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Bella Thorne's Pornhub debut 'Her & Him' could see Hollywood and adult film industry come together for more projects

People who work in the porn industry give their take on Bella Thorne's debut in the industry, and what it would mean for the future of their industry.

Former Disney star Bella Thorne is set to make her debut as a director with the adult film 'Her & Him', which will be shown at The Odenburg Film Festival in Germany from September 11 to 15 before being released on Pornhub. The collaboration is expected to pave the way for Hollywood and the adult film industry to come together for similar projects.

With censorship becoming passe over the years and celebrities like Thorne dabbling in adult content, we may not be too far from the day when this form of artistic expression becomes a part of mainstream entertainment industry. Co-host of popular podcast 'Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast,' Alice Vaughn, believes that like every other project, having recognizable, credible celebrities attach their name to a porn production gives it credibility.

She tells MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), "Having celebrities like Thorne, 'come out' about watching and directing it allows us to start normalizing the conversation and lets us start discussing things that are even more important or ways it relates to other topics." That being said, Vaughn does not believe that this will open up doors for porn in mainstream Hollywood, simply because “it will take decades to erode the cultural knee jerk reaction most have when just hearing the word 'porn'."

She says, "What we are starting to see more of is more well-produced, directed, written concepts for pornography. Feature films that have more developed plot lines and characters, and I think that might draw some indie filmmakers to porn if they feel they can express themselves better in this medium."

Take Adult Time's 'Teenage Lesbian,' the R-rated film written and directed by Bree Mills, which narrates the story of her own coming out experience, seasoned with her upbringing and the exploration of her sexuality. The uncensored version of the film stands as a testament to what adult productions can be.

Mills explains to MEAWW how Adult Time produces both mainstream (R-rated) and uncensored (X-rated) versions of all their top projects to help challenge the status quo about what can be possible within mainstream and adult entertainment. 

She says, "Our ambition is to cultivate as many creative filmmakers as possible to produce movies and films for us - no matter where they come from.  As we break down stigmas about quality and can be taken more seriously as an art form, I have no doubt more mainstream artists will want to get involved.  After all, sex is a fascinating subject!"

And hey, if Quentin Tarantino ever made an adult film, Mills and the others in the industry would line up to watch it. As prominent adult star Penny Barber puts it, "Who wouldn’t want to see an actual foot fetish movie directed by Quentin Tarantino, instead of all these blatant-yet-sneaky shots he slips into his movies?"

Barber further tells MEAWW, "If a celebrity wants to be my co-worker, great! Tom Hardy, Christina Hendricks, Chris Hemsworth, and Emilia Clarke — I hope that they all release actual porn soon, and not just a sex tape."

In the past,  porn stars have primarily been hired to play porn stars, or strippers or fictional versions of themselves in Hollywood. Take Stormy Daniels in 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up,' or Sunny Leone in 'The Virginity Hit.' Could things change in the near future? Both Barber and Mills hope so.

"I hope that we can become teachers, politicians, and directors--anything we want without having to be afraid or hide. This is why it means so much when celebrities like Sylvester Stalone and Margaret Cho are open about their history in the adult industry. We have the talent, drive, dedication, education, and skill. Bigotry is the only thing holding us back," says Barber.

Vaughn seconds this opinion, adding how there is no dearth of talent within the porn community, but the mainstream entertainment industry is quick to shun anyone associated with porn. “There are plenty of cases of people being fired over a scene they did a decade ago, writers/editors who can't list work they've done without their resumes being thrown out, the fact is society treats people associated with the industry like pariahs,” she says.

She points at actors such as Evan Stone and Tommy Pistol, who have great comedic timing and acting skills but might never get to star in the latest summer blockbuster because of the stigma surrounding a career in the adult industry. Furthermore, while Thorne’s directorial debut has been wholeheartedly welcomed by the porn community, many like Mills believe that the intersection of porn and Hollywood should not be a one-way street.