From winning the 2016 Free Speech Coalition’s Entertainer of the Year award to co-founding VRtube.xxx, the first live 3D virtual reality cam, Ela Darling is creating headlines both in front of, and behind, the camera… or, in this case, the webcam.
C.J. Asher – First of all, thank you for this interview! Okay, so tell me a little about yourself.
Ela Darling – I’m 29 and I’m from Los Angeles but I grew up in Texas. I got a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Master’s degree from the University of Illinois in Library and Information Science.
C.J. Asher – I heard that you used to be a librarian; how did you make the move from library books to adult movies?
Ela Darling – I started doing fetish modeling when I was a librarian and, after about a year of working as an administrator and Head of Reference at my library, I decided to move to L.A. to see how far I could take my modeling hobby. It just sort of took root and my career blossomed after that.
C.J. Asher – How long have you been an adult film actress?
Ela Darling – It’s been about six years now.
C.J. Asher – What other adult entertainment work have you done besides adult film?
Ela Darling – I’m a cam girl and I co-founded a company that is pioneering a lot of new concepts in Virtual Reality porn. We made a Virtual Reality dating simulator where you can date me in VR. I was the world’s first pornographic VR hologram and also the world’s first VR cam girl.
C.J. Asher – How did you choose your stage name?
Ela Darling – There are several aspects to it: Zelda Fitzgerald transmuted to Ela. Further supported by Wendy Moira Angela Darling from Peter Pan. Also Jessica Darling from a book called Sloppy Firsts.
C.J. Asher – Most people don’t know that being an adult film actress is really hard, physically demanding work! What do you do outside of the industry to relax, unwind and have fun?
Ela Darling – I like to go hiking; cooking and drinking with friends is always fun. I spend a lot of time talking about work when I’m not working; I can be a bit insufferable.
C.J. Asher – What television shows are you into right now?
Ela Darling – I’m re-watching Breaking Bad with my best friend right now. I’m desperately waiting for more Rick and Morty and Game of Thrones.
C.J. Asher – What are your favorite industry-related events, such as the Adult Entertainment Expo, and EXXXOTICA?
Ela Darling – I don’t really go to many industry-related events, but AVN is always fun because it’s like porn prom. I love hanging out at Porn Star Karaoke from time to time to catch random porn folks on their night off.
C.J. Asher – What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an adult film actress?
Ela Darling – I would really weigh the options you’re giving up before committing to a career in adult film these days. Research the job and the opportunities available with a frank and honest assessment of your skills. It’s a tough time to work in porn and rates are constantly decreasing while work opportunities are few and far between after your first few months in the industry. If you decide to do it, develop your brand and monetize across as many platforms as you can. Produce, cam, do customs, stat a clips store, do it all.
C.J. Asher – Besides the money, of course, what’s your favorite part about being an adult film actress?
Ela Darling – “Besides the money” lol. Porn isn’t the fat stacks all day that people seem to think. There are some performers who make quite a bit of money, but I think most performers in general make a comfortable middle to upper middle class living — which is great for a job that has no academic or experience requirements, but we aren’t as loaded as people seem to think. I like the personal liberation involved in making a very private part of my life available for consumption online. I love how much free time I have to pursue whatever new ideas and interests I may get excited about. I particularly love the community of like-minded enterprising perverts.
C.J. Asher – What’s the most stressful part of your job?
Ela Darling – The inconsistent nature of freelance work and entertainment. Some months are very lucrative and some are really tough. It’s impossible to know what work is going to look like two months from now.
C.J. Asher – How has being an adult film actress impacted your personal and professional life? Do family and friends know you’re an adult film actress and what do they think about it?
Ela Darling – Most of my family knows and is incredibly supportive of me. I have certainly closed a lot of doors for myself professionally, but the options that remain open to me are fucking phenomenal and exiting paths to take. Most people in my life are positive with regards to my work.
C.J. Asher – What do you see yourself doing after you retire from acting?
Ela Darling – I’d like to retire from performing to focus full time on my company, VRtube.xxx
C.J. Asher – Do you feel that, as a woman, working as an adult film actress is empowering or exploiting?
Ela Darling – I’m honestly tired of the expectation that my job must be inherently empowering. Do you ask your barista if she feels empowered or exploited by making you coffee? Do you thank your hair stylist with a glint of shame in your eye for exploiting her for using her body and skills to offer you a service? Of course my job is empowering. I earn a living from it and isn’t that the very essence of empowerment? And of course I sometimes feel exploited in my job. I’ve never had a job, from waiting tables at Waffle House to running grant programs at a library where I didn’t feel exploited sometimes. The idea that the adult industry can or should be a paragon of empowerment is baffling to me.
C.J. Asher – Who would you LOVE to film a scene with that you haven’t with yet?
Ela Darling – I would LOVE to work with Jiz Lee and Dani Daniels.
C.J. Asher – What social media sites can your fans visit you at?
Ela Darling – My fans can check out my work at vrtube.xxx as well as at Twitter and Instagram.
C.J. Asher is a sex and adult entertainment blogger who has interviewed celebrities such as Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, BurningAngel.com owner, director, writer and actress Joanna Angel as well as a sugar baby advisor, burlesque dancer, feminist and many others. His blog, CJAsher.com, also review gentlemen’s clubs nationwide and posts a weekly adult entertainment calendar highlighting adult film star appearances. Follow C.J. on Twitter @CJASHEROFFICIAL
