Everyone starts somewhere, and for the celebs that we’re about to talk about for the next eight minutes or so. They get their feet in the waters of the entertainment industry by stripping off all that unnecessary clothing. And getting down and dirty for the viewing public’s lascivious pleasure. Today’s facts-tastic video is about stars of the big and small screens that start in show business in adult films. But don’t worry, this video will still be safe for work – if you’re worried about that kind of thing. After all, this is still YouTube.
While the majority of Hollywood actors start in the industry appearing in commercials or stage plays. Before appearing on television shows or in films, actually climbing that ladder to stardom is an arduous task. Jobs in Tinseltown are scarce and incredibly inconsistent, and everyone knows how expensive it is to live in Southern California. Money can get a little tight for a fledgling star or starlet before they land their big break. It’s not that surprising that quite a few Celebrities careers in X-rated who choose to do adult films before making it big. You got to pay the bills somehow.
Now we can beat around the bush for a while making a whole bunch of porn puns. There’s no need to flesh this video out like that. So, let’s go ahead and dive on in, shall we?
Sylvester Stallone
Ol’ Sly finds fame and fortune with his successful Rocky franchise of films. He is just a young Hollywood newcomer down on his luck, hoping to score his big break. He was on the verge of homelessness when he appeared in the adult film The Party at Kitty and Studs. This flick is renamed the Italian Stallion to cash in on the popularity of Stallone’s character as Rocky Balboa once the first Rocky film hit theaters in 1976.
The softcore feature, directed by Morton Lewis, was released in 1970 and was initially marketed as a romance film. It, in fact, was Stallone’s first leading role. Evidently, it takes two days to shoot, and Stallone pays a grand total of $200 to star in it.
Cameron Diaz
This Charlie’s Angels actress first appeared in a low-budget softcore erotic film before her acting career ever got off the ground. After appearing in The Mask and other hit films, Diaz desperately tried to put a stop to the circulation of the video, but its rights owners reportedly demanded that Diaz shell out $3.5 million of her hard-earned money to bury it. Diaz has since retired from the acting world and has never publicly spoken about the movie.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger
The former Governator once also did a bit of adult material, albeit briefly, before making it big in show business. Arnold began his career as a bodybuilder and was the Austrian winner of Mr. Olympia in 1970. During his early pursuit of fame before his film career took off, Schwarznegger did several photoshoots for a since mostly forgotten erotic gay magazine. A few years back a financial entrepreneur named Jeremy Frommer bought a few storage lockers owned by the late Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. In them, he discovered a trove of historic nudes of stars such as Lauren Hutton and Madonna. But in that stash, he also found those risque photos of Arnold.
Helen Mirren
It’s debatable whether the film Caligula constitutes as pornography. One could make the argument that it’s actually just an erotic drama. But there are a few points that should be mentioned. For one, it was produced by Penthouse magazine. It was also made with the sole intention of being explicit and featured unsimulated sexual acts. Even so, the specific scenes that Mirren appeared in were simulated sex scenes in which Mirren performed in the nude. Regardless, Mirren never regretted doing the film. She told People magazine that appearing in the film was like showing up at a nudist camp every day.
Jackie Chan
Before his career took off after appearing in The Karate Kid, Chan appeared in a Chinese-made pornographic film called All In The Family. And no, it had nothing to do with Archie Bunker or Meathead. This film actually springboarded his film career and sped up the process of him becoming an international superstar.
Marilyn Monroe
Best known for her performances in films such as The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, Niagara, and the aptly named Some Like It Hot, Marilyn Monroe remains to this day one of the most controversial figures in pop culture history. Her alleged affair with JFK and her untimely death at the age of 32 are just two aspects of the blonde bombshell’s life that are muddled in scandal. Her tom-boyish image and ceaseless flirtatiousness with her co-stars have prompted sleuths to investigate her backstory, and their findings have been nothing short of astounding. Monroe reportedly lost her virginity at 13 and appeared in her first adult film by the time she was 17.
Jon Hamm
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hamm admitted that before he became a television star, thanks to his run on Mad Men, he had worked in the adult film industry. When discussing a pretty cringe-worthy appearance that he had made on a 90s dating show, Hamm revealed that he was then working as a set dresser for Cinemax’s soft-core porn films. He called the job “soul crushing” and is incredibly thrilled that he no longer has to do that for a living.
Matt Le Blanc
Before he was Joey on friends, Le Blanc’s resume included working jobs as a waiter as well as starring in adult videos. Le Blanc appeared in the pornographic series of films called Red Shoe Diaries in the mid-90s. Even after appearing in those erotic titles and one of the celebrities careers who started in X-rated, Le Blanc was reportedly down to his last $11 before landing his breakout role on Friends. By the time the show wrapped up, he had made an eye-watering $1 million per episode. Even today, he continues to rack in stacks of cash in royalties for Friends re-runs. His estimated net worth at the end of 2021 is roughly $80 million.
David Duchovny
Best known for his role as the alien-hunting agent, Mulder, on The X-files, David Duchovny was featured in softcore adult videos before making it in Hollywood. Like Matt Le Blanc, Duchovny also appeared in the erotic video series The Red Shoe Diaries in the 90s as one of the celebrities careers who started in X-rated.
He hosted the program, performed in steamy sex scenes, and probably learned a thing or two that came in handy when he later portrayed sex addict Hank Moody in 2007s Californication.
In 2019, David told Mel Magazine that at the time, he frankly just needed a job. And while it might not have been the sort of work that he was hoping for, it did help him stay afloat and gain a little recognition until better roles started coming his way.
Kim Basinger
She was an international sex symbol in the 1980s and 1990s and one of the celebrities careers who started in X-rated, after appearing in the late 70s three-part controversial mini-series From Here to Eternity in which she played a prostitute; who gets involved in an affair with one of the lead characters, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt. But what really got folks talking about her was her lead role in the cult-classic film 9 ½ weeks.
If you’ve seen the erotic drama then you already know that their isn’t much nudity in it but the overarching sexual themes are hot and heavy throughout every one of it’s scenes. Bassinger later posed nude for Playboy in 1981, and more recently, she appeared in the 2017 film Fifty Shades Darker which explored themes related to sadism and masochism.
Margot Kidder
Ever since she was a kid, Margot wanted to be an actress. When she was 14 she got dumped by her boyfriend, and instead of moping about, she turned to acting. Kidder believed that life in Hollywood appearing on the big screen would let her real self come out. Eventually, she found what she was searching for and became an actress.
While she’s best known for playing Lois Lane in the four original Superman films, Margot got her start as a low-budget B-film actress, often appearing in erotic roles. In 1975, she posed for Playboy under the sole condition that she could write her own feature article. In 1979, she scored the leading role in the cult-classic horror flick Amityville Horror, in which she appeared in a couple of nude scenes that were later cut from the final film.
Spalding Gray
Throughout most of his professional career, Gray was a fairly prolific actor. He appeared in films and television shows, but before all that he also did a bit of porn. In the 70s, before his career began to take off, Gray starred in several adult films and one of the celebrities careers who started in X-rated.
In 1979, Gray wrote in his personal journal that he felt like the adult film industry was merely using him as their jester. He felt lost and bitter surrounded by the people in that industry. Sadly, Gray went missing in January of 2004 and was declared dead just a couple of months later when his body washed up in New York’s East River.
Adam West
Most people know West for his role as Batman in his hit 1960s television show, but in the 1980s, West had several roles in softcore adult films. While he never appeared in a full-on X-Rated film, his version of the caped crusader sure did! The character was featured in a 2010 pornographic parody film that became the bestselling superhero-themed porn parody ever featured on the streaming platform Adult Empire.
While we’re just about out of time for this video, we could spend all day telling you about all of the Celebrities careers who started in X-rated or have appeared in adult films. But maybe you know of a few that deserve a shout-out. Let us know in the comments section down below.
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