Anal Queen Asa Akira Talks About Her New Book, ‘Insatiable’

Photos by Matthew Leifheit

Asa Akira’s asshole is like one of those sigils on the Game of Thrones or the Coca-Cola logo—it’s recognized far and wide. Men could pick it out in a five-pornstar police lineup with no problem. Her famed brown eye has served her well over the past eight years. She’s starred in almost 400 skin flicks and taken home coveted AVN awards like Female Performer of the Year and Best Anal Scene, making her one of the most well-known and respected women in the adult industry. She’s also been incredibly innovative on social media, where she has garnered even more rabid fans by providing a backstage pass into her life through a flurry of intimate pictures and offhand posts. Now the actress and director is taking on the challenge of being a writer with the release of her new book Insatiable, which was published by Grove Press and is in stores now.

In Insatiable, the New York native, who has previously worked as a dominatrix, stripper, and intermittent hooker, provides readers with an intimate look at her life. Each chapter is filled with brutal honesty and self-depricating humor. It’s touching, inspiring, and flies in the face of a lot of people’s preconceptions about the life of an adult film star. What’s most refreshing is that the high points of the book aren’t the double-penetration and masturbation scenes—even though that stuff is great—it’s her strong storytelling, which makes her struggles and triumphs in the adult industry super relatable.

I met with her at the VICE offices to learn more about her writing process, how to have great anal sex, and her plans for the future. Check out our talk below and look out for an exlusive excerpt from Asa’s Insatiable: Porn—A Love Story memoir on VICE.com on April 21.

VICE: What made you want to write a book?
Asa Akira: I have always been a big reader. It never crossed my mind that I could write a book. But that is exactly how I felt about porn when I wanted to do that. One day my book agent approached me and said, “I have seen your Twitter. I think you could write. Why don’t you send me an essay?” That night I wrote an essay, and it ended up being one chapter in my book.

Were you keeping a journal before you started writing?
I have always been a journal person. I took a hiatus when I was younger. I used to write about all of the boys I was fucking in my diary, and my mom found it. For a while I was like, why would I document that stuff? But then I started again, and I am glad. It really helped with writing the book, because I have a horrible memory.

Did you feel like you were putting yourself out there more than you do in your movies?
For sure. This was the most vulnerable I have ever felt. Which is ironic considering the things I’ve done. I mean everyone can see the inside of my asshole, but this is scarier. Even when I was writing it, I had to make sure I was alone. If my husband even walked into the room, I would shut the computer and tell him to get out.

There’s a part in the book where you get upset because your husband, Toni, is masturbating to another woman. Most people might find that ironic.
I think that people expect, because I am in porn, that anything goes and I am in a completely open relationship and that sex and feelings are totally separate for me. But that is not true. I am cool with what we do for work, but anything outside of that I would consider cheating. If he took a girl to lunch after a scene it would break my heart. I feel differently now about that situation.

Is your sex life with your husband as wild as you describe in the book?
We will have crazy sex, but not a lot. For the most part, our sex life is under two minutes. I like to have quick sex because I can come really easily. So when guys say 20 minutes is the standard, I am like, are you crazy? Twenty minutes is a really long time to have sex. I don’t know what a normal person’s sex life is like, but I think people would be surprised at how vanilla ours is.

What do you think people will be surprised to find out about you?
I think people will be surprised that I wrote the book in general. The thing about being in porn is, anything that I do will impress people. Just by being somewhat of a normal person, they think I am a genius. So I think people will be impressed and surprised that I have those feelings and thoughts. The classic thing you hear in porn is that we shut ourselves off when we do a scene. In the book I tried to express that I don’t do that and that I am very much present.

Who did you write the book for?
I want everyone to read the book obviously, but I want women to love it. I think the guys who like porn are either never going to jerk off to me again or jerk off to me forever after reading this book. I think more so the first one, but that is fine by me.

When you first started porn, you wouldn’t do anal sex, but now you are the Queen of Anal. How did that happen?
It is embarrassing for me to watch videos of myself saying that I am going to save anal sex for marriage. At that point I wasn’t really having it in my personal life. Then I had a boyfriend who was in the industry and we started having anal sex a lot. I was shooting a three-way scene that was just scheduled to be vag, but I was so into it, it turned into a double penetration. It wasn’t the lucrative way to go about it. I could have sold my first anal seen for a lot more money, but I am glad it happened that way.

So what are the secrets to having great anal?
For me, the most important part is not to be messy. That is where all of the anxiety comes from. Some girls won’t eat for 24 hours before their anal scenes; some girls juice. I just start cleaning out 24 hours before, which means enema-ing all day long. There are certain foods to avoid at all costs, like beets or corn. I found the easiest position to start is reverse cowgirl or cowgirl. Some girls say spoon, but I like to be on top.  Also, you should push out while the dick is going in.

So most people don’t have anal often because it’s uncomfortable. Do you think they should just keep trying?
Definitely. It is excruciating for the first 20 times. But I promise it gets better after 20 times.

You mention in your book that you are moving on from gonzo to feature porn. How has that been?
People never used to put me in the acting roles because I am the anal girl. I am not naturally the best actress, so it has been a learning process. It is gratifying to see the end result when it’s something you put that much work into. The hardest thing for me is staying in character while I am fucking. My natural go-to is to be the more submissive one, but sometimes that’s not the role.

What happens if you say something out of character?
They will just edit out the sound and go to a tight shot of the penetration. The director will shout out things he wants me to say during the sex. That is always weird because I feel like a fraud. I would never say those things in real life. The other day I did a scene for a movie that’s not out yet, called Caught. I am playing a spy, and the guy I am trying to catch has a clown fetish. So we dress up like clowns and have sex. During the scene the director is yelling, ”Mention his clown cock.” I have to say things like, “You love this clown pussy.”

What do you think is your best accomplishment so far?
Writing the book, especially in my mom’s eyes. It is the most legitimate thing I have ever done. I also won Best Double Penetration Scene three years in a row. I don’t think my mom would like that one as much. I won Performer of the Year, and that felt really good. It is silly to win an award for sex or blowjobs, but it’s my job, and I was considered the best for that year.

Are you going to let your parents read the book?
No. I told my parents not to read the book, and they are not interested at all. We are not a household that talks about sex. I would rather have my mom watch me get gangbanged than read my book. At least if I am getting gangbanged she can justify to herself that I don’t really like it. If she read my book she would know that I do.

Visit VICE.com on April 21 for an exlusive excerpt. Order Asa Akira’s Insatiable now.

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