Adult entertainment continues leading the way towards new frontiers, and in today’s blog post we are here to highlight one star who has led the way for years and is once again breaking the mold. A groundbreaking moment shook the industry as renowned adult film star Valentina Nappi made her debut on Prime Video with the film "Pensati Sexy", translated to English as “Still Fabulous”, on February 12th 2024. This unexpected move not only grabbed the attention of her dedicated fanbase but also sparked curiosity and interest among mainstream audiences in Italy and beyond!
In an exclusive interview conducted by Badoink Studios, Valentina Nappi shared insights into her experience of working on mainstream platforms such as Amazon Prime Video alongside her career as a VR porn star. For years, Valentina has been a household name in the world of adult entertainment, with numerous accolades under her belt and a loyal following, she has established herself as a leading figure in the industry. However, her venture into mainstream cinema with "Pensati Sexy" represents a great boost in her popularity, and we couldn’t be more excited for her.
How did you become involved in a mainstream project?
The writer of the film, Daniela Delle Foglie, sent me an email with a proposal around five years ago. I tend to receive a lot of proposals, but not necessarily about mainstream projects, so we ended up having a bunch of video calls and I liked the idea straight away. She talked to me about how porn helped her accept her body as she noticed how more body types were seen as sexy and loveable in porn than they were in mainstream at the time, before the whole body positivity movement. Especially in Italy, the beauty standard for women is represented by the tall girl with small curves and that is different to even my shape. I'm one of the most popular pornstars in the country, but I don't have the typical body that the mainstream are supposed to like.
I think Daniela noticed this difference between porn and mainstream because usually people say they like what most people like, but in private they express themselves more freely. So while we always see the same type of beauty on social media and mainstream movies, the type of porn we consume is something much more personal and it gives us the chance to realize that so many more shapes can be beautiful and attractive. Of course, this is all changing now since the body positivity movement, we see much more diversity in mainstream as well.
I also appreciated the way the Prime Video movie is written in the sense that porn plays a positive role in it and is seen as something good, something that helps the main character achieve self-confidence, rather than bad or even scandalous. The Italian title literally translates to English as “Think of Yourself as Sexy”.
So was she thinking of you when she wrote this part?
I think she probably would have liked Angela White, maybe because she looks more like her body type and of course she's a bigger star worldwide. But for an Italian audience it made more sense to choose me. Also, Daniela Delle Foglie likes my way of thinking and the things I say on social media. That's what I'm really known for in Italy and it's funny people think it's a compliment. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that I have space in the media to be able to say whatever I want, but at the end of the day I want people to know me for the porn I make, not for the things I say. Both are good but I hate when people tell me, “oh, I’ve never watched one of your videos”. That's not a compliment to me!
How are you feeling about being in the mainstream? Would you ever consider leaving porn to be a mainstream actress?
You know, I don’t really think there's a difference between being a mainstream actor and being a VR porn actor. At the end of the day, I think acting is about managing your emotions and deciding when to express a certain emotion. For example, in “Pensati Sexy” I randomly appear when the protagonist's mind needs me and that's why I have all those crazy costumes, which are one of my favorite parts of the movie. At one point in the movie I even tell her to go fuck herself and she's trying to make me appear again, but I'm there in the corner, and I'm crying and she doesn't see me. It's just her being sad. I mean, I’ve played the mad girl or crazy wife many times in porn, that’s a classic for me, so I have plenty of experience with that. But throughout the movie you can see me playing different emotions.
What were the main differences that you notice between filming a mainstream film and a VR porn scene?
It's simply that mainstream movies are a bigger production. I think porn sets are much more organized, but of course it's easier because there's less people involved, while on a mainstream film set you have 100 people. There’s many more actors and they are harder to organize and…maybe it's just Italians, I wonder how it is in the United States.
Overall it was pretty tidy, I don't have any complaints. I just think porn is more organized and of course, that may be because in porn I'm the star, it's all about me. While in mainstream film, even if they treat me really well you feel it's more about the production, it's not about you.
Another major difference is that I had the script months before we started shooting, we had calls where we read scripts together, so you have way more time to prepare. While in porn usually you're lucky if they send you the script before you shoot it, and then you have one day in which you shoot a lot of stuff.
Did you feel comfortable in the role? Did you feel like the role is a natural fit for you?
I had to get used to being on set with 100 people, and I flew straight from the USA so I didn’t really have time to get rid of the jet lag before filming. But other than that at the beginning, I felt good. As I said, I don't think there's a big difference between porn acting and mainstream acting. At the end of the day, you're a performer. It's the same job.
It’s actually thanks in part to BaDoink Studios that I discovered a passion for wearing different costumes and acting, especially through cosplay porn on VRCosplayX. I started doing it for fun outside of porn shoots on my Twitch streams and on my personal accounts after I did the first couple of scenes for you. I remember filming The Matrix Persephone XXX Parody and some others that I really liked. So thank you for helping be discover this passion!
Considering your role in the film, what would be the first advice you'd give to another woman to help her feel sexy in her own skin?
I think you have to learn to be free from other people’s opinions about you. You have to know who you are and what you're doing and be so sure of it that other people and their judgements can’t affect you. Of course, you have to be open minded enough to consider people's opinions, but most of the time, the only opinions that matter come from people that love you, and they can still be wrong. The truth is that other people’s opinions of you should only matter when they come from tough love.
Once you know what you're doing and you know where you're going, once you know what you want in your life, being sexy comes with it. Then you can decide how to use… I like to say “your weapons”, which could be your big boobs or big butt, or even your small boobs. As I was saying before, every shape has its own beauty. There are things that look good on me that won’t look good on a skinny girl and vice versa. And it's beautiful. We are not all the same. If we were, all the bodies would look the same and it would be fucking boring!
Which of your cast or crew members do you think would make a good porn star?
Well, I think no one. They don't think the way a pornstar thinks about sex. You have to learn how to completely separate sex from social life and love. That's the only way you can do porn and be relaxed about it otherwise you're gonna suffer about what other people think of it.
Most people on the film set connect sex exclusively or mainly with love. Of course, they had one night stands in the past but most of them are jealous of their partner sexually and so on, so they don't have the right mentality to do porn. Although I found both the protagonist, Diana Del Bufalo, and the director, Michela Andreozzi, to be pretty sexy and I’d bang them. They're all sexy, but I wouldn't do it because I know sex for them is not what it is for me and I’ve learned that I better not have sex with people because it unfortunately brings trouble. I have to first understand what type of mentality they have about sex and then decide to have sex with them or not.
So, what’s different about your mentality concerning sex?
It’s the type of connection. To me, of course, sex is a connection but it's a connection in the sense that you could be playing chess together. That's the way I see sex and other people don't see it that way. So, because I had people fall in love with me when I was just starting to have sex, I learned that it is best to avoid it with non-porn people because I know it brings drama…unless it's like a one night stand after which I don't see them again!
Don’t get me wrong, I like the concept of family. I think it's beautiful. Of course, I believe in love. I've been with the same person for 13 years and I've been married for almost four years, but I can completely separate sex from love. It goes without saying that sex with your life partner is different from the sex you have with a stranger or in an orgy. But I know that human sexuality is not what they're trying to teach us in our families or at school or the church. In fact, you know, 50% of marriages end up in divorce, jealousy is the first cause of homicide in relationships. I mean, it's a mess.
We're living in this modern world where people still want to think in an old-fashioned way and it is not compatible with our modern lives. We need new values but, unfortunately, people don’t think they can create their own values. The majority of people hold on to the traditional values or have no values at all. But without any values, you’re lost, and you're not happy. As I was saying before, if you don't know where you're going, you end up being unhappy.
Does the movie contain any controversial themes besides the obvious sexual content that we're discussing?
It's actually less sexual than many movies. There are two sex scenes but there is not much nudity. It's conservative in that sense, it's more funny than sexy and it’s mostly focused on showing the personality of the protagonist than the sex. All I can think of as possibly controversial is that at one point I dressed up as a priest when I was in the middle of a big group of nuns. However, I am almost certain that they won’t play this movie on Italian TV channels. So I have to say that I really appreciate Amazon Prime Video for allowing us to make and distribute a movie like this.
Did you take part in writing your own role, since you're playing yourself?
Yeah, I did, I corrected some phrases, if the lines didn't feel like it was something I would say. So yes, a little bit.
Where can your worldwide audience, especially your US fans, watch the film?
It’s going to be available almost worldwide on Amazon Prime Video. I think it's subtitled in around 170 languages, including English, Spanish and French and it will be available with subtitles in many other languages.
OK. Two last questions, one is where can your USA fans follow you on social media?
I’m on Instagram and I have two Twitter accounts. I'm on Telegram as well and on Twitch. I have a Linktree so I think that's the easiest way to find all my links.
And the last question, do you have a favorite BaDoink Studios scene?
I actually don’t have a VR headset, so I haven’t watched any Valentina Nappi porn films yet. Although, I was thinking that finally with the Apple Vision Pro, you can watch porn on it, so I think I'm gonna buy it when it releases in Europe and watch my own scenes to see what it’s like! I think my favorite VR porn scene I filmed was “Dragon Age: Morrigan A XXX Parody” on VRCosplayX. I loved the costume so much, even though it was quite uncomfortable at times - but I'm uncomfortable in all the costumes. I mean, it's part of my job being uncomfortable! I love when people ask me “are you comfortable?", I'm not but you're paying me for that. It's just another part of being fabulous!
Thank you Valentina for taking the time to have this interview with us! We wish you the best of luck with the success of your movie and I’m sure our audience can’t wait to see you back in their VR headsets with BaDoinkVR and VRCosplayX!
At Badoink Studios, we’re lucky to enjoy a long-standing relationship with this VR porn superstar and we recognized the significance of this milestone in her career. We seized the opportunity to delve deeper into Valentina Nappi's journey that led to her first mainstream role and, of course, we couldn’t miss the chance to congratulate her.
In an industry often misconceived due to stigma and preconceptions, Valentina Nappi's collaboration with Badoink Studios serves as a testament to the power of embracing change and owning your sexuality. As the lines between mainstream and adult entertainment continue to blur, this interview highlights the endless possibilities that lie ahead for the industry and the stars. Make sure to check out “Still Fabulous”, (AKA “Pensati Sexy”) starring Valentine Nappi, Diana Del Bufalo, Raoul Bova and Jenny De Nucci. Available to stream NOW on Prime Video!