Film & TV5 min(s) read
A teen performer's reaction to being told she was expected to take part in a sex scene with 20 men left documentary makers shocked by what they witnessed in the adult industry.
The moment was filmed for the BBC Three documentary Porn Laid Bare, which followed six young Brits as they travelled to Spain in 2019 to explore the industry.
During their journey, the group heard stories of exploitation, forced drug use, and violence, but one filming session left them especially disturbed.
The group visited Spanish director Torbe, who was filming a group scene involving one woman and several men.
The performer was a 19-year-old Russian woman who the group was told would earn just over $3,378.
She had only been working in the industry for a week and was very nervous before filming began.
The 20 men waiting on set wore masks to hide their identities, but the group soon found the performer had expected only half that number.
Anna Adams, who had stopped watching adult content because she felt it did not align with her feminist views, questioned Torbe and asked to see proof of the woman’s age.
After being shown a copy of her ID, Anna accepted that she was 19 but said: "She’s just turned 19," cited by The Sun.
Torbe told Anna the larger group was because they were filming "two scenes" that day.
When filming eventually started, Anna left the set in tears and expressed concern for the young woman’s well-being.
"I’m really concerned for her safety. I feel scared for us to leave because I don’t know what’s going to happen when we are not there," she said.
Inside the studio, Ryan Scarborough, who is one of the six young Brits, comforted a tearful Cameron Dale, who said: "It is the worst thing I’ve seen."
Ryan, who had previously described himself as a porn fan and said he had met "at least 300 porn stars," admitted the experience changed his perspective.
"It just doesn’t look fun. After a week, how do you know how comfortable you feel sleeping with this amount of men? It’s not the environment for a 19-year-old," he said.
The documentary’s revelations came as former adult performer Lana Rhoades also spoke about her own experiences in the industry.
Rhoades, whose real name is Amara Maple, worked in adult entertainment for around eight months across 2016 and 2017 before leaving.
She later said she regretted some of her experiences and claimed she was "taken advantage" of while pursuing success.
During her interview on the Impaulsive podcast in 2020, she opened up about developing an aversion to the industry and said she no longer wanted to participate.
"I just don't really want to have sex with a random bunch of people. I don't think I actually would have been able to do it, honestly," she shared.
Rhoades also said she experienced panic attacks before scenes because she did not know how to refuse situations she was uncomfortable with.
"I had to [leave the industry] or it probably would have led to that point of killing myself. Because towards the end of it, I started having panic attacks before scenes because I really didn’t want to do them and I didn’t know how to say ‘no I don’t want to do this,'" she said.
For Cameron Dale, the trip changed the way he viewed the industry.
"Before filming, I didn’t really have any strong feelings on the subject, but at some points I felt really negative towards porn," he said,
The student from Tameside, Manchester, said the experience gave him a lot to consider.
He also admitted he had not watched adult content since taking part in the documentary.
"I suppose it’s the same for people who work in McDonald’s," he said. "When they spend all day around it, the last thing they probably want to do is eat one."
