Page 16 - AVN July 2016

FRESH FACES
A Dash of Pepper XO
Home State: Wisconsin | Height: 5-foot-6 | Weight: 125 pounds | Measurements: 34-25-36 | Hair: Brown | Eyes: Blue
Anyway, Pepper’s been making movies since
November, just in time for her 24th birthday, and
attended her first AEE this year, signing at the LA
Direct Models booth. At the time we interviewed her,
she was a veteran of 40 or 50 scenes; she’s not sure.
“My first shoot was with FTV Girls, and that was
just really fun,” she recalled. “We ventured around
and we were taking naked photos in public places; I
really liked that, and he’s a really great photographer;
I really like his work. More recently, she worked for
Erotica X’s James Avalon, in a threeway with James
Deen and Ana Foxxx.
And before her move to L.A. from her home in
Wisconsin? “Well, I was webcam modeling for a
couple of years, out of curiosity, but I became bored
with that, and I followed some agencies on Twitter,
and within a few hours, my agency contacted me,
having no idea who they were, their place in the
business or whatever—I had no idea. And so they
contacted me and I just kind of snowballed into it, and
I’ve been rolling with it since.”
Basically, Pepper considers herself to be an artist:
“The industry gives me a lot of time to work on that.
I enjoy illustration the most; painting, and I love
character design and everything like that, but I also
love painting on unconventional things like glass or
just anything I find. I also love photography. For a
while, I was actually a freelance photo retoucher.
It’s very tedious—lots of Photoshop skills and stuff—
but I had fun with it as well.” And while she hasn’t
decided what her “dream scene” would look like,
she definitely wants it to be on a par with the “very
beautiful, European-based” photography
she’s seen on the X-Art and MetArt websites.
Though Pepper got A grades throughout her
schooling, she wasn’t exactly a faithful student, having
cut classes to waitress and contribute to the family’s
upkeep from about the age of 16. But her parents
were well aware of her webcam modeling, and weren’t
surprised when she told them she was looking into
adult talent agencies—possibly because “my mom was
a blonde version of me when she was younger and
wanted to be like a Playboy Bunny, so she’s excited
about my new career but she’s also nervous because
she doesn’t really know this world. She just has the
her first name from Iron Man’s on-screen
Pepper XO is a fan of superheroes, and took
girlfriend, Pepper Potts: “It was a bit of a
last-minute decision but I went with that,”
she said, “and I needed a second part to the name
and I thought of ‘XO’ just because I thought it was
edgy, along the lines of comics, and I thought they
went well together.” (Little did she know that Valiant
Comics published a series titled X-O Manowar in the
early ’90s ...)
perspective that as long as I’m happy and safe and
healthy, then I can do whatever I want. I’m grateful for
that.”
Still, she passes the time by reading comic books
and manga, and has even delved into economics,
sociology and political science texts. “I also love the
outdoors; I love rock climbing and kayaking,” she said.
As to her philosophy on life, “My grandma always
used to say, ‘Trust everybody but cut the cards,’
and for the longest time, I didn’t understand what
that meant until probably a couple of years ago, I
understood it meant something like ‘Have faith in
things but do things yourself; keep things in your own
hands; don’t depend on others.’ She was a very strong,
independent woman, so I guess I’ve always held that
quote close.”
Book Pepper through LA Direct Models. Follow her
on Twitter: @PepperXO_
—Mark Kernes
WHO’S WHO
Gabriella Lane: Past and Future
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri | Age: Mid-20s | Height: 5-foot-5 | Weight: 124 pounds | Measurements: 36-32-34 | Hair: Brown | Eyes: Brown
scouted by an agent (“He asked if I was serious and I said, ‘Yes, I am serious. I like this’”) and
Gabriella Lane was helping at a booth at the 2016 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo when she was
started doing scenes. “I was a little shaky. I was kind of scared and kind of excited at the same
time. It was a joyful feeling. It was something I had always wanted to do. I like seeing myself on
camera.”
In her mid-20s, she says, “I feel like I’m old in the industry. I know I don’t look it. I can play 21. I was
offered a MILF scene and I wouldn’t do that.” Her future plans call for returning to school and studying
psychology and sociology. She grew up a foster child and “the girls in the industry always have a past. I
want to finish school and have a line where I can help the girls. They need someone they can talk to. A
counselor.”
Asked about her role models in the industry, Lane says, “I look up to Riley Reid. She inspires me so
much. I sat behind her at the AVN Awards. I shook her hand. I didn’t want to wash it. She has energy and
she’s fun. Also, Jenna Ivory. I admire her seductiveness. Knowing her is an inspiration to me. She’s the ‘it
girl’ for our agency. She’s never down, always up. These girls inspire me. They can do it.”
Her words to live by: “Never cry for someone who won’t cry for you.”
Book Gabriella Lane through 360 Models. Follow her on Twitter (@gabriellalane69) and Instagram
(lovinglifegabrielle).
—Tod Hunter
16 | AVN.com | 7.16