Page 66 - AVN Men 2020

“I had to find myself in this industry. I
had to fall in love with myself.”
It was arguably the most memorable and touching moment of last year’s GayVN
Awards: Armond Rizzo in shock—and tears—on stage accepting the award for
Best Duo Sex Scene with Max Konnor for their Noir Male scorcher. But it had little
to do with hardware—and everything to do with confidence.
“I never felt like I fit in in the industry, because I never felt like I looked like any
of these guys that I was watching. I’m not your typical guy—the white boy with
the chiseled body who’s six feet tall, has a massive dick. I didn’t see myself fitting
in anywhere, so that’s where you start to kind of question yourself—and it gets
difficult because you start to judge yourself and compare yourself,” shares Rizzo.
“And like when I was in the Navy, either you find yourself or you lose yourself. I
had to find myself in this industry. I had to fall in love with myself and do things that
I hadn’t really dealt with in my younger years on the personal side, and dealing
with those demons.”
And Rizzo will be the first to admit that he had a lot of growing up to do when
he was younger.
“I just wanna yell at 22-year-old me. I was so mad. I was not a very happy
person, I’ll tell you that. I would blame everyone for my shortcomings, and just
now I’ve learned so much about not giving a fuck, to just not listen to people,” he
laughs. “I’ve realized that I can control my own happiness—no one else has that
power.”
And that revelation has created a calmer, more confident person—and
performer.
“Knowing that now, I feel like I can breathe a bit more normally. Colors are
brighter. It just clicked,” he says. “It’s interesting how the industry made me more
confident in myself, prouder of myself, just because of the reactions. Because
sometimes, many people tell you something, but you don’t believe them. You don’t
even believe yourself. But just seeing and realizing how many people actually
mean it … I’ve learned how to take a compliment.”
Rizzo credits former-performer-turned-agent Shane Frost with getting him into
the industry—and helping him grow.
“I would have quit a long time ago if it wasn’t for him. I wasn’t being cast in
anything and I was about to quit, and he said, ‘You’re different, and because
you’re different, they don’t know how to shoot you. You need to show them how
you’ll look on camera. You’ll get that opportunity—don’t quit yet. They need to
catch up to you,’” Rizzo says, adding they no longer work together but have a
strong friendship. “So years later, I’m here because of him. I was inspired by him
and what he’s doing.”
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