Porn: it's just like the movies, right? Well, sometimes it is, like in the case of Lars Von Trier's latest, Nymphomaniac. But, what happens when porn stars try to become legitimate actors? What's interesting to note is that some of the most notable actors in the business started in soft core porn: Kevin Costner and Sylvester Stallone both began their careers in the same shady way, but they're men, so what about the actresses? Considering porn's main focus on selling to males (actresses are invariable the real stars), it can be tough for the ladies of porn to jump ship and try "real" acting successfully. Many have tried, some have failed, but some have actually found small levels of success. The real point is that it's tough for these women to really ever be taken seriously at anything else, especially acting in mainstream fare, but some of the stars actually have real talent, so let's give them a chance and examine five pornstars who tried to be real actresses.
5. Bree Olson
Bree Olson is the newest to the pack: she hasn't really been tested yet, but I would say that so far her choices aren't going to get her taken too seriously by producers. More commonly known as one of Charlie Sheen's former "goddesses," Bree Olson has made a name for herself in pornography, but it's hard to tell whether that Texan name is going to do much for her in the real movies. One of the films she'll reportedly have a part in is Tom Six's Human Centipede III. I give her credit for choosing a film that's going to be different and probably not treat her like the porn star she is, but who's the last actor that broke out from this franchise? Maybe Olson's got the right strategy. The problem most of these women have is that people can't see them as people. If Six throws Olson into the action in his disgusting third chapter to his franchise and makes her part of one of his nasty human centipedes then maybe people will forget Bree Olson the pornstar. How would you be able to think about porn as you watch her taped, stapled or surgically applied to someone's anus? Actually, maybe don't answer that. Other movies she has in the work seem to be smaller fare where she plays the "pretty girl" or "hot girl." Human Centipede III will be the real deciding factor, it will either cement a real coming out moment, or she'll have to go back to doing what made her name.
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4. Katie Morgan
Katie Morgan hasn't had much success on the straight acting front: she's mostly had a bunch of small roles in movies nobody remembers, with her biggest, and best coming in the form of Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno (not too much of a stretch for her, to be honest). Some of her other recent outings have been movies like L!fe Happens and Shoot the Hero. I'm not speaking from experience, but my guess is that those titles probably don't hold up to ones like Desperate Whorewives: Butt Hole In One for her fans. Despite not having much success on the movie front, Morgan has created a nice little second career for herself. After winning much praise on a lot of radio programs, Morgan started her own podcast called Having Sex, With Katie Morgan. The show has become quite popular and is under Kevin Smith's Smodcast network. The movies may not be very bright for Morgan, but radio is, which is somewhat at odds with the traditional portrait of someone blessed with a face for radio.
3. Jenna Jameson
Let's just face it, Jenna Jameson will always be a pornstar - she will never escape it and neither will we. When she's 80, she'll still be a pornstar and people will love her for it. Jameson has tried to go mainstream with her acting, but people just don't seem to want it. Her most notable roles have been in Howard Stern's Private Parts and in the little recognized B-movie Zombie Strippers. Nothing seems to have worked out for her. Her most success outside of porn came when she wrote about being a pornstar in her bestselling book, How to Make Love Like a Pornstar. She also wrote a novel, but even when she was promoting that all she got asked about was her porn career. Right now Jameson is probably the most recognized name in porn, but the bright lights just ain't for her. Porn is Jenna Jameson and Jenna Jameson is porn. I guess both she and the world are just going to have to deal with that.
2. Traci Lords
Here's a lady that's been doing porn since she was a kid - quite literally - and she also seems to have been acting in mainstream fare for just as long. Lords is one of the more interesting pornstars: she began acting in adult films when she was just 16, and was promptly arrested when the FBI discovered how old she was and apparently only one of her movies is actually legal, as she made it when she was 18. The story of her youth made her a legendary, or at the very least infamous, having apparently fooled producers, the government and everybody else. Not many got to enjoy profit from her previous career, which makes her a bit of a pariah when it comes to adult films. After her debacle in porn life, Traci Lords attempted to fulfill her dreams of stardom and being a real actress... and she's still trying. She is a working actress with a few notable films under her belt, but she hasn't ever had a breakout role that's made people forget her past. In fact, many of her roles play on her past history with the adult film industry. She's probably the most successful on this list, but she'll always be Traci Lords the pornstar. Some of her notable features include Blade, Cry Baby, Zack And Miri Make a Porno and I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Like I said, she's still trying.
1. Sasha Grey
One of porn's most famous and complex faces is Sasha Grey: some hate her, some love her, but almost everybody is captivated by her. Her beauty isn't that of a typical pornstar and she's always come across as someone a little too smart for the traditional image of the industry. She proved her intellect when she made her mainstream film lead debut in Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience. Despite playing a prostitute in the movie, Grey showed she had real acting chops and wanted to make something that challenged her past while also helping her to overcome it. Or maybe I'm giving her way too much credit. Despite having the best mainstream acting debut of any pornstar, Grey hasn't turned her mainstream acting career into much. She's mainly been in a lot of forgettable films. Although she did have a memorable part in an Eminem music video and a run on Entourage. At 25, Grey probably has the most potential to be a successful actress than anyone else on this list. She just needs another Girlfriend Experience to prove she's more than the strange pornstar she once was or maybe she wants to be known as that. It's hard to tell with any of these ladies on the list. Did we miss any porn stars trying to make a go at "real" acting? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.