We’ve all held crappy jobs in our teenage years, and this inclusive “all” includes the people we masturbate to. I speak, of course, about the illustrious porn star. Curious to discover which jobs led adult actors toward having sex on camera, I asked some of the world’s biggest adult actresses what they did before deciding to enter the porn industry.
As I would soon discover, these jobs vary greatly. From burger flipper at McDonald’s, to a cast-member on a popular MTV program and everything in between. What did your favorite porn actress do before porn? Take a look below.
1. Tasha Reign
I worked as a cast member on MTV’s “Laguna Beach” from age 16-17. At 18, I was a Hooters girl, and at 20 I was dancing at a club called Silver Reign. Before all of that I was a hostess at one of my father’s restaurants, 230 Forest Avenue. Not to mention my years of interning at Too Faced Cosmetics and Think PR. I tried many different things before I tried modeling.
2. Nina Hartley
I did food service after high school. I worked in a hamburger joint, a high-end chocolate bakery and a classy restaurant as a waitress — all in Berkeley, CA, my hometown. Then I worked as a house dancer for 18 months before making video in March of 1984.
3. Joanna Angel
I was a waitress at Applebee’s, a receptionist at a hair salon and an unpaid intern at a magazine.
4. Sophie Dee
Before becoming an adult actress, I had several jobs. From bartending, to being a holiday representative in Turkey, and cleaning hotel rooms, to being a hotel receptionist. I’ve had so many jobs. Bartending was definitely one of my favorites and making beds in hotel rooms was by far the worst. I don’t even like making my own bed!
5. Jessy Dubai
I’ve been a waitress, a burger flipper at McDonalds, a cashier, a bartender, a makeup artist and a showgirl.
6. Tanya Tate
My very first job, I worked at a local fish and chip shop for £1.70/hour (that’s around $2.40/hour). I was still in school and I thought that was a lot of money.
7. Gia Moore
8. Kendra Lust
I was a registered nurse prior to porn.
9. Kelly Madison
I didn’t start in the porn biz until I was 33, so I’ve worked at grocery stores, pharmacies, marketing companies and printing companies doing sales and training. I never thought of myself as a “model”; I was always a business person first, and adult performer second.
My big breasts got me in the door but being business minded kept me in the game. I’m 48 now, and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever retire.
10. Jillian Janson
Times were pretty tough for my mom, my sister and I. We received child support from a father I didn’t know, but it wasn’t enough. As soon as I was legally old enough to work (at 14) I got a job at McDonald’s. Within two months we moved into my aunt’s house where we stayed for about a year. We moved again and I became a “beauty advisor” at Walgreens for a year until I decided I wanted my teenage experience of high school back, so I joined the softball team. I had such a good time being on a team that I didn’t realize how much my income truly helped us.
I then got a job as a telemarketer. I made enough money off commissions to buy myself a car. The last job I had before I started webcamming and porn was as a waitress where I started understanding the fundamentals of tipping.
11. Jessica Drake
I was an au pair first, worked in fast food at 15, then was a waitress and a hostess. I also worked in retail, then I was a stripper and college student. I got into porn at 25. Throughout the years I’ve also been very active in volunteer work.
12. Casey Calvert
Prior to being a porn star, I worked as a research assistant for a department chair at the university I went to. I helped him with research, writing papers, grading tests, sending emails — all that good stuff. I also worked part-time at the local rock gym.
13. Chanel Preston
Prior to being in porn I worked as a house cleaner for a friend of my dad’s. I ended up mostly ironing his work shirts (which I hate doing to this day), so I quit and began work as a barista at a local coffee shop. After moving to Hawaii, I eventually began dancing at strip clubs, which led to performing in adult movies.
