[Interview] Sex Week: Belladonna - Life, Love and Sex (Pt 1)
(Editor’s Note: TRIGGER WARNING: This interview covers issues of rape)
We at The Well Versed love that Belladonna describes herself on twitter as both a “Matriarch” and a “Fuck Jedi/ Level 70 Deep Throat Wizard” in the same line. Ever the evolving character, her tweets range from quotes by e.e cummings and Hippocrates, to her proclivity for foot fetishes, and graphic quips about the porn stars she shot scenes with earlier that day. Aiden, her husband of eight years, not only approves of her profession in adult films – he’s her manager. Together, they have a seven-year-old daughter they raise in Southern California.
Born Michele Anne Sinclair, 30-year-old Belladonna has been a much loved figure in the adult film world since her first scene in 2000 at age 18. She’s since gone on to star in over 370 films, boasting 42 Adult Video Network award nominations (10 wins, respectively) and was inducted into the AVN Hall of fame in 2011.
A wife, mother, businesswoman, and even an aerial silks acrobat, Belladonna has elevated her career to also include directorial work through Belladonna Entertainment– a self-owned and operated company she runs with the help of her husband. Well- respected, BelladonnaENT makes it a point to support safety and sexual liberation in adult films, not exploitation and illusion masquerading as such– preventing her workers from facing some of the more seedy situations she found herself in when she was new to the industry.
Freshly back from a year-long hiatus, the Biloxi, Mississippi Native sat down with TWV for an in-depth look at life, love, and pornography. From motherhood, to addictions, to adult film legislation, to religion, Belladonna — the self-proclaimed “OG Dirty Girl”– bares all.
The Well Versed: Congrats on your performance at this year’s AVNs – it was pretty impressive. How did you get into that?
Belladonna: Well, on the last break that I took around October or November of 2010, I wanted to take a class for flying trapeze. At the Santa Monica pier they have the Trapeze School of New York and I decided to just do it one day. So, I did the class a couple of times and I kept looking over at the aerial silks rig and I would watch other students take classes during my time with the flying trapeze. I kept being drawn to it – it looked very beautiful to me, and at the same time it looked like a great physical activity; which I really enjoy. And so I decided to take that class and I never went back to flying trapeze. Silks was everything I ever wanted. I kept doing it, and then I went back to {adult film work} and thought “why can’t I perform this at a convention?” – and so I took it to Exxxotica in L.A and tested it out and people went nuts for it. So then I went to Jersey after that and did the 40th anniversary at the Pleasure Chest. Then I got to do the AVN award show. I’m also taking my aerial silks ‘Cirque Du Bella’ show to SexxxpoAustralia next month in March – I can’t tell you how thrilled I am. I’m really, really, really, excited. This is one of my dreams. I feel really grateful for these opportunities being such a newbie at aerial silks.
