Charmane Star learned about her sexuality doing adult films for parts of the last six years.
"I'm more open. I'm more confident," the 25-year-old Filipino beauty said. "If I wasn't in this business, I'd be turning off the lights {during sex}. Now, the lights are on, and I want mirrors all around."
Star made her debut in 1999 and then left the business in 2001 to move to Milwaukee with her ex-boyfriend to manage a nightclub, which she called "20 times harder than this business." In early 2003, she returned to adult.
"I ran a nightclub with him, and it didn't work out. I had to look at the big picture, and I thought I better do something about it,” Star said. “I used that hard work in that business to make money. I came back and opened up my Website.”
Star, one of the top Asian performers in adult, says that she never fully quit the business, but that she was doing single-girl photo shoots when she wasn't working 20-hour days at the club.
"Coming back, it felt really good. Most of the people knew who I was. They were happy that I was back," she said.
She performs in boy/girl and girl/girl scenes, but did perform in one boy/girl/boy when she first started, though she recalls that it was “too much.”
“I was too occupied,” she said.
The former Nordstrom sales girl says that what you see is what you get when it comes to her on camera.
"My performances, they are me," Star said. "When I'm working, I do it all. I do my job. I get it done. I'm not really bossy, and I'm pretty flexible, and I'm small. I'm confident about it. I get the job done. I'm focused on what the photographer wants."
She added that, "I've never been forced to do anything."
Star said she saw the direction the business seemed to be headed with the harder fare and, "I didn't like that."
"Everything I've done is because of me. And it's been great. I have no regrets at all," Star said, adding that she is a Taurus, and that tends to make her "stubborn. I stick to one thing."
She grew up in San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento, after moving to California from the Philippines as a 2-year-old. Star comes from a family of seven brothers and one sister.
"I love it, having a big family. I'm the only one who lives far away. I'm a big city girl now," Star said.
In elementary school, she wanted to be an artist and has maintained that passion for art. She has built a collection of paintings and sculptures and likes to sketch shapes and bodies as well as landscape close-ups of leaves, trees and flowers.
Someday Star told AVN she would like to own an art gallery.
"I'm going to do it. I promised myself that I would,” she said.
Meanwhile, Star recently made her feature dancing debut with Teanna Kai in December at Club Paradise in Honolulu.
“It’s great just because I’ve done theatre, and it’s almost the same thing,” Star said. “You’re in a different character, and you get to act.
“I’m actually going back in February. I have a really good fan base there. I’m excited. I’m happy about it. Right now, I’m actually picking and choosing the clubs I want to do.”
Star, who appeared at the VCA Pictures booth in Las Vegas and recently starred with Tera Patrick in Reign of Tera for Tera Vision/Vivid, also recently turned her attention to another area.
“I have a new project that I’m doing. I’m actually starting to train to be a DJ,” Star said. “I have some experience just because I ran my bar, played with the turntables. I’m working with a DJ, working on mixing and blending and just starting on that. I’m going to be spinning a lot of hip-hop.”
Star said the new hobby is exciting.
“It’s something different and something new. Just because I grew up in the Bay Area, I have a lot of good friends that are professional DJs, and I’ve always had an interest in it. My eyes are wide open to everything. It’s something fun for me.”
