Twenty Questions with Porn/Fetish Star Kendra James

Kendra Is The Coolest!

Porn/fetish star Kendra James has been making dirty movies for the world to enjoy since 2002. Get to know this brilliant, beautiful woman here!

What kind of girl were you back in high school? Who did you hang out with/date?

"I was free spirited and loved to have fun. Much of my time was spent in punk rock or goth clubs listening to music. By 17, I was out of the house and living with my older goth friends, and dating one. He was 20 years old, attended UC Berkeley, and seemed so wise and interesting. We had parties every Saturday night after The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and regularly included orgies, many that I instigated. As long as I went to school and got good grades, my parents didn't question me much. I'd been a commercial and catalog model from 13 to 16 and didn't ask them for anything. My teenage years were pretty wild. I did a lot of things most people wait until they get to college to try. By college, I sort of got things out of my system. At 19, I started working in a local dungeon as a dominatrix and was doing some fetish modeling for extra money for school. I didn't really know what I wanted to be or do when I grew up and after three semesters of college, so I quite literally ran away with the circus. I joined a freakshow and learned how to walk on broken glass, swallow swords, and hit targets with a bullwhip. We ended up touring with Ozzfest for three years, as well as Slipknot, Pantera, and other heavy metal bands. By 23, I was back in the Bay Area and becoming more active in the adult industry again."

Were you a porn/fetish fan before you got into the industry? Who were your favorite porn stars/favorite porn movies/fetish movies/fetish sites?

"I wasn't a fan of porn exactly, more of hyper femininity and sexuality. The imagery of Jessica Rabbit, Catwoman, Kim Basinger as a toon in Cool World, and other comic book heroines intrigued me. I loved the idea of being somewhat coy and innocent, while also being brutally sensual and having the power to make men drop to their knees and crave you, all while retaining complete control. That made me more excited than anything.

I'm in my late 30s, and the Internet wasn't really around. I also entered the adult industry at 19 in 1998. Porn available was confined to blurry VHS tapes, Playboy and Penthouse magazines, and fuzzy Cinemax channels on TV. As a kid, I was curious about porn. My friends and I would sneak their dad's Playboy magazines. We'd thumb through the pages amazed by these beautiful, naked women. I think I wanted to look like them more than anything else to have this intense sensuality.

A friend of mine was working at a comic book shop. I'd spend hours reading graphic novels and adult comics. I was exposed to my first Skin Two magazine. I was 16 and the cover was a woman clad head to toe latex catsuit with inflatable tits. I eagerly looked through the BDSM and fetish pictures, and was hooked. Between the dirty comics and latex clad women, my love of kink was born. Early on, I loved sites like Hogtied (which I worked for a lot in the beginning), Fetish Nation, and Short Fuse (which became Bondage Cafe and is still around). They combined beautiful, sexy glamour with bondage, and BDSM sex. Stars like Dita, Aria Giovanni, and Ancilla Tilla were just emerging, and beyond glam to me."

What kind of scene have you found is your favorite kind to do?

"My favorite types of scenes have changed over the years. When I started filming, it was typically as a submissive for sites like Hogtied and Sick Puppy (long gone). I loved intense sensations, pain, and bondage, while being forced to cum. I couldn't imagine sex without some sort of pain or restraint. Those days are over for me. Now, I love intense and sensual lesbian scenes, and also femdom/male sub scenes. Having a man tied up, exposed, and forced to suck a strap-on is so much fun. I still love to dress up and be ultra-glam, so that hasn't changed much."

What/who do you want to do on-camera that you havenít done yet?

"There are so many beautiful performers! Lacy Lennon, Molly Stewart, Uma Jolie, Bunny Colby, Bree Daniels, Charlotte Stokely, and Ariana Marie, are just a handful of women I'd like to work with! The industry really is spoiled right now with gorgeous girls! I've also never shot boy/girl content, and I'm thinking about it more and more...it would have to be in a femdom or cosplay context however. Maybe Batman mesmerized and used by Poison Ivy type of scenario."

Who is your favorite performer to work with and why?

"I don't know that I have a favorite. There are so many wonderful performers out there. I love working with Anastasia Pierce and Angela Sommers, because they're close friends and we always have a good time. They're both creative and fun to work with. Abigail Mac is also great. She's super professional, wants to do a good job, get it done efficiently, and is good at memorizing lines! I also enjoy working with Karla Kush. She's full of energy and is always really positive on set."

You respond to your fans a lot on Twitter. What do you like most about talking to your fans on social media?

"I actually wish I had more time to respond to fans, but if I got to everyone, I'd never have time for anything else. Everyone has a different interest, kink, fetish, etc. and I love hearing the diversity of those. I always wonder why they're a fan of something, what sparked a particular fetish, and why they reach out to us. Getting to know them has been an interesting experience. Since, I also offer live domination sessions in my area, so I actually get to grill people about this in person. They have to come prepared with a story…something about a previous experience they've enjoyed whether in their personal life or with a professional mistress, what made them a fan of kink/porn, and what triggered their fetish and when. They probably feel like I'm interrogating them, but I'm really just curious about what makes them tick."

How did you become a porn/fetish performer? What led you down that career path?

"Money is the easy answer. I was a broke college student and needed extra cash. My very first experience was answering an ad in the back of the local paper for a porn movie. It was a boy/girl scene filming in a beach house in Santa Cruz. I was 18 and spent the weekend at the beach with all of the other performers, drinking heavily to cope with the situation. Everyone was very nice, but I realized boy/girl wasn’t for me. My next little venture into adult led me to a local dungeon in the East Bay, when I was 19. A friend of mine was interviewing with them and I went with her for moral support. She decided it wasn't for her, but I was intrigued and began working there as a mistress. This opened the door to the fetish scene in the SF Bay Area.

Soon I was shooting with local fetish photographers and websites. My first cover was for a spanking video with RedBoard Video 'Pain 2'. This was in late 1998 or early 1999. For ages I had that movie, but it's since been lost in one of my many moves. I worked with Sick Puppy as a performer and production assistant for a while, before going over to Kink and working as a production assistant for them. At that time, production assisting included video editing, part time photographer, and model coordinator. I definitely learned a lot working there!

I never thought this would be a career, it was just something I was doing in between going on tour and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. For a while, I was a make-up artist and aesthetician, worked corporate for Sephora and shot smut on weekends for extra cash. I always seemed to gravitate back to the adult industry. In 2007, I made the conscious decision to start my own website and actively book myself as a girl/girl and fetish performer full time. I like having the freedom to book my own life, travel and experience things on my own terms. Adult work is difficult. You have to stay on top of things, especially when juggling running your own business, branding yourself, and filming for other people. But, it still allows me freedom other careers wouldn't."

What do you most want to achieve in the industry?

"I think stability and a regular paycheck. Things fluctuate so much. I'd love to continue what I'm doing with more certainty of comfort."

What is one thing you would teach a woman who wanted to be a better sexual partner?

"Communication. Talk to your partner, try the things you want to try, ask them what they're interested in, and try to be open and honest. Not everyone is going to like what you do, but how do you know unless you ask."

What do you love most about doing fetish scenes?

"Porn and fetish create an outlet one may not have in their personal life. I appreciate being able to live out fantasies in a safe and controlled environment, being encouraged to do so, and also having the opportunity to be creative. When I'm filming my own videos, I have creative control and get to do fun, weird things that brings others joy as well. Not everyone gets to live out their fantasies, but I do!"

What do you think are must-have DVDs for your fans?

"My Batwoman movie of course! I released my own Batwoman parody through Anastasia Pierce Productions and Pulse a while back. If you love lesbians, superheroines, and comics you love this! You can't go wrong with any of the Girlsway movies either. My scene with Shyla Jennings for Elegant Angel also released recently."

What do you like to do for fun?

"I live in Miami, so I go to the beach a lot. Diving and paddle boarding, really anything to do with the water and being outdoors with friends. I'm also a makeup hoarder. Even in my off time I'm playing with makeup and trying different looks."

What are your favorite fetishes to explore on camera?

"My favorite things change from time to time. It used to be bondage, but lately it's feminization. It's so much fun to dress slaves up in frilly skirts, wigs, and slutty makeup and put them in chastity. I love working with companies like Femdom Empire, where I get to be super mean and humiliate men in really creative ways."

Who are your role models in porn/the fetish world?

"I don't know that I have role models exactly, but there are definitely people I admire. Lexi Sindel is one of them. She's an incredibly smart business woman, who has made some very good choices when it comes to her company, content, and the way she runs things. I ask her for advice all the time! Natalie Mars is another. She decided this is what she wanted to do and jumped in head first. She's unapologetic, does the type of content she wants, and works really hard. Vicky Vette is someone else who had a vision and put in a lot of time and hard work to create her business, while still remaining accessible to fans. Emily Marylin has worked hard for years to make exceptional content and is such a good model. She's creative, beautiful, and puts such effort into the details of each shoot. Really there are just so many amazing people in this industry!"

What is the best mainstream movie you have seen recently?

"Us! It had some interesting social commentary and hidden messages."

How about the best porno movie? Is there someone whose movies you like to watch who is working now?

"I would like to say I watch other people's porn, but I really don't. I'll check out previews just to see what others are doing, but I can't say I've watched an entire movie or clip. Generally, I'll stalk Marc Dorcel, Bree Mills, Missa X, and any other highly stylized porn like Deeper and Vixen, plus weird fantasy porn stuff."

What is coming up for you?

"I was just nominated for an AltPorn Award for Best Cosplay Clip Artist, so I'll likely be attending the red carpet on May 11. I'm also gearing up for filming in Los Angeles again and have a number of my own projects in the works, including some new superheroine and alien abduction movies (I love the weird fantasy stuff!). Besides that, I have three scenes booked with Girlsway, one of which is for Bree Mills who I always love working with. At the end of May, I'll be attending the Fetish Factory anniversary party in Fort Lauderdale, and then XBIZ Miami. In July, I'll be back in Los Angeles and also in San Diego for Comic Con (fingers crossed the Game of Thrones cast is there!). August is Fetish Con, which I've been attending since it began."

If you could fuck any celebrity, who would it be?

"Kit Harington, Jon Bernthal, (but only when they're dressed as Jon Snow and the Punisher), Charlize Theron, and Karlie Kloss."

What single piece of advice would you give a brand new female fetish performer?

"Treat this as a business, save money, and calculate your next move. Don't be afraid to evolve and try new things, but don't let anyone push you into situations you're not comfortable with. Reach out and talk to other performers if something doesn't seem right. Don't do everything all at once for every company, so that you have more things to offer later on. Don't count on companies offering you work forever. Sorry, but you're only a fresh face for so long and then many sites and directors are onto the next pretty girl. Put time and effort into creating your own site, store, and revenue streams, and make your own visions come to life. Be prepared for your family to ask questions and potentially pass judgement, so have some idea of how you want to deal with it. If you have a good support system, you'll be better equipped to deal with the crazy porno hardships that pop up."

Is there anything you want to say to your fans here at Fleshbot?

"Thanks for watching! And, if you haven't watched yet, go join my site, click on my stores and discover the world I have to offer! I'm happy for the support I've been shown for so many years, and look forward to new fans and continued support for years to come! I also love to hear your ideas and encourage fans to send scripts, so I can make better content, reach more people, film more diverse fantasies, and make my site even better! Also, reach out to the companies you'd like to see me work with! Haven't seen me someplace? Tell them you want to see me on their platform!"

All of the images and video here appear courtesy of Elegant Angel. Click right here to watch James' scene with Shyla Jennings in Elegant Angel's "Lesbian Performers Of The Year 2019"!

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