Michael Stefano Interview
2003-06-05 15:56:54
We speak by phone Thursday, June 5.
Michael, who used to be known as Luciano when he worked at Extreme:
"Brandon just left for Maui for three days to shoot a scene."
Luke: "How long have you been with Jewel DeNyle?"
Michael: "Over three years now."
Luke: "How did the five of you come to form this company?"
Michael: "I wanted to own my own movies. Jewel and I were thinking
we should start something. Dion [Garusso] is a good friend of
mine and helped us out with everything. We put all our money into
it and started Platinum X Pictures.
"Brandon Iron has been a good friend of mine since 1998. He was
ready to own his own movies.
"We figured we were missing a European element. We were already
working with Manuel Ferrara and Steve Holmes and figured they
would be perfect. They're the biggest guys in Europe.
"We opened for business April first. It's been a long time since
something like this came together. Evil Angel? Where all the director
own their own movies and finance their own movies. It's worked
out as I planned."
Luke: "Did you part on good terms with Extreme?"
Michael: "Yes. Everything's fine with them. I haven't spoken to
Rob but I just saw Tommy at Adultcon. He said he's doing his own
thing and he seems very happy."
Michael and Jewel have been married for 18-months.
Luke: "How rough do you guys go? Do you have choking?"
Michael: "If there is, it is little. We don't focus on all that
stuff. Owning your own movie and putting your own money into it,
you realize there are certain people who won't take your stuff
if there's even a picture on the box of a girl getting choked.
It's ridiculous. You're talking thousands of dollars that you
are not getting just because you want rough stuff.
"We're about strong sex but not degrading... We use the best guys
in the business who f--- strong. But not over the edge abusive
stuff."
Luke: "What's it like operating your own company as opposed to
being an employee?"
Michael: "Extreme let me do my thing. I worked as hard before
I owned my movies as I do now. Everything I do, I treat as if
I own. I'm not doing any more now than I did before. Even at West
Coast, I was my own boss. Nobody said anything to me. I just turned
in my movie and they gave me money. The only difference now is
that it is my own money [funding his movies]. It's good. You've
got to take risks in life, right?"
Luke: "How do you manage to keep a marriage going in this business
because they usually don't last?"
Michael: "They usually don't, huh? I've always been open-minded.
I'm not jealous the least bit. I shoot my wife in gangbangs. I
just shot her in London with four English guys, DP, black guys.
It doesn't matter. She can be with any other girl. It doesn't
phase me. She's cool with it too. She's on my sets. I shoot all
her stuff. There have never been blow-up fights over girls."
Luke: "Does it scare you she's into covens and witchcraft?"
Michael: "Nah, it doesn't bother me. Better that than being a
junkie, right?"
Luke: "How have you been able to last so long in the industry?"
Michael: "Before porn, I owned an Italian restaurant in Orange
County. I don't give up. Whatever I start, I finish. I like to
start at the bottom and work my way up. Nothing's been handed
to me in this business.
"Before Extreme, I was doing those granny gangbangs and those
older lady things for $50, $100. I'd drive hours away to do them.
Now I hire guys for $500.
"I ran all of Extreme - shooting, casting, f---ing, everything,
from Tommy to Lizzy to my own. At West Coast, I kept up two releases
a month for a year-and-a-half and I never skipped a beat. I worked
hard. I deserve to own my movies more than most people who own
their movies."
Luke: "What do you think went wrong with Extreme?"
Michael: "I think the wrestling. They lost focus on what made
them money. When Brandon and I were there, and they had all those
contract girls... They were peaking. They had an empire going.
Then it started to crumble."
Luke: "Do you fear growing old?"
Michael, 34yo: "Oh no, I've got it all planned out, what my goals
are, and believe me, I will do it. I'm going to perform until
I am 40.
"Jewel and I plan to retire to Sicily. Jewel and I bought property
there. We're going to build a little house in a little town, very
inexpensive. I can live there and go shoot in Europe. I'm good
at saving my money and investing it."
Luke: "Are you Sicilian?"
Michael: "Yeah, my parents were born there. I'm first generation
American but I speak fluent Italian. Jewel is half English and
half Sicilian.
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