Can Porn Stars Become Successful As Mainstream Actors?

This may be an unpopular opinion, but it is one I have nonetheless formed, after watching gay adult performer, Andre Donovan, in some films that asked for more dialogues and actual acting than is required for adult films. There was of course raw sex scenes in these films, but even more than his impressive cock, I was impressed by Andre Donovan’s acting range.

There are many porn actors who announce that they’re retiring from adult entertainment to pursue more mainstream film projects. I have seen some of them in action, and it is just depressing to watch. Most recently, DeAngelo Jackson announced that he would be going after his modelling and acting dreams, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, because, even watching him do his thing in porn can be quite a bore. But hey, maybe the reason why he’s not an exciting adult film entertainer to watch is because he is more natural as a mainstream actor, right?

Wrong.

I watched the trailer of Collar Confessions, a Here TV series that debuted in October, and even in those brief minutes, I could see that the guy had no range. And he is not alone. There are lots of porn actors who, when they inhabit speaking roles, you just want to tell them to shut up and fuck.

DeAngelo Jackson (left) in Collar Confessions

However, Andre Donovan has been different. The first acting project I saw him in was in an x-rated Himeros TV series titled Journeys. It is a four-episode show that starred both him and fellow porn star, Adam Ramzi, as two men in a relationship that had lost its spark, and they are basically trying to rediscover what made them fall in love with each other. There is of course sex in it, but they were also required to act. Adam Ramzi, who I’d seen in a few other shows before then, was a natural. And so was Andre Donovan.

Andre Donovan in Journeys

I was so impressed by his work that I set out to Google him. Found him on Instagram (his real identity, Valton Jackson), found out that he is something of a singer, found his channel on Youtube, and just generally began keeping up with Andre Donovan. During Jason Sudeikis’ hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, I saw a media report that mentioned that Donovan was among the dancers in one of Sudeikis’ SNL sketch.

So when I stumbled on a series of short films that the Youtube channel, Disruptive Films, were posting, and saw that he was in one of them – the one titled Back In Town, incidentally also starring his Journeys co-star, Ramzi – I couldn’t wait to watch. And while he may not be an upcoming Denzel Washington, I saw someone who could possibly be a good actor in mainstream entertainment, if he really put his mind to it.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. You can watch Back In Town below.

And maybe let us know this: do you think porn stars can make careers out of acting in mainstream movies?

Written by Olutayo