Page 40 - AVN December 2016

REPEAT PERFORMANCE | | By Brady Jansen
From the Ashes
After six years, Dean Phoenix returns happier and healthier than ever
and work on your attributes,” says Phoenix.
“At that time, I didn’t feel like I had a healthy ego. So I needed to work on developing a foundation
of who I really was and what I wanted to be. After working on myself another six years or so, I find
myself in a different mindset. I guess you can say a Phoenix rising from the ashes, however cliché that
might sound. I also missed working in the industry, the friends and family I had made. And having the
opportunity to work with my friends again like Tucker Scott at Next Door Studios could not be a better
home for me to return to.”
For Scott, director and vice president of production at Next Door Studios, it was a request he
jumped at.
“Interestingly enough, Dean is the reason that I got into this business. I knew him when I moved
to L.A. about nine years ago, and he was one of the first people I met. We had a few dates…and then
we just kind of went our other ways,” he says, adding that it was the Next Door makeup artist who
brought Phoenix’s interest to his attention. “It was his time and he was interested, and he had known
me and Michael—who has been with the company for a while—and just felt comfort. He likes our stuff
and he wanted to come to Next Door, and I rushed at that opportunity.”
GAYVN
When he first arrived on the scene in 1998,
Dean Phoenix was an instant fan favorite—a
dynamic performer with a personality to
match, his presence ignited the screen. He
worked with the likes of All Worlds, Falcon
and Channel 1—and alongside top-dog directors like Chi Chi
LaRue, Dirk Yates and Doug Jeffries. When he retired in late
2000, fans were heartbroken.
Fast forward to 2004, when he returned with a bang: His
performance in the two-part blockbuster BuckleRoos netted
him GAYVN awards for Best Actor and Best Sex Scene, and a
place in one of the industry’s biggest hits of all time (Colt’s
Buckshot title racked up 11 awards in 2005). Phoenix pressed
the pause button again before returning in 2007, appearing
in more Buckshot hits—notably legendary director Jerry
Douglas’s Brotherhood—and some work for Jet Set, including
one of the studio’s biggest hits, On Fire!
But he was gone again, returning briefly in 2010 for
Cocksure Men before quickly disappearing—his six-year
industry absence leaving fans to believe that this time, it was
for good. That all changed in October.
“I started thinking more about coming out of retirement just
this year, and because of different reasons. I did a few movies
in my first couple years of sobriety and decided that I was still
trying to figure out who I was. When you get sober, it allows
you to peel away at the onion and douse your character defects
Dean is definitely a legend in this business, and
not too many can say they have that status. So
his return is a substantial thing.
”
—Tucker Scott, director, VP, Next Door Studios
Next Door has Phoenix signed to a two-year exclusive deal, and has him scheduled to film on a
regular rotating schedule—with a few upcoming features to release in 2017. Phoenix notes the studio
has also announced its plans to reinstate their promotions and events department (which Scott led
before becoming VP of production), so he will be making appearances at sponsored events, festivals
and clubs, as well as award shows.
“I heard nothing but great things about Next Door from a very good friend of mine that still works
in the business, and I trust him. Their content is great and they go out of their way to make us
comfortable and to feel respected,” Phoenix says. “Also, knowing Tucker, having an admiration for him
and his intense hard work, working with him prior and knowing him before he got into the industry, it
only seemed like common sense.”
It’s also fitting, as this isn’t Scott’s first foray into bringing Phoenix back.
“In 2010, he came out of retirement for just a couple scenes with Cocksure Men, and oddly, one of
those scenes was with me,” laughs Scott. “And that was kind of me pulling him out at that point. He
was really kind of rushed back in, and wasn’t sure that he wanted to do it again. Because I knew him
then and I worked with him on that particular one in 2010, I can tell you that what I’m seeing behind
the camera this time—and just working with him on set—it’s a real comeback, whereas I felt like those
were just kind of little splashes. This time he’s dedicated, he’s referring to himself as Dean again. It’s a
whole other world for him, so I’m excited about that because of how serious he’s taking it.”
The Long Road Back
For Phoenix, this return has been a long time coming—but it hasn’t been easy.
“So much has transpired since I left the industry, and it’s been a roller coaster of good and bad. I’ve
lost some good friends to drugs and alcohol, and it’s painful to see. Hits close to home when you have
them on your higher tier of friendship,” shares Phoenix, who has dedicated much of his adult life to
the recovery world, working for numerous drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and managing a
transitional sober living home as well. “I decided that I wanted to stay in the nurturing field, so I went
and got my nursing license to start doing home health.”
Alongside that, he started working for a general practice/internal medicine office as a patient care
coordinator, working with six specialty doctors—specialists in gastrointestinal, infectious disease,
family practice, integrative health of Eastern/Western medicine and HIV. He was with them for three
years, until he felt it was time to move on. Phoenix worked as an independent contractor with Uber
and Lyft for about a year—until he realized that he wanted to get back into the workforce (“Driving for
eight to 12 hours a day, seven days a week was getting to be a bit much”). He is also considering going
back to school for his RN degree.
(Continued on page 42)
40 | AVN.com | 12.16