The first time I ever saw Annie Cruz was on the Howard Stern show and all I could think to myself is, “Wow.” Besides being sexy and exotic with a gorgeous little body, she’s the type of woman that seems like she’s open to anything at any time. That’s a hot quality and not one you come across very often. When you a put a girl with that attitude in the adult industry, you’re bound to get some incredible performances and Annie has definitely delivered in that aspect. As if all that weren’t enough, Annie is interesting having been an amateur boxer and a wrestler. Today, she’s an adult industry legend. Mens Mag Daily caught up with Annie Cruz to discuss how she got into the industry, why she is so beloved by her fans, and her latest gig at Vivid Radio (www.VividRadio.com).
Mens Mag Daily: Okay Annie, from what I understand, you were a pretty good student, is that right?
Annie Cruz: (Laughs) Yes, I was a very shy bookworm who got good grades and almost never got into any trouble. I graduated high school in the top 5 of my class and received three scholarships for a private Catholic college – Dominican University of California.
Mens Mag Daily: I imagine you must have been a party girl in college. What were your college years like?
Annie Cruz: My college years were definitely very different compared to my high school days in that I was no longer shy and I definitely partied a lot. My freshman year of college marks the era of which my inner slut finally escaped. It was a very small school so I quickly became the campus whore. Sex became a game for me and after an intervention from some of my closest friends at the time I ended up leaving that school my sophomore year. It was in the very beginning of my second year of college that I fell into the adult industry and it was a total accident.
Mens Mag Daily: Why did you make the decision to begin your career in the adult industry?
Annie Cruz: The first scene I ever shot was in San Francisco, where I was going to school at the time. Being the exhibitionist I was before shooting my first scene I instantly fell in love with being in front of the camera. What was supposed to be a fun side gig turned into a career change for me once I went to my first AVN/AEE (Adult Entertainment Expo) that following January 2004. In this business, when you’re brand new, everyone wants to shoot you. I had initially visited LA and stayed for weeks at a time to shoot but once work started pouring in I decided to move from SF to LA and pursue smut full time.
Mens Mag Daily: Was being a pornstar something you ever imagined yourself doing?
Annie Cruz: Even for being as slutty as I was my first year of college and openly watching as much as porn as I did, actually doing porn was not something I imagined myself doing. When I fell into it, I had contacted an amateur producer based in the San Francisco area. A friend referred me to his site and I assumed it was just an all-Asian nude modeling site. Not realizing there was actual pornography on it, I contacted him and after we met, we scheduled my first ever scene, which happened to be a girl-on-girl scene. I had already had sex with women prior to that. It was a lot of fun and from that point forward, I never looked back.
Mens Mag Daily: You actually trained as a serious boxer and won a couple of fights. What made you want to do that and what was it like? Why did you decide to stop?
Annie Cruz: It all started with a company that wanted to showcase women, mainly porn girls, who could fight. We did stuff for Playboy TV and it was great. But after it was all over I really wanted to continue training. I trained 5 days a week in two separate gyms, typically for 2 hours with a personal trainer at a regular gym and then for an additional 2-3 hours later in the afternoon with my boxing trainer at a boxing gym. I became a beast. My boxing trainer, who once trained Laila Ali, believed I had a lot of potential to go pro. I was boxing as an amateur at the time. My body transformed a lot, I was super fit, and I loved boxing. This was all going on during the peak of my career and my ex was worried I’d get hurt. I eventually quit. I miss it a lot sometimes. But shortly after that, I started getting into real competitive wrestling (grappling), and now, I only do pro-style wrestling, which is fun for me because I love playing a character and getting tossed around and doing stunts.
Mens Mag Daily: Some pornstars seem to have really loyal fans and you’re one of them. Why do you think your fans love you so much?
Annie Cruz: I believe my fans love me so much because they can relate to me. I play video games, collect comic books, go to comic book conventions, attend music shows, and I feel like they understand I’m a normal human being just like them, who’s into the same things they are. I adore all of my fans and always try to my best to interact with them socially on the internet or in person at trade shows or special events. I also tend to be extremely laid back and friendly when fans stop me in public places.
Mens Mag Daily: When you first started doing porn, was it a natural fit for you? You don’t seem like a shy girl.
Annie Cruz: Like I said, I was a total exhibitionist in college, so when I first started doing porn, I wasn’t really nervous. Being in front of the camera definitely seemed to be second nature to me. And unlike my high school years, I grew out of being shy pretty fast.
Mens Mag Daily: You’ve obviously been in the business for a while now. Has it changed a lot from when you first started?
Annie Cruz: I first started in the business in October 2003, about a month shy of my 19th birthday. I would say it has most definitely changed drastically over the last few years, compared to 11 years ago. With piracy and tube sites killing DVD sales and businesses in general, there are a lot of huge companies that I used to work for that are no longer around, while few companies can’t pay rates like they used to. I’ve noticed a lot of newer girls, who will do scenes for half the rates I work for, and I hear work is super scarce these days. Back in the day, I would shoot 20-25 scenes per month. The business is definitely nothing like it was when I first started. Mens Mag Daily: What made you decide to take a break from the industry when you did and was it hard adjusting to a more conventional lifestyle? Annie Cruz: In 2009 I moved back to San Francisco. During that time, I was doing a lot of mainstream modeling and small independent film projects so I wouldn’t say it was difficult adjusting away from porn. I kept myself busy in front of the camera; it just happened to be a different kind.
Mens Mag Daily: What made you want to come back to porn?
Annie Cruz: It was sometime in 2010, when I auditioned for Wicked Pictures’ Rocki Whore Picture Show, a parody, after a girlfriend, who was writing the music for the film encouraged me to because I sing. I got cast and did two scenes. The 2011 AVN/AEE that followed that, I had been hired to work the convention as press for www.VideoBox.com. The last AEE I had attended was 2007 prior to that one so you can imagine how many people were surprised and happy to see me. After running into a lot of old friends and producers, people asked me to come back because they missed me. I eventually hired a new agent and started shooting full time again.
Mens Mag Daily: When you came back from your break, did the industry kind of welcome you back with open arms or was it tough to get back into the swing of things?
Annie Cruz: People missed me and wanted me to come back, so it was most definitely a welcome back with open arms. It was also great to work with everyone I loved working with again. I realized I had missed it as I almost forgot how much fun making smut is. I will say that I was inactive in the business a second time for a little over a year up until July 2014. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I made a comeback but I have since shot 4 scenes. I’m in the process of pursuing something much bigger that I can’t quite discuss at the moment but shooting the few scenes I have thus far has been fun and everyone has been just as welcoming as they were when I took my first hiatus.
Mens Mag Daily: You’ve been nominated for a lot of awards in your career. As a performer, does it feel good for you to be recognized by the business you are in?
Annie Cruz: It’s always great to be recognized for anything. The porn industry at any given time has a lot of performers so you can imagine how competitive it can be. I’ve won some, but to be nominated is just as great to me because it shows that I’ve been acknowledged for my work. And that in itself is quite rewarding.
Mens Mag Daily: Are you completely happy with the adult industry or is there anything you would change about it?
Annie Cruz: It would be great to put a stop to piracy and an end to these tube sites. It’s very sad and disheartening to hear fans tell performers: “I just watched you for free.” It’s like they don’t realize that this is their favorite porn girl’s livelihood and career. Aside from that, after witnessing some of the things the industry has gone through, I wish performers would band together as a group rather than throw hate and discrimination to their fellow peers.
Mens Mag Daily: You identify as pansexual. Can you tell me a little about what that means and why you identify with it?
Annie Cruz: Pansexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by a potential aesthetic attraction, romantic love and/or sexual desire for anybody, including people who do not fit the gender binary of male/female implied by bisexual attraction (bi meaning “two,” while pan means “all” or “every”). It’s the attraction toward people of any sex or gender identity. I identify with being pansexual because I am attracted to everyone, men, women, transgendered men and women, etc. I date people irrespective of gender.
Mens Mag Daily: You’re a popular host on Vivid radio. Has radio been a totally different experience and are you enjoying it?
Annie Cruz: It’s funny because I studied print journalism in college, and now, I do radio. I had some experience with internet radio several years ago. To be able to get on the air and have an open discussion about some of my favorite sexual things, it is quite the experience for me, and I love every minute of it. It’s the one thing I look forward to doing every week. Fans can hear me or call in any time on www.vividradio.com, on the SiriusXM app or on channel 791.
Annie Cruz’ Social Media Sites and Links Can Be Found At:
http://AnnieCruz.com – my one and only pay site run by yours truly
http://MemoirsOfTheDamned.com – my personal blog
http://CruzClips.com – my clips store
@AnnieFuckinCruz – Twitter
@anniecruz – Instagram
Article By: Jon DaBove
