He’s earned nominations for the likes of Best Actor, Male Performer of the Year and Mainstream Star of the Year, but Tommy Gunn now wants to be in the running for those at the Oscars, rather than an adult industry awards ceremony.
The X-rated actor and director – real name Thomas Joseph Strada – might have made a name for himself in porn, but he’s still waiting to see his name in lights in Hollywood.
The 57-year-old, from the US, has been in the adult industry for the last 20 years, so you’d think he might be eyeing up retirement sometime soon.
But despite him appearing in more than 2,500 saucy films, Gunn fancies more of a career change, rather than giving up working for good.
During an appearance on The Sam Dever Podcast in May this year, he opened up about his long-standing dream of breaking into the more family-friendly side of the entertainment business.
Tommy Gunn revealed he is trying to break into Hollywood. (Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic)
The actor, who was inducted into the Adult Video News Hall of Fame in 2016, discussed the obstacles he has faced trying to get a foot in the door in Hollywood as an adult performer – even though that was his intended career plan all along.
The former dancer explained that producers and directors often overlook his potential because of his worldwide reputation as a porn star – but he reckons even if he didn’t make the cut for the cast, there’s plenty of other things he could offer.
Gunn said: “It’s constantly, ‘Oh well, you know he’s in porn’. How about, he’s an actor, he’s been doing it for 20 years – in fact, why doesn’t he consult us on how to do a sex scene? He could be a consultant on that, maybe.
“I mean I’ve directed them, I’ve been in them.”
Host Sam Dever pointed out that there are a lot of similarities between film scenes of stars getting frisky and adult content these days, as he believes they have grown a lot more risqué over the years.
The adult film star, 57, has got his sights set on starring in a beloved film franchise. (YouTube/The Sam Dever Podcast)
Gunn said in response: “That’s what Hollywood does, I think. They see how far they can push it to get as close as to what we do, in order to get more edgier than the last production.
“And then we as the adult industry, we try to get our production value so high up that it looks like mainstream.”
Speaking of how he had mapped out his life after starring in his first erotic film in 2004, the adult star said: “That was my path, that was my choice, that was my thing.
“My ultimate goal was to go the adult movie way, to get to the mainstream world to to be welcomed because I did so well in adult and and created enough of a name where they said, ‘Yes, we want you!'”
He explained that he thought his ‘built-in fanbase’ from across the world who have followed him for the last 20 years would hold him in good stead, but apparently, it hasn’t impressed any directors just yet.
Gunn hasn’t given up hope on being cast in a blockbuster just yet though – as in fact, he’s got his sights set on some very specific franchises.
He continued: “Put me where it’s fitting. I’m not saying I’m going to play the male porn star in this, or the stripper guy in that… that’s not what I’m saying.
“But I could be one of any five bad guys in a mob movie, or a Fast and Furious movie, or a parachuting out and landing with a thing and a grenade, kicking the door in.”
So if you see Gunn riding shotgun alongside Vin Diesel, just know his dreams have come true.