This article originally ran in the February 2015 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to view the issue online.
Multi-award-winning actress Chanel Preston has five years of experience in XXX under her belt (or wherever), having starred in at least a dozen parodies as well as such hits as Speed, Wingmen, New Behind the Green Door, and nearly 250 other titles. On top of that she’s been the hostess of the web program Adult Insider and her own internet show, Naked With Chanel. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that she’s recently had the yen to direct her own features.
“I was really excited because James Deen actually came to me and offered me a movie,” Chanel said, referring to Chanel Movie One, due for a February release from James Deen Productions via Girlfriends Distribution. “He also gave me a lot of freedom, and I don’t know how often first-time directors get that much freedom to do whatever they want, but I think he had faith in my vision, so that was nice.”
She mused, “I feel very lucky that he gave me that opportunity, and I got to be very creative because it was obviously my first time officially behind the camera. I’ve been doing this for five years so I feel like I’ve had a lot of ideas, and now I get to see them and present them to the world.”
But it’s not as if getting behind the camera wasn’t challenging in certain respects.
“I feel like I have a lot of ideas in my head that I can’t really do because I don’t have the resources, so I had to be very creative,” she explained. “And also, I’m still learning the whole technical side of the industry, so when I’m articulating my vision to people, I have to learn all the verbiage, so that’s a little challenging, but I’m taking the time to learn it, so I will eventually know almost everything.”
Hey, why stop at “almost”?
AVN got to be on the set for Preston’s premiere directorial effort, for which she managed to snag a few hours in a beautiful mansion in the Southland. And while we were only privy to one of the scenes, there was no doubt that Chanel had a vision and she intended to make what was happening in front of the cameras as true to that vision as humanly possible.
“It’s a little challenging,” Chanel admitted, “because especially in this industry, we’re very limited on budget.”
Fortunately, her vision didn’t include any car chases, explosions or parachute jumps, so it turned out to be a bit easier to accomplish than a lot of what Hollywood puts out. For instance, the scene for which we were present begins with Chanel in an oversized four-poster bed, with Claire Robbins and Veruca James sleeping at her feet (pictured above).
“It’s not like the girls are puppies,” Chanel cautioned, “but it has a very playful, puppy-like feel, and when you watch, you’re not sure if they’re Chanel’s pets or slaves or what, but it’s very cute and playful.”
Indeed, as soon as Chanel wakes up and begins to go about her day, the “pets” begin to plot their sexual escapades, exchanging soulful glances over the covers, and eventually meeting in the middle for sexy kissing. But once Chanel’s out of the bathroom and ready to leave for work, the pair follow her to the door—and as soon as she’s gone, they’re all over each other in the foyer, rolling around on the floor, grabbing each other’s tits, fingering each other’s pussy and biting each other’s legs before getting into the pussy-licking and finger-fucking. Soon, the pair moves the living room couch, where the hot action continues. Besides some slow, sensual kissing, look for lots more muff-diving, in both mish and doggie positions, some 69—and Claire sticking her toes right into Veruca’s snatch, which puts the raven-haired beauty into ecstasy. The scene ends with Veruca straddling Claire almost in reverse cowgirl position as Claire furiously fingers Veruca’s pussy from behind.
According to Chanel, other scenes will have Zoey Monroe being molested by latex-clad “pin-up dolls” Chanel, Dana DeArmond and Phoenix Marie (“It’s an interesting dynamic there because pin-up is very pretty and girly, but the latex is obviously fetish”); a “stocking fetish” scene with Chanel, Dahlia Sky and Dani Daniels (“We just are in these pretty, sheer stockings, and we’re playing with each other, and eventually we rip them open but we keep the stockings on even, so it’s a little fetishy but not done in a super-fetish way; it’s just very stylized”); and the finale with Chanel and Sovereign Syre (because “I just wanted to have sex with her”).
In terms of what’s up next for the performer turned director, she said, “I don’t know where it’ll go. I don’t have any specific visions with it; I just want to do something different than performing a little bit. I’m obviously still performing and I like it but I wanted to change it up a little bit, and it’s interesting and I like it but I don’t know where it’s going to go, but for now, I’m just enjoying doing something new and creative.”
Chanel Movie One will be released by James Deen Productions/Girlfriends Distribution on February 13.
