Mr. Fleshbot March: Leo Vice on Stereotypes and Opportunities

Each month in 2023, Fleshbot will select and feature a Mr. Fleshbot and Mr. Fleshbot International that all of us should know more about. We will feature content creators and adult actors who go above and beyond their roles to make sure we take notice.

Fleshbot is pleased to share Leo Vice's advice on how to stand out from the crowd!

Make sure to catch up with our previous exclusive interview with Leo Vice so you don't miss out on anything!

I know that there are more negative than positive consequences to stereotypes, but would you say that being an Asian performer helped you with branding in a positive way?

“Oh yes, 100%. When I was first trying to get into the industry, I assumed that there weren’t a lot of roles for male Asian performers in the industry. But as I met directors, producers, and higher-up people, I realized that me being Asian wasn’t a detriment. It’s actually a huge advantage. If you’re Asian and willing to show your face on camera, they roll out the red carpet and say, ‘come right this way, there’s all these people I want you to meet’.

At the end of the day, this is a business. They understand there’s a market that isn’t being catered to and that they would somehow like to tap into. There’s just no one stepping up to the plate saying, ‘I’ll be that guy’. So, because I’m Asian, I was able to skip a lot of the more traditional routes where you have to ‘pay your dues’ like I’ve heard from other male actors.”

Did it surprise you to hear that comment about showing your face?

“Yes, but once I understood why they kept saying that it made sense. It’s not that I’m the first Asian guy to perform, nor am I one of the only few. But there’s other Asian men in the industry that have done more POV stuff of have had their face blurred. I don’t want to say there’s always been Asian guys in the industry but there’s been a lot more than people would realize. It’s just that they weren’t very open about their ‘Asian-ness’. They were always hiding their identity in one way or the other. If you’re just seeing a dick in a POV shot, you have no idea that that dick belongs to an Asian guy.”

Do you think it’s a cultural thing? Or maybe just a general shy-ness quality in male actors?

“It’s a little bit of both. I think a lot of men are a little shy to show their face and the repercussions that come from having your face in this industry. They might not want their work or family to find out, but with the Asian community it’s a bit different in the sense that there’s a lot of Asian men in the gay side of porn but not that many on the straight side. Not to be too stereotypical, but I have a theory on this.

Honor and respect for family are a big thing because we have a close nit relationship with our parents and family. And typically if you’re an Asian male, you’re already put on a pedestal, you’re already good. So, I feel like a lot of Asian men don’t want to rock the boat in that sense. Whereas, if you’re a gay Asian man in the family, you’re already sort of doing it. Not all families would disapprove but it’s already… not taboo, but you know what I’m trying to say. There’s friction and it’s easier to go on and do what you love doing.

I can’t speak for women, but if you’re not on that pedestal, you might as well go find your freedom. It’s like the gilded cage of being an Asian male in an Asian family… Yes, you’re on a pedestal but that comes with a lot of pressure to maintain the family name and so forth. I think that prevents a lot of Asian men not just getting into porn, but just generally pursuing their dreams.”

That’s so interesting! Do you think these traditional families would react differently if the guys were to go in and have the conversation with their families after establishing a business plan?

“I think it can. It depends on your relationship with your family and how you’re able to convey this. But, for me, it wasn’t so much that I came in with a business plan as much as the fact that I was older. My parents knew I was in the world, I did all the things they wanted me to do, I have the college degree, the work experience, the startup experience, the corporate world experience, I did all these things, so by the time I’m coming to them with this idea and plan of mine, whether they believed in it or not, they were like, ‘you’re a full grown adult, you’ve been living on your own and taking care of yourself.. what can we say to you at this point?’

So I think all of that was more of a factor than me being like, ‘I have a plan guys, trust me!’ I think their reaction had more to do with age and maturity than me having a business plan, but that definitely helps. Because that way you can explain ‘this is what I’m going to do and this is how I’m planning to achieve these goals.”

Besides maturity and the business skills you already had, would you say that coming from a different culture and being a minority has influenced your career?

“Yes, being a minority in his industry has it’s down sides, but it also helps me stand out from the crowd a lot more… it’s how you differentiate from the people coming into the industry. Being a minority, being something people aren’t seeing on screen that often, definitely helps. It's a detriment in many aspects too because the bulk of the industry isn’t catered to me or around me… but me and the handful of other male Asian performers are very unique and we catch people’s attention really fast.”

That’s interesting because, putting aside the inevitable discrimination everyone faces, what I’m hearing is that we could be using these stereotypes to our advantage.

“Stereotype isn’t the word I would choose, but this goes back to marketing… understanding the market and seeing openings and opportunities. I saw big potential in an untapped market of people who Asian men who want to live vicariously through an avatar on screen or women who like Asian men and there’s nowhere they could really get that. There’s Japanese stuff, but their philosophy on porn is different and the male talent they have is different.

Because I was able to see this market share, it made sense for me to go in there and do it. Now, if I was looking at this, and it was an over saturated market, I wouldn’t be like ‘yeah, use your Asian-ness to get in there… find a different thing that will help you stand out’. You have to figure out how to stand out from the competition."

I love that. I’ve never heard anyone talk about stereotypes or being a minority like this. I think there are a lot of people who would consider breaking into the industry but feel like they’re lacking something or are different in a way that is perceived as negative; but maybe people should be using that to their advantage. I mean, there’s a market in the sex industry for everything.

“Yes, 100%! If you market yourself right and you brand yourself properly, you just have to remember that there’s 5+ billion people in this world and the sex industry is global. So, you don’t need everyone to like you. You just need a small audience to be your fan base and that will keep you afloat. There’s an audience for everything.”

Please watch my FULL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Mr. Fleshbot March, Leo Vice. Leo is incredibly handsome, smart, and funny! So don't miss out and get to know him better.

Follow him and stay tuned for more:

Twitter @TheLionEmperor
IG @the_lion_emperor
OnlyFans @thelionemperor
PornHub Leo Vice