About Sydnee Steele
- Height: 5 ft. 7 in.
- Weight: 118
- Measurements: 36C - 24" - 34"
- Eyes: Brown Eyes
- From: Dallas, Texas
- Born: September 23
- Zodiac Sign: Libra
Sydnee Steele's Awards
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
Unsung Siren XRCO | 2000 | |
Best All-Girl Sex Scene - Video AVN | 2001 | |
Best Actress - Video AVN | 2002 | |
Hall Of Fame AVN | 2007 |
Interviews
Interview With Sydnee Steele - May 5, 2004
Phone Interview
PornstarEmpire.com: For fans who may not know a lot about your background, can you give us a brief summary of how you got involved in the adult industry?
Sydnee Steele: Sure. It was back in about 1997. I tried a movie out in Texas called "Queen's Challenge". I had a friend named A.J. Crowell, who owned a publication called Sundown, and she's invited me to a lot of different adult parties. I thought they were good times, and I had an opportunity to do a girl/girl scene out there and I figured I'd give it a try. They painted me like a zebra, and I did a circus-type of girl/girl scene, which was kind of fun. That's kind of where it starts.
Q: And at what point did you get in contact with some of the studios on the West Coast about doing work for them?
Sydnee Steele: Actually, I was with Tera Heart at the Gentlemen's Expo back in about 1997, and she was friends with Brad Armstrong. And that's when I first met him, and he was shooting a movie called "Flashpoint", which is a big Jenna Jameson movie. I told him I was interested and (asked him if) I could come out - so it was my first big feature and he introduced me to a lot of different people.
Q: Were you a fan of porn before you got started in it? Were you familiar with some of the names in the industry?
Sydnee Steele: I had seen a couple movies. I had seen one with Tori Welles in it, and she was just amazing.
Q: You established yourself in the business not as a contract girl, but by doing work for a lot of different studios. What made you decide to pick Wicked Pictures as a home and start doing movies for them exclusively?
Sydnee Steele: I had worked in most of the big movies that were shot by Wicked over the time period I was in the industry. I was in most of them. I got to know everyone out there and had gotten to the point where I was wanting to feature (dance) a little bit more and make more appearances, and I knew that (Wicked) was the best company to do that with. The options for a contract wouldn't have crossed my mind with another company. They're the only ones I talked to, and the only ones I would have talked to - because they treat their girls with the utmost respect, and you have a little bit of creative control over your pictures and always (have control) with whom you work with.
Q: Of the performers you have worked with - male and female - do you have any personal favorites?
Sydnee Steele: They change periodically. Pretty much anyone you see me work with is always a favorite. But I definitely like Devinn Lane. Stephanie Swift is always adorable. A lot of them actually ended up with Wicked...Jessica Drake has been one of my favorites for years. And the male performers...Evan Stone and Brad (Armstrong).
Q: Is there any talent you'd like to work with that you haven't had the opportunity to work with yet?
Sydnee Steele: You know, I can't think of anyone actually. I'm not sure who a lot of the new people are.
Q: Sexually speaking, do you have any favorite positions or scenarios that you enjoy doing in front of the cameras?
Sydnee Steele: I love doggy. And I actually like being submissive.
Q: And as a follow up to that, do you have any fantasies that you'd like to try on film that you haven't done yet?
Sydnee Steele: Wow...I've had a lot...but I would have to say a little more fetish. There's a lot of things with fetish that I'd like to do.
Q: Most of the work you do for Wicked is in the adult feature genre - which means there's often a lot of dialogue and acting involved. Is the acting part of it something you enjoy, or do you prefer just to do the sex?
Sydnee Steele: Oh, I have a great time acting. It's a ton of fun. It's great to create a new character and turn yourself into that - in the scene and during the dialogue bits.
Q: I know a lot of the talent - and even some of the girls you work with at Wicked - are getting involved more with the production side of things...writing and directing. Have you ever written or directed any of your titles - and if not, is this something you'd like to explore in the future?
Sydnee Steele: Off the cuff, I've been in movies and while I'm there I've done things there...but they're not really specific. Things like, "Oh, we could do it this way." But concept wise, "Wicked Divas" - which is my latest project coming out - that was my concept. And more than anything, I like to work with the concept, and then let someone else write it.
Q: And as far as your future goes, I'm sure there's a time when you'll want to stop performing. But is staying in the industry in some capacity something that you're looking to do?
Sydnee Steele: Oh, sure. I'll always have a little piece of it. It just depends on the depth.
Q: Of the movies that you've been in, do you have any particular favorites or ones that you're really proud of?
Sydnee Steele: You know, "Euphoria" is one of my favorites. I take it on the road with me everywhere, because it's got a combination of good acting, good sex and a lot of it. That's my all-time favorite. And "Wicked Divas" has my favorite scenes in it...so that's going to be one of my favorites. And also I like "Island Girls", because there are the most gorgeous, gorgeous girls in it.
Q: You've already mentioned "Wicked Divas"...can you tell us about some of the other projects you may be working on or that will be coming out soon?
Sydnee Steele: Devinn Lane and I paired up together and we've put a script together specifically for me, which is kind of a cute little fun show called "Pillow Talk". And we've actually done a couple of casting calls for it, and because of scheduling we've had to move it...it's probably going to be shot in September now. It's about a bunch of girls and they go up to a cabin...and it's got some really fun dialogue bits in it.
Q: That actually leads into my next question, because I noticed over on your website (www.sydneesteele.com) you have a section where fans can vote on their favorite girl from the casting call for "Pillow Talk". I thought I'd give you the opportunity to talk about that in addition to what else fans can find on your website.
Sydnee Steele: I like to give it my personal touch, because there's so much out there. So what I like to do is play a little bit...and when we did the casting call, I thought it would be fun to put Polaroids up and kind of let people get into it, and also see what type of girl that my fans would like. It doesn't mean they're picking the person, but I can play with the idea of "Well, this girl had a lot of points, so maybe we should reconsider her." I thought it was kind of fun, and people like to do surveys, I think, and be an active participant in things. So that's kind of what I did with that. And then I have a picture phone...which is a phone with a little camera on it. And I take pictures from all over, and you'll catch me in all kinds of different areas. So I do that, plus I'm getting ready to do a lot of cam shows. We're just waiting for all my equipment to come in.
Q: As a closing question, is there anything else coming up that you'd like to mention or make sure your fans are aware of?
Sydnee Steele: Well, definitely "Wicked Divas". I think that my fans are going to find it really fun. And I recommend keeping an eye on my website. If you're a member you'll have a bigger bonus, but even if you're not, it does have a schedule on there that keeps you up to date with my appearances.
Interview with Sydnee Steele - March 24, 2002
Los Angeles, CA
Pornstarempire.com: What's in your CD player right now?
Sydnee: Creed.
Q: Ahh, you like the album?
Sydnee: I do, it's really good. I've been a fan of there's for a really long time, so I was glad they came out with another one. It took me awhile to get used to. Actually, at first I didn't love it. I have a friend that knows them, and I was like "their new album sucks" and they were like "it grows on you" and it does.
Q: Have you ever seen them live?
Sydnee: Yeah, I've seen them in concert like three or four times.
Q: That guy claims he has the greatest rock show ever.
Sydnee: Is that what he's claiming?
Q: Yeah, are you backin' him on that?
Sydnee: I haven't seen it this year. Actually, I left Australia on Sunday and they got into Australia then. I was like "too bad for the timing, I could of caught a show out there." Would have been kind of cool.
Q: How was Australia?
Sydnee: Australia was great. I spent two weeks out there starting in Brisbane for Sexpo and then went to Perth. Adultshop.com threw a pornstar party and I thought it was at a gentleman's club, because I was doing a show... turned out it was at a mainstream club that held 2,000 people. 1,800 showed up, it was amazing. And they're all fetishly dressed. It was almost like a pimp and ho party. We did our shows and it turned out well. I was a little nervous performing in front of that many people. Usually when you're in a gentleman's club it's way more intimate. This was weird but it was cool.
Q: So you were dancing?
Sydnee: Yeah, I did a full-on Spanish strip show with candle wax and everything. It was pretty neat.
Q: At a 2,000 capacity club? Damn...
Sydnee: Yeah. There were three balconies. The floor was jam packed. Big stage. And usually I'm used to a little pole and a little bitty stage to move around on, so I had to really get used to being active. Devinn Lane was out there with me and she did a roller skating show, so that was a good one. Apparently she didn't have a pole, cause she usually runs around and climbs up the pole and does stuff with her skates on. It's a pretty hot show. It's fun performing because you get to do little fantasy things too.
Q: How were the fans in Australia? Were they different?
Sydnee: Everyone was nice. The Sexpo was surprising. It was a little different than the VSDA and CES show... average age was between 20 and 40. Men and women?a ton of women. So that was kind of neat to see all the women and young couples really getting into adult and being okay with it. There's a lot of Greeks in Australia?Greeks and Italians?and a lot of the women realized I was Greek and they were asking for my autograph. It was really interesting.
Q: Was it different performing knowing there were so many couples and women in the audience?
Sydnee: It's more fun. I like performing for women. And when they see that you're not perfect... of course compared to the way they move they think I'm pretty perfect... but y'know when you don't run things perfectly smooth it's kind of good for them see, too.
Q: Have you toured much before?
Sydnee: For the past year and a half I've been featuring in clubs. But I've been all over the US doing conventions and things like that. I have a good time.
Q: Is it really different performing overseas?
Sydnee: Australia is like a little America, so everyone speaks English even though they've got a little different style. It is different, but not too different. Spain was very different. Just mobs of people and two kisses on each cheek and more grabby and all that. A little bit more to get used to. Most people here won't grab you or try to touch you, but out there they're all grabbing and you're like "get off me."
Q: Really?
Sydnee: In Barcelona there's a convention where I did autograph signings. There were masses of people and they're trying to touch you and grab you. Actually I was out there with CC Valentine and she told me about it beforehand and I was like "I won't get mad at anybody" and she was like "no these guys grab you where you want to just turn around and whack them." One guy grabbed me really hard and all of a sudden you're whipping around, just wanting to kick their asses. It's funny. But overall it was really good. It was a good show, too. It's always fun to meet people and just experience different things.
Q: So what kind of stuff were you doing in Spain?
Sydnee: Autograph signing at another convention out there. A lot of the other countries bring a few girls in for certain things. They had live sex shows on stage while we were signing. I didn't do one but Jill Kelly was out there and she did one. And then they had a nightclub where they had just venue after venue. One stage had erotic shows and bondage and then also actual couples having live sex. That was cool for me, cause yeah I get to see it here and like this is a big massive sex party here today?I mean there's guys from PBS here and they're gonna be like "wow"?but to actually be in the club environment where you're just doing it in a stage show... that's hot. It's hotter than what you see just walking on set. And there's no stopping, I mean they just go. It was pretty neat.
Q: Is that all the international stuff you've done?
Sydnee: I've also shot movies in Africa... in Zimbabwe... and Hungary.
Q: Are those American shoots on location?
Sydnee: We brought our crews out, yeah. Crews and talent?we all were brought out there.
Q: What's the difference for you between a produced shoot and when it's live with the audience?
Sydnee: You've got to be more together... ready, on time, and just full of energy, and what you do needs to go out onto the crowd so you can actually entertain them so they don't get bored. It's more exciting, your adrenaline's going a little bit more. Here it's more relaxed. Of course the first time you ever shoot adult it's a little different. But live it's an adrenaline thing and you want to push your energy out there. Even when you're shooting on camera you want to get your energy out there and the look in your eyes. That emotion, so the fans who're watching or the people who are masturbating to your movie really can get more into it.
Q: How does all this relate to outside life? Do you get recognized a lot? Is it a closed social circuit?
Sydnee: When it comes to being recognized, yes. I had so much exposure with the cable channels that I do get spotted at times. And now I'm with Wicked and their ad campaigns are so big... they put a piece in Billboard Magazine on me... just with the more outlets you get to the more people see and recognize you. And people are really nice, I've never ran into any negatives or harassment. And that's good. In terms of the industry being a tight circle, it is when it comes to working with each other. Letting people into the industry... it's really hard for people to get in sometimes. And also I tend to watch people's social habits when it comes to how promiscuous they are... are they safe? We tend to watch each other so that we know someone's not off running a little bit off the edge there. It's a safety issue more than anything. I don't really care what people do in their personal life until it comes to safety and are they using condoms? Are they being careful? That's my biggest concern.
Q: Outside relationships? How are those affected?
Sydnee: A lot of people I've dated get to know me and they're surprised - they're shocked - about how comfortable they are with what I do. I say "Oh, I have to work tomorrow" and you know their minds are going "hmm... well what are you doing?" But I won't necessarily just come home and talk about it all or tell someone exactly how my day went unless they ask. That means they're curious, otherwise I just tend to not dump a whole lot of that in front of their face. It takes a while to get used to. People these days are getting more and more open and they know that if you're in a relationship with someone, it's more about trusting your relationship than what you're doing out there physically. Because sex is an activity... I call it sport-fucking sometimes. People are going to cheat, so if you're in a more open relationship I think sometimes it's better. It's more honest.
Q: And you're married still?
Sydnee: No.
Q: Oh no. Sorry about that.
Sydnee: I'll tell you the story. I've been separated for a year now. I'm great friends with my soon to be ex, Michael Raven. We just kind of grew apart. I'm more active outdoors, he always wants to hang out on the computer. Both our lives just changed a lot. Sex wasn't an issue, we still has sex five or six times a week - that never changed - it was just like we were like "we need a change." I went to lunch with him yesterday and it felt good. We're both pretty happy.
Q: Is it significantly different now?
Sydnee: No, it's not. It's very similar. We never saw each other much as it was. So really we kind of kept the same relationship, we just don't live together anymore. That's the biggest difference. We used to be friends and we still are. It seems to be working out well. Our two dogs... we transfer them back and forth. I get them when I'm in town. No problems as of yet.
Q: The dogs aren't having problems with the separation?
Sydnee: They're doing well with it. At first they were like "heyyy." And my Nadine, my Boston Terrier, she's very much a mama's girl... when I got back from Australia he told me she's starting to get depressed. They do well though, we both spoil them rotten. That's why I know when I give him the dogs they're being well taken care of. I know he loves them just as much as I do.
Q: How long have you had the dogs for?
Sydnee: Gosh, they're ten years old. We were married for ten years... long time together. I think that's why we're such good friends. I don't get how people could be in five, ten, fifteen year relationships and then hate each other. You've spent a lot of time, you guys were real intimate, good friends, I don't get how people can just cut that off. We both have no desire to. We were an unusual couple when we got in the business. We still are! Nothing's changed.
Q: How do you feel being a woman in the adult industry? Do you feel it's a feminist sex-positive sort of thing or is it more just business?
Sydnee: Oh, I find it very positive. A lot of people ask me the question do you feel that you're being objectified or exploited? It's not that, it's the same as anyone out there in any field that has pictures or movies done. I don't find anything different between what we do and someone in the mainstream. It's empowering, it's showing beauty. Also it's nice to enhance people's lives... you can make a movie that actually increases people's sex life or their relationship. It makes them open up in their talking. A lot of times couples rent movies and then they get a feel for what the other one might like. Or they get really turned on so they start talking to each other. So in a way you're like a therapist, you're increasing people's sex life vocally. The only time it's a bad thing is if women or men don't stand up for themselves and they agree to do something they don't want to do. That's when it's bad. But it is sometimes their own fault. There are instances when people aren't strong enough or they're put in a situation and they don't feel there's a way out. Happens rarely. The business is really such a business. It's run so business-like that people aren't really taken advantage of, I don't find, overall.
Q: Where do you draw the line? Things you don't do?
Sydnee: There's people I don't work with. Overall, DP is something that I'll consider but I haven't done it yet. When I agree to do something in a movie I want to make sure that I can actually do it... maybe I want to save something for fun, for myself. I don't save it because I wanna sell more units in a movie, I do it because it's what I wanna do and I've done that my entire career. I do things when I wanna do it because I'm ready for it. Versus jumping into something going "Oh, I haven't gotten as many phone calls as I used to get maybe I should do a DP now." I've never had that philosophy. Because I got into the business because it's something I wanted to do. I didn't do it for money, I didn't do it because I wanted to be a mainstream actress, I didn't do it because I wanted to be recognized or complimented, I did it because it's fun. It's a good time. I enjoy the sex. It's fun playing a character. The acting's fun. It's a challenge. Sometimes it can be hard work and you leave an your ass is kicked, but I'm very positive of the industry overall.
Q: Is there a distinction between things you'll do in your personal life that you won't do onscreen, or is it just when you feel comfortable doing something?
Sydnee: It's usually when I feel comfortable doing something. I mean, if the opportunity arises to do a DP in my personal life and I've got the right people I might try it. Y'know, then I'll go to Steve Orenstein, the owner of Wicked... because when I set up my contract I made sure to clarify exactly with Wicked what I do and don't do. And I said it won't change until I renegotiate a contract. Because I don't believe in signing a contract and then all of a sudden saying "Oh, I don't do facials anymore." Yeah, things change in people's lives, but some girls you find within two months they go "Oh, I stopped doing guys" or whatever. You've got a general style and it's kind of funny when people change it.
Q: So when you're doing the contract, do you handle that yourself or do you have an agent?
Sydnee: I don't have an agent. I've pretty much done everything myself since I've been in the business. I like controlling my own destiny and my own career. I've not been one that's easy to direct. I'm easily directed, but I like to make my own decisions. I don't ever judge or try to get other people to do things, but I'm real controlling of myself. And that makes me just more comfortable than somebody saying "Oh, you should be getting this" or whatever. I like to do it when I wanna do it. Dancing-wise... agents I use them all. I don't go exclusive with an agent. Because a club calls the agent up and wants to book me, fine, I'll pay you the commission on it. I like the independence.
Q: I'm curious how feel about the media representation of the industry and pornstars. It's become very pop cultural in the past few years...
Sydnee: You mean how we're portrayed by the media?
Q: Yeah
Sydnee: I'd say it's absolutely amazing. I have not yet read a story that I've done or interviewed for that wasn't positive. In Australia we were covered in three different women's magazine... The Western Australian, The Courier, and Australia... I've done newspaper pieces around the country... I've done radio interviews... I had a piece on The Learning Channel?every single one of them portrays myself and the industry overall in a good light. I don't know if it's maybe the way I pass it along so it makes it positive, occasionally you'll see things overall that are negative. But I think that the media knows it increases their ratings and sales, which helps us sell our products and advertise ourselves, so it's a nice trade-off there. And they're not as interested in doing the negative stories because they don't totally exist. When you see one done... I mean there was one done on Extreme the other day, and it was more negative because the crew had to leave the set they were so disturbed. Sometimes you see things that are not for everyone's taste. They're fine and legal and all that, but if it's not for your taste... and sometimes if you get media around that's not around here all the time maybe you should watch exactly how extreme you go with it. Like this is a big sex party, it'll be interesting for people to watch, but it's all pretty normal, basic sex. Just a lot of people.
Q: When you were saying before that this is empowering, how do you feel the representation of sex in mainstream Hollywood movies compares?
Sydnee: The nice thing about our industry is that we've always portrayed most of the sex in a very good light. In Hollywood a lot of the time you'll see some negative things. was an amazing movie, and it was about a fourteen year old. We would never ever do that. We try to keep things positive. We try to not show a lot of smoking. We try to keep things so that they're not badly influential on the 18 to 25 year olds that are watching the movies.
Q: You avoid smoking in the films?
Sydnee: We try not to. Wicked especially. I happen to have a very bad habit, it might be smoking, but we avoid shooting that. Occasionally it's called for with a character, but overall we don't. And in Hollywood you're seeing a lot more sex in the movies than you used to because it sells. And you're seeing sexier guys in the movies that are advertising for the movies because they're realizing women are jumping up there in that market. As we're trying to do, too, a lot of companies have added guys to our boxes?Brad Armstrong and I just shot a box together for my last movie . The title of the movie is . It's not about the , it's about a character... a girl I played, her name is . The director, Michael Raven, named the movie that way because the character is such an addictive personality, and he's like "what's one of the most addictive things in the world?"... and that can be, from what he understands, that . So that's what he based the name of the movie on.
Q: So do you feel that you are role modeling? If you don't feel comfortable smoking on set...?
Sydnee: I'm fine with it. People have the right to make their own decisions. I believe that I don't cause anyone to do anything. Body-wise, things like that, I might hopefully inspire people to go to the gym. I've had women write me asking for pictures they want to put in a gym. But I think people really make their own decisions. I don't think I'm responsible for someone smoking. They might like the way I look when I do it, but I don't think that'll make someone pick up a cigarette and start smoking.
Interview with Sydnee Steele - June 30, 2001
On the Set Of "Euphoria" in Los Angeles, CA
Pornstarempire.com: So I'm sitting here talking to Sydnee Steele. How long have you been in the business Sydnee?
Sydnee Steele: Well, I started in '98 and I was traveling back and forth between Texas and California doing big features and then doing gonzo shows in the middle.
Pornstarempire.com: And how old are you?
Sydnee: I don't like to say, it's better to keep it a mystery. Keep them guessing.
Pornstarempire.com: Okay. So, how was your first experience when you first got here?
Sydnee: You mean my first movie?
Pornstarempire.com: Your first movie, your first scene...your interactions with the people here.
Sydnee: The first thing I did was in Texas, it was Queen's Challenge and I was painted like a Zebra. I was still in the finance business and I didn't want to be recognized. I did a girl/girl/girl scene with Anna Malle and another girl who's not in the business, and I really enjoyed it. I was really nervous, umm...I was body painted and the paint made me sick, so it was a weird experience but I knew I really liked it. Then I did a Kristi Lake's Fan Fuxxx. Evan Stone, Kristi Lake and I did a scene and Evan had never done a scene either before and Evan, I got him out to California about seven months later. I got him in the business and he's been very successful with it too. And then coming out to California, umm...I was always, I'm a bit of a shy person with people I don't know. A lot of people take that as that I'm cocky or that I'm a bitch or whatever, but once people got to know me they realized I was just sometimes real quiet. And uh...but I was just bright eyed and I was just trying to pick things up and I really just wanted to be successful at it because I really enjoyed what I was doing.
Pornstarempire.com: So, you're married now?
Sydnee: Yes, I've been married for quite some time. Michael Raven and I were married long before we got into the business. We've been married for about ten years this August.
Pornstarempire.com: Well, congratulations.
Sydnee: Yeah, we started...we got into the business together [laughing], he went his way, and I went mine. He started directing and I went in as talent. We really did go our separate ways in doing our own thing and then we had our own separate private lives. When it came to business, he would hire me on occasions, but neither one of us dealt with nepotism very much, to help each other when we needed it or if the project was right for me, he would hire me. Umm...he wouldn't hire me just because I was his wife. That was really the best way for both of us to go about it because we're both so different in so many ways, our personalities and style. But umm...he did a lot of the darker features, which was nice because I play those roles really well. Which is not my personality, but I think for my look I tend to be dry, I can be icy cold and my mannerisms come off on camera really well.
Pornstarempire.com: Do you watch your own movies?
Sydnee: Sure, I like to watch my own movies. Sometimes I watch them because I'm really curious on how they're edited and how they came out. Sometimes I watch it to see sex. Sometimes I watch myself but most of the time I watch other scenes in the movie. And a lot of times I fast forward through a lot of the sex just to watch my dialogue and what I'm doing. Sometimes it's funny, because you think you were just off the whole shoot, then it's done and you're like...my character was right on and other times you think you're right on and you're like...horrible [laughing]! It's not easy, it's kind of hard to keep up with yourself, what's going on with everything. Sometimes I watch the make-up artist just to see what works and what doesn't. I have a particular look and sometimes they'll do things to you that...it's cool to be different but sometimes they have to do what's right for your face. I have more of an exotic face and sometimes they'll do me the same way they'll do just any basic girl next door blonde and you can't let them do that or I don't look good [laughing].
Pornstarempire.com: Do you like porn though?
Sydnee: I love porn. I like it a lot. I like watching it, I like being a consumer of it, and I like making it. I haven't found personally that I have anything negative to say about it. The companies and the people that I find myself involved with seem to be some of the best in the industry. I haven't run into some of the problems you would here about and I think that the industry gets a bad rap. I think it's getting better and better and like in the news...it gets them good ratings and you see a lot of pieces about it. They started doing more positive pieces about it. I just shot an interview for the Learning Channel and for the evening news on "Sex: Public and Private". They were curious about me, about how long I've been married. We got real detailed into the industry and they were very...it was nice. That's one of the reasons why they wanted to interview me and because of my outlook on this. I do this because I like it. When I was in finance my income was very high, it wasn't a job that most people would want to give up, but I found that freedom was more important to me than money, and doing what I wanted and I don't regret a thing about switching. God...there were some stressful times about what I was giving up, a really good job, good pay, umm...what are you doing? And can I accept the stigmatism that comes with being a porn star. The negative reactions from people, family and friends, strangers. I thought about it a lot. If you were a friend of mine before the business but you can't except it...except me because of it...then if you ever call me up, I'll talk to you but I certainly won't bug you with it. But if it's I can except you but I can't except what you do, then I just won't talk to them. Most people are pretty cool and pretty open about it. I found people are more open about it as years go by.
Pornstarempire.com: How does your family feel about it?
Sydnee: Gosh, it's such a shock, umm...it's not easy for a dad to have his little girl as a porn star. It wasn't exactly...I asked them, well what did you guys always want for me? For me to be happy, well, I'm very happy. Umm...I understand that you can have safety concerns and this and that but I covered everything with them. Really, it's safer than...I have a friend that got a divorce and with ten different guys that year and got some little type of STD and got infected. One of the things about being in the industry is that it's like a family, you know what the habits are. It was all about explaining to them and letting them know what it's really all about.
Pornstarempire.com: Have you forged a lot of friendships here?
Sydnee: Umm...being, umm...there's acquaintances and some good friends. You run into a lot of acquaintances, it takes awhile to develop a good trust with people. You don't know what people want. Are they friends with you just because they want you to try to refer them to scenes or...because you can try to see through people that are shallow but there are a lot of really, really good people that have become good friends and I appreciate them. I have more friends and acquaintances now than what I had in Texas because the amount of people I was around was so small. I worked for a small company and the amount of people I was around that worked for you and with you, you didn't get out that much because you're working six days a week and you're pretty much up at 6:00am and home by 7:00pm. So you look at some of the set hours and you go...this is nothing [laughing] compared to doing it six days a week. I have the freedom now to pick and choose some of the work and you feature on the road and that's light pretty much. You break it up so that you're not tired of anything.
Pornstarempire.com: So what do you do when you're not working?
Sydnee: When I'm not working I'm...it seems like I'm working all the time. If I'm not shooting then I'm putting together the website, umm...interviews, or I'm on the phone putting together work. But umm...my dogs are a huge part of my life. I have a little miniature Boston Terrier and an Italian Greyhound. I love playing with them when I have a minute or two I just hang with them. Other than that, I love anything active. I love getting out and go skiing, or to go out and go water skiing, or...I can't surf, I've tried it, I suck at it, I'll never be able to. [Laughing] Anything new and adventurous, I like to do. We find that pretty much when you're out, it's business related because there are so many fun things to do in the industry that a lot of times you're working and you don't even realize it. But I'm just starting to make more time for myself, between my husband and myself we don't make that much time but we're starting. It only takes fifteen hours that's all you need. You can fly somewhere overnight, have fun and come back feeling refreshed.
Pornstarempire.com: So how does your husband feel about you being in the business? Did he come first or did you come first?
Sydnee: We got...we were involved in Texas, we had a great fantasy life, when we had sex it was very vivid. And then we got to talking about how I would really like to have sex with a woman, swinging things and we kind of got to talking about it with a couple that we'd known, and we were really light into swinging but we did it a little bit. And then I really don't know how the whole movie thing came up...he was doing some editing I think and he started shooting and he said...do you want to try it? And I said...sure, I'd like to try it, just make sure I'm not recognizable. Because at that time I didn't know that when you do a porn movie either everyone would know you or no one would know you. Now I understand that you do one movie and the chances of anyone seeing you that you would know is slim.
Pornstarempire.com: We do 10,000 a year.
Sydnee: Exactly. And that's what's funny. You get girls in this business that [have] done like ten movies and they try to feature off of that as a porn star, unless you expose yourself big enough the fans won't know who you are unless you get bigger than that. I didn't know then, so I had them paint me as a zebra and put me in the circus act [laughing] so...but...I think I answered that question, I lost track...
Pornstarempire.com: So how many movies do you think you've made?
Sydnee: Uh...probably around a hundred and fifty, umm...it might be a little more or a little less including the bondage things I've done like fetish. That's a personal favorite and I only work for Ernest Greene who I think does erotica...when it comes to fetish...better than anyone else. He makes sure that you're only going in your own means and you're not going too hard. Some people do fetish and they want to cane you the first time you ever do it. You have to make sure someone's really into it. He likes to do it where it's more erotic as opposed to someone suffering. And that's what I'm into, the eroticism of being tied up, in a rope cage or something like that. We only shoot a few of those a year when he would call me because it's also a big passion of mine and I wanted to keep it as something really exciting.
Pornstarempire.com: So what do you prefer to do in this business then, as far as fetish versus big features? I know you like to act and you do a lot of acting but what's your preference?
Sydnee: I like big features like this where you become a character. Boy/girls are my favorite, I love doing girl/girls too but if I had to give up one, I'd give up girl/girl and take on girl/girl in my private life. [laughing] I wouldn't give up women!
Pornstarempire.com: Which is interesting. You are named probably more than any woman...because I've interviewed quite a few porn stars now, and you are named as one of the top favorite girls to work with.
Sydnee: Good that's great, I love it all. And the girl is...I want to make sure that...my personality is what pleases me is being a pleaser. Making my partner comfortable and happy and I like pleasuring. Umm...when it comes to me it's like...I want a man and then I want a woman. And it's so nice that I could have the mixture. I'm the type that would never marry a woman or like you know, things like that, but please don't ever ask me to give them up because I love them. Like Felecia, when it comes to being with women she is amazing when it comes to only doing girl/girl and she should only do girls because she is so into it, so erotic with it. You're always excited to see her. A lot of the girls are that way too which is nice but I'm not into girls that aren't into working with girls, that I prefer not. But most of the girls have been so cool; they do like...doing girl/girl. Like doing my scene with Ava in this movie Euphoria, this is my first time working with her. Her character in the movie is a little bit dominating on me but the character...I had a hard time figuring out who I am but I am the character who is in all these different states of realized dream states and I'm in the situation where the character is...where she doesn't want to be in it. Trying to get her credit debt taken care of so she lets them do all these experimental on her and so I'm not really dominant but I'm not really submissive and I'm not really happy and I'm not really pissed off so I'm really having a hard time figuring out who I am and how I should react. Ava is more dominant in the scene but we really want to switch it around a little bit, which works. You don't have to be just submissive. I can switch it around a little bit which is cool because Ava is in a way kind of like me, she's submissive and dominant, she likes to be dominant but she also likes to dominate. The two of us really had a good time working together and umm...it's nice too because you can see both of us trying to...we respect each other and we make sure that we're pleasuring one another and we're careful to not go beyond one another's boundaries. That is kind of nice.
Pornstarempire.com: In your personal life, do you play with the other girls?
Sydnee: Yeah, I do. I go through stages. Umm...being how busy I am and who's around, you know, Stephanie Swift has always been one of my favorites. We've done it a few different times, it's just her and I. There are just certain people that you click with. People that you spend time with and get into certain situations with. Sometimes, nobody has time or when they have time I don't have any. The one thing about working a five day work week where you're off on weekends you're on a schedule, but our schedules vary, so...but I totally love it, it's actually a lot of fun and I could use that...soon [laughing]!
Pornstarempire.com: Everybody wants to know, because you are so articulate...did you go to college?
Sydnee: Actually, I umm...finished high school and spent about a year and a half at the University of Illinois and ended up taking a job in the summer time selling cars. Then I got into finance with that because the lady at one of the dealerships wanted someone that she could train with absolutely no experience. So I started that and liked it, and the money was so strong, it was great for a while but then I wanted to go back to school. Then I said, well, I don't know. I don't know if I'm in the mood for that because I wanted to be a successful businesswoman and make a lot of money. Then I met one of the bankers at the dealership that is a financier. He said that my earning potential is unbelievable and that I would do so well. So I went to them, talked to them and I ended up taking a job and that's kind of where I stayed for a long time before I got into this business. Actually I did not finish college, and I really didn't need to. The position I was in is where most people go to school and end up making $30K-$40K a year, I was making three times that and it kind of worked out well. My biggest thing is that I like to look good, I hate to be embarrassed and I hate to not be able to do something, but make sure that I study and do things on my own so that I can achieve certain levels without having to spend the time to go through what society says you need to in order to get to a certain level.
Pornstarempire.com: Do you read a lot?
Sydnee: I do, as mush as I can, I mix it up between just playthings and different articles. In the past few months I haven't had time to read much at all, but I like to read. Actually I like to read a lot on things that involve history but not too in depth because I get bored and fall pretty fast. I like to read short little things that I can learn something from or a story that keeps my interest.
Pornstarempire.com: So, everyone wants us to get back to the sex and talk about sex of course...what's your preference sexually? What really gets you off?
Sydnee: What really gets me...there's a few things. Personally is me being tied up and being submissive and told what to do. Umm...and that's with someone I trust and know very well, otherwise when I'm in a movie where I have a crew and I know who I'm working with anyway so I can trust them, and then usually starting off where there is cock sucking and whatever. I mean I am just bobbing my head up and down, I can't use my arms or anything and can't do anything from that position. And then oral sex, I am really, really into oral sex. It has a lot to do with...I always have a soda in my hand or, fortunately I'm a smoker and you catch me doing that all the time, but it really has a lot to do with that hand to mouth thing. Those are my favorites I would say.
Pornstarempire.com: What's the wildest thing you've done?
Sydnee: Gosh...You know, that's been asked a few times. I've snuck down to the beach a few times and umm...I've gone where there is a crowd, walked around the areas where they can see me but not really. And that's kind of daring in my opinion. When I was a teenager, an older teenager, I got umm...under the bridge area and there's a knock on the window and there's a cop there [laughing]. That was pretty memorable. Really wild, I would have to say that you've probably seen me do it in a movie and I've done some pretty wild things in movies though.
Pornstarempire.com: So, what's your favorite scene that you've done?
Sydnee: That's really funny. Personally I think one of my favorite scenes was in Exile. That was a scene with Brad Armstrong, I'd known him for like a year to a year and a half and we worked together. We had always been very, very good friends and so there was a lot of tension built up. We were underground where there were metal chairs, dark and just cold. A cold setting and he was dominating in it. That was one of my favorites and umm...there's a few of them. I did another one with Stacy Valentine, she is one of my favorite girls. She retired a few months ago. I guess and her and I connected really, really well. I can't say that visually on camera some of the stuff...but she is one of my favorite girls to play with. I don't know, there is nothing special about the scene, but there was a lot of chemistry there, whether you can see it or not I don't know...but it was fun.
Pornstarempire.com: So, what's in the future for you?
Sydnee: You know, to keep doing what I'm doing for right now. A lot of people ask me that. I will say that in this business I will be talent until I'm not having fun or I don't look good. You know, when the day comes I hope that if I don't realize it, someone will tell me, a good friend will say hey...you know, hang your hat up. Overall, you know...quit. I imagine that I will be doing something in this industry somewhere, like direct. A lot of people ask me to shoot stuff, I'm just not ready. I'm having too much fun being talent. I didn't want to have the pressure of directing, I spent too many years being too responsible and disoriented and I am good as talent but it isn't quite as demanding because I don't have to deal with budget and scheduling and things like that. You just have to show up and make sure you do a good job and it's easy. I'll still manage the website but I'm not sure which way I'll go or if I'll get back into a more conservative lifestyle. Probably won't because this is too much fun. Umm...you know...[laughing] we'll see.
Pornstarempire.com: Well, thank you very much.
Sydnee: Thank you.
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