch.

Don Juan: That is awesome. Playing the bad guy is so fun.

Maitland Ward: I agree but this character, she is not “bad” in the traditional sense. In the world that she is in, there are people who are far worse, or even more “bad” than she is. The characters she is fighting against are the true villains in the story.

Don Juan: The anti-hero. That is going to be an amazing role for you. The rules only apply in slight standards for the anti-hero in a film. I love it.

Maitland Ward: What else you will love is that she uses her sexuality. It is her sexuality that is her power!

Don Juan: I love it! The most wonderful power there is. I can not wait. You know, the favorite part of all the actors in the business, I would honestly love to know and you remind me so much of Jenna Sativa. She is just an amazing woman. What you both share is more than the fact you are both beautiful models, amazing actors, it is that drive to make things beautiful and unique. She used to tell me she was inspired by pin-up models from the fifties, I could not believe it. It made sense as to why her films were always like that. First time I ever spoke with her, that is what we were going back and forth on, pin-up models. I love those little niches we have. I would love to know, when it comes to cosplay, when it comes to everything, when it comes to you and your creations. Who is it that inspired you?

Maitland Ward: Wonder Woman for sure. It was Linda Carter as Wonder Woman. It all began with watching reruns of Wonder Woman. I remember that I would always watch them in the afternoon. I can not remember which channel it was but I remember they had all these shows from that same time period on television. What I loved about Wonder Woman, was that she was so powerful. She would twirl to get into her outfit. I have loved and watched her since I was three, or right around that age. Star Wars was definitely a big one growing up. Back when I was little I got the neighbors to play Star Wars with me. We used to put on a very elaborate show in the cellar. The dog played Chewbacca. Those were the kinds of things I just did. I always loved the fun of it and loved the acting. Getting to recreate that story was what we were trying to do. My little friends and I would get out the old video camera, and we would make these funny stories. We all also enjoyed the comic book stuff. I never thought that it would be a career option. When I started doing this it has not sunk in. When I did my first Comic-Con I was wearing this Robin outfit, doing the Batman and Robin thing, even at the Kick Ass 2 party I had people telling me I should do this and this and this. Everything just sort of snowballed from there. It is amazing to have this become another branch of my career. It is cool, it is fun just to be able to do that.

Don Juan: It is so cool all of that perspired out of your love for acting, comic books, film and more. I think the fact that you have added in your own sex appeal, your own beauty and thought into these original creations, it is something very beautiful. I mean that darling.

Maitland Ward: It is. It is so amazing. I do look back at that time often in my head and I think that it was fate that led me there to that Starbucks that day. It is just pretty amazing. Now, if there was one thing that would have been different that day it would not have happened. Even the slightest change of plans would have altered all of our paths.

Don Juan: I think that fate does take us to where we are destined in life. You know, it is my belief that a hundred years into the future, they will look back on things like film, television, cinema, and see this as our era “lore.” Our mythology that creates something bigger and better within the human mind in many ways. I think what we do know is what will create an inspiration for so many things and people, in ways no one could ever think possible.

Maitland Ward: That is really amazing. I just love that. Down the road, people will be look back and seeing what porn was and is at this moment in time and saying, “can you believe that this was taboo once upon a time?” Then they look, and they see how society and people did things to change that view, to show people another perspective. It is something so cool to me and I hope that I can be a part of such things that create true change.

Don Juan: Madam, I think you were right about destiny. I see it in your words, your voice. This is something you were meant to be a part of and I can not thank you enough for letting us share that with people. So, this last question. It is going to take a second, so bare with me now. You did not get into acting until you turned sixteen. You were cast by an entertainment giant and became a mainstream heartthrob. You are a woman who did the rarest of the rare, took home trophies within months of our arrival in this beloved business. You are all about bringing adult into the mainstream. You are a Long Beach native who thrived in New York. A writer who spilled her DNA into her pen so many times. A woman whose hubby is so funny he can give professional comics a run for their money. Your nerdiness is legendary and became a new line of work and artistry. Add in, you are a yoga bad ass to top it all off. So the question is, tell Don Juan DeMarko something he does not know about the great Maitland Ward?

Maitland Ward: I am a big practical joker. No, more like the hugest practical joker actually. I would love to be on that Crank Yankers show. Years ago, I used to make prank calls all the time. Seriously, I did it for real every chance that I got. There was this one instance with my friend in school and I would call him up and do this deep, burly voice and say, “Hey Dave, what are you doing.” I had convinced him that there was this weirdo who wanted to meet him. Then, when I told him that it was me all along he would not believe me. I literally had to do the voice for him. It was so funny. I have always loved doing that for as long as I can remember and I will continue to do so as long as I can.

I think that there is also something else we hope Mrs. Ward does and that is stay within this side of the performance sector for as long as possible. As we start to begin to open up the doors to society again and let in some new ways of life, community and living, I am reminded weeks later after transcribing this interview of that word “fate” that Maitland used. During this pandemic, things have slowed down to not just a crawl but a stop, and allowed many things to happen that normally do not. For one of the most in demand actors in the business, this was my chance to get her all to myself. She has been a performer who I had to get under the microscope. I did not know why at the time when I saw the advertising for this film called Drive. The studio was keeping things very secret then and all I knew was that Angela White and Kayden Kross were working very hard on this project. It took Angela White to a state of even more work, and that says a lot if you know Angela. Just like in that coffee shop, I don’t know how everything even fell into place. The research, our discussion of what makes a good article and topic, it all flowed majestically and I did not know why until today. This is a new beginning for so many. This is a chance for so many to get out and take their shot at success, their dreams and creating massive change. I think that with theis mission Maitland is on and the fact we have someone who when I interviewed her, everything just magically fell into place. I believe it goes deeper than just two minds that think alike. It is about a conviction within you that it is so powerful, it takes over who you are and makes you evolve into another version of yourself. Fate, that it is the sexuality she speaks of. Fate that sexuality brought her here and fate, that she will be using that as her guide to open the eyes of the world to something that is so beautiful not just in women but in us all. That is what makes a hero.