Darren James is known throughout the adult film industry as a "gentleman."
The veteran performer that tested positive for HIV earlier this week "wouldn't hurt a fly," one well-known director told AVN.com Friday.
"The guy's like the nicest guy you could imagine," Evil Angel's Jules Jordan, who filmed James last year, said. "I'm sure there's people that know him a lot better than I do. I've definitely had some good conversations with him. I just hope the guy's alright."
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That theme was repeated throughout the San Fernando Valley on Friday when AVN contacted several producers and performers who know James.
Performer Mr. Marcus told AVN.com that in his effort to contact James, he left him a message with "positive words."
"I'm worried about him because I haven't heard from him and I knew going into this that he saw things very negatively and that's not going to help his well being," he said.
Mr. Marcus, who has known James about four years, said he was trying to get a large group of performers together in the Valley Monday evening to "answer to some of the questions and to show solidarity for Darren."
"We want to find him. If he wants to contact us on the low-low, just a quick phone call that's fine," Mr. Marcus continued, adding that James developed a reputation as a respectful, easy-going performer.
"He came from the school of Sean Michaels: Respect your female performer. It got you farther in this business and you worked more often if you just appreciated the female you were working with," he added.
Gia Paloma knows that first hand. She met James in November and has worked him three times.
"He's very respectful toward women. He's very in tune to our feelings on camera and off camera," Paloma told AVN.com Friday.
Paloma said after one of the recent scenes that James helped her out of a jam with her car that had flat tires.
"He offered. I didn't even have to ask him," Paloma recalled. "He took me to a gas station and waited at the gas station with me and it wasn't like he was trying to get anything extra. … I offered him money or to take him to dinner and he refused it.
"He just makes you feel very comfortable, puts off a lot of very good, positive vibes."
The recently retired performer Flick Shagwell was a roommate of James for six months, over two years ago.
"He's a great guy. He's a really great guy," Shagwell, who has known James for three years, said. "He's a decent caring guy. I worked with him back then and he was always a great guy to work with. He is really nice to the girl."
Shagwell has since fallen out of touch with James but knew of his progress in the industry.
"Up to now he was doing great for himself," she said. "He is one of the few decent guys in this business. He does have a good heart. I wish him the best…"
Long time friend T.T. Boy told AVN.com that, “I personally respect and admire Darren to no end. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and one of the best performers I’ve even seen. He cares about his craft and it always showed in his work.”
Red Light District owner David Joseph, who is vacationing in Costa Rica, told AVN.com Friday, "I met him a handful of times and he's just been a gentlemen. He's the nicest guy. He's a pleasant man."
Joseph, who halted production at Red Light before he left, said he has been following the developments on the Internet. But today he saw a story about James on a Spanish-language newscast that even showed interview footage of AVN publisher Tim Connelly. Red Light's productions are on hold at least through the recommended quarantine period, he said.
James, who started performing in 1998 and just last year really became in demand with more than 250 titles now on his resume, signed a performance contract with Evasive Angles earlier this year.
"Someone told him this was a way for him to distinguish himself from the pack and what came from that was this. It's unfortunate that he didn't get a chance to get really shine," Mr. Marcus said.
Still, this occurrence has caused Mr. Marcus to take a closer look at his own career that has spanned close to a decade.
"This makes you question a lot of things. I have to take responsibility for my actions. I have to address them, definitely," Mr. Marcus said. "There's a misconception that you can't have a viable career going with condoms. My body of work includes everything that says you should have this disease. So you feel fortunate not to have received it.
"I'm different person, I've grown up. I'll be 34 this year. Hopefully I can help those people with a lot of the misconceptions."
Jordan summed up the sentiments of many.
"I think everybody's dazed right now," he said.
