February 1993. It was a sunny day for the young David Perry when he made his debut in the adult entertainment industry. “I still remember that day from time to time. It was different than it is today. There was no internet and we did not know if we were doing something wrong, pleasing or displeasing the audience”, he says, 23 years later in a conversation the phone with me.

I have been trying to interview David Perry for so long now that I had to confess my admiration for what he has done in front of cameras throughout the years. It was very hard to find room on the agenda of a veteran with such a reputation. He says he’s thankful for the fans, but feels like he’s old now. In fact, you can see the marks and the mature smile on his face that he lived in a fruitful life. He aged in front of cameras but he’s far from being ashamed of it.

David Perry is one of the strongest names in an industry that has seen its glory years. He is part of a generation of actors who succeeded the so-called golden era of porn. His homeland, France, other giants emerged such as Ian Scott, Pierre Woodman and Philippe Dean. “We had this responsibility in our hands”, he says, in English, with the peculiar French accent. “But we may never see a golden era of porn again”, David says.

There was something different between that generation and this one we are living in. “Guys would do porn, go home, kiss their wives, their children, pay the bills and go to sleep. It was a job like any other”, he recalls. Most of the scenes he was part of were in the Gonzo style. There are no stories behind it. Sex by sex portrayed on the big screen, with no scripts to be followed.

The spotlight on this type of production is on the actresses and the actors were not so famous. However, David Perry starred in several productions worldwide, made the cover of hundreds of magazines and his name gained international prominence. Only three years in the business, his performance on stage guaranteed an AVN Award and later in 2008 he was awarded the AVN Award for Best Foreign Actor – the Oscar of Porn. In the following years, he was nominated for several other categories and never stopped filming for the major companies in the industry.

Born in Rambouillet, 45 kilometers from Paris, he’s a father of a 17 year old boy. David is 46 years old, divorced and currently lives in Budapest, Hungary, where he still shoots for European companies. Next year, he will launch his own website. 

Will it be a site like any other?

No. I want to put together all my films since 1993. The idea is that the fans can get access to this stuff and the old generation can watch what we produced back there. For younger people, it’s the opportunity to get to know a different style and have a new look under the porn industry.

So do you think this industry is quite different nowadays?

Yes. Before, it was very different. We did not have internet, we did not have this whole thing until you got noticed. Guys used to make porn, go home, kiss their woman, children, pay the bills and life goes on. But when you said you made porn, it was still taboo and people were surprised.

“But we may never see a golden era of porn again”.

David Perry

No social media, no feedback. Is that how it used to be?

Well, we had feedback but it was kind of rare. The difficulty was whether you were doing the right thing or not. And we’re talking about over two decades ago. We filmed a lot Gonzo style, which is that kind of un scripted porn. One man, or several men, one woman and several women. That was it. They come in, take their clothes off, we turn the camera on and we fuck. We’re done. Next scene, please. It was simple like that.

How did you achieve success and fame?

Like I said, back then, it was different. I think my generation had this responsibility, to keep up the good productions, and in that sense, we kept our names kind of circulating. Nowadays, anybody can do porn and social media contribute to strengthen the name. That does not mean that we have the same quality as before.

You are married, have a child, was it difficult to move on with your personal life despite all the fame and glorious?

I think the actors from my generation used to have a normal life. We dated, got married and our addictions were alcohol and cigarettes. Today some of the porn folks exaggerate the lifestyle. I did not want to be an example to be followed, but I married, I lived with the same woman for 16 years, we recently divorced and we have a 17 year old son.

How do you respond to the fans?

Sometimes I’ll confess, it gets on my nerves. I love my fans, but I like it when they respect me. There are people who do not know how to deal with the internet and hide behind fake profiles that annoy us daily. I try to be cool to everyone, because I’m a nice guy, but sometimes they ask questions that drive me crazy.

You have visited Brazil. How was it?

I have been visited Brazil five times and I had a blast. I worked in Rio de Janeiro, Búzios and São Paulo. At that time, Brazil was a barn for international productions because it has together in one place beautiful women, lush landscapes and then it was the perfect place. But with the changes in the industry, which hit every country, this has changed dramatically.

In what way?

The business of the porn industry has been rattled with the internet. Today, some five companies run this billionaire business around the world and the productions are more local, because it makes no sense to have bigger spending than it is needed.

Is that why you live in Hungary?

Yes. Here we have more work. We choose a scenario, some actors, we do the tests, each one receives his money, goes home and there are no bureaucracies.

Do you plan on filming in Brazil someday?

Yes. I had so much fun in this country. I love Brazilians and I have great memories of the time I spent there, working and having fun. I remember my days in Copacabana, at the parties we organized; we were treated very well by Brazilian people. It is a golden age that we will hardly ever see again.