'My Son the Porn Director' Before tackling any of our topical bits and bobs, I embraced the chance to present an unflinching portrait of Joybear's creator, Justin Ribeiro dos Santos. As a tribute to his keen eye for authenticity (as well as his endearing naughty streak), I went straight to the hub of all truth: his mum, Lizzie. |
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Mum on Justin as a little chap Were there any early signs to suggest he might become a porn director? None - he was always sporty at school though (does this count?). What embarrassing questions did he ask you when he was a child? Over the frozen peas in M&S and in a loud voice - "Mum! What does fellatio mean?" I knew he knew, so I just answered "What do YOU think it means?" I think he was 10. |
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Mum on Justin as a porn director How did he break the news to you that he was directing porn? He told me he had entered a Channel 4 competition to make a porn movie. I asked if he was going to be "in" it? This was when he visited me in New York at Christmas one year. When they called him to say he had been chosen to be in one of the teams, I thought it was all a hoot. Describe your initial reaction and feelings at the time. After the competition, which his team won and was televised over several months on cable TV (and yes I did watch a couple of the programmes even though you had to subscribe!), he told me that Playboy had asked him to direct some films for them. I thought it was a great opportunity. Did you have any concerns about him working in the porn industry? Only minor concerns when a friend mentioned the word "mafia" but not from any moral point of view. After all, no one is being forced to act in these movies. How do you feel about these things now in comparison? Have your feelings changed from when you first found out? I like the idea of his choosing to make "porn aimed at women"... very user-friendly. To what extent does he discuss details about his work with you? He often discusses storylines with me and yes, his movies do have a story! We have an "understanding" about what lines we can cross with each other. So I'm happy to help him with ideas he might have and whether I think something might fly or not. Are you proud of him and the career path he has chosen? I'm extremely proud of him for many reasons - he's a really good person firstly. He's managed to create a whole little business out of nothing, which is amazing to me and in a world which neither of us knew much about. I never helped him financially and he did it all on his own and that's not easy. He's very creative in so many ways and still extremely funny. |
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Mum on Justin's films What qualities make him a good porn director? This may sound strange but... he's very sensitive and aware of what women want when they watch sexy movies. He's held focus groups in the past to ask women about their fantasies. Will you be watching Joybear's latest film, 'The London Sex Project'? Yes, I think it sounds like a really interesting movie. I've already seen a couple of clips and want to see the whole thing. What do you think about the project - an explicit documentary about people having sex outside their relationships? I think it's fascinating from many points of view as we all know that sex is something that interests and in some cases "controls" most human beings. What are your views on people having sex outside their relationships? Is it purely a negative aspect of our society, or can it ever be a good thing? This is a tricky question to answer of course. However, I believe that most people are not naturally monogamous, so to stay in a relationship (married or not) with one person for the rest of your life... is probably not really "natural" for most of us. It's what our society "expects" and is tied up in a religious way and is often difficult to maintain. So people lie and cheat and their partners and families get hurt. I would advocate that if you're in a relationship then it's a choice to be faithful or not... and if you choose to be unfaithful then don't let your partner know about it and don't put yourself or your partner at risk by dangerous behaviours. |
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Mum on being Justin's mum What' s the best piece of motherly advice you have given him? You need to value the body you were given and you need to be kind to people. Oh... and a sense of humour is VITAL and will get you through. What's the best thing about having a son who's a porn director? I'm not sure it's about the porn... I think it's about having a son you really like. JB: How would you feel about your loved ones working in the adult industry? Chat about this or anything else in the blog... by Liselle |
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