Maitland Ward: The Evolution of a Writer

She attended one of the greatest institutes of film-making to be a screenwriter, but that was after she had mastered walking onto the set of The Bold and Beautiful. How fitting it is that Maitland Ward began her career in such a manner. Now, many moons later, she is doing something that has never been done in the world of adult films, and she is doing it with class, style, art, and her trademark smile and kindness. May I emphasize the word smile? Because there is no actor on the planet with the character and spirit of Maitland Ward. Many readers who hound the internet would have found her various clips with TMZ and daytime talk hero Tamron Hall fairly easily. The truth that all of them include is a warmth and sophistication that has always been a part of who she is, no matter who it is that she shares the stage with. Marlon Wayans or Isiah Maxwell.

When I heard that Maitland Ward was going to begin directing and writing, I knew that the world of adult cinema was going to change forever. In what way, I did not know. I just knew it would be bold and beautiful. I mean this is the star who gave rise to the world that became OnlyFans in my opinion. Al Gore may have invented the internet. Maitland Ward, well, you get it. This is the actor who can wear a crown as both a Disney princess and a Deeper queen. Now, she is going to take on the role of the Mom that You would Like to Fuck. A genre that started in mainstream, and has become pop culture lore because of adult cinema. As this new Vixen company known as MILFY takes shape, the only thing I can state is that the evolution of Maitland Ward in 2023 is not just a transformation of a woman. But, the progression of the term MILF itself in porn. That is what we at Fleshbot sit down to discuss with the woman who has done it all, or has she?......

Now, I may get some flack from my peers in the industry, but I think it is a little bit more common knowledge than we are led to think as porn writers. For many years, performers who have looked to reach the top of the mountain in this industry have aimed to avoid one title for as long as they can, and that is the title of MILF. No, not because it does not make any money. Far from it. Mainly because it has been known to typecast you as a female performer. No MILF performer has ever won Female Performer of the Year. At least not after she has won MILF Performer of the Year. This is the question I wanted to impose on Maitland Ward. I had to know why she was taking this risk, and if this move was due to a lack of creative energy, or an evolution of what is still buried within her creative mind. All after a very successful book tour and prosperous awards season. 

Well hello my dear, how are you? 
Hellllllooooooo! How are you?

Honey, I am doing great. It is so good to hear from you. 
It is so good to hear from you too!

You know my friend, every time that we run into each other we are running all over the place and we never have time to chat. We are always so busy, we only have time...
I know, we only have time to say hi to each other and that is it.

As I was working the door at XRCO when I last saw you, I tried to find you among the sea of humanity in front of the stage. Then, I saw you getting another acting award. How wonderful is that? Congratulations. 
I know, thank you so much. It was so amazing. What a special night that was.

My friend, it means so much to me that you were able to make it to all of these events. I know how hard that is to do with your schedule. Mad props homie. That is all I can say. Your legwork means so much to me, and this business.
Thank you so much, and everything within this industry means so much to me.

So, you have been all across this country with your book tour. Then you were at AVN within that big, beautiful booth for Vixen. My goodness, tell us about that experience.
Oh, that was one of the most gorgeous displays that I have ever seen, throughout my entire career. They did an amazing job with everything. Each day, it was packed with fans, and that made the event that much more special to me. I will never forget it.

AVN, it was just packed in general. Remember, this is the first AVN where we all got to come back and enjoy the experience together. It was just amazing! I would describe that setup, as cool, and, I think that they want to go bigger next year.

Maitland, you read my mind. That is what I was going to ask next. I can only imagine that things are going to be bigger and better next year. Now, to focus on this year. I am so enthralled by what is being made with the MILFY website and launch. 
It is gorgeous and it was as fun to shoot as you would think it would be. This is the first time since I had begun working as an adult actor, that I have gotten to work with color and lighting concepts myself. It was amazing. Because usually, I am in more serious, devious, diabolical roles and backdrops. Which is great! But, it was fun to do something that was the complete opposite. It was lively. It was fun. It brought me back to my roots of comedy. Not that it is super comedic, but, it is fun. The likeness was fun to play.

You and I, always talk about the common ground that is shared by all in the world of entertainment. The first thing that came to mind, when my editor shared what it is that Vixen is doing with MILFY, was memories of watching The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke.
Yes, that is exactly how I felt being a part of this. That was the feeling that we were going for. That is exactly it! It was very much like the fifties, sixties housewife sitcom that they were playing on. I loved it. I am glad that you did as well. The colors in the kitchen. The baking of the cookies, and the milk! So much milk! There was just milk everywhere! There were milk bottles and milk jugs. It was fun though. I got to bake cookies all day long.

Your career, began as you played the young, prized girlfriend of the “older” brother in a sitcom. Now, you have fully embraced the “MILF” role. I have so much respect that you have now taken on this genre within the industry. It is a part of “Americana.”
This is true. It is so fun to do all these “MILFY” things. It is a first for Vixen to branch out into the whole mature woman genre. That was not their thing in the past. It is so lucrative, but it is more than that. It is thrilling to be able to branch out with so many different types of women. That is so exciting.

I know that you can not divulge everything. But, I hope that we are going to see some long, lengthy scripts. That we are going to see your characters in big scenarios that are driven by the story as much as they are sex appeal with MILFY. Because we do not have that in the MILF genre. We just don’t. Not with any company.
First off, yes we are going to have all that. I also agree with you, we do not see enough of those things in the MILF genre. That is actually what attracted me to this project. To be able to write and create pieces within this genre. Scenes that are lengthier than anything fans are used to seeing. That is what I am looking forward to taking part in most. Of course, these are pieces that are going to be fun, but, they will be longer, and they will give mature women a platform to act, and showcase their talents. You are right, there just is isn’t stories being written for older women.

I have never been a woman who likes to attach herself to a certain label. It allows me to have fun doing all the other stuff that I have going on in my career right now. That is important to me, that even with the MILF label, to say, hey, women can do everything, and not be compartmentalized into these small spaces that are so limited. I think that women in this industry can do everything. That is what MILFY is looking to do, showcase women in that exact way. There are a lot of “MILF” performers, mature performers who are looking forward to what we are doing. It has created a lot of excitement. That is the feedback that I am getting from my fellow performers. They are so happy to see that Vixen is going in this direction.

Maitland, I am glad that you brought that up. You know me, I am not a gossip guy in this industry. I choose to take my role in media to more positive places. But one thing I have seen, and performers tell me this all the time. They believe that if you get classified in that MILF role. That is the only thing you will be playing for the rest of your career. You taking on this role, I hope it ends that stigma, and opens up more doors. 
Thank you for talking about this. I hope so too. That is what I want this to be. I want the women in this industry to know that they can do it all and that no, that you will not be categorized. And, that you do not have to do this forever. You can do everything, and I think that is thinking that every mature, empowered woman has within her. You do not have to be what people tell you to be. You can be anything that you want. That is the main reason that I wanted to jump into this genre.

I love that you are here now. Because honestly, no one who is a MILF should ever be eliminated from contention to win Female Performer of the Year. No one!

I want women to be able to shake things up in the industry so badly.

Truthfully, you are now shining a light on a lot of performers in this genre. You will allow them to be seen. Plus, you are allowing other big names like yours, to dip their toes in the MILFY water. 
Oh, I sure do hope so. I do. I am so thankful to have that opportunity. I am so appreciative to work with so many other people who want that as well within what we create.

So, let me make sure I have all the logistics correct with everything here. Is this something that is being done by Kayden Kross? Or, is this something where we are going to get to see you write and direct?
Yes, you will see me writing and directing stuff with MILFY. But, this is her site, and she came up with the idea. This is her big launch, and, of course, she is ready to start directing all the time for the site. Trust me, Don Juan, I will be getting my feet wet with all of that very soon. I am also going to be doing that for Deeper too. I have a very “lengthy” project, as you like to call it, coming up very soon for Deeper. I can not wait to unveil my work to the fans.

But, yeah. I have some ideas for some lengthier scripts. They are going to be fun. They are going to be colorful in a way that speaks to my thoughts and emotions. I think that people are going to see what I am doing with multiple websites, and they will see Rachal from Boy Meets World all grown up. They are projects that all have that very sitcom-type feel to them. Especially this first scene that we have included within the site launch. It is free for fans to watch. These are creations that will have fans feeling like they are seeing Rachel come from the past, into the future, and coming into her own. That was another fun part of playing these characters. Even though we did a more sixties, seventies kind of theme. Still, it took me back to my days of Boy Meets World. So, it is a play on everything.

What you ladies sparked within me as a writer, when I saw the wonder you both were creating, was first and foremost a fifties pin-up. Bettie Paige was coursing through my brain that day. Then, I said to myself, “Where can you great artists go with this?” There are so many MILF characters that have never been played before in this industry. You could go the eighties, you could go the nineties. We never get to see the MILF which is bad for our health. Or, the “Gotti” type MILF. I hope that we get to see that with MILFY.
I think that we are going to surprise you. These are going to be stories that are told in a whole other light than what we are used to being seen with older women, and, empowered women. That goes hand in hand with this genre. So, let's just say we are not going to be reliant on the stepson thing. I mean, yes, we are going to have those things. But, it is not going to be heavy on the site, like it is on so many other websites that are out there. It is going to be about empowered women. It is going to be about having an experience with fun MILFS. In ways that you would never expect to see. Or, at least that you have not seen yet within the industry.

You know, friend to friend. What I would love to see is the “wild” MILF. The fun-loving MILF. The woman who we all fell in love with when we were younger. The older woman who may be a bit of a drinker. Or the gal who never says the right thing, and always does her make-up wrong. But, that is why we had a crush on her.
Oh, sure. I can not wait for you to see everything that we are working on. This is something that is going to be played up way more than the step-family thing is. It is going to be about Mom and that hot woman in the neighborhood. We are going to see a lot of the reverent housewives. Something where underneath it all, there is a “bad girl” waiting to come out in so many ways. This first launch is all going to be about all of the MILFS working together under the radar of their husbands. It is going to be like a MILF-sexual network. One of the stories, is Penny recommending me to this guy. That is all that I can give away. We are all talking. We are all sharing stories as these sexually empowered MILFS. Their husbands do not suspect. But, they are out there. And, you are right. This is something that can work with so many different genres. So many styles of film-making. Eighties, nineties, fifties, sixties, seventies. We are going to try and do everything.

I love it. This is what I have always thought about Hollywood in general. As I am a lover of film, sound, and stage just like you are. When you go from the wholesomeness to the seediness of a character. That is what brings out the true wonder within Hollywood and all its artists. You have brought that already to our industry. Now, you are saying that you are going to do more. That is the reason fans need to line up to buy tickets. What I would like to talk about now, is what it was like for you to get behind the camera like you have as a director now.

It’s so much fun. It is wild to create a script and see it come to life. You know all about that. There are many moments where you ponder the things that you wrote when you were making the original creation. I remember the sports cars I wrote about. Then, you see the sports cars. My reaction was a loud, “The sports cars are here!” Everything just came to life, and Vixen does a great job at taking all of that to a higher level. The best part has to be seeing things come off the page for me.

My dear, can you give us an example?
Well, I remember writing this one scene that called for Isiah Maxwell to pick me up and flip me around, and, we shattered this glass that went everywhere on the floor. After the scene, I just sat and thought to myself, “Wow, I wrote that in.” Of course, they had the breakable glass and the breakable vase. It brought reality to my script. As we were going to play all of this out.

The other thing I enjoy is getting to create characters. Not just characters for myself. Yes, I am going to be creating roles that are just for me. But, I am also going to be creating productions that do not necessarily have me in them. It is something that I am enjoying the exploration that comes with that creation process. It is a very essential part of how the story plays out. Maybe the most crucial aspect. It is all about how you envision them. How you want things to go. It is a challenge. But, a challenge that I look forward to very much. I have learned, if you have great actors to go along with the script you are writing, it is the greatest thing in the whole process. It becomes something very celebratory at the end. I am looking forward to that moment very much. I now want to do more of that, now that I have gotten a taste.

I loved the tale that you told. In that very scene that you speak of. The editing was just brilliant. Isaiah being the gallant man that he is. I can see exactly what you speak of. The lust and the passion between those characters. It came to life and played out the way that makes for true cinema. You should be very proud Maitland, bravo my friend.
Oh, thank you. I had to have him be a part of that first production with Blacked.  was also who I worked with when it came to my content. Isiah Maxwell just brought it full circle. It felt like I had been writing parts with him for over a year. It was just wonderful. He was amazing! So, it made it extra special that he was there for that.

One of the most challenging things I have faced as a producer, and scriptwriter is taking aside an actor and giving them guidance and instruction. How do you hold up with that kind of situation? Have you faced that kind of situation as a director yet?
It is very difficult to face that. Especially if the person does not see themselves as an actor as well. Most performers come in only seeing themselves as sexual performers. Which is a form of acting. I say that to every person I have worked with. It is a big form of acting. I think a lot of times, people get intimidated by the dialogue. They will get too much into their heads. I try to be someone who shakes them out of it. “Don’t even think about it. Just talk. If you mess up, just keep talking.” I am not a person that is going to yell at someone because of their lines. I try and show them that they just have to be in the moment. I think that is the most important thing that a director and writer can do. Aid the actor in getting out of their heads.

I think that anyone in this industry can have trouble when it comes to words. That is because most of them are physical performers. So, getting out those lines of dialogue can be tricky for them. I have been very lucky to work with some very established performers. People who put a lot into the art. People who are well versed in such things. Just like Isiah Maxwell. The things that you have faced, have not been typical for me, but I do see, and face them from time to time.

I wrote a project recently, that we are going to get up and running. It has a lot of dialogue. I needed it to have a lot of dialogue. I needed it to have a lot of good acting pieces in it. I feel that I am going to have moments when I am with the other performer, and I am going to have to say, “Just talk to me.” That is what we always did in acting classes. You would just do exercises where you would say one word back to one another. Just with different emotions each time you did. You just have to get them comfortable. Get them to swim at the moment, in the dialogue. Yes, it is very difficult if people are not used to performing one way. If they get into it. Performing is performing. Eventually, if you keep at it. It will become second nature. Some people are just more comfortable with that than others. I do try to work with those people who want to be there. and, do want to work on such things to become a better actor. Because it does take a longer time to make a film that has more dialogue, more story. It takes an investment on the actor's part. You have to be committed, and willing to work very long days. It is acting, story, plus the sex. You can not forget about the sex.

Oh, you are going to laugh at this. When I produced my first independent production this last year. I thought that I had it all planned out. Having never had other roles under my belt in production, I thought we could get the dialogue and sex shot in two days. We ended up just spending two days recording the B-roll. Then, everything went over budget. Went into extra days of shooting. It takes so much to make a film.
Oh, that is a problem that we all have seen. That we all have faced. I know the pain and frustration you had to have been feeling. You wish that you had more time like you would on a mainstream film. They have so much time to get a production made. That is one of the toughest things I have faced in my career. Time restraints are very tough in this industry.

I was thinking about you a lot. As we have both worked on many sides of the entertainment world. We have both worked for some tyrants. People yelling and screaming at everyone to get things done. When I was running my set, I thought of you, my dear. I did. I pictured you being the open director. Being a person who allows the actors and production team to ask questions. I see you as that writer/director who uses other means to get the job done. That had to be a great set, especially with you running it. That is how I tried to make mine.
Aww, thank you. We had a lot of fun. Both the scene that I did for Tushy. The guys were just great. It was good, and it was really exciting to show people how to stay in their beat. Again, I have been very lucky. The directors of photography, and cinematography with Vixen are just talented beyond words. They help me with the shot list. They always get me the perfect look that I want for every part of the scene. That is what makes everything come out looking and sounding so good. We have a great team. I could never do all of this by myself.

You have gotten to get a taste of that from so many levels and places. People never give credit, where credit is due in this industry. Especially with the acting.
Yes. You want to be able to spend more time with the lines. You want to spend more time with the writing. Our critics do not know how much time we have to spend creating all that. Then we have to get the sex in. The sex though, to me that is the easiest part of it. At least that is what I believe. This happens I should say when you work with people who are constant professionals. It is getting all the shots with the dialogue and the story that takes the bigger amount of time from your shoot schedule.

I have many stories from the performers that you and Kayden have worked with. The most common is that you have taught the people you work with how to do something. That is because you both are constant professionals. You are teaching people something on set.
Aww, that is so nice. I do hope so. I do think that there is so much potential in people and performers in this industry. I don't think that they don’t tap into it so many times. It is also like you said, they just don’t know. Especially the younger performers. They tend to be a little more self-conscious with their dialogue, and not able to understand the story. I think that is just because they just don’t know how it is done. I think that if you do walk them through it, make them comfortable, and just shake off all the anxiety and have fun. I think that is important. In this industry, we really should nurture that acting part of it. Taking things to an even higher performance level. All so that young performers can be even more confident in their sex scenes. They will discover that they can become more fluent in all levels of performance once they have taken on the obstacles of becoming a good actor. I hope that I can do that for anybody. That is the best thanks that you could hope to get. That is amazing!

You know, the last thing I want to touch on. Is the natural talent that sexual women have. Being able to turn on someone in the bed with your eyes, with your voice. With the way that you cross your legs. That is called natural talents in the realm of sexual performance. I love that you are shedding light on this. Because the truth is, that is a natural acting talent that porn stars have, and again, are never given credit for.
Thank you so much. You are so sweet, and that is very true. I think it is so important to delve in and show people what their natural talents are. Gifts that they might not even know that they had really. Like someone who can connect with their partner with their eyes, but they are nervous about letting that skill come out in front of the camera. People have to do more than what I said earlier. You have to get out of this universe with your thoughts. You can not react or perform based on what everyone else says or does. You must connect in the way that comes naturally to you as an actor. Maybe you are thwarting yourself because you are getting nervous because of what someone else has done before you. You have to be able to block out everything that people say when you are an actor. You have to be able to be yourself. Because that is where true talent comes from. I want to be able to instill that in any younger performer that I work with.

What is the one thing you think we can do to make things better all the way around in the acting department? What do the writer and the director say that has evolved within you?
Well, what I like to do, is give people scripts way ahead of time. All so they can see what it is that we are trying to accomplish. Because it is like you said, there is not as much time in this industry to learn your lines and dissect a plot and a story as an actor. It is not like it is with the rest of Hollywood. Where we are given so much time to learn the scripts and talk with the directors, and the producers firsthand. All before shooting even begins. I think that when a performer is given the script the day of, that is terrible. That is hard. I would have problems trying to learn a script in one day, let alone in one hour. Getting a script that day of is so incredibly hard to learn. Luckily, they do not do that to me. I get the scripts way ahead of time. So if it is possible. I hope that we can all begin to move towards that in a better way for performers and actors in our industry. When you are reading a script “cold” it is never a good thing. I have done that at auditions and failed miserably. It is hard, and if we make that change, we can expect to see actors perform at an even higher level. Discovering talent that they did know even know that they had. That is a good thing for all of us. With every person, and every film.

Maitland, I would love to close, if you would. By you sharing a story of who inspired you as an actor. As you are the woman who inspires so many in our industry as an actor. Who inspired you to say, I am going to look at her films. I am going to look at her work, and I will someday be where she is.
I have had many inspirations along the way. I think the longest inspiration that I have had was Katharine Hepburn. She was so relevant in her time. She was so ahead of her time. She was this progressive kind of person who was willing to take on all the societal “norms” at the time. I have an interesting story about Katharine Hepburn for you and the Fleshbot readers.

The story goes when I was in my Mom’s belly. When my Mom was pregnant with me, she went to a play that Katharine Hepburn was doing in Los Angeles. She was a big fan of Katharine Hepburn. So, she had written Katharine Hepburn a note, and she told my Mom to come backstage. She greeted her backstage, and she touched her belly. She sent my mother good vibes, and said something to my mom like, “Good luck to the baby.” I always like to believe that I was touched by Katharine Hepburn, and that was such a special thing. I have always felt this weird kind of connection with her because of that. She touched me when I was in utero. My mom always remembers that story. So, it was always very special to me.

Katharine Hepburn was a very forward woman. She did not take guff from people. Maybe she was not in the most sexually provocative roles, but she was very provocative in the way that she showed empowerment as an actor at that time. She was way ahead of what the actresses were doing at that time. That has, and always will be something that inspires the things that I do. I hope that every performer has a chance to gain that inspiration from someone, or something.