NL- These questions were written quite a while ago, but Axel was very busy making movies. He just got a chance to send us the answers.
AXEL BRAUN INTERVIEW by Jon
1 Can you tell us about your childhood in Italy? What are some of your best memories of this time?
I’m afraid the statute of limitations on some of my best childhood memories hasn’t expired yet…
2 How aware were you as a child of your father Lasse’s fight with the authorities throughout Europe in his attempt to legalize pornography?
I wasn’t even aware that Lasse was my biological father until the age of 14..but he told me all about it, and then some. He’s an international lawyer, and in the late 60’s, while he was based in Copenhagen and wanted by the authorities for obscenity, he came up with a very intricate legal defense strategy. Then he snitched on himself, won a much publicized case, and created a precedent. In 1969, Denmark became the first country in the world to legalize pornography.
3 What was it like working with your father and what lessons in filmmaking did you learn from him?
My father taught me more about filmmaking than film school ever did, both with his successes and his failures. The most important lesson I learned from him is how to work obsessively, barely sleep, and have no life. Thanks, dad.
4 You’ve followed in your father’s interests in the G spot and squirting. There’s been another recent study that says the G spot doesn’t exist. Is this an issue that will ever be resolved?
I hope it never gets resolved…if everybody knew how to find the G spot, or if they stopped wondering about its existence, my Squirting movies would make a lot less money.
5 What do you consider your proudest achievement?
Becoming the first (and still, to this day, the only) minor to request and obtain excommunication from the Catholic Church in Italy. I was 7 years old.
6 Have you seen the film Pimp? How does it feel to be portrayed as a fictionalized character in a film?
I was portrayed as a self-centered, egotistical megalomaniac with a God complex. Sadly, not much fictionalization there.
7 In January you won the AVN award for “Director of the Year” for the second consecutive time, and just two weeks ago you won Best Director at XRCO, again for the second year in a row. What was it like to receive those honors?
It’s always awesome to hear people tell you that you’re good, especially if you love what you do. But all my awards really belong to my incredible team: my fellow conspirator Eli Cross, my PM extraordinaire Shylar Cobi, my amazingly scary gaffer Shaun Rivera, and the rest of my precious crew that constantly keeps up with my elitist bullshit. Nonetheless, I shall hold on to the trophies.
8 You began like your father shooting on film. You shot your pivotal movie Compulsion in 35mm. What for you was the magic of film?
Back then you just couldn’t achieve a real cinematic look with video, and the story I wanted to tell with Compulsion was so personal that I had to tell it through prime lenses. But the real magic in that movie was Patrick Collins’ inspiring, infectious personality, his mentoring, and his emotional commitment to the project. And his fat wallet, too.
9 STAR WARS XXX is already the top-selling adult movie of the year, and there’s huge anticipation among comic book fans for your new superhero parody THE AVENGERS XXX that is coming out next week. What are the elements that make a good parody as opposed to a bad one?
Staying true to the spirit of the source material, and trying to capture its spirit. I never shoot a parody if I’m not a fan of the original, and I always strive to achieve the correct look and feel through everything from costumes to lighting, to camera angles and shooting technique. And I never cast actors in a movie if they are not perfect for the role. Comic book fans are very anal, and their massive networking can literally make or break a movie, whether mainstream or adult…being a huge comic book fan myself, it’s fairly easy to give them exactly what they want to see: parodies infused with an obvious deep knowledge of the subject matter, tons of nerdy references, and obsessive attention to detail. And boobs.
YouTube link to the Avengers XXX trailer:
http://youtu.be/Q-Am5AVQ_-8?hd=1
10 Film fans have chosen Farscape, Twin Peaks, Matrix, Indiana Jones, Citizen Kane, The Lord of the Rings, Lost and Harry Potter as their top films to be turned into parodies. Which would you choose and which be most suitable to tempting Aria Giovanni to having her first anal sex scene?
I’ll shoot a parody of just about anything if Aria will do an anal scene in it. No, seriously.
11 Is porn in LA finished because of the mandatory condom requirement? You’ve shot all over the world where would be the ideal place to make films?
I don’t think porn in LA is finished, but if the only place left in the world to shoot adult movies was a gorgeous tropical island in the middle of nowhere, I suspect that’s where you’d find me.
12 You sued 7,098 people for illegally downloading Batman XXX. Can piracy be controlled or only contained?
It can be fought. And if only the government understood that most of that free porn would become a substantial source of taxable income, maybe the fight could even be won. Until then, I will just continue to sue every single asshole who steals my product.
13 What projects are you working on at the moment?
More superhero-themed movies for Vivid, starting with X-Men and Wolverine, then Thor, Iron Man, The Avengers, Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Thor vs. Captain America, and the long-delayed sequel to Batman XXX. Plus a few more small projects…like The Dark Knight, The Godfather, and James Bond. An easy year.
14 You make at least 60 films in a year across different genres. You’re a self confessed workaholic. What do you like to do to relax?
Nothing relaxes me more than buying ridiculously expensive cars, customizing them, getting tired of them after a few weeks, and selling them at a loss. Over and over again. That’s why I have to shoot 60 films a year…I have car ADD.