Nikki Benz: Last year I shot for them a lot. I guess in general I do shoot for them a lot. I have a huge fan base on their network. They do specialize in big tits. [Laughs] Myself, along with a few other actresses, are probably one of their most popular girls. On their network, the fans vote for their favorite actresses and they request them, so it’s really fan base. So if the fans request me or complain that my scenes haven’t been out in a couple of months, they will shoot me.

SH: Which studios are among your favorite to shoot for?

NB: All the studios that hire me. [Laughs] I love shooting for Brazzers. I’m friends with the producers and the Vegas crew. I’m friends with the LA crew, I’m friends with the Miami crew. I love shooting for Naughty America, I love shooting for Digital Playground. They put out great product. Wicked Pictures . . . pretty much the top studios that are out there right now I shoot for.

SH: Did you ever watch porn before you got into the industry? Were you ever a fan of it before entering it?

NB: No, I didn’t watch porn. I had seen porn but I didn’t watch it to the point where I knew who the people were. I didn’t know who Jenna Jameson was. Then I met this guy, I started dating him when I was 19, and he basically made me a fan of porn. Then when I was 21 I got into the industry.

SH: The last few months there seems to have been a recent explosion of Nikki Benz product . . .

NB: The last year it has been like that. But it just feels like for some reason, the last couple of months, all my stuff that I’ve been working hard on is kind of coming to fruition—photo shoots and this, that and the other.

SH: Was this planned out? Do you have a team that that helps you get to the next level? Was this some sort of plan?

NB: It wasn’t. I don’t have a team. I left LA Direct Models in August of 2009, because I wanted a hands-on career. I wanted to control my career in every possible aspect that I can. And as soon as I left them, I feel like I’ve blown up that much more, because I made all of the final decisions. Not that I didn’t before but now there’s no one to say no to me, or to say, “You should do this instead.” Now it’s I go with my gut feeling and do what I want to do. It really worked out really good so far. It’s just me. I am my own manager I guess.

I didn’t plan on it. My plan was just to work hard and do what I wanted to do. I really wanted to shoot for Penthouse again and travel a little bit more, and start sending my name overseas. I got to go Italy, Australia, Finland. I never really had a plan. My plan was just to work hard and see if it pays off.

SH: How much further do you want to go in the business? It seems as though you’ve already accomplished almost everything there is to accomplish in the business and you are, arguably, one of the top 5 girls in the business. What else do you want to accomplish?

NB: Definitely form my own studio but not a DVD studio, and concentrate more on my website (www.nikkibenz.com). Then form a studio but it’ll be Internet based. I would love to have a studio where I produce content. Later on, if I want to, distribute it on DVD for extra promotion and extra sales.

SH: What kind of movies would you like to produce? Gonzo, features, vignettes?

NB: Probably all of the above. I feel like there’s no reason to stick to one genre. I think if you have a fan base—because I’ve shot feature movies, I’ve shot vignettes, I’ve shot gonzo—and I think that’s what my fans like. I have fans that like me in gonzo, and I have fans that like me in features, so I probably would do everything. Why limit myself.

SH: The last time I spoke to you was over 3 years ago. At the time you were an A-list girl and you continue to be an A-list girl. In that time, what would you say were some of the ups and downs of your career?

NB: The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was when I did leave Teravision. I was known as the contract girl. Contract girls can’t fuck. So I had to fight that stigma in the industry. When I joined LA Direct Models, people weren’t sure if they wanted to hire me because they were like, “She’s pretty but she’s a contract girl. I don’t know if she can do gonzo.” I had to prove people wrong over and over again. Once people realized that I could actually fuck, they started hiring me a lot. Once I overcame that stupid contract girl thing—I don’t have that attached to me anymore—now I’m just Nikki Benz and I can do hardcore, and I can do features. So that was the hardest thing I think.

SH: You were under contract for 3 different studios in the beginning of your career.
NB: Yeah, and it is true when you are a contract girl you tend to do lighter scenes, just because that’s how it’s always been.

SH: Which do you prefer, being under contract or on your own?

NB: Being on my own, 100%. I feel a contract was always holding me back and I don’t like when people try and control me. so I like being on my own, making my own decisions.

SH: Which of the studios you were under contract for, did you have the most positive experience with?

NB: Probably the first studio, Pleasure Productions, even though they’re not in business anymore. But the owners of Pleasure are big among the industry. They own IVD Distribution, but they treated me really good. That was a very positive experience for me, which is great because I got into the industry with a positive experience. A lot of girls have negative experiences when they first get in, mine was good. And I’m happy for that.

SH: Would you ever sign another contract or are those days over for you?

NB: Oh, man. I don’t know. It would have to be a really, really good contract because I’ve seen three different ones, actually four different ones because I signed with Pleasure twice. So I know what contract girls make and I know how much I make. So they would have to match that. By signing a contract I would lose money. So it would have to be good.

SH: Have you been offered contracts?

NB: I’ve been asked, “Would you?” and I’m like, “Probably not.” And a lot of people say that it’s probably the smartest thing for you. There’s no point in signing a contract for me. Later on if I want to do fluffy movies, maybe. I just feel that right now, basically the way the industry is, it’s better to work with various companies. If I signed a contract I would never shoot for Brazzers again. Thanks to Brazzers, they blew my name up on the Internet times a hundred. Everybody knows me from Brazzers. A lot of my fans became my fans because of Brazzers. Worlwide they’re everywhere, whereas if I worked for a DVD company, not everybody would get that DVD. So I just feel like I have more exposure almost, and I’m not a contract girl. But because I work for different companies and top studios, I am seen everywhere.

SH: One thing you’re very well known for in the business is your work ethic. Is that a source of pride for you that everyone knows you have one of the strongest work ethics among most girls in the business?

NB: Of course. I love hearing that because unfortunately a lot of girls in this business have a bad rep for doing drugs, not showing up on set on time, or flaking out all together. I don’t think I’ve ever flaked on a shoot, I’ve been late. I have been late only by about 20 minutes, and even then I’m like freaking out. I just feel like, if you have good work ethic you can apply them to any industry you’re in. and just because I’m in porn it doesn’t mean that I should take advantage and be a flake or be late all the time. I just want to be dependable. It bothers me if I’m late for something. I treat this business as a business. It’ a business. If my call time says 9AM, that’s when I’m going to be there. That kind of work ethic applies to any industry. Just because I don’t work at a bank doesn’t mean I should be late.

SH: Also when girls talk about how they love their fans and they mean a lot to them, when you say it you really mean it. How important have the fans been to your career?

NB: Very important. My fans are awesome. They really are. I was just really busy with traveling and shooting, and my fans started freaking out on the Brazzers forum, and it was funny to read all the comments. They would write, “Hire Nikki Benz quickly or I’m going to discontinue my membership.” They’re threatening Brazzers and they’re like, “Oh my god Nikki, we have to shoot you again.” I say, “OK, but I’m not available until April.” But the fans are awesome. They’re so adorable. I love them. I do my stuff for the fans. If they don’t watch, why am I doing this? I could say for a paycheck. If I had that kind of attitude, that would only last me a year. And a lot of girls do have that attitude. They do it for the money, and that’s great, but they’re not going to last in this industry. So I do it for the fans because I do movies that they like, and then I feature dance, and those fans who think I did a great job in that movie, will show up and see me live at their local strip club if I’m performing there, or they’ll buy my magazine covers, or signup to my website. I think the fans are everything, I think.

SH: Aside from performing in porn, you’re equally well known in the feature dancing world. You started as a dancer before becoming a performer. Do you consider yourself a dancer first, porn performer second, or the other way around?
NB: I started dancing as a house girl. I was a stripper first. It’s a good question. Definitely porn star first. When I do show up at clubs, even though I’m called a feature dancer, it’s always porn star feature dancer. So yes, porn star first.

SH: You are from Canada originally. What is it about Canadian girls, when they come to the U.S. to do porn, they end up being huge stars? There’s you, Shyla Stylez, Lauren Phoenix, Lanny Barby. What should us guys in the U.S. know about Canadian girls?

NB: Canadian girls, I think just the way we’re raised in Canada, we’re definitely more open-minded when it comes to sex. I talked to Shyla about this. Even though I’ve never done interracial, doesn’t mean I won’t. But Shyla does interracial and Lanny Barby does, and it’s not considered taboo in Canada, whereas here it still is. So Canadian girls are more open-minded.

SH: In general, does Canada have a more open-minded attitude towards sex?

NB: Yes, definitely. Even though all porn is shot in California, with some porn shot in Canada. I just feel Canada has a more European mind-set, just a little bit more than the U.S., I think, and we’re more easy going about sex.

SH: You’ve been in the business for 8 years, and obviously you do get older. Will you be doing MILF movies or housewife themed films in the future?

NB: I hate the word MILF. I just don’t like the way the porn world uses it. They call 21, 22 year old MILFs. It’s so stupid. I’m 28, I’ve done housewives stuff. That, I don’t have a problem with. I just hate when they have the MILF so and so. When I was 25, the studio hired me, and they didn’t tell my agent exactly what the thing was. So I get there, I’m 25, the kid . . . I don’t know how old he was, and they say, “Yeah, it’s like a MILF thing.” I’m like, “I’m 25, I don’t want to do a MILF movie when I’m 25. I just don’t think it’s appropriate. A MILF means mom, and I don’t have fucking kids. So they hired another girl to do it, and she was 23. It’s so stupid. A MILF to me is somebody who has kids. That’s what a MILF is. Whatever, I don’t like that title.

SH: Do you see yourself performing after you turn 30?

NB: Absolutely. Some of the biggest names in the industry right now, like Lisa Ann—she made one of the biggest comebacks ever. She won an award, MILF of the Year from AVN. She loves it. That’s her thing. She’s making money off it. And MILF titles, the whole MILF genre, is actually really popular right now. So if they want to call me a MILF in my 30’s, I’m fine with that. More money in my bank, that’s how I look at it.
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