LOS ANGELES—I’ve been given the address for the next Titwoman feature shoot with Hailey Rose. Straining to read the faded numbers painted on the curb, I glance in my rearview and see a large van following me up the very narrow mountain road. I didn’t want to slow them down, so I quickly pulled over. Little did I know that three more houses down, the van would pull into a space right by the door I was looking for. The driver got out, gave me a friendly wave, and slipped into the house. I double-checked the number. I was in the right place.
The huge wooden front door is open when I get there, and the director is waiting for me.
“You must be Sonny.” Alfonso, aka Mad Creativity, offers me his hand. He leads me into the ranch-style home bustling with activity. The entire wall facing the city has floor-to-ceiling windows. The morning sun lights up the entire space from the dining room to the kitchen.
Everyone on the set for Hailey Rose is Titwoman, the latest edition of the popular series from Elegant Angel, is doing something. No time is wasted, but nothing is a rush. Everyone seems to have a job, knows what it is, and is doing it well. One area of plush couches is being lit for an interview scene. Outside by the pool, more lights are being prepared for the sex scene. Lots of waves, smiles, and eager introductions as I walk through the house.
“It's a really good crew here,” Alfonso tells me as he is fitted for a wireless headset. “I’m not using this, I just feel more official wearing it,” he jokes. Hailey also likes the Elegant Angel crew. Everyone is very respectful of the work to be done.
“Nothing worse than a director or someone yelling at a crew member, and you’re there with a dick in your mouth, like, what do I do?” Hailey Rose, the star of the day, says while getting lip liner applied, the crew hears the quote and laughs.
I find Hailey sitting between the kitchen island and the air fryer, her face being prepared for the camera. She also gives me a big smile and a wave. Before I do anything, I make sure she spells her name for me.
“Hailey Rose. I in the middle. I put the eyes where I want them,” she giggles as the makeup artist adds more contour to her cheek. She is excited for the day’s shooting.
“When I was pitched to do Titwoman, I was familiar with the series, so I went back to watch everything. It was a little bit intimidating to see Keisha Grey, Angela White, and even the recent one with Blake Blossom and Octavia Red. I watched them all. I was very inspired. They're all big names in the industry, and it really is an honor to be able to present my own version of this.”
“Hailey's idea. ‘Day In The Life’ kind of thing,” Alfonso backs Hailey up on her vision for the feature.
“I really want everyone to watch it and see what we create,” Hailey says, bouncing excitedly in her makeup chair. The makeup person smiles but doesn't scold her to stay still; he simply waits for her to settle back down.
Being industry professionals, Alfonso and I sit down to share war stories. His is literal.
“My very, very, very first time ever being on a set was Operation Desert Stormy. It was my very first time on any kind of set,” he laughs at the memory. “I was like, oh my God! There are camels, there are tanks, there are jeeps. I figure I’ve made it.” He leans on the thick glass dining table and shakes his head. “Then, my very next scene, I was shooting in some motel in Canoga Park. I went from camels to Canoga!”
Alfonso has a very specific way of approaching directing. “With my first feature with Octavia Red, for the Red Door, I wanted to know her vision. She was thinking more like a Moulin Rouge vibe, kind of cabaret. I said let’s do it! Let's find a theater. Let's find costumes. I’m the director; however, it's always a collaboration, which I really appreciate because I think that if you really want that extra from your talent, I believe, they're going to invest more energy into it if it's also something that they want to do, rather than just like, hey, you're playing this role. Do this, do the script, and do that. I feel it works better.”
After the still photos are taken by the pool, Hailey sits down with me to wait for Isiah Maxwell, today’s male talent, to arrive. She is dressed for the day in a pale peach bikini, so I have to ask about the tattoo on her left arm. Seems it is the only one she has; a blackwork of a bee with flourishes on either side. “It's a long story,” she laughs, but relaxes instantly, leaning on the kitchen island.
“My parents have always been mead brewers. The honey wine. We'd always have giant jars of honey around the house,” she explains. “I am also a science person. I've studied ecosystems and ecology, and bees have always been interesting to me. When I was turning 18, we were thinking about getting a matching family tattoo. I made a joke that we should all get bees."
"It's a family connection,” she adds, running her fingers over her only tattoo. “I always imagined myself getting a million tattoos and ending up super tatted, and then after this one, I was like, you know what? I’m good. So, it was kind of a one-and-done.”
Hailey sips from a bottle of water and settles back into her chair while the makeup artist takes a curling iron to her long, dark hair. She looks around at the crew and smiles. “I love shooting with Elegant Angel. I love the way they really focus on the female talent, and they love to bring whatever assets you have to life, just the way they do the lighting and the camera. I feel like I look so good on their sets. They always want it to be something epic and visually impactful,” she nods.
Isiah shows up, all smiles, and everyone greets him warmly. He instantly goes to Hailey to greet her. He and Hailey have worked together before.
“Before she started mainstream, before she started anything, I was probably like her second or third collab partner,” he says. Yet, they both have the same thoughts when working for a professional company rather than working on their own content.
“Your creator sex is gonna be a lot different from your company sex because you're allowed to move at your own pace. A lot of creators have issues with that because of what their style is, and what the company style is,” Isiah explains.
“Every company has its own kind of style and its own things that they're looking for,” Hailey says. “I always try to incorporate that into my performance, but I know that the fans watching are me. I do want the company to be happy with what they have, but I also do what I can to showcase my own strengths and my own style. Like, licking my own tits. That is my signature,” Hailey says.
“They don’t call just anyone Titwoman,” Isiah smiles.
The stills are taken with Hailey and Isiah by the pool, make-up person at the ready, everyone honed in on the work at hand. With the sex scene about to be shot, I say my goodbyes so the team can get going.
“We’re just making dreams come true,” Alfonso assures me as I head out to my car and back down the winding road.
Photography courtesy of Elegant Angel
Hailey Rose is Titwoman is coming later this year.
