Director/writer Eli Cross always wanted to do a modern day, adult version of the life of the ruthless Roman emperor Caligula.
“I had it in the back of my mind for a long time, but I didn’t think I could ever do it,” said Cross.
But when he approached Sex Z Pictures owner Bo Kenney about this unlikely subject, he got his blessing.
Today, Cross is ready to show off his vision when Sex Z rolls out Corruption, next Friday, starring Hillary Scott, Kylie Ireland, Alana Evans and Annie Cruz.
The title tells the story of a Republican Sen. Helms’ rise to power and how his sexual depravity impacts those around him.
“I wanted to tell the story of Caligula but in modern times, with the government the obvious analog for the Roman Empire, and this Republican Sen. Helms being Caligula,” Cross said.
With an extensive background in directing mostly gonzo titles, Cross knew what it took to make a hot sex title, but he had to think long and hard when it came to developing an engaging adult film that mixes solid characterizations with hot sex.
Unlike some features, Cross wanted to make the sex an important aspect of the storyline, and not merely an element of it.
But to do that, he had to cast a group of adult performers who could do the sex scenes well but also portray believable characters.
“My friends in mainstream laughed when I told them I was doing this. They said it couldn’t be done.”
But Cross went about his casting like he was handling a mainstream movie for a big-time studio.
“I didn’t just want to have a bunch of girls on go-see. I wanted actual auditions so that’s what we did… And I got a lot grief from agents about it.”
Altogether, Cross auditioned about 70 performers for the various roles, sometimes taking up as much as an hour for some as they read pages of dialogue while portraying the title’s characters.
But as the marathon audition sessions continued, one performer stood out from the rest from the git go.
“That was Hillary,” he said of Hillary Scott, who is best known for her gonzo work.
“She was absolutely the best actor we read. We looked at Sasha Grey and her read was very good, but Hillary has a sense of life experience that Sasha doesn’t and she got the part.”
Scott, who admits to having little training in acting, managed to impress Cross further when the cameras started to roll as she played the downtrodden mistress to the blow-hard Sen. Helms played by Bryn Pryor.
“She knew camera acting tricks that I know seasoned pros would take a decade to learn.”
Likewise, Ireland, also showed her acting chops by taking on the role of Helms’ decadent, subservient wife who manages to take on multiple lovers for hard-fucking sessions under her husband’s nose.
Alana Evans also took on the manipulating diva role with gusto as she brought a healthy dose of villainy to the dark proceedings.
“I was really impressed with Alana’s ability to play her character. I didn’t know she could do it at first.”
But while the title plays like a study in narcissism and power politics at first, in the end, Cross admits it’s a dark drama about reprehensible people with a lot of hot sex.
With Scott and Ireland providing much of the hardcore action that includes hard anal and mouth fucking, the rest of the cast also shines with realistic performances, both dramatic and sexual.
“The sex is great and the acting is also great, but I’m really happy that it turned out even better than I thought it would. I just hope other people think so too.”
The cast includes Sandra Romain, Lexi Bardot, Vixen, Kelly Wells, Sophia, Staci Thorn, Ariana Jollee, Jordan Styles, James Deen, Mark Davis, Herschel Savage, Steve Holmes, Alex Sanders, Rick Masters, Derrick Pierce, Tyler Knight, Seth Dickens, Jenner, Franko del Torro and Johnny Castle.
Sex Z Pictures is online at www.sexzvod.com. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
