Checking In With Kink Creator/Producer/Director The Pope

Kink Delivers Romantic BDSM With Tainted Love 

Kink creator/director/producer JohnPaul The Pope has created a new series unlike much of his work that the fans of Kink's Device Bondage and Hogtied channels know, love and watch in droves. This time, he has written, produced and directed the seven part series Tainted Love, a plot-based feature exploring the romantic aspects and possibilities of the BDSM lifestyle. It stars Fleshbot Best New Starlet April Olsen, Gia Derza, Katie Kush and Brooke Johnson with Quinton James, Tommy Pistol, Derrick Pierce and David Lee. The first two episodes of the series are available to watch on the Kink website right now. Here's what The Pope had to say about this hardcore, intimate and engaging series.

Hello, sir! How are you? How are things?
"Hi! I'm well. I'm super busy making the proverbial doughnuts (porn) for the masses, which I love."

Congratulations on the release of Tainted Love! How does it feel having it out there for Kink members to see?
"It feels really good. It's a little nerve-wracking because it's not what I usually write, but I'm very curious to see what people think of it."

This is a BDSM romance series that is perhaps not something that fans might expect you to create for them. What made this the right time in your career to make this?
"I am fortunate enough to have the freedom to write really cool things like Tainted Love, and even though it's not my usual style, I really enjoyed writing it. I actually didn't start writing a love story/romance. I sat down with another idea in my head, but suddenly I was going down a different path, which eventually evolved into this project. I'm not sure why my brain decided that this was the time to write this, but it did, and I try not to question inspiration. That's not to say that I haven't questioned it ever since I finished, but only because it is so far away from anything that I've ever written."

BDSM involves a ton of trust and more kindness than many casual fans realize. How do you feel that is reflected in what you have made with Tainted Love?
"Once I realized this was the story I was gong to write, I wanted to make sure that it encapsulated several things. The first was making it relatable, which is not the case in most of my movies. I always have people tell me that they are into BDSM, but not at the level that I am. I realized that they meant 'the extreme '' level that I perform at on camera, not their interest level. The average BDSM person doesn't have a massive dungeon that is equipped with all of the things that I have, but that's not to say that they love BDSM any less. With that in mind, I wanted to write something that was relatable for the masses, and less fantasy driven. I want the viewers to be able to see that although it can be enjoyed at the extreme level that I do it, most people don't have the time, space, or gear to do so. Second, and maybe the most important of the two was consent. It had to be done in a way that portrayed real life consent, and not fantasy driven play. I wanted to make something that showed the flaws in mainstream Hollywood depictions of BDSM life styles. It has always bothered me that the pathetic Fifty Shades franchise has made it's way into so many people's minds, and yet it was so inaccurate in how it portrayed our BDSM lifestyle."

What is your favorite scene in this series?
"As I was writing the scripts, I was listening to a lot of Beethoven. The third episode has a part where the viewer starts to see a deeper connection between April and Quinton, or at least I wrote it that way...I hope they catch that part. During that part, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata started playing, and I put it on repeat as I finished writing the scene. It inspired me so much that I asked Quinton if he could learn it for me, since he plays piano. He laughed and sarcastically said, 'sure'. He told me that it was not an easy song to learn, and that it would take longer than we had to learn it. The day we were shooting it, he began to play it, and I literally got tears in my eyes. I got my song! The one song that I thought expressed the emotion that I hope the series makes the viewer feel."

There is a lot more dialogue in this than other features you have done. Do you feel like you need to say more here because of the romance of it all or was there something else going on?
"I tried to touch on so many aspects of the lifestyle, and show them in all of their glory. The lead characters were looking for their 'Goldilocks' partner, so as they expressed the person not being what they wanted at the moment, I tried to make sure that they were still spoken about it an empowering way, and never to make any aspect seem like a bad thing. I also had the 'storyteller' always be the one that would answer the 'listeners' questions. The 'listeners' questions were based around what the public seems to perceive about BDSM, so I thought it would be a cool way to have discussions around those topics."

What do you most enjoy about directing for Kink as a whole?
"The freedom to be me! I get to make a product that I am very passionate about, and that is huge to me. I direct/perform in scenes that I naturally enjoy, so it's never forced, and the ones that I don't perform in are things that I truly enjoy watching. I've been with Kink for almost 12 years, and they are still very supportive of my vision for the channels I run, and my style of movie making after all of this time, so I can't complain."

What makes you happiest thee days? What always makes you smile?
"Life! All of it! Every day is a new chance to be better than you were the day before, and I have surrounded myself with amazing family and friends."

What else is coming up for you? What should your fans be on the lookout for?
"I just finished shooting the 4fourth installment of School of Submission, and I am almost finished writing the second installment of Diary of a Madman, which I am excited about...a lot!!"

Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans here at Fleshbot?
"THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT!!! I appreciate every single one of my fans, and they are the reason I get to do what I do!!!"

All of the images and video here appear courtesy of Kink.