Talking one eyed monsters and zombie strippers with porn royalty JENNA JAMESON

Widely regarded as the world’s most famous porn star, 34-year-old Jenna Jameson has achieved many things since first bouncing into view back in 1993. She’s won more than 20 adult movie awards, appeared as herself in Family Guy, created the horror comic book Shadow Hunter, and founded Club Jenna, a porn site that in 2005 made over $30 million dollars. In January this year she announced that she was retiring from porn films to concentrate on her Hollywood career. Dazed were given 15 minutes infront of an open fire to ask her about her first big lead role in the schlock horror movie Zombie Strippers, as well as any other probing questions that came to mind.

So, for people who don’t know who you are, can you introduce yourself please.

Jenna Jameson: Oh, okay! It’s Jenna Jameson, the world’s most famous porn star!

Love that title. Did you ever think when you were growing up that you’d be calling yourself that?

No. I don’t think you can really imagine something like that as a kid, but the minute I got into the industry I knew that I was going to be number one.

Well, I’m hard headed. I’m always number one no matter what I’m doing. I take everything to the next level. It’s hard to really put my finger on why it happened for me, but I think that it’s a mixture of being business savvy, having somewhat of a high IQ, and I having a big give-a-shit factor about things. I just work really hard. If I’m sick, I work. It doesn’t matter, I just do what I have to do.

You started off as an underage stripper in Vegas…

That’s right, you’ve done your research.

It was quite fun researching you actually, although my right hand is a bit stiff now.

(laughs) Good boy!

Thanks. How do you think your experiences have led to your current role as a zombie stripper?

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, I started off as a showgirl and then became a stripper at a very young age, I was in high school and stripping after school. It formed me as a human being. I understood how to reason with men and figure them out psychologically. I was able to really draw from that and bring it to the role. I am that hard edged bitchy, seen-it-all, done-it-all kind of girl, and that’s the type of character I play in the movie. I didn’t need a choreographer, I just went up on stage and riffed it. I just let it go.

Some people take the view that strippers are zombiefied money grabbers. Do you agree?

I think that’s an easy thing to say about strippers. It’s a generalisation. I hate labels. I think what strippers do takes a lot of salt. You’ve got to be really salty to do it.  There’s nothing that lends itself to being a zombie. I worked really hard when I was a stripper. It’s funny not to have personality in this movie.

That was why I wanted to do this movie. It’s such a strong role for a woman. Everyone wants me to be the naked stripper. That’s just what I’m going to have to deal with in Hollywood. The fact that I was the lead killer in this movie was brilliant and I loved being able to eat men. And I ate them. Literally.

Well you do that most days right?

(Laughs) There’s a massive parallel.

What was your favourite way of killing someone in the movie?

There’s one scene in the movie where I face off with my arch nemesis and we have a strip off. It’s pretty rad. It’s hardcore. It gets down and dirty. My super talent involved pool balls.

Wow. I heard they do that in Thailand.

Yeah, and I brought it to America. And now I’m bringing it to the UK.

Well I hoped you lubed up beforehand.

(Laughs and claps) I’m going to lube you up baby!

Did you bring any? Err, anyway, back to the movie. It’s got quite a grindhouse feel to it, was that intentional?

One hundred percent. I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan, and Robert Rodriguez is brilliant, he’s one of my favourite directors of all time. I loved those movies. Grindhouse really put me in the mood to do something like this. It was really fun because I don’t take myself too seriously.

Do you find it easier having love infront of the camera or actually acting?

I find acting more challenging, that’s for sure. I think that I’m a pretty good actress. And I’m not just saying that. I’ve done my classes, I’ve done everything that it takes to be an accomplished actress, but sex is second nature to me. It’s very easy; I’m a very sexual girl. With acting it’s always something new, and I loved doing this role, because obviously I am that type of character. I loved the fact that she read Nietzsche. It was really clever, I think.

No. In my business, the women run the show and I’m the one who started that. I had a list of certain co-stars that I would work with. There were only three. I was very careful. I picked the people who were blessed enough to experience me. I was the girl that was untouchable. My whole life has been like that. I will forever be untouchable.

How many one eyed monsters have you seen in your life?

I’ve seen a lot. I like penis. I think they’re fun to look at and I like to see as many as possible. I look at them on the internet all the time. They’re interesting and foreign and cute. But I like them to be big. They’re fun to look at when they’re really big, I don’t know if they’re fun to play with if they’re that big, but you know, I’ll give it a go!

You also starred opposite Robert Englund in Zombie Strippers, were you scared you were going to give Freddy Krueger a boner?

(Laughs and claps) I think I did!

Freddy’s cock must be pretty scary.

Oh my gawd, can you imagine?! I think he had a crush on me. He was scared of me, I kind of intimidated him, but he was a cool dude. It was hard to talk to him on a normal level because he is Freddy Krueger. He freaked me out. My other co-star Roxy Saint was really great too. She tried to take me home every night, and I had to keep saying ‘I’m not going to fuck you!!! You’re not my type!!’ Pretty much every girl in this movie is gorgeous. There’s an insane amount of nudity. Guys are going to love it. And girls are going to love it because it has so many political jabs. It covers the whole deal.

Do you think that because you have slept with people on camera that strangers can come up to you and be obscene?

I think I give off that air of ‘don’t fuck with me’. I don’t take sit from people and I demand respect. I’ve earned it. I really think that if someone is ignorant enough to walk up t me and say something stupid then they deserve what comes next, which is usually me grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and kneeing them in the balls. Although some guys enjoy that.

What’s the biggest myth you’ve heard about yourself?

There’s so many. Nothing is ever too far from the truth. I live an extreme life. I’m crazy. I have fun. But all the rumours about me being anorexic or a nymphomaniac or pregnant with alien babies, those aren’t true. People talk about the fact that I’m an alien all the time.

Yes I do.

What does he think of your past?

I don’t really know. I don’t think that there shouldn’t be any weird judgements like that. We’re in love and he accepts me for who I am, and I accept him for who he is. He’s proud of me for going up against so many people that judge me and just don’t get it. I stay strong and beautiful.

Well thanks for that Jenna, it was the best 15 minutes I’ve ever spent with a porn star without getting naked. Can we get a picture together?

Sure, shall we do it in front of the fire?

I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that all afternoon… just don’t tell your boyfriend!

© TIM NOAKES 2008