The XCritic Interview: Lexi Luna

May 16, 2020
DEMARKO

If there is one thing that I hope the world see with The XCritic Interview with Don Juan DeMarko, it is that embracing sexuality is a path to a better world, a better life and so much more that only you can discover as a reader, a watcher of adult films and entertainment but more importantly, discovery of something bigger from the performers themselves who do this for a living by choice not because of consequence. The stars and starlets of this industry are college graduates who have had careers at many levels like our subject for this week's featured interview, Lexi Luna. This “MILF” on the rise began her post college days by educating the youth of America. You could not write an adult film script more provocative than the real life path that Lexi took to becoming an adult film star. Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is far more kinky as well. Sexuality became a part of her life, her growth, her empowerment as a woman. This year, after getting nominated for the 2020 AVN Favorite MILF Performer Fan Award, I think this beauty from Florida learned that she really could make it in this industry but where did all that begin? Perhaps we can answer that for the fans. On paper, it looks as if everything began with the discovery of exhibitionism and that blossomed into a confidence, a knowledge, that I saw when I first saw almost four years ago when I met Lexi while covering the eXXXotica adult expo. Now, a few years later, she has begun to reap what she had begun showing all those years ago. Her latest films with big production powerhouse Girlfriends Films and director Serene Siren show something that Serene herself told me, “was some of her own best work to date.” Which I think has a lot to do with Lexi. This performer of the most beautiful distinction, is a woman who has paid her dues, gone from coast to coast in pursuit of passion and success. Made a name for herself the old fashioned way, with drive and determination. That is what we look to bring out even more for you, the fans. All I can say is, prepare yourself for the unexpected.

Don Juan: You know, I am eager to get to sit down with you and let you do all the talking as we get things started here. (Here I was talking with the fastest rising star in the MILF genre, and I was boasting to her seconds before we began the interview that as I researched her for our sit down conversation, no one was letting her do the talking on their podcast, or they were giving very short presentations on a starlet who is as outgoing as I have ever seen a starlet be. I found out a few days later, when getting a review from Girlsway put on my cue, she is one of the most explosive, talented and beautiful performers that I have seen in years. An actor who is captivating, well-spoken and as easy to approach as she is easy on the eyes. I was now trying to tell her that I was going to be the one to give her time as I was talking her ear off. I failed massively like many others did but now I see that is the spell of Lexi Luna. That is her wonder.)

Lexi Luna: No, it is quite all right. I love to listen. Conversation will always be a two-way street. I also understand that in some cases, doing what I do for a living, I will meet a person who may be a little nervous to do an interview with me. I was just recently on a website for an interview and the hosts were very star struck. Which I was beyond flattered to hear. They told me, “you are one of the porn stars who we follow and we knew who you were before we looked you up because we watch your films.” Once again, I was so flattered.

Don Juan: I remember the first time I met you the first thought that ran through my head was, “my goodness, we have an educated woman with poise and honesty in our presence.” To see that in a performer is the best of things in this business. As I began my research, I read that you were a woman who was a part of the Fet-Life group and lifestyle, is that correct?

Lexi Luna: Yes, I started my introduction into the fetish world through Fet-Life.com. That website is one of the best places for people to find true fetish. It is not just for the “porn” side of what fetish can be. It was a very interesting way for me to dip my toes into meeting new people who had the same thoughts that I did.

Don Juan: I love it! I think we can just start this interview in the grandest of fashions then. I would love to know what were/are your passions are within the fetish world. I think fans would love to hear this coming from a woman who is educated, was also an educator and is now a performer in the adult entertainment world at the highest level there is looking to climb even higher.

Lexi Luna: That is so funny to me because it has changed so much since I have been in porn but when I first entered the fetish community I was just curious about anything I could learn about. Which all started in Orlando for me. I began by going to a couple classes. I learned some different things and discovered different types of fetish that I would have never had the chance to discover if I were still in a classroom setting. I got to experience fire cupping, which was a really cool technique and skill to learn, then I actually got to perform it. That was really neat to be able to actually put what I learned into practice and see how it would affect a person. There were so many things that make The Woodshed, the place where I would frequent, so invaluable. There is nothing else like it, no other place that I have been able to learn and grow with my passion for fetish as that place. It was the coolest opportunity that I could have presented itself at the right moment in my life. Back then I lived in Orlando when I was teaching and The Woodshed allowed me to get my hands dirty and dive deep into the nitty-gritty of fetish. (For those of you who do not know, The Woodshed is a private membership club dedicated to educating and building community for alternative lifestyles.)

Don Juan: You know, it was my ex-girlfriend who was the person responsible for opening my eyes to the fetish world and Fet-Life as well. I am the hopeless romantic. I used to believe that there was no romance at all in fetish. She is a woman who loves to be rope bound, and I was so timid that it was hard for me to engage in the things she liked so I was very judgemental. I admit that now. She taught me a lot about endorphins and the release your mind has in sexual situations that you only get from fetish, BDSM, etc. I would love to hear from you more about how you discovered your passions in such things in the fetish world.

Lexi Luna: For me, I think a lot had to do with being a teacher. Always being in control having to always take charge and constantly having to come up with a schedule of exactly what I had to do, at exactly the same time every single day, strictly out of necessity. As a teacher I found my life consisted of this perpetual routine, where I was having to do everything. I wanted a place to go where I did not have to do everything. I wanted to be in a place where I did not have to think about what is coming next, trying to plan everything out that you thought the day would consist of. In the fetish world, I was able to let go of the planning and not having to mentally be present. To just be able to spiritually and emotionally release was what I think led me to the world of fetish.

Don Juan: Yes, I think so many people misinterpret the true wonder of fetish and what it can do for a person’s mind, mental health and happiness. I think it is something that the “civilian” population has more in common with than they think. I feel that now that I have made that discovery in my life with fetish that I wasted a lot of time in the first thirty years of my life on this earth.

Lexi Luna: I can relate. I was very fortunate to have found fetish while I was in my twenties. I was also fortunate to have partners that I trusted, and be able to meet people from many different walks of life who were able to contribute to my being in many robust ways. It was one of the best times in my life. Even though I am not as involved in fetish community as I used to be, it is something that really shaped who I was as a performer and it has given me the ability to entertain in a way that I want people to see me as. If I had been experimenting with all these things when I was already shooting within the industry, I would have really been doing a huge disservice to my psyche. Ultimately, that was a huge experience privately for myself, and I was able to develop there, in a more private and personal setting instead of growing while I had people watching.

Don Juan:You know, getting that chance to try to win the AVN Fan Award for Favorite MILF Performer, that is something huge and I think people across the industry are starting to really see what it is that Lexi Luna is about within her work. I am telling you darlin’ when these directors and producers begin to really transition you into the fetish side of things, it is just going to be massive. You have the perfect demeanor for that.

Lexi Luna: Thank you, I love what I do. Honestly, my favorite type of scene to perform, it has to be the “mom” fetish. Being that “mom” in whatever capacity the character comes as within the script, I just love that. I enjoy doing it so much because I am a person that is never going to have kids. It’s not something that I want in my life right now. I taught kids for thirteen years of my life and I have that motherly instinct which has turned into this motherly connection with people on set when I make that type of scene. It is very exciting to be able to give something like that to somebody, even if we are just creating and acting out fantasies. Being able to share something strong like that emotional connection, even if it is porn, it is still a real connection for me and the people that I work with.

Don Juan: You know, before I got into the business I had some female friends, who long story short, were dating these awful men and the way that they discovered their own sexuality and learned that it is OK to indulge in who you are a person, as a woman. They learned it from porn, I shit you not. For them that was the only outlet. They lived with these horrible boyfriends who never allowed them to have any sort of emotional release. The only time they were able to see sexuality and what it was just so happened to be when their awful boyfriends would have them watch adult films with them. I kid you not, learning that a woman can be sexy and confident from watching porn,iIt saved them from these horrific relationships, I think there is a power within this industry and the films that are made and it’s performers that people fail to see and give credit to, just like you Lexi.

Lexi Luna: It is so funny to me now, the way that I was in my personal sex life back then. I compare that to the way that I am in my personal sex life now, and how I respond and how I react to my partners. Before, I was really timid and shy. I just did not know how to release this character side of me. Now, I feel like I can immerse myself in any role. So, even if a role comes along that I am not able to fully immerse myself in, I can just be me because I have had so many opportunities to practice it. That is what allows me to just dive into any character that I am playing. It becomes where playing that character is almost like saving face. It is something that has eliminated that potential in my mind to feel self-conscious, I do not have that feeling anymore that I am not doing enough for my sexual partners. I can just become that character. It becomes something inside you where I have said to myself, “I did not do those things to you, it was the character that did those things.” That is how I discovered that I have a deep love for role playing. It’s something that gets bigger and better in my personal life almost every single day. Before, I was never good at inducing role-play into my sex life. I realized that it is something that comes so naturally and beyond easy in these films whereI am given a character to play.

Don Juan: Darlin’ you said it all right there, I really must say to you and this is question number two, I told you I was going to go all over the place. I found it so astonishing that you never watched porn before you got into the business. You are an amazing actor, I mean that. You understand where the camera is always. Being that you never watched porn, I am dying to know who evoked and inspired the artist inside you that is now alive and showing a natural talent that is so rarely seen?

Lexi Luna: To be honest, I do not think that I ever had any inspiration in the traditional sense that you refer to. When I was in the fetish community in Orlando, I got my boobs done. I was teaching fourth grade during that time and I decided to get them done during Spring Break of that year. It was something that I had wanted to do for a very long time and ever since I had realized that my boobs were not ever going to be the way that I wanted them to be, I decided to get the fake ones. Literally, for my 25th Birthday, I made a vow that I was going to get them no matter what. I said fuck it, I will finance them myself, I am still teaching elementary school, so I will be able to afford them. Once I got them, I gained this huge confidence in myself and I wanted to show them off and I think that is where the exhibitionist came from and perhaps what you would call “inspiration.” That is where all these different feelings within me came about and from there, I started doing photo shoots with people at The Woodshed. They would have a photo night once or twice a month. I would go and it seemed that there was always a trade shoot available, so I always got to be the model for the other members who attended pretty regularly. These photographers were always complimenting me and that is where I learned about posing and the way that it feels, it is not necessarily how it will look all the time. We played a lot with camera angles and I learned that just because the camera was over there I did not have to necessarily look at it but I could still open up to it and show the different sides of me that I wanted to be to be perceived by others. I think that is where it all started. It was my desire to be in front of the camera. It was my desire to be showing off the beauty that I had inside me all along. I finally saw in those photos that I took part in, that I was beautiful. I liked the way that I looked more than I had ever before. It was all of those little things that I would nick pick at that disappeared after that. I liked my boobs, I liked my body. I really just gained this type of confidence sexually within myself and it all began by doing those photo shoots at The Woodshed. I would say that would be the beginning and the catalyst for all of this. Feeling more confident and wanting more of that attention, not in a negative or selfish way but in a sexual manner. I loved taking photos and sharing them with others. That is actually how I got discovered. That is how the person who got me into the business found me and the rest, as they say, is history.

Don Juan: Lexi, that is one of the most amazing stories that I have ever heard. I think you are truly the perfect example of the wonders that come from discovering one's sexuality and how this discovery is beneficial to a person’s well-being and daily life. You show what can happen when a person embraces it instead of suppressing it.

Lexi Luna: Yes and that is because I remember what it was like to not be that way. I remember what it felt like to be ashamed about being a sexual human being. I remember not having conversations with my parents when I was growing up about what sex is and what sex isn’t. Sexual education is something so important to every single person there is out in the world and let’s be honest, sex is not something that we talk about openly. I think that is what leads people to the bad sides of sexuality. That leads to people being shamed by others or themselves by questioning who they are, as if they were in trouble for doing something wrong.

Don Juan: I completely agree. I grew up in the same kind of household. I am sure that you get this a lot and before I ask this next question, I have to say that these stories of what you have experienced, they mean the world to me that you would share them. People tend to keep themselves in the dark with their own sexuality and that is a lonely place to live life. I think that when it comes to men, the question I get asked so much being a person in this business from the male side that still has a day job is, “am I gay because I watched a movie with a trans performer and I liked it?” That is the sign of how suppressed we really are still in the modern world. I hear that question so many times in a month, it is crazy. I think that who we are as people, we learn that we are all normal and one species through our common instinct known as sex and sexuality. They are what makes us normal. That is what makes us human.

Lexi Luna: I couldn't agree more. I have gotten to play out fantasies that I had when I was younger and back then, I did not really know what fantasies really were. There have been many times that I have gotten an opportunity to play characters where I am getting to actually take part in these fantasies that I could only dream about years ago. It is so funny to me that now I actually get to be those characters. I also get to live out these fantasies that I every person has ingrained within themselves. These are all things that we just come up with out of our own natural instincts. There is no right or wrong when it comes to that “rite of passage.”

Don Juan: Oh my goodness, yes I agree. Speaking of fantasies and to touch base on the production side of things now, as well as the people you got to work with recently. In the last ten months you have done some of the best work within your career. This is not just a plug for Girlfriends Films, I love B.Skow, I love Carmen, I love Serene, I love all of them. First question in this department, I would love to know what it was like to work with Serene on Yogasms? That film is just wow!

Lexi Luna: Oh yes, she is amazing. I had never met her, or worked with her prior to being in this film. I had seen her from afar of course, going onto Twitter, scoping out her page, admiring everything about what she was doing in the industry. She is a woman who has a very well known name in the Girl/Girl world. Then, when I got to meet her. When I did what I found out was that she is just so incredibly intense when it comes to everything that she does and I love it. It’s something that is a big deal for me because I do not have a lot of people that are her age, that I can relate to and talk about certain things. Being that I am thirty-one, I do not have a lot of peers in the adult community. A lot of these girls I work with are eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Here and there I may get a person who is twenty-five if I am lucky. Being a young MILF, it is hard at times to find peers that I could connect with. That is what made working with and connecting with Serene something very special. I think I can really relate to her as she is not that much older than me. Working together, getting to know each other, it just felt like we were coming from the same world.

Don Juan: Lexi, I love that woman to death. She has a passion for every single aspect of this business. There are few wonders of the world like Serene. She works so hard, she manages to always create something unique, especially in the films she directs, like this one.

Lexi Luna: Absolutely, and she makes it all so clear. She puts one-hundred and ten percent into everything that she does. I always wanted to be around that type of energy and dedication when I was on set. I am so glad that Serene and Girlfriends Films gave me the opportunity to be a part of that film.

Don Juan: Oh my goodness, you sure as hell took advantage of the opportunity madam and put on a show that was unforgettable in that film. I tell every model who is in this business who I get to talk with on a personal level that it is literally a three-year plan just to get yourself recognized in this industry. It takes that much time for fans to get to follow you, see some marketing here and there all so the production companies, the directors, the producers all see that there is something quality there that is worth taking a risk and spending money on.

Lexi Luna: I absolutely, one hundred percent agree with you. As of June it will be my fourth year in the industry. Right at that three year mark, that is where I really started to figure out the exact thing you just spoke of. I realized that I can have a career in this business. It became clear that this career choice I made does have legs and that perhaps I needed to be more patient. When I hit year three, I kept reminding myself that it is just a little longer.I admit, at times I was starting to lose faith and then everyone around me was telling me that they saw me in this film or that film or that they follow my Instagram and really love what I do on it. I have been having other performers come up to me and they know who I am, opposed to me knowing who they are. It is exactly those kinds of things that affirm me to keep on going, and to keep doing what I am doing. Having faith and hanging on a little longer!

Don Juan: I agree. Lexi, when they see your work darlin’ and I am referring to directors as well as the fans. The directors are given their budget, and they are trying to work their magic to make a good film and put the best possible combination together so that they can make money. I was talking about this very thing with a director the other night. We discussed how valuable it is to have a performer/actor that is versatile and can do more things than actors ever have before in this business. I see that in your powerful roles in 2020, I really do. By the work you have done lately, it is obvious that I am not the only one who sees such things. Performers like you and Serene, that film says it all about performance and what you are capable of doing Lexi, I mean that. Here is your proof of it.

Lexi Luna: Yeah, and what she has really taught me is that it is so important that I do my own thing when it comes to acting and performing. If you do the thing that you do best, and you give that effort of hundred and ten percent, people will love it! That is from where I have really begun to embrace the “Mom” characters and have really learned to portray on the screen the real nurturing side to what I am doing and everything in between that it takes to create a character and have fun in that role. Before that and Girlfriends Films I was hesitating a bit when I was pushing the boundaries of performing. Serene has shown me to give more, not to over think and do the best that I can with what it is that I am doing. Yes, to push those boundaries. It has taught me to immerse myself in that character and display it to people in a way that really makes them want to see it. I have begun to put parts of myself in character which has led me not to always put the word “step mom” every second line of dialogue. It was from all where I realized what my “thing” was in the business and then to go after it. Being in a film like Yogasms is exactly what I was hoping for in my career. Once I took part, my thoughts were, “this was something I enjoyed and now I use this to try and do more with my career.” I set my sight on getting bigger roles.

Don Juan: To stay on this same page with your Girlfriends Films work, I am dying to know what it was like to shoot a scene with Lena Paul? You know what Lena is known for? She is a woman who became this amazing performer and she was a person who had a little trouble getting the hang of production. Now look at what she has turned into. She is truly one of the most powerful performers in the industry today and I think like Serene, she is one of those performers who brings out the best in all those around her. I would love to know what it was like making Lesbian Legal 16 with her?

Lexi Luna: Oh, the circumstances were very similar compared to the other film we talked about. That was the first opportunity I had received to even meet Lena. We really had a great relationship with her on set. This was around March of last year when we shot that film. When I met her it was wonderful. She has always been nice, she has always been friendly, she has always been helpful. Lena has been someone who also has been so encouraging. There is nothing with her entire being that is caddy, that is jealous, that is pushy one bit. I like to refer to her as being a “girl’s girl.” I think that is what I love and value about her the most. I had a girlfriend like her when I was growing up. I don’t think people know that not everyone has had great relationships when you are an adult entertainer. I had my fair share of girlfriends who were jealous and did not want to try and steal my boyfriend, you know what I mean? It is just the most amazing thing to be able to work with someone who is just an impressive human being. The things that she has accomplished, her life before porn. All of those things were something that I found so interesting and things that I could relate to. Lena was literally trying to showcase me through the entire scene. Being a woman who has accomplished so much, that was something that made me feel very special that she was sharing the spotlight with me. That is very humbling when you are a performer and those who have accomplished so much above you lend a hand to ensure that you get to have the publicity, the marketing that you did. It is just so fascinating that she just wants to help everyone, at every turn in the business. I have never met anyone like her. I find her and Serene so similar in that aspect. They know what they do and they offer and they know how to help someone else rise up.

Don Juan: To say how I feel about Lena, I can sum it up this way. She is a woman who has worked with the biggest and the best and no matter who that person was, she made each scene better than the last and gave everything she had to give fans what they want, even when it was not easy to achieve such things.

Lexi Luna: Absolutely. I look at it like this, how can someone be mad at you on set when you are giving your all to make a scene become better? There is nothing that no one can say and I think that goes beyond just working in this industry. That is something that applies to everyone no matter what they do. There is something very special when a person can say, “I got that role, I achieved that accomplishment by putting in my blood, sweat and tears.”

Don Juan: Yes! That is exactly my thoughts on what is the truth about success. That is something that I live by and always will.

Lexi Luna: I love that as well. I love that she is doing what she is doing. I love where it is that she came from. The time working with her and let me just say, working with her was an amazing experience.

I felt that she and I went back and forth so effortlessly. There was nothing planned, there was nothing stiff or stale. It was not a scene where one of us said to the other, “OK, we will do five minutes of you, then we will do fine minutes of me. OK, switch!” It was this fluid transition were we let each other be in the moment.

There was not this fake type of connection. If you were to watch this scene, you will see the both of us in the moment every step of the way. There was a true connection and it was so wonderful even if it was only for an hour or two.

During that scene, we were just able to let it all go and our minds were involved in the sex not what type of angle we were going to shoot next, or what position looks good. We put all that on auto pilot and we focused on each other, on the connection.

Don Juan: My goodness, I love that Girlfriends Films is going back to this combination of powerful sex between women who have more than just passion for each other. Like you said, you have to be someone who is willing to help make the production better for the person you are working with. It requires a dedication that only the true performers have. That is what made Girlfriends Films climb the sharts years ago and become the wonderful company that they are today. I have told directors this so many times before. If you show the real connection that occurs during sex and how that occurs people will eat that up. They will buy that because the normality, the fumbling in bed, they will be able to relate to that and I think there is nothing that is what would truly make a fan relate and want to spend money.

Lexi Luna: What I have learned from working with Serene and Lena, it leads me to always approach my scene partner that way no matter if it is male or female. It makes my mind clear. I am not thinking about things that don’t really add anything to the scene. I tell my scene partner, “touch me however you want to touch me.” Of course, I let them know what your boundaries are but everything else is fine. It leads to so many good surprises that have a real reaction that comes along with it. I really do. It has led to a discovery of how people will react with me and then you get to focus your thoughts on why it is that they did what they did and that has led me to have an even more open look at sex, sexuality and more. It is never a negative thing, it is always something for great inquiry.

If you have not had a chance to see this film it is a must-see. Lexi plays the role of a lifetime. A role that is something different for a “MILF” performer. That has been what she is doing with every single scene that she has been in since the start of 2019 it seems. She is playing characters and roles different than I have ever seen before. When she told me that she was playing these characters her way, I thought about the recent work she has done and yes, they were not as the “step mom” or the elder mother character. It was a unique kind of older/younger sexual encounter and performance and as I discovered in getting to sit down and get to know her a little better, I have found out that is what and who Lexi Luna is. She is one of the unique performers in the XXX world. A woman who is a throwback to performers like Kim Chambers and Nina Hartley. Women who could devour their partner on screen and then create an awareness of sex and sexuality that becomes something for all fans to take home with them. That is what Lexi is doing, educating the masses with her display of power, thought and hard work. It takes a true champion of the people and a heart of gold that cares for them as well in order to take on such a role. Perhaps that is why only the legends of this business have attempted to do such things. I think that is the best reference to leave with the readers and part one of this interview and where the career of the amazing Lexi Luna is and has destiny in her corner to do so. Stay tuned for part two where we get to meet Lexi at a level that speaks about the “swinging” lifestyle a bit more in depth and what the power of sexuality means to a woman quickly rising to rank of super star in the land of fantasy and film.