In a letter emailed last night to a number of gay XXX-industry folk, GAYVN Performer of the Year Gus Mattox announced his retirement from porn.
We quote, with permission, portions of his email.
Mattox explained his decision, saying, "I had a good year last year in terms of my output and the talented individuals I was fortunate enough to work with. The completely unexpected Performer of the Year award I received earlier this month at the GAYVNs was a terrific capper to a terrific year. It also feels like a pat on the back from the industry, which makes it all the more meaningful.
"Looking at the situation objectively," he continued, "I realized I have pretty much reached my peak, in terms of being a performer in porn movies. I thought, Why not exit gracefully while the decision is still my own? Most of you know of my theater background and will understand when I say, 'Timing is everything.'"
Mattox, who came to gay XXX from a professional theatre career, is known for his superb acting performances in such films as The Recruits and Through the Woods for Falcon Studios, LeatherBound for Buckshot Productions, and especially Dangerous Liaisons for Lucas Entertainment. (And he was no slouch in the sex department either!)
He went on to state that he is incredibly proud to have been a part of the gay XXX industry. "This has been a rich and eventful two-and-a-half years since that Tuesday afternoon when I wandered onto the set to shoot my first scene with Chi Chi LaRue," he said. "Since then I have learned more about the business and about myself than I could have dreamed. Stereotypes and assumptions were dispelled and myths were made happily human.
"Whenever I discuss the industry with outsiders I sound almost Pollyana-ish; I really do think of this business as a basically wholesome undertaking with one or two unusual slants to it.
"But it’s the people — the various crews and my fellow performers — that have made my time as wonderful as it has been. Meeting and working with this group is an experience that has proved invaluable to me on many, many levels. Even though I’ll no longer be an active participant, I hope I’ll still be thought of as part of the family.
"I’d like to think that I have left a small imprint on the business. The business has left a huge and wonderful impression on me."
The letter was signed, "Tom Judson (the artist formerly known as Gus Mattox)."
In a follow-up email exchange, Mattox, a New Yorker, disclosed to GAYVN that he has just been cast in a new Terence McNally play.
Playwright McNalley is the author of such hits as The Lisbon Traviata; Master Class; Love, Valor, Compassion, The Full Monty, and Ragtime.
Mattox told GAYVN that his decision to retire from porn was not influenced by his being cast in the play, that McNally and the producers are totally aware of his XXX affiliation. "If that's not a ringing endorsement of the porn biz, I don't know what is," he said.
Photo courtesy of LucasEntertainment.com
