- Everyone assumes I was probably given a hard time by the adult film biz but they always treated me fairly, even if they at first doubted me. They've come to respect that I was the first one with vision and recognition of what would become the "couples" market.
- When I made my choice to start into production, it was a great way to embrace my name and everything I had done and just say, "You know what? I'm not going to run for it. I'm going to take my fame and do something I'm proud of."
- [from an interview in 2012] I've sacrificed pieces of my life. I have very little relationship with the Italian side of my family any longer, a whole piece of my family that was a major part of my life when I was growing up. While it sometimes makes me sad to think about the huge family I lost, I accept it as an unavoidable consequence of choosing to break the rules and live according to my own beliefs.
- I think that pornography itself is a reflection of how we have perverted our sexuality and, for the most part, what would be described as "male" pornography makes sex look rather dirty, mechanical, and loveless. I think it's a reflection of what we've done to our sexuality through positioning it as something dangerous and bad, needing to be controlled and suppressed. I spent all those years looking into my soul and trying to look objectively at having been in the movies, and whether or not this was good or bad -- was this bad for society? I had to flesh it out for myself and I couldn't live with this burning question in my mind, "Oh, my god, did I take part in something horrible?". I don't think it was, but I don't think we'll see in our lifetime a society that doesn't condemn it while millions of people consume it.
- I worry about all of the young women coming into the adult industry now, and not having the wherewithal to go into therapy. I'm sorry, you can't do something that's this controversial and taboo without having some conflict about it, and in some way, it stays with people for the rest of your life. Even though we know that there's nothing wrong with what we did, a lot of people are going to judge you for it. If I had the wherewithal and the inclination, I would start some kind of place for women to come and get counseling because they're going to need it. It's not as if I'd be telling them "You're a sick person" or "You're a bad person." Just talk about it and make sure you're OK with it because it's the only way to stand-up to people's judgments. You've got to have self-respect, self-love, and self-understanding.
- I had gone into therapy to understand why I did what I did. After much reading and exploring, I decided there was nothing wrong with performing sexually with others for others to view, and enjoy, and learn from. I felt the pornography that existed reflected a society that had great conflict about sexuality and that there was no women's voice. We were not getting a whole lot out of these films other than easy jerk-off material. Of course, that got me to thinking that it would be interesting to create movies that had a woman's voice that actually had good information, and that people could actually learn something from. I knew that there would be people who would love these movies that are more intelligent with more craft and artistry. At the same time, women were starting to become more curious because of the feminist movement. We had received permission to explore our sexuality, and, quite significantly, home video and cable television were introduced into the culture. This really gave people a place to view and explore these movies and their fantasies at home. I saw all that come together and I thought it was a viable market that the industry was ignoring.
- Humans have been curious to look at erotic art and explicit sexual art since they etched and carved images into caves on walls, so I don't think there's anything wrong with it. What I did feel is that these movies were being sold on the backs of women, and there was nothing about women's sexuality. Women had no voice in the movies, and it was time for that to stop. Women were curious because of the women's movement that gave them permission to explore their sexuality. Women were curious and wanted to see if there were some sexy movies they could enjoy with their partners, and there was nothing out there for that. That was a booming market that really needed to be provided for, and no one was noticing. I thought I'd be the perfect person. A lot of filmmakers would love to explore the erotic side of filmmaking, but they're afraid that it would hurt their careers. I already had a big red letter on my chest. I had nothing to lose. I knew the ins and outs, shall we say, of the business inside the camera and behind it, and I had a lot of experience. I was trained in the arts, and I thought, "You know what? Let's try this. This could be very interesting."
- I wasn't interested in just making the same old, typical, boring pornography some of which was degrading and ugly. I wanted it to be something that had dignity that was pleasing to look at, that women could enjoy and relate to and that couples could enjoy and maybe learn a few things about making love and what their partners wanted and needed. I wanted to do it my way, and that was very important to me. I had no interest in putting out the same old boring crap that was out there forever. I wanted to give it a woman's voice, and I wanted to provide some good information for couples to actually benefit from.
- I have such compassion for animals, for the things we do to animals to serve our own needs. It just breaks my heart. If I could, I would put every last bit of energy I have into helping animals in some way. I would like to be remembered as someone with kindness and compassion for the living creatures that don't have a voice in the world.
- It's my determination to do things my way. I've always been an independent thinker. I've always done things the way I thought fit, and I think that is a good indicator of my individuality, perseverance, and strength. And kindness. I would say that above all.
- Perhaps if we weren't still so consumed with guilt and shame about sex, neither watching nor performing in these films would carry the weight it does. But then, perhaps we wouldn't be so interested in them, either. If the fruit were not forbidden, would anyone care to take a bite?
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content