Monday, June 29, 2015

Exclusive Interview With Theo Ford


 Those of you who follow my blog will remember my review of Theo and Brent's Corrigan scene; if you haven't seen it yet do yourselves a favor and watch it, it's hot and is one of those rare we're watching two people make love and not fuck scenes that we only have a handful of in the industry.
Anyway, Theo has not been without his share of negative posts on various blogs, insulting his career, his marriage and he has even been on the receiving end of some nasty Tweets.
Now I'm just going to say it, I don't know Theo personally, me, him and his husband follow each other, I have stood up for both of them, I have given them my support and they have been nothing but kind to me. I have no beef with Theo I think he's a nice guy and I think he's a really good performer. So I was super excited when he agreed to be interviewed on the blog and boy did he not disappoint! Candid and honest like I knew he would be this is one of the juiciest interviews I've ever had.
So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Theo Ford!




 JOE: Where were you born and how did you get into the industry? Did you do porn in your home country? If so is there any difference between the industry here and overseas?

THEO:  I’m from the south east of Ireland. Lived in a little town of 60,000 people until I was 19. I had an incredible childhood and my coming out story really isn’t even one. I was just myself and dated guys without feeling weird or awkward. I was never confident in myself but I quickly realized I needed to believe in myself and no one would hold my hand in life and protect me from everything. I became very determined and simply worked on being happy no matter what the cost or risks.
I guess you can talk about “American studios” and “European studios”. Just like in mainstream the budgets are much bigger in the USA. Which is normal. I really choose my work according to the cast and crew. I do not solely care about the money as I believe this leads to making poor decisions. I do my best on every shoot and I joke a lot. I’m a real funny person (I make myself laugh a lot HAHA). I have called people out on their horrible behaviour on set such as Jake Steel at (ex Lucas Entertainment) and Christian Owen (ex Hot House). Funny how those two “professionals” got fired from their jobs due to their behaviour and poor people’s skills (along with many reasons which are at the studios’ discretion). I hate to work or be around “Divas”. A lot of performers in the US think they are the biggest stars in the industry. Sometimes being humble is great too. It’s hard but necessary to stay a decent human being. I always make time for my friends, family, husband and my fans of course.

JOE: Is Theo Ford a stage name? If so how did you come up with it?

THEO: Very simply actually. I wanted an easy name that people could remember and feel like they already knew. THEO is from the Greek work apoTHEOsis, which means the ascendance of  human being into a god like state. I truly believe than everyday is a new opportunity to be a better person to the one you were the day before. FORD is from my city in Ireland. I wanted to make sure I always remembered where I came from to know where I’m going. Your past makes you who you are today.

JOE: What made you want to move to America? I'm married to an immigrant from England so I know what a pick decision and how scary that can be. Could you explain your process of moving for my readers who may not know what moving across an ocean and to a whole new country entails?

THEO: I have always loved to travel. Never been in the same place for very long. I love to discover new places and cultures. 
Moving to the US wasn’t and still isn’t a life long goal. There are many incredible countries in the world. I met my husband Shawn in LA on a trip I had extended. I hadn’t planned to stay this long but I am glad I did. Being married truly gives you another perspective on life and on being a couple. I have been traveling for a year now NON STOP so moving to the US really isn’t such a big deal. You may want to make sure you feel like you can fit in somehow. I’m a huge loner so it really is hard for me to make friends and socialize but I love to meet people so I simply forced myself a bit to go out and be civilized HAHA. I just felt at home in LA. I love the energy and the weather of course. I am very chill and LA has this quality.



 JOE: You recently got married, congratulations by the way, how did you two meet? Was it hard to reveal that you do porn or was he already a fan of your work? Is it hard to be married and work in the industry? Any advice on how to have a good marriage, or even a good relationship, when one or both of you is in the industry? 

THEO: We met due to the fact that we have many friends in common in LA. He is a celebrity hairstylist and an underwear model but nothing to do with porn. He wasn’t familiar really with my work at first but he admitted having checked my movies after meeting me. The day after our first date I flew him to NYC to spend the week with me there. It was a bit crazy and spontaneous but I just didn’t want to leave him so soon. I don’t think there’s a handbook of rules to be in a successful relationship but I always have a few things in mind. Being spontaneous, communicate a lot, respect and trust each other. Simple principles but essential to be in a positive state within a relationship. I love Shawn because he accepts me for who I am and not for what he wants be to be. Of course being a porn star isn’t always easy in a couple but I am a hard worker and porn is my job and not who I am. I act in front of the camera. It is not my Grindr or my way to meet guys. I respect my costars and try to be the best partner for them.

JOE:  Going off that, when you got married, you actually got a lot of slack and people actually accused you of having a fake marriage, why do you think that is? I've also noticed that you tend to just get a lot of shit from a couple of bloggers in general, why is that? 

THEO: JEALOUSY. It is human nature to be jealous. Yes I got married very quickly to Shawn but why not? Who says my love isn’t real? Who decided you had to be with your partner for years before getting married? I am my own person and I make my own rules. I know being a porn star and a married man are strange concepts for most people but my love is real. We have very strong personalities so we do fight like normal couples. But we always end up making up. 
Yes I have read some very poorly written articles (as always) by THE SWORD and some not so pleasant from Str8upGayporn. I do no blame them for using gossip to generate views on their blogs. That’s their job. I mostly find hurtful the “fans” of gay porn who throw dirt every chance they get at performers. We are all human and yes we do make mistakes. With the internet and social medias those mistakes are more visible. But how lame is it to write nasty comments hidden behind your computer screen. They should help and encourage performers instead of putting them down. 
I will not spend my life defending my choices. As long as I true to who I am and am happy I guess that’s all that matters.

JOE:  You recently were the victim of one of Damien Kyle's blind Twitter rages that he goes on, he's gone on a few with me as well, where did that come from? Did you know or work with each other before that? Do you think it has to do with you being with 211 Models and being featured heavily on their social media sites and the fact that 211 Models is denying Damien was ever repped by them?

THEO: I am NOT a victim of anyone. I simply couldn’t let an ignorant/illiterate fool write negative comments about a part of society that isn’t true and helps grow insecurities in young people trying to find their place in this world. His tweets are very often hate filled and show how pathetic he is as a person and a role model. 
I would never work with such a person. I will never associate my name with a person of such low intellectual capacities. I do not think it has anything to do with him and 211 having some issues in the past.

JOE:  Any advice for people on how to deal with haters? Be it in real life, on social media or on blogs? How do you develop a thick skin and just let it roll off your back?

THEO:  Once you become a public figure in any line of work you need to be ready to have people talk badly about you. You must prevent yourself from giving them the bullets they need to shoot you down. Obviously that will not be possible every day and they will find ways to put you down. Often due to jealousy or envy. You need to make sure you are a strong person ready to take on this burden once you step onto the public scene. Also don’t take everything at heart. It can get to you very quickly. A lot of things written will simply be distorted versions of reality. A reality that blogs love to shape to their own needs. I have experienced it many times already and I am pretty used to it now. 

JOE: How did you get signed by 211 Models? How important is it for performers to be repped these days?

THEO: After my contract ended with PURE CASTING I was keeping my eyes pealed for an agency to look after my best interest and generate work, money, press etc. I have discovered that I deal pretty well by myself being my own agent. Most of my movies, interviews, photo shoots, add campaigns have been through me working night and day to get those jobs. I am a perfectionist and a hard worker so I have no problems doing it. Also I have worked in PR in fashion for many years so generating interviews, editorials, magazine spreads etc are in my blood. It was my job before porn and I am still doing it today for myself. I loved working with PURE CASTING and 211 MODELS. They are incredible people and very talented. I was so lucky to work with two of the best agencies around right now.
That being said I feel I can rep myself very well. I would love to do it for other models too. Having my own agency and putting all my energy into getting them jobs would be such a pleasure and honour. I have already been doing it for friends in the past on a non professional level. So why not in the future see Theo Ford opening an agency. Many models do not know how to go about contacting studios, magazines, brands etc. I could help them reach their goals and become successful performers.


 JOE: What are your overall career goals in porn or otherwise?

THEO: I have sooooooo many goals in life. On a personal and professional level. Of course I would love to continue porn and become one day a reference in the industry. I do not want to be limited to porn either. This is why I work a lot to achieve a more mainstream image too. I am an Andrew Christian model, I front campaigns for L’HOMME INVISIBLE and X-ITER. I am working on more fashion movies like the first one I produced and directed www.vimeo.com/106092401.
I truly feel that if you want to last in any kind of entertainment you need to go mainstream. This is my goal regarding my work life.
In my personal life I would love to start a family with Shawn. We love kids and we both have many younger siblings so babies and kids have no secret for us and we would make great parents. I am still preparing myself to waking up 20 times at night to feed the baby but it’ll all be worth it!!

JOE:  You did a scene with Brent Corrigan that I reviewed and it was really passionate. It felt like i was watching two people make love and not just fuck. Where did that passion come from? Were you two friends before filming? What is it like working with Brent? 

THEO: Strangely enough it was the first time I was nervous on set. Brent is a pretty big porn star and I knew than shooting with him for FALCON would be amazing. I wanted to be as good as possible. Our first meeting was 10 minutes before filming and it really wasn’t the best. He was upset for some personal issues which I totally understood. But that made me very stressed. I was such a nervous wreck starting that scene. As soon as Bruno Bonds started filming we instantly matched. He became BRENT CORRIGAN the porn star. I was relieved to have such a professional in front of me. We just clicked on set and I was actually turned on by our scene while filming it. I really wasn’t acting. I didn’t need to. We had dinner together that night and became friends very quickly. This lead to some silly articles about us but I did have very strong feelings for him. Friendship feelings which I had never felt in the past. I was crushed when one day he stopped talking to me to eventually say “YOU’RE A SPOILT BRAT” without giving any explanation. I am still very hurt about it. I opened myself up to him and he shut down our friendship through a message on twitter. I guess he wasn’t as caring to me as he made it believe in his blog post. I respect his decision even if I don’t understand it.

JOE:  What do you like to do in your free time?

THEO: I have very little free time. I really am a 24/7 working machine. Between filming, photo shoots, interviews, add campaigns, meetings I have very little time to myself. I spend that time with my loving husband Shawn who is with me right now touring Europe for my work. He is my personal hairdresser which is pretty amazing since he’s so talented. I work out everyday and try to sleep too. I live between airplanes and hotels most of the time. I really connote complain, as I am very lucky to live doing what I love. 

JOE: You were recently on So You Think You Can Fuck, could you describe your experience working on that?

THEO:   It was an interesting experience. Some good some bad. 
I love the team at Dominique Ford. They make you look amazing every time! They are talented and extremely sweet. 

JOE: It seems that porn is becoming more mainstream what are your thoughts on this?

THEO:  It is becoming more accessible due to the internet and social media. Funnily enough mainstream medias still have a hard time opening up to porn. The porn industry generates billions of dollars every year and yet it is still a second class entertainment. I am so happy and open about doing what I do for a living. I would never feel like I have to hide that I do porn. My family and friends know I do porn (hopefully they don’t watch it HAHA).
I would love to build this bridge for myself and for the industry into mainstream. The new generation of performers is very active on social medias and this really helps to show that you can be happy and sane doing porn. Although maybe we all are a bit crazy in the vast world of entertainment.



 JOE: What do you think about porn stars who use online campaigns like GoFundMe to get people to fund their vacations or buy them clothes and furniture?

THEO:  I am guessing there are more valid and important causes in this world other than a new bed. If people want to fund those gofundme then I cannot judge but I wouldn’t do it myself. A bit like Jake Bass said about being able to take care of your needs like a big boy. I do like the idea of doing things more lasting and charitable with this kind of money. My friend Leo Sweetwood is running a campaign for “The Trevor Project” which is amazing.

JOE:  Is there anyone in the industry you won't work with? Why? And is there anyone in the industry you'd like to work with?

THEO:  I do have a little black list of course. Studios, performers and directors that I feel don’t fit my image or life choices. Some I will not work for again because of horrible filming conditions. Like filming for 10 hours straight or having the director screaming at you in the middle of a scene. We are human beings… not robots.
I will not do anymore bareback scenes since the studios that say they test ALL MODELS do it in a very irregular manner and some simply don’t. I simply want to work with people who have respect and love for what they do and the team on set. 
I would love to work with mr. Pam. She is so full of energy and talent. I also got to meet Chi Chi LaRue while in LA and I’m sure our collaboration would make sparks. We both are very creative and stubborn people.
When it comes to performers I must say I have been lucky to film with all the people I want to work with already. I have so many incredibly talented friends in the US like Leo Sweetwood and Eli Lewis with whom I’m sure I’d love to shoot with.

JOE:  Do you have a favorite scene partner?

THEO: I do. I hate picking favorites but Colton Grey was simply the best I ever had with me on set. We had an incredible connection. I shot with him for ICON MALE and I actually forgot about the cameras during the scene. On top of being incredibly sexy with mesmerizing blue eyes he is a truly kind and loving person. I would for sure shoot with him in the future in a heartbeat. 

JOE:  Is it hard for a foreign born performer to break into the American porn industry? Any advice for foreign performers to be successful in America?

THEO:  It really is. I’m not even sure I made it yet to be honest. There are so many incredible performers in the US already they don’t need to look for others from Europe. Luckily European guys have something that Americans love. Maybe the accents or the less “KEN DOLL” look. You need to go for the big studios to get big yourself. Don’t do porn to be anonymous and don’t do it to be a Hollywood star. I simply want to work with the best people around. That is why I have shot a huge quantity of scenes for MEN.com in Spain for ALTER SIN. The producer there JOSEP RODRIGUEZ is fantastic. He is kind and takes care of the models like I have rarely seen. He does some of the best work I was lucky to be part of and I am so humbled and honored to work with him every time.

JOE:  Where can fans keep in touch with you? Any upcoming scenes you'd like to promote?

THEO: My TWITTER: twitter.com/THEO_FORD_XXX is where I post all of my millions of selfies and news. It’s also the best way to contact me directly. I always make sure I answer to all my fans. All questions too as long as they are actual questions HAHA
My biggest news right now is the season 2 of MEN.com GAY OF THRONES produced by JOSEP RODRIGUEZ (ALTER SIN). The sets were incredible and the costumes as good as in the series. I am so exited for the season to be released. I actually had to change my hair color to red for it. I play Melissandre so the studio required me to match my character as much as possible. I really got into the character. 
One of my costars in the series GoT, JP DUBOIS, also shot me for his own studio UKHOTJOCKS with my friend Chris Harder. Those scenes should come out this summer I believe.
And of course I will continue to work on mainstream projects like short movies and many collaborations with magazines.

I would like to thank Theo for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to share his thoughts and also thank him for his honesty and candor. It was a truly enjoyable interview and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed conducting it. 

XOXO
-JOE-



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