AVN Hall of Famer Ginger Lynn feels that her role as a retired porn star in the new Fox drama Skin is the role of a lifetime – and it's probably no coincidence that the role seems to be about her lifetime.
Skin is billed as a Romeo and Juliet set in Porn Valley, with the district attorney representing the head of the Montagues and the head of an adult entertainment empire representing the Capulets. Adding fuel to the fiery story, the district attorney is actively trying to bust the pornographer.
In the reoccurring role of Amber Synn, Lynn portrays a retired porn star who is a recovering alcoholic, former drug addict and a single mother of a five-year-old son. During her prime she became known as the first "Golden Girl," the prototype for contract-performers in this fictionalized version of Porn Valley.
All of which sounds similar to the biography of the actress playing the role. Though not exactly.
Lynn was the first contract-girl, for Vivid Entertainment. She is a single mother of a boy, though her child is older. She is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. She is not, however, retired from adult. The first volume of her new reality porn series Ginger Picks comes out next month.
And Lynn admits that the role is certainly fictional, though she can't point out how for fear of disclosing too many details about the character, something that could ruin the storyline for viewers. "If I told you any more, it would blow the surprise," Lynn told AVN.com
"She's basically a good mother who makes some decisions that aren't popular with everyone, but she always does things for the right reason, even if the results don't turn out well," Lynn said, describing her character. "She's very human, not just a two-dimensional porn star."
"That's one of the things that I found most exciting about the show. Normally, when someone writes about the porn industry the characters are all sleazy, have no morals, blah blah blah.... They go with all of the negative aspects of the stereotype," Lynn said.
And her ability to flesh the character out based on her real life experiences is part of why the producers of the show cast her in the role.
"The natural tendency for a mainstream actress would have been to play the role tougher," Lynn feels. "A lot of times the public thinks that we are tough and hard and have an edge, and sometimes we are, but not always."
And acknowledging that mainstream entertainment and media hasn't always portrayed adult entertainment in the most positive of lights, Lynn feels that while the pilot, which airs tonight, may cause the industry to collectively raise an eyebrow, the series as a whole presents the industry in a manner that for the most part is favorable.
For instance, the family of Larry Goldman, the adult studio owner, is portrayed as loving and kind, with a belief in "doing the right thing."
It is the District Attorney and his family that ends up being very dysfunctional, with plenty of moral failings of their own.
"It's completely not what you would expect the networks to do and more realistic than what I thought they would go for," Lynn said.
Lynn's character doesn't appear until next week, but her role is already in three of the first five episodes that have been completed – with one of the episodes even being titled after her character. Amber Synn survives the first season according to the episodic bible for the series – however, "things change with a network on a daily basis," Lynn cautions.
Early feedback from studio executives has been positive, as have early reviews of her work on the show. "I'm very proud of the work I've done. This is the role of the
Lynn is quick to credit the cast and writers for helping her feel comfortable with the role.
"I find that whenever I do something mainstream, there is an attitude that comes from actors," Lynn said, noting that this was not the case for her while shooting Skin. "I have had the best experience and most wonderful responses from everyone on the set."
In particular she points to the Emmy-award winning actor Ron Silver, who plays the porn patriarch, as a source of inspiration and comfort.
"Ron Silver is absolutely wonderful. There is an ease to his acting that no one else on the set has. It makes delivering lines very simple," Lynn said.
Of course, actors would have little do if not for writers, and Lynn credits Jim Leonard, the man who created the series storyline and who writes the dialogue, with creating three-dimensional characters that for the most part avoid the stereotypes associated with the industry.
"See, it's not about porn. It's about people. And that's how they wrote it," Lynn comments. "Its really wonderful writing. And if the storyline goes the way it is supposed to, I'll have the role of a lifetime that any actress, mainstream or adult, would kill to have."
While Asia Carrerra and Aria have cameos as "Golden Girls" in tonight's premiere episode, most of the "porn star" roles are played by mainstream actresses.
Skin will air on Mondays at 9p.m. on Fox. As of October 30, episodes will also be rerun on Thursday at 9p.m.
