On January 20, adult performer DeAngelo Jackson won Best Actor at the 2020 GayVN Awards for his work in Blended Family (Icon Male). A version of this article ran in the January 2020 issue of AVN Men. Click here to see the digital edition. Photos by Keith Ryan
The humor of it isn’t lost on DeAngelo Jackson: For a man so accustomed to having sex on camera, he found himself nervous when he had to … memorize dialogue?!
“I recall telling Chi Chi LaRue, ‘I have never had this much dialogue!’” he laughs of his experience filming Icon Male’s Blended Family. “I was a nervous wreck. It was like a movie, essentially. I read the script, and I was thankfully paired with some really great actors. I was just completely new as an actor, but the experience was just so phenomenal. There was so much love, and you know what? I really enjoyed it after I calmed down and got my nerves out of the way. I can see myself trying to eventually move to some mainstream acting after taking some classes. Blended Family put a little bug in my ear.”
To his pleasant surprise, that performance earned Jackson a Best Actor nod at this year’s GayVN Awards—which garnered Jackson a GayVN trophy.
“Everyone was so relaxed and natural already, so that helped. Everyone came prepared, and that made everything go smoothly. So for me, I’m glad I came across somewhat natural because I was so nervous,” he laughs. “I was like, ‘Please don’t screw this up!’ Those guys had done several dialogue-intense features before, and this was my first experience with that, so I was like, ‘I just wanna be on the same level as they are.’”
That experience highlighted a year in which Jackson signed as an exclusive with Noir Male after being the first face of the studio when it started in August of 2018. Not too bad for a man that got his start in the industry more than a decade ago.
“This is crazy! Never in a million years when I got into this business would I have ever imagined, first of all, ever being in it this long; and secondly, still being sane and healthy, and still very down to earth and humble, and still being able to keep up with the young guys, so to speak. For me, it’s just putting a battery in my back and keep going, stay focused and further elevate the DeAngelo Jackson brand,” he says.
“I feel like this year has flown by. It’s been kind of crazy how busy I’ve been. The experience with Noir Male has been amazing. It’s hard work, but I love it. The experience with Chi Chi LaRue and the cast and crew, it’s just been phenomenal. Being in the game for 12 years, it wasn’t until late 2018 and going into 2019 that I was like, ‘Wow, this is totally different.’ I’ve really enjoyed it. I feel like it’s all moving so quickly with all of the scripts and the roles and the nominations coming. To me it’s mind-boggling, but I’m really enjoying the ride and I’m excited to continue on and see what’s coming next.”
And Jackson hopes that includes more story-based work.
“I’ve really been wanting to do more work with more dialogue. I know the industry is kind of moving away from that, what with OnlyFans and things like that, but I like having dialogue within watching a scene. Having a storyline makes things more interesting to me as opposed to people just getting down to business. I want people to see that I do have a bit of some acting chops. Throw it at me and let me see if I can work with it. Let me expand.”
His career took another major step forward with a part in the highly anticipated Men.com Tom of Finland project. Jackson’s segment was directed by legendary maverick filmmaker Bruce LaBruce.
“It’s always totally different how each person directs, so you have to really just change yourself and try to adapt immediately to that person’s way of working—and I’m great at doing that. I think it’s important to listen, to prepare, and to just get it done. Make sure it’s hot and you get all your angles. We had the opportunity just to sit and chat, and man I picked his brain. I never knew his background before … I was like, ‘Wow, this is really, really interesting.’”
His scene with Matthew Camp, Ricky Roman and River Wilson has yet to be released, and Jackson for one can’t wait to see it.
“It was extremely, extremely cold,” he laughs of the Montreal shoot. “The experience itself was amazing, there was actually no dialogue. This particular scene was set in the ’70s. It was very, very chic. Honestly, I had never heard of it prior to me being given a script, so I had to do some research about it, and I was so impressed.”
He notes that the cold and snowy shoot lasted for about 12 hours, from 6:45 in the morning to 7 at night.
“I think it was by far the hardest shoot that I ever had to get through, because a portion of it was shot outside. It was tough, but I think it looked very cinematic; it looked gorgeous. I think once it drops, it’s going to be a different side of me that no one’s ever seen before, and that’s what I love. I love to venture out, I love to try different things, but still stay within my character of DeAngelo.”
And the Tom of Finland project was definitely outside his normal realm.
“But it was so interesting and I’m excited to shoot more scenes with Men.com. I’m really excited to see it myself, because I know what I had to go through to film it,” he laughs. “I’m super excited to see the response to it, too. I hope people really like it, because it’s something that’s really important; it has a lot of history and a lot of fans, so we’ll see.”
Last year also saw Jackson achieving another goal: working with GuysinSweatpants (in a scene with Hayden Brier).
“I had been wanting to film with them ever since they started years ago, and I finally got the opportunity and it was awesome. I love Austin [Wilde] and how natural it was. I love how he made everyone feel comfortable. It was as though he wasn’t there,” Jackson laughs. “It was very, very relaxed. For me, chemistry on set—obviously with your co-star, but also with the director—is so important. You need to have good energy and good vibes throughout the set, or it’s going to show on camera and it won’t be a good experience. And I had a great experience with GuysinSweatpants.”
And Jackson has continued to expand his brand beyond the screen, including starting 2020 with a bang.
“I’ve been wanting to do a calendar for years now, and it really wasn’t until [last] year with Noir Male and Men.com—and finally getting out of my contract with the older company—that I have had the opportunity to really do some great work, really quality shots and really make this thing come together.”
A portion of the proceeds will be given to an organization dedicated to assisting in the growth, development and empowerment of the LGBTQA+ community.
“I’m extremely excited by the calendar. My fans and my followers can enjoy me all throughout the year. I’ve been a part of one before, but I was just one month—I believe I was June, my birth month, and I wanna say February for the other one. Now I’m every month,” he laughs. “I’m super excited, and it was a lot of fun to put together.”
For 2020, Jackson looks to expand even further. He’s spoken with his manager about a potential underwear line.
“That’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years, but it has been put on the backburner. But now I have the opportunity and the platform to really have other stuff come to vision, like having my own underwear line or trying to dip my toe into some serious acting, if I can. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to go about doing it, because being an adult film model is still pretty taboo—especially being a man of color—and trying to transition from that can be a challenge. But it’s something I think is possible, and I have the fire and the burn to really branch out because I don’t want to do this while I’m in my 40s. I want to expand my fan base, but I also want them to have part of me, whether it’s through underwear or toys. That is my vision—to further elevate myself.”
And that includes continuing to work with the studios that have helped him grow.
“I love the work that they do. I’m always traveling, and there’s no shortage of work coming my way. I’m so thankful for the exposure, and I have no desire to really work for any other company than the Noir Male and Men.com family right now. I really want to focus my attention to further expand and have Noir Male grow further, and have more eyeballs on the site—because it’s still in its infancy. It’s not that old now, so there’s a lot of growth and exposure to come, and I want to be a part of that.”
