‘Eva Lovia: Being a Penthouse Pet’ (VIDEO)
Penthouse and Playboy are fading in terms of their overall influence as adult entertainment powers, but for many decades, they set the industry standard. Appearing in the pages of one of these magazines as a Playboy Playmate or Penthouse Pet was a lifetime pass to a very exclusive club of glamor girls. In this clip, retired pornstar Eva Lovia delves into the Penthouse mystique, recounting her experience being selected as a Pet of the Month.
Transcript
So, it was something I always wanted. I think it’s one of those very prestigious, classic titles that you kind of want if you’re in the adult industry. Granted, magazines aren’t selling and Penthouse ended up going bankrupt, but it still carries that level even with all of that being said. So I went to test shoot after test shoot. There’s kind of like an X-factor that goes into being a cover model. If they had too many brunettes, it doesn’t matter how awesome you are, they’re not going to pick you for that particular month. And they try to plan out all the girls, and it all has to kind of flow. So if you don’t go with that particular theme for that year, you’re not going to make it, and you’re going to get tossed to the side. And maybe they’ll pull you out again, and maybe they won’t, so there’s a lot of just hoping all the timing is right.
I was fortunate enough to have [porn agent] Mark Spiegler help me. So I tried and tried and tired. Me and him have always been very friendly. He will help me out if I needed advice, even though I was independent for most of my career. He was just always there to lend an ear. He was like, “Well, I know so-and-so over there, so I’ll let them know that you’re going to come over. He didn’t want a cut. He didn’t accept a paycheck for me. Nothing. He got it all squared away for me. He sent me to the office. They loved me. I did my shoot. After my test shoot, they were like, “Yes, we’re absolutely going to make you a Pet.” Went over to I think [then Penthouse editor-in-chief Kelly Holland’s] house, did the shoot, and it was amazing. So, they had super retro, this Cindy Crawford kind of vibe, which I absolutely loved. And it was just an entire day feeling like a total Glamazon. And I was like, “I finally did it!” It was towards the end of my career. That was one of the last things I did, so that was pretty awesome.
