Page 55 - AVN Magazine March 2025

“Tommy is somebody that has not had a good life. He’s not a guy who makes great decisions, but he
is an entrepreneur and he does have a slight gambling problem. He likes the horses, he likes to place the
bets,” Pistol explained as he sat in the makeup chair, a borough-bred undertone coming out in his accent.
“This one really stood out to me, and the script alone is just like perfect,” Pistol continued. “I feel like
I’ve seen this guy in New York. I grew up in Astoria-Queens. I’ve gone to strip clubs and everything,
and I’ve sat next to this fucking guy. The jewels—he looks like trash, but to him—he’s beautiful. He
has that confidence that he can get whatever he wants, even though he looks like that. It’s a certain
character that’s gonna fight for what he wants, he’s gonna be a scumbag, he’s gonna betray, he’s
gonna backstab, in order to get what he wants, he’s going to do it. I’ve known people like that. It’s
kind of fun to step into his shoes for a little bit. It’s crazy because he’s an asshole. He’s a piece of
shit. It’s nice to play someone like that.”
Adam Sandler’s portrayal of a NYC jeweler that gets in a little too deep in 2019’s Uncut Gems was
an inspiration, he noted. Of course, Sandler never had to do a sex scene with two co-stars, wearing
a bald cap (that we know of), so Pistol was on his own there.
“I have one sex scene. I did not move. I had to be very careful because the prosthetic, once I
start sweating too much, it can mess up the glue,” he said, as veteran makeup artist Alexxx Moon
fussed with the front of the cap, fixing it with a layer of foundation.
Moon was also the creator of the makeup for the Krampus character in Greenwood’s stand-out
short, “The Bargain” (2021, Greenwood Productions/Adult Time), for which Pistol took home the 2023
AVN Award for Best Actor in a Featurette as well as Most Outrageous Sex Scene with Ashley Lane.
“So, [the sex scene] was a challenge on its own,” Pistol said of the performance in Strip, a threesome
with Ameena Green and Scarlett Alexis. “I almost passed out because when we were done all that
heat from the energy was in the cap. But it’s all worth it. It’s one of the best roles I’ve ever played.
I’m real excited for everyone to see this one, yeah.”
Greenwood said that Pistol was “daring” to take on such an unattractive role.
“We’re selling a body, we’re selling an image, we’re selling like beauty and sexuality,” the director
began, “and that character doesn’t scream beauty and sexuality. So, for him, it doesn’t put him in
bright light, as a good-looking guy. But his acting, his performance and everything, that’s what the
reward is, to sacrifice for it, because he’s just insanely good in it. Tommy will sacrifice to give you
the best version of the character that you have in mind. And that’s what I appreciate and really love
about Tommy—and that’s what makes him different.”
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