LAS VEGAS—The 2026 AVN Show, held at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in January, was a multi-day gathering of the adult entertainment industry. It combined trade expos, fan experiences, panels and industry networking, culminating with the iconic awards show on the final night on Jan. 24.
I was part of the fan experience: I did fan signings as one of the models representing Evan Richardson Photography. The models all happened to be Asian. Reflecting on my own background and experiences, I began to wonder about our respective paths to porn.
I came from a conservative Vietnamese culture and pivoted to the adult industry later in life, embracing it as a path to personal fulfillment and professional empowerment. It has always struck me how even a brief conversation with someone can have the power to change how you see a person, reframe what you thought you knew about a person, or provide sufficient context to understand the social cues that you had missed or misunderstood during previous interactions.
So, keeping in mind the times that fans have met me in person at expos or adult shows and expressed surprise in learning some particular detail about me, I decided to take the time to interview these women—my colleagues in the industry—most of whom I’d known (or known of) for years, and yet somehow—whether because of busy schedules or the time crunch that often accompanies these events—had never gotten to know beyond our professional interactions.
Marica Hase
Saigon: Hello there. This is the legendary Marica Hase. You’re my idol. I want to be like you when I grow up. (Laughs)
Marica: Thank you so much.
Saigon: And you’re so cute! So tell me a little bit about where you're from and how you got started in porn?
Marica: I'm originally from Japan, and I reside in the United States, in California. And I already was doing nude modeling for mainstream movies, since I was 20 years old.
Saigon: Wow. Since 20. You started, you know, fairly young.
Marica: Yes. I was really shy in my regular life. In real life. But in front of the camera, I was so free. I felt so free. I felt joy!
Saigon: Yes. So I think you were a model too, right? Yes. I remember seeing pictures of you walking the runway, (Marica laughs) and I was like, ‘Oh my God’.
Marica: Yes. Yes.
Saigon: So I know you work with a lot of, you know famous people in porn. What is like a funny scenario — I'm sure you have many, but that you can think of that you can share with us?
Marica: Oh, funny scenario? Hmmm?
Saigon: Yes. Just one. I'm sure you have a whole lot. And I'm putting a little pressure on you to think about this (Marica laughs) but if you can just share with us just a little, funny scenario that you can think of.
Marica: Oh, I don't know. I’m a very submissive, my character in the porn industry is very submissive. So…(laughs) I had many experiences, however, none that I would describe as funny. (Both laugh)
Saigon: So what's a fun fact about Marica that your fans don't know that you would like to share with your fans?
Marica: I piss off some Japanese people. (Both laugh)
Saigon: Yes. Well that can be a good thing sometimes. (Laughs) So, one last question: What is one of your most memorable scenes in porn?
Marica: Oh yes, I just remembered! He’s a legendary director. The movie was CockGojira. (In English, Cockzilla) Not Gojira. Cock-Gojira. This was memorable for me.
Saigon: Yes, what a great title. Sounds fun. Well, thank you for talking with me. I appreciate it very much.
Marica: Thank you.
Saigon: And like I said, I am a fan. I'm a big fan of yours.
Marica: Thank you so much!
Ember Snow
Saigon: Hello there. I am here with Ember Snow and welcome.
Ember: Hello, welcome to AVN.
Saigon: So how did you get started in the spicy work in the porn industry, Ember?
Ember: Curiosity, curiosity. And a passion for film.
Saigon: How long ago was that?
Ember: Let’s just say a while. Okay, It’s been a while.
Saigon: She’s a big star.
Ember: I’m infamous. I don’t know about famous, but. Yeah.
Saigon: I would say you’re quite famous. I see you at conventions, and she has lines and lines of fans lining up to see her. So you are definitely very, very famous.
Ember: Well, thank you.
Saigon: And so starting with the industry, what would you say are the pros and cons of the porn business?
Ember: So I feel like the pro is, if you know how to work your money, you could go really far. And the con would be something like you can’t fully depend on the pro companies. You have to do other things for yourself because it’s not always consistent.
Saigon: It’s not consistent and you have to diversify. And nowadays, as a content creator, we have multiple ways of diversifying that way.
Ember: Right, yeah. That’s a good thing about this industry now.
Saigon: I think so too. I think in the past, you get paid per scene and that’s it.
Ember: Yes that’s it. I mean, they used to do feature dancing gigs too. Yeah.
Saigon: And you still do that (feature dance) right? Because I see you.
Ember: I do, I go to the conventions. And now there’s also different sites that you can upload your content.
Saigon: So, Ember, what are some of the projects you are working on right now?
Ember: I am working on some small mainstream films, mostly horror thriller genre. It has nothing to do with porn.
Saigon: Exciting, Oh, you are becoming a mainstream actress?
Ember: Well, I wasn’t planning on acting. I wanted to be like, you know, behind the camera.
Saigon: Oh, really?
Ember: Yeah.
Saigon: Oh, my God, you’re gonna be producing?
Ember: Yes.
Saigon: And directing too?
Ember: Producing, in charge of all the creative aspects of it. I’m very excited.
Saigon: Oh my God. That’s exciting. You gotta watch out for that. So what are your goals for the next five years, for Ember Snow?
Ember: So yeah, definitely shooting more mainstream films. And stick around here in the adult industry. Because I do love this industry, no matter what. So in the next five years, maybe embrace being a MILF.
Saigon: Yeah. You’re too young to be a MILF. Thank you Ember for the interview.
Tera Patrick
Saigon: Hello there. I have with me here Tera Patrick, the original OG. Yes she is. She is an actress, a model, an author, and an entrepreneur. She is the Jane of all trades.
Tera: I think Jillian of all skills.
Saigon: Oh, I like that. I've never heard of that. I like that, I like that very much.
Tera: Feel free to take it. You can borrow it.
Saigon: I will borrow it, but I will give you credit. That's where I got it from, from Miss Patrick. So Tera, tell us a little bit about your journey to porn and how did you get there?
Tera: I like that: journey to porn. So I started in the adult industry in June of 1999. I did a shoot for Playboy magazine and Penthouse magazine. So I was Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2002 or 2000. And then so I was on the cover of Playboy and Penthouse simultaneously. And then I decided to do movies, and that's all, that's how it started (Laughs).
Saigon: That's how it started.
Tera: Crossed over and went to adult movies.
Saigon: Awesome. So what would you say are the pros and cons of the porn business, babe?
Tera: You know, there's a lot of pros. I would say probably one of the only cons that I used to hate was getting up early. Now I'm a morning person, and I love getting up early. But the travel, the travel was definitely like the early travel.
But also you have to really be aware, make sure you always have an attorney, that looks over a contract, and you know, there's always somebody trying to make money off of you. So know your worth. Don't sign any contracts without an attorney. Make sure you look them over carefully and assert your boundaries. Be very strict with your boundaries. Don't do anything that you might regret later.
Saigon: Yes. I think nowadays with OnlyFans and with content creators, I feel that women are more empowered these days compared to maybe you know, a few years ago.
Tera: Well, I think that the exploitation or I think the empowerment has always been there. I think that is a narrative, and it's a narrative of today. But I'll be honest, I mean, I owned my own production company early on. And a lot of women even that worked under Vivid and bigger production companies, they were empowered and in control of their own contracts too. There are a lot of girls today, or ladies today, that aren’t. Something can be said about OnlyFans, a lot of them aren’t with agencies. So I think that the narrative that there's more empowerment or control today, I don't know if I agree with that because I think that it's always been there. I think it's just really up to you as a creator, as a model, or however you want to define yourself, to navigate that.
Saigon: Well, that's a nice take, because you know how I looked at it, I just started this only about five years ago. And I always thought that a MILF like me being older, I was not wanted in the industry.
Tera: No, we love that. Charmane Star and I were saying like YOU GO like this is the prime time. I will say that is one of the things that I love most about the adult industry, and this being a big pro is that, listen, all body type, all ethnicities, all ages. It's not a cookie cutter industry. This is a very welcoming industry.
Saigon: Yes. And I am realizing that.
Tera: Do it in your 20’s, do it in your 30’s, do it in your 50’s. That's right. MILF, GILF, whatever. Get that cock and the bag. (Saigon laughs and claps) We're here for the fun and we're here for the bag, right?
Saigon: So, Tera, what projects are you working on right now that you would like to share with the audience?
Tera: I have a blog site called Travel with Tera. I'm a travel agent, so please check out my blog and if you're interested in traveling the world and you want to see my world traveling adventures. Listen, from porn to travel. Trying to think of something with a P that would rhyme.
Saigon: And you don't live in the US anymore?
Tera: I live in Italy. Northern Italy. La dolce vita
Saigon: That's right. Do you speak Italian?
Tera: I do, I do.
Saigon: Parli Italiano?
Tera: Si, parlo Italiano.
Saigon: Ciao, bello.
Tera: Sono eccitato. I'm very excited for this interview.
Saigon: Thank you so much. So what do you see for yourself in the next five years? What projects? What are you excited to see happen in the next five years?
Tera: In the next five years, I would like to publish my second book. I'd like to continue travel blogging. I'd like to visit a few more countries. I have China on my list and I would love to see more of Africa.
Saigon: Awesome. I haven't seen Africa yet. I love travel as well. And my bucket list is that to go see at least one new country a year until the day I die.
Tera: Okay. I always say when people ask me, like, if there's one trip, you could take in your lifetime. I would recommend a safari.
Saigon: That's right. That's my dream.
Tera: I recommend a safari. Because to see animals in nature, in the wild and Africa is really an incredible experience for the nature, for the history, I mean we could say that about a lot of countries, but an African Safari is WOW.
Saigon: Which country would you recommend? There are so many African safari countries out there. Which country would you recommend as a travel agent?
Tera: I would recommend to start with Namibia. Namibia is very easy to navigate. South Africa as well. Both are excellent for solo travelers and you have such an incredible combination of like the sea, the mountains, the desert. I would say, Namibia, South Africa.
Saigon: Well, that is my dream. So I think I'm going to be contacting you to be my travel agent to work that out, because that is my bucket list goal: to go see and do a safari.
Thank you Tera for giving me the time. I appreciate it very much. It was lovely to meet you at AVN. And thank you for coming here and gracing us with your beauty, your charm and you're so sweet. Thank you.
Tera: No. Thank you. It has been a pleasure to sign with you all week. And you've been so gracious and kind, and thank you for interviewing me.
Lucky Starr
Saigon: Hello, hello, hello. So we are at AVN 2026. And I have here Lucky Starr. So Lucky, tell us a little bit about how you got started in spicy work.
Lucky: Oh, my gosh, oh you mean porn? How did I get started? Oh, well, I moved to Los Angeles from Chicago because I had this stupid idea that I thought I was going to be an actress. (Laughs)
Saigon: It's not a stupid idea, babe. We all have aspirations and dreams.
Lucky: Yeah, but I came down off that cloud real quick. Then I was kind of down on my luck and then all of a sudden, I was like, you know what? I think I'm gonna start doing porn. It's not that I didn't like to. It's not like I was forced into it. I did it because I was a huge fan of the industry, and it was like a secret fantasy of mine. And I was broke. So it was a bit of everything. So it's just like it all came together like that. And here I am 17 years later.
Saigon: 17 years. Wow. And still going strong. And so tell us, what is your ethnicity babe for those that don't know.
Lucky: I am Asian, I'm Filipino. What kind of Asian? I'm Filipino Asian.
Saigon: Yes. That's the question that people always kind of curious to know what kind of Asian we are.
Lucky: We fucking hate that question, just so you know.
Saigon: But you know, for us Asians, we do differentiate, right? And I kind of like to know, where is your country of origin?
Lucky: It is the Philippines. Yes.
Saigon: Were you born in the Philippines?
Lucky: No, I was born in New York City. But yet everyone in Chicago still treats me like I'm fresh off the boat.
Saigon: I see. So I think you also wrote a book, you are a performer but you are also an author.
Lucky: An author, yes.
Saigon: Show your book, babe.
Lucky: Yes. Yes. I Am Lucky (book title)
Saigon: I Am Lucky. Where is it available, babe?
Lucky: It's available on Amazon and on Amazon Kindle version. And a soft cover version.
Saigon: So is it your life story, a biography?
Lucky: It starts from the day I started in the industry up until 2013. And then there's a sequel called I Am Still Lucky, and that is from 2013 to 2021.
Saigon: So you have two books out now. Are you planning to write more?
Lucky: It depends if more crazy shit keeps happening to me and I keep writing about it, then I'm eventually going to just put it online and then publish it.
Saigon: Well, congratulations on publishing two books already.
Lucky: People are probably just like, she's drunk. I said, no, I'm not drunk. I'm just loopy. I'm just loopy because of this place.
Saigon: The energy is high here and the vibe is pretty naughty, right?
Lucky: Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of crowded. So sometimes, like, you're signing and you're like (gasping). No, I'm just being dramatic.
Saigon: So can you tell us a little bit about what are the pros and cons of the industry?
Lucky: The industry. Well that's a thing I ran into so many veterans and it used to be so, so different. Like those veterans over there (pointing to Tera Patrick and Charmane Star), you have an agent, you get a job, they send you on the job, that's it. Everything was the agent and now it's shifted to content creation. So then you have to be your own boss, your own manager, your own agent, and you have to sell your ass. You have to, figuratively.
Saigon: But don't you think that it's better for, you know, content creators, somewhat like smaller content creators that can get started without having that gatekeeper?
Lucky: I know it is, but now there's such a gray area, what is a porn star? Like now anyone can claim that they're a porn star if you sell your ass. But I come from an era like those ladies over there (Tera and Charmane), they are stars. They are big stars. And the fact that I'm sitting at the same table, I'm like, oh my God. (awestruck)
Saigon: They're iconic. And you know, they're like models, authors, entrepreneurs. Yeah, we're talking about Tera Patrick and Charmane Star. They were huge, huge, iconic porn stars.
Lucky: I watched their movies a lot.
Saigon: I know. And we are at the same table over there too. Yeah, and there’s Marica Hase too. Yes. We bow down to those OGs. Yes we do. And so what about the cons, babe? You know, being in this business.
Lucky: The cons is the fact that you have to do all the work yourself. You have to basically be able to sell ice to an Eskimo.
Saigon: Yeah, but if you're a hard worker, you can succeed in this business, right?
Lucky: You can. But like I said, you got to sell your ass. And I come from a different era, so I get lazy sometimes. I'm like, no, they just need to come to me. They have to come to me.
Saigon: Yeah, I kind of appreciate this era, babe, because it allows people to get started. And if you're smart, if you're a hard worker and you can market yourself, you can fucking succeed.
Lucky: You gotta sell your ass.
Saigon: You fucking do. It's work. It's a business. All right, so what's one thing about you that your fans don't know that you can share?
Lucky: Well, here's the deal. We actually know a lot.
Saigon: They know a lot about you.
Lucky: They do. Because sometimes little bits come out here and there. I'm a former NBA cheerleader, I'm a former professional musical theater actress. Well, that's the thing I dance, Polynesian dance. And playing the ukulele was just sort of like in there that I just did as a hobby. Yeah, and I don't play as much as I should because I hate to make noise in my apartment, you know? So I try to be that polite. But yes, I do practice the ukulele (oo-kuh-lay-lee)
Saigon: So I say that wrong. I say ukulele, ukulele (you-kuh-lay-lee)
Lucky: That's okay. A lot of people don't know.
Saigon: I know that's what I do all my life, babe.
Lucky: I know, me too. When you go to Hawaii and they're just like, no. And I'm like, sorry.
Saigon: And so one last question.
Lucky: Yes.
Saigon: What's one scene that you shot in the past that stood out in your mind that may have been funny that you can think of or that you can share.
Lucky: Okay. Probably my award-winning scene. I won an award for A Mother's Love 2. It’s not like a “taboo mom and son” video. It's like a, sort of a nurturing mother that includes a feature. I got cast in the lead role when the other actress went home that day. So the director got on Twitter and started asking, who's tested and over 35? And they know I wasn't doing anything, and I had a recent test. So, they ask can I get to set now? And I said yes, and I went.
What made it such a good role was the fact that I was absolutely in love with my co-star. Just absolutely head over heels in love. He didn't give a shit about me, but I took all those feelings, and I put all into that scene. Because right there, right during that moment, he was mine. And I won an award.
Saigon: I think that's the part that you love about this, is the acting.
Lucky: The acting. Thank you. Is that weird?
Saigon: No, not at all, babe, because you know, you can be a dead fish, and it doesn't make the movie good. They say a mattress actress, but you have to know how to act and show your emotions and range.
Lucky: Usually yes, but that was like the old school way. Now, just suck a dick and be as freaky as you can, and put it online and boom, you're a star.
Saigon: All right, well, thank you so much for your time, Lucky Starr, and good luck to you in your endeavors and in your porn career. Thank you.
Krystal Davis
Saigon: Hello there. I have with me here, Krystal Davis. Krystal, tell us a little bit about yourself. How you got started in the spicy work in the porn industry?
Krystal: I was part of the swinging lifestyle, and I started back in 2006 doing a lot of amateur work and doing live shows online, on some of the sites. And then in 2018, that's when I turned pro got my first pro scene. And so I've been doing those since then.
Saigon: So what is your ethnicity, Krystal?
Krystal: I am part Spanish and lots of Asian, Japanese, Filipino Asian.
Saigon: Were you born in the US?
Krystal: I was born in the Philippines and I came to the US when I was 16.
Saigon: All right. So tell us a little bit about this industry. What are the pros and cons of working in the porn industry?
Krystal: So up until 2019, I've always had a corporate job and doing this at the same time. And it's always been kind of a hobby part for me. While I make my money the other way, which is in the business sector. And then finally in 2018 I finally made a decision. I'm gonna commit myself fully, full time. And I've been enjoying my life ever since. It's very free and very fulfilling having your own schedule and having control of what you do and what you don't want to do.
Saigon: Yes, and the fans love you. You know, we do conventions together, and I see you have lines of fans waiting to say hello to you and get a signed autograph from you. So that's one of the rewarding parts of having fans.
Krystal: I have fans who know me since 2006. Before I was Krystal Davis.
Saigon: Awesome, the fans are awesome.
Krystal: Yes, they are.
Saigon: Who have you worked with? What are some of the big production companies that you’ve worked with?
Krystal: I've worked with TeamSkeet, Score, Adult Time. I've done Exxtra for Brazzers. There's more. Oh, I can't remember. Yeah, it's a lot.
Saigon: She has done a lot. So just check her out. You will see that she has done a whole lot. She's one of the hardest working women. Every time I see her, she's like, ‘I have a ton of shoots lined up, constantly busy working’, which is a good thing.
So is there something about you specifically that your fans don’t know about that you would like to share?
Krystal: I am actually a nerd. I like to watch anime. Yes, I binge-watch them when I when I get to stay home, which is very seldom.
Saigon: Yeah, she's always out there doing shows and meeting fans.
Krystal: I like to sing and dance. Naked in the shower, but, yeah, I have no practice.
Saigon: All right. Well, thank you so much Krystal, for sharing your time with us. Good luck with your porn career and we will see each other around. Bye!
***
Although our conversations were relatively brief—whether learning new details of their stories, seeing the smiles on their faces, or hearing the laughter in their voices—I came away with a newfound respect and deeper appreciation for these women, with their resiliency, passion, determination and humanity. They are all amazing, powerful, beautiful, sexy women.
