LOS ANGELES—For adult production powerhouse Wicked Pictures, 2018 will be remembered as a year of genre-defining innovation. The company stayed true to its core mission of providing high-quality erotica and sex education to consumers by releasing groundbreaking work from blockbuster creators Axel Braun and Brad Armstrong, and by continuing to expand the platform of sexual wellness authority and Wicked Girl Jessica Drake. From releasing the first ever adult feature shot completely in black & white CinemaScope (Braun's The Possession of Mrs. Hyde) and showcasing transgender performers in a stylish big-budget production (Armstrong's Jessica Drake vehicle Carnal), to distributing the elegant erotica of Paris-based studio Marc Dorcel, this gambit paid off handsomely when Wicked was honored with over a dozen prizes at the 2019 Adult Video News Awards, held on January 26 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Possession of Mrs. Hyde, Braun's first original feature in fifteen years, dominated the night, winning Best Action/Thriller, Best Director, Best Screenplay (written by Braun in collaboration with his late father, Lasse Braun, and son Rikki Braun), and Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene (Avi Love and Roman Nomar), before snaring the evening's top prize, Movie of the Year.
Deadpool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, a huge Wicked Comix commercial success that topped the AVN sales charts, was similarly honored, receiving Best Parody, Best Actor - Feature (Seth Gamble), Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup trophies.
“Ryan Reynolds did such an incredible job with the character that I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to do a Deadpool parody,” reflected Braun. “My motivation came from The Soska Sisters, who like me are huge ‘Pool fans and pushed me to do it, and from Seth Gamble, who was literally born to play this role and deservedly won a Best Actor award for it. Truth to be told, Seth has been outstanding in every single role I’ve thrown his way for 10 years, and I think this movie just made people realize that. I was also lucky enough to have Jessica Drake as Lady Deadpool, a role that turned out to be more physically demanding than we had anticipated due to her mask, which looked great but was beyond uncomfortable. And much credit is due to my fellow Wicked director Brad Armstrong, who not only lent his exceptional acting talent to the role of Cable, but also built his own costume and mechanical arm. We had a lot of fun shooting it, and I am so proud of its success, especially since this year I had some strong competition in the Best Parody category."
It was a year of shattering records for Braun, the only recipient of four AVN Director of the Year awards. He claimed his 9th consecutive Best Parody, 7th Best Screenplay, 4th Movie of the Year, and second consecutive Best Director-Feature awards.
Of Braun's sweep, Wicked Pictures President and owner Steve Orenstein said, "Seeing Axel win Best Parody for Deadpool XXX was fantastic, although not exactly surprising; he is widely renown as 'The King of Parody', and for good reason. The big excitement of the night was witnessing the recognition he received for The Possession of Mrs. Hyde, which was a lifelong passion project for him. Axel just keeps topping himself and raising the bar of adult filmmaking, and we are not only incredibly proud to have him at Wicked, but also very excited to see what he has in store for the future.”
“It took me 30 years to bring this project to the screen, and I am thrilled that it happened with Wicked,” said a beaming Braun, who is now in his sixth year as an exclusive director with the studio. “Somehow all the stars aligned, and I finally found the perfect girl to take on this very complex leading role, Avi Love. She is by far the best actress I have ever directed in my 30-year career, and without her and Seth Gamble, who once again pulled all the stops and delivered an exceptionally nuanced performance, this project would have never seen the light of day. But even with the perfect casting, putting together a movie of this caliber wouldn’t have been possible without the undying support of Steve Orenstein and the entire Wicked team, and being able to have Jessica Drake join my already amazing cast was a privilege that comes with being a part of this incredible company."
For Jessica Drake, AEE represented a busy week of high-profile personal appearances, press conferences, and mainstream interviews. The AEE Panel The Power of Equality, moderated by AVN Novelty Editor Sherri L. Shaulis, featured Jessica alongside transgender performer and Jessica Drake is Wicked co-star Venus Lux, plus Sunny Megatron, Ken Melvoin-Berg, and Jet Setting Jasmine.
The Wicked Girl's week culminated with two nights of posh nightclub revelry at Apex Social Club at the Palms Casino Resort. Friday, January 25, saw Jessica joined by Leigh Raven, a 2019 AVN Best Supporting Actress nominee for her work in Armstrong's Fallen lI Angels & Demons, and September Reign, co-star of the 2019 AVN Award nominated Axel Braun's Girlfest. Saturday evening showcased Jessica alongside Hall of Fame legend Kaylani Lei, Kenzie Taylor, and Kiara Mia.
“AEE 2019 was another awesome show,” said Jessica. “I’m honored to have participated in ‘The Power of Equality’ panel with some very accomplished folks who champion diversity, equality, and inclusion. I’m thrilled we did so well at the AVN awards, and I congratulate Axel for winning so much for Hyde and Deadpool XXX—it was an honor to be cast in both of those movies. As always, big thanks to AVN, Brad Armstrong, my amazing team, and Steve and everyone at Wicked for their continuing support. I’m really excited to see what AVN 2020 will bring!”
Of Drake's continuing work as a brand ambassador, award-winning actress, and sex educator, Steve Orenstein said, "Wherever Jessica is during the show, whether it is on a panel, on the show floor with the fans, in an interview or press conference or any company event, I couldn't ask for a better representative for Wicked."
A portion of Drake's AEE media blitz saw her conducting interviews alongside Dorcel contract star Clea Gaultier, whose own AEE experience included an awards-night victory: Best Foreign-Shot Anal Sex Scene, which she shared with Kristof Cale and Charlie Dean, her co-stars from Dorcel's The Prisoner. The Paris-based studio's other wins included Best Foreign Feature/Anthology for A 40 Year Old Widow, Best Foreign-Shot All-Girl Sex Scene (Megan Rain and Mina Sauvage, Undercover) and Best Foreign-Shot Boy/Girl Sex Scene (Rose Valerie and Ricky Mancini, Rose, Escort Deluxe).
It is with great honor that Wicked thanks AVN's veteran editors and insightful reviewers for awards that speak not only to the quality of its product but to its efficacy in satisfying evolving audience needs.
The Possession of Mrs. Hyde will release on DVD February 26.
For more, visit Wicked.com.
