Page 38 - AVN May 2018

GAYVN
GAYVN | By Brady Jansen
FIRST CAME ADAM
Everyone loves Adam Ramzi. Find out why…
see through it; or at home I would use a fancy cable box in which I could actually see everything,” Ramzi
recalls, one of many indelible images from his youth.
“I remember exactly the first time I ever jacked off. I remember the first time that the Spice Channel
decided to show dick after 10 p.m. These were all weirdly kind of big turning points for my development,
and so once I became a sexually active adult, I never thought about porn as much because I was still
becoming who I was, I guess. I feel like a lot of other actors get their start in their early 20s, but I didn’t
start in the porn industry until I was 30. For me, it was a really good, unique time to get started because I
was just beginning to get into the further depths of who I was sexually on the inside.”
Ramzi grew up in suburban Los Angeles and spent the majority of his 20s working different jobs (“And
here’s a random little side bit: When I was 18, I actually had a congressional internship over a summer
and gave tours of Congress”), from waiting tables to working an office job at 20th Century Fox—all to
fund his life as a musician.
“I played bass in a rock band that actually did really well and toured with a lot of really big names. But
then once I realized that it was limiting because I wasn’t involved with the songwriting part of things, I
decided to kind of go back to the drawing board and see what I wanted to do next.”
That’s when he enrolled in grad school for LGBT psychology—and during that period Ramzi was
contacted by Chris Ward, the head of Raging Stallion Studios at the time.
“He looked at my stuff and he liked what I was about, and thought I was perfect for their brand.
I at first shrugged it off. I was like, ‘No, that doesn’t make any sense for what I’m doing—I’m
on track to become a psychotherapist, I’m still in school, and putting yourself out here like that is a
really big commitment.’ But the more I thought about it, the more I kind of in my head roped it
into my studies. I thought, maybe this could be a really interesting step in the process of becoming a
therapist—especially someone who is going to be working primarily with gay men. And already, issues
around sex were coming up so much in my program that I thought, ‘Wow, this might be a really neat
experiment.’ So I said, ‘Let me do one and see how I feel about it.’ And cut to five years later, I’m still
doing it.”
Ramzi’s first film was The Hole 2, released in the summer of 2013—with him front and center on the
box cover. He quickly went on to appear in the likes of Open Road 1, Timberwolves, Cock Fight and more.
“My first year, I was offered to be an exclusive with Raging Stallion. I turned it down, mostly because
I wasn’t really sure at the time if I wanted that kind of exposure. But I still worked with only them,
because I was very comfortable with their format, I knew a lot of what I was getting into, and they
treated me really well. They paired me with some great performers, and my first year of doing it I was
very fortunate to work with people that I got along with really well—they were sexy, and it was mostly a
really seamless experience.”
But his first experience working with someone he didn’t have chemistry with proved to be a big
moment of growth for him as a performer.
I DIDN’T START IN THE PORN INDUSTRY
UNTIL I WAS 30. FOR ME, IT WAS A REALLY
GOOD, UNIQUE TIME TO GET STARTED
BECAUSE I WAS JUST BEGINNING TO GET
INTO THE FURTHER DEPTHS OF WHO I
WAS SEXUALLY ON THE INSIDE
“Funny enough, Steve Cruz was directing that scene and he actually came up to me during one of the
breaks and said, ‘Honey, this is your best work.’ And I kind of remember thinking, ‘That doesn’t make
any sense.’ When I spoke to the grip about it and what Steve said, the grip was like, ‘Well that makes a
lot of sense.’ Sometimes, depending on what studio you’re working for and how they edit, when there’s
no chemistry the performance really shows up. In your head, you’re not worrying about impressing this
person that you’re excited to be having sex with; you’re just kind of focusing on technique, grunting and
thrusting, which to you feels really weird, but a lot of the time—especially if you’re good at it—looks
great on camera.”
Ramzi notes that for the most part, he has had at least some connection with his co-stars over the
years—which many would agree speaks to his demeanor and honesty.
“Through all the good and bad, I have definitely come to a place where I can say confidentially that I
feel like I’m pretty good at it. I don’t have a super-duper fit body, I don’t have a huge dick, so I don’t feel
like those are the things that keep getting me hired. It’s more that I think I have a good personality, I’m a
good performer and I try my best to bring some kind of joy on set. So it’s nice to be in a place now where
I feel like I’m kind of toward the part of my career where I’m trying to shift it into something different. I
feel like I’ve done well with it so far.”
Cruz is one of many who has directed Ramzi multiple times—and is always happy to have him back.
Musician. Pornographer. Actor. Artist. Writer.
Therapist. Those are just some of the passions
Adam Ramzi lives. Spend one minute
talking to this true Renaissance man, and
you’ll immediately be struck by his warmth, engagement,
intelligence and charisma—all emanating from the
handsome and hairy visage that has hypnotized a legion of
industry fans, co-stars and directors for five years. And those
eyes … are you kidding?
“Do you remember Teen Wolf? That’s what I called him,
and that’s what went into my mind. He’s got these like
almond eyes that are just … ugh … they just do it for me. We
have a scene together and we also did an OnlyFans thing,
and he called me an anal wizard,” laughs performer Jason
Vario. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but not that. He’s
amazingly sexy and a very sweet guy.”
“The eyes are incredible,” adds TitanMen director Jasun
Mark. “I’ve just sat down and had lunch with him and lost
my train of thought just staring at him, you know? I’m
trying to think of the proper words; he is that guy.”
“That” guy is the kind of man that makes co-stars and
directors smile when they speak of him. Ask many A-list
industry talent—both in front of and behind the camera—
whom they love working with, and chances are high that
Ramzi will be at the top of their list (“I adore Adam,” beams
Wesley Woods). The love affair is mutual.
“I’ve always been a fan of porn. I remember having a cable
box, where it was either real squiggly and I could kind of
38 | AVN.com | 5.18