Throughout most of the first decade of the 21st century, Chad Hunt was a standout name in gay porn. The skinny, handsome guy next door with the 11-inch-long and 7-inch-thick cock came on the scene in 2000 and worked for most of the noteworthy studios in the industry and became the cover cock for the best-selling Big Penis Book.
Now, Hunt, 35, says he's retiring from porn, and in his big swan-song title, Endgame, for Jett Blakk, he's bottoming on camera for the first time. It also gave him a big acting role, which he said eluded him through most of his career.
"It's not like I haven't done it in my personal life, but you give so much of yourself as a porn star it's something that I've wanted to maintain for my boyfriends," says Hunt, whose last film will be produced by Dirty Bird Pictures. "I decided to finally give it up and give fans something they've never seen before. I've done everything else; fisting, watersports, leather. This was the last thing I can give up."
Hunt personally picked all three of his tops, Phenix Saint, Cort Donovan and Nash Lawler, whom he first met on Chi Chi LaRue's Unknown set. LaRue is known for saying "If you want to get a straight guy hard, bring in Chad Hunt." "It's so funny because the straight models always gravitate to me," Hunt says. "Maybe it's because I had been married and have a kid and enjoy having sex with women."
Despite his bisexual bent, he's in a relationship with a guy who works in public relations and who understands and accepts his porn career. And although he says "Sexually, I don't have a preference," his ideal guy "would have to be macho like Nash Lawler who's always working out, or masculine like Cort Donovan who likes to hold a guy down and fuck him." When pressed, Hunt says, "If I had a type, maybe it would be Phenix Saint, with the tattoos and piercings, he's a skater and funny. He is straight, so he says."
In 2004, Hunt took an 18-month sabbatical and returned in 2005 after signing a two-year contract with Lucas Entertainment. After a public dispute with company owner Michael Lucas, Hunt wanted out of the deal. The two have since reconciled and Hunt co-starred in Lucas's award-winning epic La Dolce Vita.
Hunt won a slew of awards, including GAYVNs for Best Threesome for Vengeance, Best Group Scene (three times) for The Other Side of Aspen 5, Detention and Deep South: The Big Easy, Best Oral Scene for Oral Exams and Best Sex Scene (Detention). The Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards from Gay Chicago magazine named him Best Performer in 2002, gave him Best Supporting Actor in 2003 for Oral Exams and put him on their Wall of Fame in 2006.
Hunt directed Auditions 9 for Lucas and said he would have loved to continue to direct more, but companies never called him back. "So much has changed in the past few years in the industry, and if you are a free agent like me there just isn't much work," he says. "I blame the Internet and the fact that there are so many sites out there. You can get porn for free. There is a lot less work and that is why so many younger guys just getting into the business are turning to bareback companies, which is something I would never do."
Once commanding $1,500 for a nightclub gig, Hunt said the dance circuit has dried up, too: "It's pointless for me to fly somewhere to make $75 or $100 a night."
Fans often lavished him with gifts and often critiqued his work. "Most of the time, I agreed with them, saying ‘Oh, yeah, that one I just did for the money,'" he says. He also had his share of stalkers, including one guy who would break in and take a hairbrush or mirror, but none of the cash he had there. That forced him to move.
He went to school to teach world history and economics to seventh graders through 12th graders, and did teach at one point during his porn career at a private school. "Some of the students, fellow teachers and parents knew who I was, but when they asked me I said it wasn't appropriate to talk about it at school," Hunt said.
He has several favorite movies, including LaRue's masterpiece Link V: The Evolution and said he will keep a lot of friends from the adult business. "I had a lot of experiences I would never have had, met people, traveled and done all sorts of things [I never would have] if it weren't for this business," Hunt said. "I am not ashamed of my career. My mother and brothers and sisters all knew, and I'm not ashamed at all."
Meanwhile, Hunt leaves the door open for a possible return, at least for a cameo. "If a director said they have a great project for me, I'm not opposed to coming back, but I'm not going to make an absolute living of this anymore," he says. "I've had a good run."
