At 20, she signed a contract with Wicked Pictures in order to make good on her ambition to become the foremost of adult film stars. Five years later, Jenna Jameson can't go for a walk in public without being surrounded by fans. And now, Jenna is embarking on a new career and starting a new company, ClubJenna.
AVN Online: You are without a doubt the best-known porn star in the world. How do you explain your notoriety?
Jenna Jameson: When I started I wanted to succeed in a big way. But I didn't think this kind of notoriety would accompany success. The key to my success comes down to a sort of formula: Be at the right place at the right time. For example, when I went to the Hot D'Or for the first time, I wasn't well-known, but I was noticed by the E! Channel, which everybody in show business watches. They asked me to do an appearance for them. Right there I got considerable notoriety. Then I sent a picture of myself to Howard Stern, who then invited me onto his show and asked me why a girl like me would do porn instead of being a model. There was also all the work done by Joy King, the P.R. rep at Wicked Pictures, who did a lot to help me gain recognition and notoriety. So my success is due to this and what I did on screen and the tastes of the public. I love what I do and the people in the industry are great.
AO: Today you're starting your own company. What do you hope for with ClubJenna?
JJ: The whole adult industry is in line to cross over to the Internet. The Net really is the future. I was fed up with the stagnation in video. I was number one, but after I achieved that, I had to do something else. I intend to make my mark on the Internet the same way I did video, and to become number one once again.
AO: You have a double career, in porn and in the general public sphere on TV and in movies. Why stick with porn when other girls are ditching porn for Hollywood?
JJ: The porn industry made me what I am, and I am proud of what I do for it. Turning away from porn like Traci Lords or more recently Stacy Valentine did is the last thing I would do. I love porn too much to quit, and it doesn't keep me from doing TV or mainstream magazines. My prime concern is the adult industry. End of story. I'm a porn star, I'm not Sharon Stone.
AO: What's so great about being a porn star?
JJ: I was always very open sexually, and I can't understand how all these women get the idea sex is bad, that they have to be ashamed of it. I would like to be the one they look at and say, "There's an ordinary girl, proud of what she's doing. Yes, she fucks, yes she's healthy and happy and famous!" I love when 30-year-old women come to see me and say, "What you do is fabulous, I watched your movie and I learned how give head." That kind of reaction makes me very happy, although that may seem stupid.
AO: So you're an "ordinary girl ..."
JJ: Those who know me know I'm like everybody else, except when I lose my temper. I just want to be happy with my choices, and I don't think anybody could reproach me for the choices I've made. I'm happy and famous, what's wrong with that? So long as I'm happy and nobody crosses me, everything's fine.
AO: Is it really you who inhabits ClubJenna?
JJ: It's true that the whole world thinks that I'm only a porn star and that I just content myself with being beautiful. But reality is very different. I contribute a lot to the artistic aspect of our site, for example, not to mention the content and the general site development. I wouldn't want a bunch of guys to write for me in that ol' perverted porn style you see in all those other porn texts. I want one to get the sense that it's Jenna who is writing and who makes the site live and breathe. In fact, I occupy myself with all the artistic stuff, and the business part is confined to Jimmy, who's the expert with that stuff. I know nothing about that business stuff.
AO: When one opens a site, one has to promote it. Are you going to have a hand in that?
JJ: That's a great question. Everybody knows me because I'm a publicity machine. I don't have Joy King any more and it's hard to follow in her footsteps. Promotion is going to be my principle activity, which is easy enough for me since all I have to do is get the word out to the guys. All the media are interested. I also spend a lot of time in chat rooms to do my promoting. I respond personally to all my e-mails. This can be annoying and boring, but important. I want everybody to have a personal response. I don't spam, like some of the other girls. This will is also be part of the site's success.
AO: This new career will be very different from the one with Wicked Pictures.
JJ: The big difference is that I don't have anybody to tell me what I have to do anymore. Everything that happens with ClubJenna, it's because it's what I want. I don't pimp myself or work with people I don't like. This is a new world that's opening up for me. In a way, I've grown up.
