8 Hollywood Actors Who Began Their Career in Adult Films
It is, after all, valuable experience in front of the camera – albeit a very peculiar one.
What do aspiring actors have to do to earn money for endless auditions, portfolio photos, food, and lodging? Some work for pennies as waiters and salesmen, while others choose another source of income, moonlighting in adult films – and when this fact inevitably comes up years later, everyone reacts differently.
Cameron Diaz
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Probably one of the most sensational cases of a Hollywood star's not so innocent past surfacing years later. A long time ago, long before the breakthrough in ' The Mask', 19-year-old Cameron Diaz posed for the cameras on the set of adult films. Years later, Cameron would prefer to forget about it, but nothing on the Internet ever goes away for good – and, although the actress has tried to make sure that videos of her do not pop up on the web, a minute Google search is enough to familiarize yourself with Cameron's background.
Jackie Chan
The star of 'Rush Hour' and dozens of action films once had to try on a variety of different jobs – and thus, back in 1975, Jackie Chan starred in the Hong Kong adult comedy 'All in the Family' (not to be confused with the American series of the same name that won numerous Golden Globes). The actor himself, when information about his past in 2006 surfaced in the media, reacted to it, unlike Cameron Diaz, quite calmly.
"I had to do everything I could to make a living," he said.
Sylvester Stallone
Another famous case of a Hollywood actor's career beginning in adult films. Jackie Chan's colleague in 80s action movies, Sylvester Stallone in an attempt to break into the film industry was so poor that he almost had to spend the night at the bus station. The salvation came in the form of $200, which Stallone received for starring in the softcore film 'The Party at Kitty and Stud's'. You can watch Rambo getting it on nowadays on the Internet, although the name of the film was changed to honor the star: it's the quite fitting 'Italian Stallion' now.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilder, actor, politician, and yet another action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, like his colleagues, also began by posing for the camera in adult films for the same-sex audience. The future Terminator also moonlighted, posing nude for an LGBT magazine appropriately titled 'After Dark'.
The 'Friends' star made no secret of the fact that before he got the role of Joey Tribbiani, he was very poor – he showed up to the 'Friends' audition with just a couple of dollars in his pocket – literally. So it comes as no surprise that LeBlanc took advantage of a quick and relatively easy way to make money for food and lodging – by starring in the 'Red Shoe Diaries'. Some erotic scenes with "Joey" can still easily be found online (the episode he starred in was called 'Just Like That').
David Duchovny
Like Matt LeBlanc, David Duchovny also starred in the very same 'Red Shoe Diaries' in 1992. Curiously, just a year later, in 1993, he landed the lead role in the now-iconic 'X-Files' – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Simon Rex
Nowadays audiences know Rex as the star of the 'Scary Movie' franchise and the 'Typical Rick' series, but he started working in front of the camera in a completely different genre – starring in same-sex adult films back in the 90s, when the actor was just 19 years old.
Jon Hamm
The star of 'Mad Men' and a string of Hollywood comedies, Jon Hamm in his interview to Vanity Fair admitted that in the mid-90's, trying to make it in Hollywood, or at least on TV, he not only starred in reality television, but also worked part-time on the set of Cinemax, a well-known adult film studio. However, unlike the other actors on this list, Hamm did not earn his money by posing for the camera – instead, he was an ordinary set worker.