At the age of 24, Lubov Titova from the Stavropol Territory became a porn star of European magnitude under the pseudonym of Lola Shine. The girl told “Afisha Daily” how the porn business is arranged, explained why people enter porn, and what price they have to pay for the popularity of their profession.
– How does a porn film shoot take place?
– Every day in Prague, the shooting starts at 7:30 a.m. At 7 o’clock, the actress has to be at the studio to get her makeup done. At 3 p.m., LegalPorno (the largest pornographic studio in Europe – Ed.) ends its working day. You have to shoot three clips in a day at least. It’s a flow. While the first shoot is going on, the second batch of actors are getting ready – painting, dressing up. Actors drink a little tea, take another shot (to resume an erection – Ed. Note) and are ready to work. In addition to actors and makeup artist on the site is the director and photographer. Some studios have spared money for a second person who would take photographs for the video. Then the director himself stops the shooting and takes pictures.
– How many commercials have you starred in and in which genres?
– For sure I have more than 300 clips. I only do hardcore and gang bang, because they pay more and I’m bored with the “boy-girl” part. The cost of a clip also depends on the genre.
– How does the porn industry work in general?
– There used to be a system where a big studio paid a certain amount of money to directors. For example, “Legal” had more than 10,000 euros for one shoot, because there were so many participants at the same time. The director found a place to shoot, actors and actresses, sent customers their photos. If the site approved, then the clip was shot with them. Basically everyone was approved. In this scheme, directors were intermediaries. But now the system has changed. The director shoots at his own expense, and only then offers his work to the studio. And the studio already decides whether to buy it or not. LegalPorno has 1500 videos that haven’t been released yet, so they don’t have time to sell them. So there is no point in them making new videos. A lot of filmmakers have just stopped filming.
Because, in fact, guys work very hard and get very little.
– How much do they pay to shoot porn?
– The porn business is always going to pay well. In Europe, they pay from $1,000 per shoot. In Russia, it’s 10 thousand rubles. At the same men get a lot less: $ 100 for one shoot in Europe. If the actor is popular, then perhaps his rate will be higher – it’s $200.
– Real male discrimination.
– It’s a little bit of discrimination. Because, really, guys work very hard and get very little. They get their money by the number of shoots they do. The guys have three commercials a day. They work much harder than the girls. During filming, they sometimes have to take several injections of drugs to maintain an erection.
– What was the maximum fee you received for a shoot?
– 10,000 euros. It was a very large-scale shooting of a gladiator. A lot of actresses, costumes. It was the highest fee of my career. Such an amount because it was a private shoot, not a studio shoot, and you name the amount yourself. Even if this film ever sold, it would never pay off. It’s just that the client, a rich pervert, was making a movie for himself.
– How does one choose which movie to do?
– I have an agent. The studios get in touch with him, and he suggests I go or don’t go. But in the end it’s up to you to choose what to do. If you work with an agency, in the questionnaire, you write down which shoots suit you and which don’t. Let’s say you don’t want to do African-Americans and you say no. Or you don’t want to shoot with elderly grandfathers.
I had that happen once, though. My stop list said that I don’t do old actors. And as it happened, I was put on a reel with a woman they said – over 30. And she turned out to be a grandmother. When she came in, I was so uncomfortable to turn down this reel, it was horror. But I had to do it, I was afraid of offending this woman. It was tough, of course. I have Chris Diamond, who is a very popular European actor, on my bucket list. Also Marcus Dupree, he lives in America. They annoy me, it’s personal motives.
– Can you remember a funny incident from your career?
– During fisting at the LegalPorno studio in Prague, I broke two fingers. I was very scared to do it. And the director made the boys move my hands while he was filming. They did it so hard that when the shooting was over, both of my thumbs were broken. Then they put a cast on, but it was a lot of fun.
– Can a porn actor be compared to an athlete who has to end his career as a young man?
– No, you can’t. There are male actors who look very good, take care of themselves and continue to do regular porn even at the age of 60. And the actors in the old category don’t take Viagra, don’t have any injections. They have a natural process. They were working back in the ’90s, they were on cassettes and they didn’t inject anything. So they don’t have any problems. There’s one actor in St. Petersburg, his name is Yura, he’s 65-68 years old. He still does a lot of acting. He used to shoot with Rocco Siffredi when he was still in Russia. The career ladder for women is shorter. Probably up to the age of 35. Then you can shoot less often, but in another category, let’s call it “mature women” (MILF – Ed. Note).
– How and where do you become a porn actress?
– In “VKontakte” agents are constantly looking for actresses, new faces are always needed. They write to the girls and offer them porn shoots. Some accept, some do not. They only shoot in St. Petersburg, not in Moscow. St. Petersburg is the capital of the porn industry in Russia. All the agents hang around here, and the girls make connections.
– Where do they make porn in Europe?
– The porn capital is Budapest. The second capital is Prague. Very few studios in Spain and Paris. In Europe, the porn business is legal. You just register a company that will pay taxes, and you film officially. I still live in St. Petersburg, but I am constantly on the move.
– Are Russian women quoted in porn?
– Russian women are the most popular actresses in Europe, always have been and always will be. First of all, Russians are very greedy for money. And in Europe they pay a lot of money, especially taking into account the difference in exchange rates. And Russian girls are beautiful. On Pornhub, Russian girls are at the top of the search engine.
– Do you get tired a lot during shooting?
– Yes, purely physically you get tired, it’s a grueling job.
– And psychologically?
– Mentally, I don’t think so. You already know where you are, what you’re doing and what you’re going to do.
– And how do you spend your time away from filming?
– Everyone in his own way. Some go to the gym. I read, lie down, or look at the city. It also depends on what kind of shooting it was. If it’s light, I would, of course, go for a walk. If something heavy, from the hardcore genre, it’s better to sleep.
– How big is the chance of contracting something on the set?
– The chance of getting infected is very high. But medical tests are done weekly in a vetted clinic. The test results are automatically sent to the director’s mail, and only then do you get access to filming. If they find any kind of infection, they send you right away for treatment at their own expense. And the whole team that worked with you is treated.
– Do these things happen often?
– I’ve been filming for two and a half years, and luckily nothing like that has happened to me yet. And I take an extended test – 13 tests. Most actors take the standard full test – 4 obligatory tests and swabs.
I believe that in porn go in two cases: either unrequited love, or money. Or both.
– Isn’t the porn industry and prostitution the same thing?
– In Russia it’s considered the same thing. In Europe it’s on the fringe. Personally, I think it’s something on the verge of both. They’re not far apart [prostitution and pornography].
– How did you become a porn actress in the first place?
– I had a boyfriend. He broke up with me because of another girl. I was really depressed. And my girlfriend at that time was already doing porn and had star status. She said, “I’ll make a star out of you too, don’t worry about it. From that moment on I became a porn actress. I think there are two ways to go into porn: either unrequited love or money. Or both.
– How did your family and friends react when they found out about your filming?
– I don’t really care about other people’s opinions, even my family and friends. Either a person accepts me or they don’t. My family accepted me. And the young man didn’t. I had been in a long relationship for two years and he knew that I was filming and he accepted it. I almost did not work at that time, filming took second place. And when we decided to get married, my young man at one point had a breakdown that he didn’t want to marry a porn actress. A wedding dress was bought, wedding preparations had already begun. And just such a tough breakup in the relationship. It was recently, after New Year’s Eve. That’s the only time porn has affected my personal life.
– Do people you know judge you?
– I’ll tell you this. In St. Petersburg, it’s either people from show business, or rappers, or actresses themselves. They just can’t judge me. They’re people who are more free, and they don’t really care what you do. You’re a good person, and that’s it. And my friends from the Stavropol Territory, where I’m from, don’t understand, of course. There’s no such thing there. And the morals are completely different, not St. Petersburg’s. If I’m walking down the street they look at me all the time and turn around. Mostly guys. The whole city has seen porn with me. There are groups on VKontakte, “Overheard”. My classmate is one of the creators of such a group. He was probably the first person to post porn with me there. The whole town came in, watched, there were millions of views. It was funny. That’s how my cousin saw the porn with me. Tried to tell my cousin, she couldn’t believe it for a long time.
– Did you ever think that your kids would see those videos?
– Yes, I did. I hope there will be ten more actresses with that pseudonym at that point. And my alias Lola Shine will go to another actress. And I don’t think they’ll thoroughly watch porn with me. So I’m not worried. It’s just that the time will come when I’ll tell them. I’ll say, “Here, hello. Let’s meet the other side.”
– Do you ever regret that you started acting?
– I’ve never once regretted it. I’m the kind of person who can’t regret my actions. I can regret the fact that my phone broke. But not about my actions. They’re always deliberate. I think three steps ahead of what I would do in any given situation. It’s easier to live that way. I am a Virgo, and Virgo’s horoscope is very prudent in its actions. So, I never regret about it and, probably, even in my old age I won’t.
– Are you thinking about the future? How much longer do you plan to act?
– I think this year is the last year. In 2019, I’m going to end my career. The thing is, I really like tattoos. I have two. I got one small one on my arm this year, a revolver. And the other one I’ve had on my back for a while now. And I want to get something else and a lot more. But in porn, the fewer tattoos the better. Some studios don’t shoot actresses with tattoos or piercings. Tattooed women attract very few men who watch porn. But I hope the fashions change a little bit now. Tattooing is gaining momentum in Russia. And I hope that men will fall in love with women in tattoos. Then maybe I’ll continue my career.
– What will you do after you finish your career?
– I have my own lingerie store now. For now, it’s a department in a mall. Now I want to turn it into a brand store. It’s become fashionable, Berkova makes her own dresses. Other girls. I also want to make branded lingerie Lola Shine. Since I’ve already made a name for myself, I’m quite recognizable in Europe, and in Russia too, why not use it?
– What would you like your ideal life to be like?
– Of course, ideally I would have a house in Bulgaria. But since I have already bought a house in Sochi by the sea, my ideal life would be a big dog, four children, and such a warm, lamplighted family life.