Inside Seka - The Platinum Princess of Porn

by Seka

  Whenever I walked into a room, all eyes were on me. This crazy, accidental look of mine was turning heads. It made me very self-conscious, but I used that to my advantage. Do I shock you? Good. It puts you on your heels and me in a position of strength. I became less and less of a wallflower. I wouldn’t call myself a diva, but if something was way out of line, I wasn’t afraid to say so — politely and professionally — and it usually got fixed. The bedspread was dirty — get me a clean one. I needed a cigarette break — I asked and I got one. Pretty basic stuff that professional, polite parties should be able to work out without a big fuss, which was not always the case between filmmakers and actors. Some of the girls were treated like meat and it continued because they accepted it. I didn’t. I liked the money I was making and the attention I was being given, but I wasn’t really thinking long term. It was good for now, but if they fired me, I’d do something else tomorrow. It never occurred to me that if I pissed someone off I’d be lying in a gutter, begging for spare change. I always seemed able to bounce from one thing to another. I may not have been a career girl in the classic sense, but that actually worked to my advantage. Someone who wanted to be an accountant would be more worried that if they had a blow-out with a boss they’d not only lose their job, they might never work as an accountant again. Me, I had no problem changing what I wrote on an application when it asked for “occupation.” I was whatever I was doing at that moment. Work of some kind was everywhere for a person willing to do it.

  Swedish Erotica had a certain image. For whatever reason, they wanted the girls in their scenes to wear lacy scarves. It was weird, but as it was explained to me, they wanted customers to see that scarf in a scene and make an immediate association in their head, “Oh, a scarf. This is Swedish Erotica.” It was like a hood ornament on a car: every car had its own design and it helped you know what kind of car it was.

  Swedish Erotica thought that scarves were classy. I thought they were itchy and a pain in the ass to wear. I mean, in real life, who wears a scarf to bed? I can see keeping some article of clothing on — usually sweat socks. Ha! But even to be sexy, there are a lot cooler things to wear, like silky lingerie. But that was their signature and for as much as I asked for things here and there, removing the scarf was one thing on which they would not negotiate.

  The more loops I did for Swedish Erotica, the more I became personally associated with scarves. People started to forget all the other girls in their loops who wore them, too. But I was doing so many scenes for them, I started being known in the industry and even among the fans as Miss Swedish Erotica. At one point, Swedish Erotica even gave me that title officially, like it was another beauty contest I had won. It was all good. They’d invite me to public appearances and things and introduce me as Miss Swedish Erotica, just like when I was Miss Hopewell Virginia. I don’t know how they came up with it. I don’t believe there was any official voting of any sort. It was a publicity stunt, which flattered me because they were saying, essentially, that I was now the face of their franchise. I was moving up in the world.

  But the scarves — those damn scarves. I hated them. You’d go to a shoot and they’d have them lying around everywhere and would just throw one at me or the other girls. They’d been lying on the floor — dirty, dusty, covered in cum and whatever. They made me want to retch. As soon as I was handed one, I’d go to the bathroom and hand-wash it, then blow it dry before I’d let it touch my skin; otherwise I thought I was going to pick up some kind of disease. It was like being asked to wear someone else’s skanky underwear that was just fished out of a dumpster. They never washed those things on their own. It wasn’t like they were fancy or expensive or anything. For a buck or two they could have given us brand new ones for every scene; but no, they recycled them. Makeup, sweat, and cum, lots of dried cum. Maybe it was more noticeable when I wore one in a scene because mine were nice and clean and fluffy. I can be pretty anal sometimes. I may have been raised poor, but we were always big on cleanliness.

  One time I was doing a phone-in radio appearance. I put my phone on speaker and started doing housework. When the station called, the first thing they asked me on the air was, “So, Seka, what are you doing right now,” expecting some sort of sexy answer. I, being slow on the uptake, opted for honesty. “I’m steam-cleaning my toilet right now.” They laughed hysterically and thought I was being funny. I wasn’t. Steam-cleaning toilets and hand-washing scarves: that’s how I roll.

  People were recognizing the platinum blonde from all the scenes I was doing, but especially the Swedish Erotica ones wearing the scarf. Even once I moved up to features, I continued to do Swedish Erotica scenes, except now I was doing them with all the top stars. I became the franchise. And as for the scarves? As time went by, I started to get fan mail and stuff and realized how much the scarves stayed in people’s minds, so I began packing mine away after I’d used one. Those things are worth a pretty penny to fans today, and I’ve still got some.

  21. The A List

  Around this time, Bill Margold called us to ask about doing a feature-length film. It was Dracula Sucks starring John Holmes, Serena, Jamie Gillis, John Leslie, and Annette Haven. I thought, “My God, I can’t work with those people. They’re movie stars!” And I was certainly intimidated to work with John Holmes and his thirteen inches. But the pay for full-length feature movies was a lot better than the loops I was doing and I was about to meet my idols.

  The stars of the upcoming film Dracula Sucks were the A-List of adult actors of that era. I was so excited and nervous. Annette Haven was one of the most beautiful women of the day, and there was something awfully alluring about Serena, too. Jamie Gillis was dead sexy. I knew who John Leslie was but wasn’t sure if I liked him or not. He was a nice looking guy but there was something cold about him. John Holmes looked to me like he would be really pleasant, but not only was he the biggest name in adult films, he was literally the biggest in the business. I actually felt shy about seeing his penis.

  I was told I’d be working with Jamie and Holmes and Serena. I was going to play the part of the nurse and it followed the same plot any Dracula story would. But I was also terrified because I would have to speak lines for the first time, and figured these veterans would blow me out of the water. In the loops, I’d get to improv a few basic non-sexual lines like, “Come on in,” and “Why don’t we just remove those uncomfortable clothes.” In a feature, I’d be expected to do much more, and to emote and get into a character I would have to sustain over numerous scenes. I just didn’t see myself as an actress. And to this day I’ll say I’m not an actress. I’m a performer, but no actress.

  We were in Hollywood when we got the script and met a bunch of the crew and supporting cast in a parking lot. It was just a portion of the script actually, as they hadn’t finished writing it. We were told what day and time to be back at the parking lot because we weren’t informed of the location due to police busts at the time. Bill Margold said, “Pack for a week, because you’re going to stay for a while.”

  The location was way, way out in the middle of the desert. It was like being nowhere. Just a small town with a Motel Six. And it was cold as hell. It was actually an old castle in Calabasas, California. I checked into the motel with Ken, had dinner, and went to bed. We had a 5:30 a.m. call for make-up and wardrobe.

  The idea of waking up and having someone make me glamorous made me think I’d arrived in Hollywood. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Getting up, I had some breakfast and went to the set. We sort of caravanned along a dirt road to a place that truly looked like Dracula’s castle. The fog was starting to lift in the mountains and the castle was surrounded by it. The excitement of doing my first movie probably had something to do with my heightened sensations, and I felt a chill go down my spine.

  When we walked into the castle there was this long, stone staircase leading up to two huge double wooden doors that opened out. The whole inside was stone. There were huge fireplaces. It was larger than life with twenty-foot ceil
ings. Damp and cold, it also smelled kind of old and musty. The set really was scary. I actually expected Dracula to walk out.

  Serena, Annette, Jamie, John Leslie, and John Holmes were already staying there, as they were the stars. They got the comfortable place to stay and the good food, while Ken and I were at the Motel Six. Annette and Serena both wore long flowing robes when I met them and I thought, “Wow, movie stars.’”

  Nobody knew me, but Serena said hello. Annette, however, threw her nose up in the air and walked off without saying anything. I figured she wasn’t fully awake. Regardless, she seemed just as beautiful the first thing in the morning as on screen.

  The guys were having breakfast and turned around and looked at me. All three of them were staring and I felt uncomfortable. “There’s fresh meat in town,” I imagined them thinking. Jamie got up, though, and introduced himself. He seemed the most interesting of the trio. He was very polite and always has been.

  Seemingly out of nowhere, tons of people appeared. The castle was suddenly buzzing with movement. Quickly ushered into wardrobe and makeup, I felt a rush of anticipation and nervous energy. Since I was playing the nurse, I was handed a nurse’s outfit that was supposedly worn in Dracula’s day. I had brown and white saddle shoes which I thought were far from sexy.

  They gave me the script, telling me to learn my lines. I was notified they’d be ready to shoot in “a little while,” but a little while turned out to be three or four hours. I figured, “Fine. I’ll learn my lines.” I assumed wrongly we’d be shooting the story in order. In loops, there was only one scene, so this whole deal put me completely out of my comfort zone. In spite of being confused, I just rolled with it.

  There’s a scene where the nurse walks in on one of the doctors, played by John Leslie, while he’s doing something with another female. I don’t remember exactly what they were up to. The script did not say anything about me having sex with his character. But about an hour before shooting, John Leslie approached me and walked us through this whole scene he’d just come up with. He wanted to be very rough and concluded by stating, “Then you’ll get down on your knees and give me head.”

  I said, “That isn’t in the script. I’m not going to do you.”

  The filmmakers wanted to appease him but I told them, “He’s not going to smack me and push me around and make me give him head.”

  He started screaming and said, “What do you know? You’re just a dumb kid. You’ll never work again.”

  My feelings were really hurt. I was standing around five or six feet away from him. Everybody was watching because they heard the raised voices. I felt really low, about two inches higher than dirt. I was scared, embarrassed, and angry at the same time. Here was someone I didn’t know, screaming at me in front of strangers. And I was new.

  I said, “I really don’t care if I never work another day in this business. If I have to work with you, I’d rather flip burgers.” I took off my shoe, which was heavy, and winged it at his head. I think it missed him by about an inch.

  The whole place went dead silent. I just walked off. And I hadn’t even done my first scene yet.

  He had the most stunned look on his face. I doubt anyone had ever stood up to him before. He was a major star at the time and very demanding. If there was fresh meat, he wanted to be the first to work with her.

  Ken just stood there and never said or did anything. I was so mad I didn’t even think about him as all this was going on. But what use was he? He’d been on set for all my loops as my “protector.” But now that I finally needed protecting, where was he? He was useless.

  A lot of the other cast members were going, “Good for you. It’s time somebody stood up to him.”

  The director said, “It’ll be okay. We won’t let him do anything to hurt you.”

  I responded angrily. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do the scene as written. The scene does not call for it and you’re letting him have his way. I’m not working with him. He’s an asshole. I won’t fuck him.”

  It took about an hour and a half for Leslie to calm down. He was still complaining about me. He wanted to fuck me. I reminded them, “If that’s a requirement, I can leave now.”

  It was mentally draining to even be in the same room with John Leslie the rest of the day. And it was ever-present in my mind that I was going to have my big scene with big John Holmes. We ended up muddling through the scene with my three lines, which made me more nervous since I was still mad. Even for adult cinema, it wasn’t the glamorous Hollywood moment I had envisioned.

  Breaking for lunch, they took down the lights and everything. We had already been on the set five hours and it was ultimately going to be a sixteen-hour day with another 5:30 wake-up call the next. By the time I was scheduled to do my sex scene, I was tired, stressed, upset, and generally in a pissy mood.

  There was a barn there and they told me we had to head that way. As I was walking over, John Holmes startled me. Putting his arm around my shoulders, he said, “Hi, I’m John. I hear you’re the ballsy new broad on the set. Good for you. Somebody needs to smack Leslie in the head.”

  He was quite nice to me and seemed like a really decent guy. John said, “Let’s sit down and talk a little.”

  He spoke like a teacher would to a student. “Whatever you do, stand your ground. Don’t let anybody make you do anything you don’t want to do. Above all, demand to be treated with respect.”

  John Holmes was always very decent to me and respectful. He was nice and polite to everyone. I heard stories he could be terrible as well, but I never saw that side of him. John said, “Why don’t we see where we’ll be working.” He helped me off a tree stump and we walked down to the barn. It was buzzing with people doing light tests and meter readings. Checking for sounds. I had never seen this before in the loops.

  He said, “We’re going to be working over there.” It was just a pile of hay with a wool army jacket on top — not what I would call a pleasing place to have your first sexual experience with John Holmes.

  He must have seen the look on my face because he said, “This won’t do. It’s scratchy, it’s smelly, and it’s not fitting for a lady. Get something nice for her to lie on.”

  And they did. They did it very quickly in fact.

  John took me to the side and asked, “Do you have any problem with anything in this scene? When you’re ready, we’ll make the lookie-lous who don’t need to be here, leave.” He was referring to those not on the crew, who just wanted to see my first scene with him. “If you want to see it, go to the theater and pay your admission,” he announced to everyone.

  John was very charming.

  It was a delight to work with him, a very positive experience. It felt like someone was making love to me. And at that period in my life, it didn’t seem like my boyfriend was. Yes, John was huge, but he was gentle and thank God he didn’t get hard as a baseball bat. I don’t know why that was, but he was certainly hard enough to perform his duties, so everyone was happy, including me.

  And John was right. Pay their admission they did. Dracula Sucks did very, very well. I was about to become an adult movie star.

  22. Inside Seka

  I did several loops after that, nothing particularly memorable, but I hadn’t hit big yet. Dracula Sucks had yet to be released, so it was just business as usual.

  I still didn’t think of adult films as a career, although the work did start pouring in. Meanwhile, things were starting to get tense with Ken because he wasn’t really working. He was shooting stills of action on the set and peddling those to the producers of the film. That helped some, but he wasn’t the principal photographer and they just used his material as back-up. The directors didn’t really want him there and he was becoming an annoyance.

  Finally, they decided to put him to work and made him a porno star. I was glad ‘cause I figured if someone else was doing him, I didn’t have to.

  Arthur Morowitz of Video-X-Pix and Distribpix out of New York called to see if I wanted to star in
a movie. Video-X was known as one of the biggest in the business and supposedly paid the most and was quite fair with the talent. He had done films like Inside Jennifer Welles and Inside Gloria Leonard. He specialized in creating star vehicles where a girl’s name was right in the title. It was smart marketing, and as I got to know Arthur I came to expect nothing less. People didn’t come to see a XXX movie based on the title or topic — they came to see the stars, so Arthur put them front and center.

  He offered me a very generous sum of money. He knew my Swedish Erotica compilations were flying off the shelves, and Dracula Sucks was about to open as well. He was projecting ahead that I was going to be the next big star. I jumped at the offer.

  His concept was a film to be entitled Inside Seka. Inside Seka became so successful it still sells like mad today.

  He offered to fly Ken and me to New York, put us up for as long as it took, and shoot the movie there. I think I was more excited about going to New York than anything else.

  The storyline was supposed to be about my life with Ken. Everybody thought we were married at the time, but we weren’t. Ken told everyone we were married because it kept the hound dogs away from me. I went along with it like everything else this domineering man told me. In the movie, we were portrayed as married and it depicted our supposed swinging lifestyle. Honestly, the proper title should have been All About Ken because it depicted his dream life and his fantasies, not mine.

  By now we had, in fact, started to go to more swing parties and I did participate. It had become fairly regular because Ken was practically addicted to it and he needed me to get in. A lot of these clubs had pools and Jacuzzis, a grill, steam rooms, and great music. The original Plato’s Retreat in the Ansonia Hotel in New York was the most famous. Shortly before opening as a swing club, it was the Continental Baths, a gay cabaret where Bette Midler and her accompanist Barry Manilow got their start. These places were always packed. And it was pre-AIDS — the last relatively safe and unencumbered moment of the free-love era.