CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Celine Tran, the actress formerly known as porn superstar Katsuni, will be playing her first DJ set at the opening exhibition of “Doggybags” in France.
“Doggybags” is a grindhouse-style comic book series created by the French artist Run and published by Ankama Editions; Tran co-wrote the sixth volume titled “HeartBreaker,” which is dedicated entirely to her character and is now available online in English on Comixology.com.
The French-Vietnamese beauty will be spinning at 7 p.m. Thursday at Aeronef concert hall in Lille, France, about two hours from her native Paris, where several authors and illustrators from the comic series will be meeting and greeting fans.
"A few weeks ago the Aeronef asked me if I wanted to play a DJ set,” Tran told AVN. “The fact is that I recently started to learn to mix as I signed with an agency in Paris, Tête D’affiche, which books famous DJ's and celebrities. To be a part of this event was the perfect opportunity to start and announce my first step in this field of entertainment.
“Other dates of bookings are already planned but I'm very excited to start with this special event.”
Tran’s career as Katsuni started in 2002 and included performances in more than 400 adult films before she stepped away in 2013 to focus on her mainstream entertainment career. The ex-Digital Playground contract star retired as one of the winningest female performers of all time with more than two dozen international awards—she is the only three-time winner of AVN Female Foreign Performer of the Year (2005-07).
“Since I've quit porn I really enjoyed challenging myself in new fields,” Tran said. “I did aerial silks, contortion acts with a circus troupe. I started to train martial arts and shot action videos...I'm very eager to learn; it's an endless path.”
“HeartBreaker” starts on a porn set in the Valley, but soon things take a turn for the worse.
Billed as “Sex, Vice & Horror!”, the synopsis reads: “Los Angeles, present day. After a painful breakup, Celyna, ingenuous young student, meets a charming young man in a nightclub who convinces her to star in a pornographic film. What was to be a fun, life-changing experience turns into a nightmare when, on the set, she is savagely attacked. Brutally bitten and nearly drained of all her blood by a group of inhuman, sinister-looking men, she is left for dead. In the days that follow the shooting of what was clearly a snuff movie of a very particular nature, Celyna is overcome by violent fevers, and driven by strange, bloodthirsty fantasies…"
Tran said she now is working on the second part of “HeartBreaker,” which could ultimately turn into a trilogy, “so consider this first comic as a big intro to present the main character.”
“There will be much more action and characters in the next part,” Tran revealed.
She starred in an all-action promotional trailer for the French version in which she’s seen executing numerous elaborate martial arts stunts, slinging guns and being an all-around badass.
“It's my very first video since I quit porn,” Tran said, noting it was shot in 2014. “Since, I didn't stop training and did more action videos with the same stunt team.”
Those short films feature Tran displaying serious skills in brutal fight sequences as the star of Bladed Minds (2014), Burst and Dust Machina, both of which were shot in 2015.
In addition to her growing mainstream acting career, she is equally excited about establishing herself as a DJ.
“I had no idea I would enjoy so much learning to mix,” Tran admitted. “It's another way to express myself and be connected with the audience. It's a very ‘physical’ experience in fact. I like the idea that people can ‘vibrate’ with me, by listening to the same sounds, at the same rhythm.”
Tran said her playlist includes electro, metal, industrial rock and several movies soundtracks.
“As always the goal is to invest myself 100 percent and enjoy what I do...this is the best way to share,” she said, adding she is “super nervous” with “very positive excitement.”
Tran also was featured in an exhibition in a contemporary art museum in Paris, collaborating with artist Iglika Christova on a project called “Imaginary Zones.” The project is about Tran’s perception of the body.
“It's funny how some people will like you as a porn star because you represent a symbol of freedom, of emancipation and provocation. But as soon as you change direction to express yourself in another field, these same people will judge you by saying that you are not capable, that your role is to remain undressed,” Tran said.
“These people, men and women, from the adult industry or not, fans or not, do not realize how much they reify porn actresses. They forget that each of us can be a symbol of freedom under the condition to never limit or judge itself, to be also able to choose to get dressed or express itself in a completely different field.
“When I decided to do porn, it was in order to allow myself to do everything I wanted and free myself of norms. With the benefit of hindsight I know now that I do not need to ‘become free,’ because... I already am! From there, nothing is limited, anything is possible.”
Meanwhile, Tran also recently rolled out a revamped online store for her signature lingerie Petit Coeur that she debuted in 2009.
